History of Nepal

The history of Nepal is a rich tapestry of kingdoms, conquests, and cultural evolution, dating back thousands of years.

Nepal’s earliest known rulers were the Gopalas and Mahishapalas, with their capital at Matatirtha in the southwest corner of the Kathmandu Valley. By the 7th or 8th century B.C., the Kirantis came to power, with their famous King Yalumber being mentioned in the Mahabharata. Around 300 A.D., the Lichhavis from northern India overthrew the Kirantis and established a new dynasty. One of their most significant legacies is the Changu Narayan Temple near Bhaktapur, dating back to the 5th century and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In the 7th century, Amshuvarma, the first Thakuri king, took the throne and strengthened ties with Tibet by marrying his daughter to Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo. The Lichhavis introduced notable advancements in art and architecture, but the real golden age of cultural flourishing came with the Malla dynasty in 1200 A.D. Over the next 550 years, the Mallas built splendid palaces, temples, and established organized cities. After the death of Yaksha Malla, the valley was divided into three kingdoms: Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Patan. Around this time, the region was made up of 46 independent principalities, including the kingdom of Gorkha.

Prithvi Narayan Shah, an ambitious ruler of Gorkha, began a series of military campaigns in the mid-18th century, eventually uniting the Kathmandu Valley and establishing the Shah dynasty in 1769. Instead of annexing his conquests to Gorkha, he moved his capital to Kathmandu, where his dynasty ruled until 2008. The Gorkha kingdom’s rise began in 1559 under Dravya Shah, and by the 17th century, it had expanded through both military conquest and strategic alliances. Prithvi Narayan also saw the threat posed by British India and isolated Nepal from European influences by expelling missionaries.

In the mid-19th century, Jung Bahadur Rana became Nepal’s first prime minister with absolute power, reducing the Shah kings to figureheads. This started a 104-year reign of Rana Prime Ministers, which was brought to an end by a democracy movement in the early 1950s, supported by King Tribhuvan. Tribhuvan was restored as the head of state, and his son, King Mahendra, introduced a new constitution in 1959, leading to Nepal’s first democratic elections. However, in 1960, Mahendra dissolved the government and parliament, reinstating monarchical control.

In 1990, a People’s Movement pushed for democracy, leading King Birendra to introduce constitutional reforms, establishing a multi-party system with the monarchy as the head of state. Nepal held its first parliamentary elections in 1991. By 1996, however, Maoist rebels declared a “People’s War” against the government and monarchy, sparking a decade of conflict.

A devastating tragedy in 2001 wiped out King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya, and many family members, leaving King Gyanendra to ascend the throne. Gyanendra dismissed the elected government and attempted to consolidate power, but another People’s Movement in 2006 forced him to relinquish control. This led to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2006, and a Constituent Assembly election in 2008. On May 28, 2008, Nepal was declared a Federal Democratic Republic, abolishing its 240-year-old monarchy. Today, Nepal is a democratic nation with a President as head of state and a Prime Minister leading the government.