How Old Is Nepal
Nepal nation has been mentioned in the Hindu Epic Mahabharata and the Hindu Scriptures Purana. Hindu Epic Ramayana is older than the Mahabharata. Rama, the central character in the Ramayana married Sita from Nepal. Scholars believe that the epics are loosely based in the historical accounts. The events in the Mahabharata are believed to have occurred in around 1300 BCE. From this inference, we can say Nepal is at least 3500 years old.
The Buddha was born in Lumbini in 623 BCE, which was under the territory of Nepal.
Some of the landmarks in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, are believed to have constructed by King Ashoka from India, in about 3rd century BC.
The earliest archaeological evidence found outside Nepal, about Nepal nation, is a stone inscription by King of Allabadh, India, belonging to 4th century AD.
The most ancient evidence found in Nepal is an idol of a deity, in complete form, belonging to 4th century AD.
The earliest stone inscription by a king of Nepal belongs to 6th century.
The earliest surviving temple in Nepal, the Temple of Changunarayan, was constructed in the 6th century. Another ancient temple, in complete from, is Rudra Varna Mahavihara, which was also built in 6th century.
The archaeological evidences found in and around Kathmandu prove that Kathmandu city is at least two thousand years old. However, Nepal was not known to the Western world until East India Company arrived in India and established British Raj.
In 1662, Gruber and Doraville, the Christian missionaries from Italy, came to Nepal. Before that, no Westerners had set foot in Nepal. The King of Nepal allowed the missionaries to preach and convert the Hindus and the Buddhists. The “new religion” flourished. However, when Nepal was unified in 1769, the new King banished the foreigners as well as the converts.
Since the early times, the British were interested to occupy Nepal. They had tried to help Jaya Prakash Malla, the last Mall King of Kathmandu, against Ghurkha KingPritivi Narayan Shah. However, the Ghurkalis destroyed the logistics and the reinforcement before they could reach Kathmandu.
In 1816, after losing a war with Britain, Nepal signed a treaty and allowed foreign diplomatic mission to operate in the country. The 1816 treaty was also the first diplomatic tie with the Western world. The British royals and the diplomats, and the explorers, anthropologists and historians from Europe arrived to study the country. Nevertheless, Nepal was still closed for the general westerners.
The founding of the current political map of Nepal is credited to the events that occurred in 1769, when Prithivi Narayan took control of Kathmandu. However, the birth of modern Nepal occurred after the 104 years old oligarchy was overthrown in 1950. The truth related to this historical date has to be analyzed because after the royal coup of 1960, Nepal went through the dark age of tyranny. Modernity and democracy existed only in papers.
In 1990, people of Nepal demonstrated for 46 days to re-establish parliamentary democracy. Perhaps this decade can be called gestation period. Nepal was reborn in 2006, when the ten years of Communist insurgency ended, which also paved a way for the birth of the republic.
It is true that Nepal is an ancient nation, but modern Nepal will be born only when we will have a new constitution, proper functioning state and central government, and the working presidency.
The Modern History of Nepal
The Shahs in Nepal have been true to their name, which in fact stands for atrocities like that of the Shah Reja Pallahavi in Iran. Indians remember Nadir Shah of Persia as a looter during mogul empire. True indeed, the problem in Nepal lies within the Shahs, who reigned this country in the name of one religion (Hindu), one culture (Bahuns and Chhetris) one dialect (Nepali) and such. They treated people like raiti not as citizens, and promulgated Nepal as a garden of four caste and 36 sub-castes, which obviously means some are above others. No doubt, to project New Nepal we must vouch for a republican state and end the feudal system existing since 238 years.
However, our modern history is fabricated, it brims with partial truth. Apparently, this is not the sole case–history around the world is flawed. Few weeks back when UK was commemorating 200th anniversary of abolition of slave trade in Trans-Atlantic, the descendent of slaves urged the queen to apologize for British slave trade. And Japanese premier Shinzo Abe apologized for the Japanese military comfort stations; historians tell two hundred thousand women mostly Chinese and Korean comfort women were in Japanese military brothel throughout Asia between 1930-1940.
A couple of years back, China and Japan were caught in a row regarding Japan’s middle school history text books that whitewashed the country’s war time atrocities. According to the book, Japanese invasion of China was advancement, while the 1937 Najing massacre where 300,000 people massacred was an ‘incident’ and deleted the term comfort women.
History could be misleading because historian could be prejudiced towards certain events or person. For instance, our history books says, Bhimsen Thapa was a great diplomat and gallant soldier, nevertheless our great historian BaburanAcharya has always defamed Bhimsen Thapa for his failure of Nepal-Britain war and Sugauli treaty. When we glance at our history books we find flaws in numerous places especially of Nepal-China war (1792) and Nepal-Britain war (1814AD).
Nepali historian tells Nepal had vanquished the advanced Chinese troops, nonetheless, other book reveals Chinese troops had advanced up to Nuwakot. The treaty signed on October 6 1792 forced Nepal to pay a hefty sum to the Chinese emperor every five years and abandon Tibet, on which Nepal had clout from 1790. After Nepali retreat, a treaty signed with East India Company (Sugauli Sandhi 1816 AD) which made Nepal give up the western territories like Kumaon, Gadwal along with its own land in the southern low land. On the treaty, it was made mandatory to allow a British resident mission in Kathmandu. That was the sign of colonization; only to them it was not necessary to induct Nepal in the British India. Feudal lords ruled Nepal for 104 years because there was British support.
Our historians make scant mention of oligarch Jung Bahadur’s polity, which helped British to remain a nation. They have also undermined his role when he routed Tibet in 1857. Some people who write books, especially autobiography, also try to correct their defamed past. One example is Nar Shumsher; he denied his hand in killing four martyrs in1940.
Another illusion we are living in is that we say we were never colonized and always remained a sovereign state. British historian Wright has written King Mahendra Malla requested Delhi’s Mogul emperor to mint silver coin in his own name. Though Nepal had its own king, it was not sovereign in every extent. Our debacle war with China and Britain are always glorified but the treaty signed thereafter made Nepal bow to the foreign powers.
Nepal remained a nation with its own rulers not because of the kings and gallant courtiers as our history books tell, but because it was the boundary between great China and Great Britain. The British had actually honored our foreman for their reinforcement in 1857. The Army Mutiny, according to Indian history books, is the first sprout of war of independence; nonetheless it was the last war between Mogul rulers and East India Company. Mogul themselves were invaders for India. Indian history is perfidious towards the British. The Nobel Laureate V.S. Naipaul has said, the British didn’t harm India as much as Mogul.
After the Independence, India declared war with the kings who craved to retain lost glory of their own nation. Kashmir was not the part of British India. However, India advanced there. Sardar Ballhabhai Patel, the then defense minister had also tried to induce Nepal to greater India. However, Nehru was a close friend of B.P Koirala and he side tracked Patel. Nepal was left untouched not because of king Tribhuvan but because many Nepalis studying in India and in exile had participated in India’s struggle for independence. People have vandalized the statue of King Prithivi Narayan Shah, the Shah founder of modern Nepali territory but spared King Tribhuvan.
Medieval History of Nepal
If the state is to pay heed to the dissents, we will probably return to 238 years back where we are number of nations (now agitating voices have termed it state). However, to a rational mind the idea look absurd. Parties in Tarai are demanding Madhesh state; we cannot have entire Tarai as a single state, it is a homogeneous society. Mithilarajya or Bjojpurirajya would be plausible because they represent the tradition, culture, art, literature and history of hundreds of years.
Apparently we can reconstruct the state based on a common legacy and heritage that a particular region shares. Karnali region can be a state – history and tradition of this region dates back to the time when there was Nepal valley. Known as Khasa kingdom in ancient time, the entire Karnali region (not the Karnali zone) could be termed a state.
During the unification of modern Nepal 238 years ago, one of the kingdoms annexed to Nepal was Khasa which comprised western Nepal, south western Tibet, Kumaon and Garhwal. Sinja and Dullu were twin governmental headquarters. The history of Khasa kingdom is not only the history of great political power, it also comprises the background of present socio-cultural set-up, Nepali ruling class and the Nepali language. Many surnames of modern Hindu Nepali comes from then position in the Khasa Empire.
Malla rulers of Kathmandu valley in the middle age were the decedents of Khasa rulers. They were non-Vedic Aryan who had entered the Indian subcontinent from the north-west around the beginning of the first millennium BC. Though scientific expeditions carried in 1956 and 1965, it is known Khasas were warrior tribe. The ruins of their places, their weapons, armors etc. can still be seen in the temples and monasries of the Karnali region (or Sinja valley).
Though little has been done to preserve the history, we can see the objects used by the Kings like Nagaraja, AkasyaMalla, JitariMalla and many others. The stone inscriptions, clay tablets bear ample examples of the antiquity of their kingdom.
Nepal’s history can be recollected as the history of alienation and seclusion by the Shahs, Ranas and the urban elite. Our history is a history of elite, read at schools and colleges, shaping and influencing the psych of a generation. The subaltern history or the history of masses that stood suffered and sidelined is still to be written. Nepali history has been highly prejudiced and heavily distorted. Now we can no longer linger on this state of dilemma. The Khasa, the Mithila, the Bhojpur cannot be ignored. The states must be constructed on the basis of the history, culture and language that a region shares.
Issues of Nationalism in Nepal
Once again, politicians are making promises: to write a new constitution, to systemize the republican system, to federalize the country. They are promising some petty things such as building roads, providing electricity, and some grave such as governance, rule of law, accountability etc.
Nepal, along with China and India, started to build the country from scratch after the 1950s. Ever since I began taking interest in places and people, I have been looking at China with great awe. The media, open boarder, similar cultural values, and religion if you like, have made India quite explicit on Nepalese psyche. Nonetheless, China is concealed; majority people know nothing except Mao. Thanks to the Nepalese Maoist.
Nepal will have elections in November. The political parties have stated that they will give a new constitution to the country in one year, boost economy growth rate to at least 8 percent and lift country to medium economy.
In 1949, Communist took over China, which was razed by Japan in the Second World War, and began to develop the country. In 1947, India gained independence. In less than 5 years, India’s Constituent Assembly gave the country a new constitution, and began to institutionalize democracy and build the country.
In 1950, Nepal overthrew 104 years of authoritarian regime and began to modernize the country.
Now, look at these three counties. China is super power and one of the largest economies. India is the largest functional democracy and fastest growing economy Nepal is just a zilch. The country is still trying to come out of the cocoon of feudalism and abolish modern slavery.
In 1950, per capita income of Nepal, India and China was between 90 and 100 dollars. However, today, there is a large discrepancy between the per capita incomes of China (about $900), India (about $430), and Nepal ($240). Today, economy growth rate in China is about almost 10 percent, in India it is about 8 percent, where as Nepal has only 4 percent economy growth rate.
In 1950s Nepal’s agro based production was more than that of South Korea. Today, Nepal, despite being an agrarian economy, is a food exporting country.
Modern concept of democracy came in Nepal in 1950; however, people had to fight again and again for “full fledged democracy”. This term sounds little absurd as democracy itself is understood in its completeness. Yet in Nepal, it has become quite agreeable. Parliamentary democracy came second time in 1990; still it was not fully democratic. That is the reason why the people had to struggle again in 2006. Now, Nepal has been promulgated federal republic, even though states have not been still created.
Some political analysts believe, not only the reign of Shahs, but the Malla and the Lichhivis rules were also based on feudalism. However, the fact is not known. Ancient political system of Nepal waits to be researched and studied. I believe, at least it wasn’t totally feudalist or autocratic, as a matter of fact, family based rule doesn’t always mean anti-democratic. There is evidence in French historian Sylvain Levi’s chronicles, when people of Patan carried usurpation and put another person on the throne. Lichhivi rulers of Nepal, who were powerful tribe during the Buddha, were democratic. Their nation in Baisali, now in India was a republic.
I want political wrangling, corruption, mobocracy to end. I want agriculture to be modernized, tourism developed and hydropower harnessed. I want a new constitution and a stable government.