Nepal is an independent nation in Southern Asia. With the capital city of Kathmandu, Nepal 2020 population is estimated at 29,136,819 according to countryaah. The Kathmandu Valley has been the center of state formation for a couple of millennia. Today’s Nepal began to take shape in the 18th century when a kingdom was formed. In the 19th century, the king’s power was cut by a coup and a system of hereditary prime ministerial office was introduced. Eventually opposition to the ruling Ranady dynasty grew. It was forced to surrender power in 1951, since India stood on the side of the king and the political opposition.
Today’s Nepal was inhabited already during the younger Stone Age, but not until the millennium before Christ is the area mentioned in Indian scriptures. The Kiranti people dominated the country at the time of Buddha’s birth in the town of Lumbini 560 BC. From the end of the 8th century AD the Newar people in the Kathmandu Valley ruled. Newar may be the root of the name Nepal; According to another interpretation, it means “the beginning of a new era”.
- AbbreviationFinder.org: Comprehensive guide to and popular abbreviations of Nepal, covering history, economy, and social conditions.
The following centuries were marked by Indian conquests and power struggles between indigenous groups. In the 12th century, Nepal’s rulers began to add the title to their names. The Mallad dynasty came to dominate the Kathmandu valley until the 18th century. For Nepal political system, please check computerminus.
The city state of Gorkha
The foundation of today’s Nepal was laid in 1768–1769 when the city state of Gurkha (Gorkha), led by Prithvi Narayan Shah, succumbed to the surrounding principality, including Kathmandu. The Gurkha people were war caste Hindus originating in India and their faith and Indo-European languages came to dominate. The expansion of the cucumber herd both east and west led to confrontations with China and later Britain.
The Shah dynasty’s position was weakened in the mid-1840s, when Jung Bahadur, during a period of power struggles, proclaimed prime minister and occupied other important posts with his family members. The king was allowed to retain his throne, but lost his powers. Jung Bahadur took the title “robbery” and made the Prime Minister’s office hereditary.
Isolated mountain region
During the Ranad dynasty, the development of and in many areas stopped, the country remained at a medieval level. But the isolation also helped Nepal to escape colonization. During the first decades of the 20th century, an opposition began to grow. Among the opposition there were officers who served in the British army and got in touch with democratic ideas.
The Indian independence movement inspired the millions of Nepalese living in northern India. 1950 was formed among these Nepalese Congress (NC), which allied with the royal family to overthrow the Ranad dynasty. NC started an armed struggle. Since the British left India in 1947 and the Indian government stood on the side of the king and NC, the Rana dynasty was forced to relinquish power. In 1951 the king’s supremacy was restored.
2013
November
Strongly delayed new elections are carried out
November 19
The re-election to the Constituent Assembly is carried out, despite sporadic violence during Election Day in the form of minor blast attacks in Kathmandu, with several injured as a result. About 12 million eligible voters elect 575 of 601 members from around 16,000 candidates from about 120 parties. Hundreds of foreign observers are monitoring the election process. The turnout is estimated at just over 77 percent.
October
Murder with links to the election
A candidate for the Marxist Leninist party UML is shot dead by perpetrators in a passing car in Kathmandu. Later this month, another UML politician is arrested along with two other men. The three are suspected of the murder, whose motive must have been that the arrested politician did not receive enough support in his constituency to be able to run for election.
June
New election postponed – again
The transitional government announces that the new election to the Constituent Assembly, which would have been held in June 2013, has now been postponed to November the same year.
April
Truth Commission gets rejected
The Supreme Court rejects the government’s plans to establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (see Modern History). According to the court, such a commission could lead to impunity being issued for serious crimes.
March
Unpolitical transitional government is formed
The Maoist-led Bhattarai government resigns and a ministry consisting mainly of retired bureaucrats is appointed, headed by Supreme Court Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi. The parties also agree that the provisional government may remain until December 15, if elections cannot be held in June.
February
Election day is moved again
Nepal’s four largest political parties agree that the planned new election to the Constituent Assembly should be postponed, from May to June 21, 2013. The political deadlock – the country is unconstitutional, without a permanent parliament and with a temporary, disputed government-paralyzed government – means that Concerns are rising among the public and violent protests in the streets must once again be dispelled by the riot police.
