Nepal: The most interesting facts

Nepal is the highest country in the world on average. The Himalayan mountains with Mount Everest make this country famous all over the world. However, it is just as well known for the colorful culture, exceptional hospitality and joie de vivre of the Nepali people. And this despite the fact that Nepal is considered the poorest country in South Asia. If you want to learn more about the long history of immigration from this country, then you are exactly right here. 

Formation of the Kathmandu Valley

In early times, where today's capital Kathmandu is located, a former mountain lake was buried by an earthquake and drained. Numerous people settled there and many temples and art treasures were built, which are still preserved today. Around 560 BC, Siddhartha Gautama was born in a small village, Lumbini, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site for several years. The now world-famous Buddha later spread Buddhism in the country. 

Malla rule

By the 14th century, Nepal had achieved the status of an independent kingdom. The Malla dynasty ruled over the country and introduced a caste system that defined the duties of the different castes and their distinction by dress and area of residence. After the death of the fourth king, Yakshya Malla, the kingdom was divided among his four children. However, these dynasties were always at war in the following years. The subprincipality of Gorkha gained more and more influence and became the strongest ruling branch. 

Beginning of the Rana dynasty

At the beginning of the 18th century, the plague claimed thousands of lives in the Kathmandu Valley, weakening the people and rendering them defenseless. Thus, Prithvi Narayan Shah succeeded in becoming unrestricted ruler over the entire valley after he marched into Kathmandu with his Gurkha troops in 1768 and conquered the other dynasties as well. He made Kathmandu the capital and is considered the "Father of the Nation. 

Attempts at territorial expansion resulted in war with China, so Nepal turned to the British East India Company and signed a trade agreement. However, at the beginning of the 19th century, incursions by Nepalese armies into British territory led to war with the British colonial power. Nepal later became a British protectorate with domestic independence. 

In 1845, the Rana family, which was actually named Jung Bahadur, took power. Rana translates as "ruler" or "king. In the Kot Massacre ("Fortress Massacre"), they wiped out almost all political opponents. The Rana dynasty subsequently ruled dictatorially from 1846 to 1951, as they instituted an all-powerful prime ministership that was hereditary. The king had only representative duties. 

Nepal in the 20th century until today

At the beginning of the 20th century, Gorkha was renamed Nepal and recognized as an independent state by Great Britain in 1923. The population wanted the end of the repressive Rana regime, which was subsequently brought down by King Tribhuvan and the support of India. 

In 1960, a new constitution was enacted that banned all political parties. This no-party system guaranteed the king direct access to power. After bloody unrest and protests, the king agreed to a democratic multiparty system, and Nepal became a constitutional monarchy under the 1990 constitution. 

Six years later, civil war broke out as the communist party of Nepal demanded a republic and took action against the monarchy and the Hindu caste system. Parliamentary democracy came to an end as early as 2002, when the king dissolved parliament and seized all power. An increasingly large part of the population demanded a return to democracy. As a result, thousands of people died in the ten-year civil war. 

In 2006, the dissolved parliament reconvened for the first time, and two years later there were elections to a constituent assembly, which resulted in the abolition of the monarchy and the proclamation of the Democratic Republic of Nepal. 

Today, the problem in Nepal is still that it is difficult to unite the numerous population groups and their (political) interests. Despite existing laws, oppression, unequal treatment and corruption are widespread, and there is a strong disparity in wealth. Caste also still has significance. Almost 40% of the total population in Nepal today lives below the poverty line. Tourism is one of the most important sources of income for the Nepali people and therefore plays a correspondingly important role in the economy. Every year, about 600,000 tourists come to the country for trekking, hiking and expedition trips in the Himalayas. 

If you are as enthusiastic about Nepal as we are and also interested in discovering this country, you will find here our Nepal trip.