The modern state was formed with the Unification of Nepal by Prithvi Narayan Shah on December 21, 1768. href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87kxovTdAUhnhRe9CKfFQwqFOAJ-kHDu2GAhhhf13m4UO-cgTCcwC5XQ6jkeYuev2JnsVzJpYAGz0WRUOc1Zgqp2JK83o7cvN3TWsGfmFR2sgDPv7IRowABWJPFAT5Kn1MYRMbspyDlYL/s1600-h/da142e.jpg">
Prior to 2006, Nepal was a kingdom and the only nation with Hinduism as its official religion. At present, Nepal is officially and constitutionally a secular country. Its recent history has involved struggles for democratic government with periods of direct monarchic rule. From 1995 until 2006, Nepal suffered from a Civil War between government forces and Maoist guerrillas of the Communist Party of Nepal.
On December 28, 2007, the Interim Parliament passed a bill and declared Nepal to be a Federal
Democratic Republic. The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly officially implemented that declaration on May 28, 2008.
Nepal is a multi-cultural, multi-linguistic and multi religious country. For a relatively small country, Nepal has a diverse landscape, ranging from the humid Terai plains in the south to the mountainous Himalayas in the north, which makes it a major tourist destination. Hinduism is practised by a huge majority of the people, but the country also has a strong Buddhist tradition; Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha Siddhartha Gautama is located in the Terai, one of the three regions of Nepal.
The capital Kathmandu is the largest city in the country. The official language is Nepali and the state currency is the Nepalese Rupee (NPR). Nepal's Flag is the only national flag in the world that is non-quadrilateral in shape. It is believed that lord Vishnu had href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElOwLYXclhREHiJh-cjhfQELz4jQIH1XRzCgwleYAXd63kdED5-lu0-fvg4m5H1wb8hjjmD7kHcI6dlsvfxLkv-i0pNSV0gHb_yklSGfaQTzv3ag422XE9ZWG7TnlcMtFcKaoScHuuVad/s1600-h/ninima_918510086.jpg">
organized the Nepali people and given them this flag, with the sun and moon as emblems on it.
Historians and local traditions say that a Hindu sage named "Ne" established himself at the valley of Kathmandu during prehistoric times and that the word "Nepal" came into existence as the place protected ("pala" in Sanskrit) by the sage "Ne". The etymology of the name Nepal means, "the country looked after by Ne".[3]
He used to perform religious ceremonies at Teku, the confluence of the Bagmati and Bishnumati rivers.[4] He is said by legend to have selected a pious cowherd to be the first of the many kings of the Gopala Dynasty.[5] These rulers are said to have ruled Nepal for over 500 years.[6] He selected Bhuktaman to be the first king in the line of the Gopal (Cowherd) Dynasty.[7] The Gopal dynasty ruled for 621 years. Yakshya Gupta was the last king of this dynasty.However,this mythology can be challenged as no such name as Ne exists in Nepali or other sanskrit derived languages.
According to Skanda Purana, a rishi called "Ne" or "Nemuni" used to live in Himalaya.[8] In the Pashupati Purana, he is mentioned as a saint and a protector. [9] He is said to have practiced penance at the Bagmati and Kesavati rivers[10] and to have taught his doctrines there too. [11]
Other possible derivations
Another
legend ties the name to agriculture; "Ne" means wool in the Tibetan language and "pal" means house or godown.[citation needed]
Others believe the word “Nepal” was derived from the word “Nepa:” which refers to the Newar Kingdom of with Kathmandu Valley as its capital. With Sanskritization, the Newar word Nepa became Nepal[12]. The Newars, a linguistic community (derived from various ethnicities) of present day Nepal, refer to all the inhabitants of Kathmandu valley and its peripheries (called "Nepa:") before the advent of Shah dynasty. The Nepal Sambat calendar, named after this Newar kingdom and devised 1200 years ago, is still one of the major calendars used in Nepal and testifies to its antiquity.
Language
All the languages spoken in Nepal are the national languages[13]. Nepali is the official language of Nepal[14]. It was originally called Khaskura, but became known as Nepali during the 20th century[15]. However, all languages spoken in Nepal can be used for official purposes and documentation irrespective of what the official language is [16].
History
Main article: History of Nepal
Prehistory
Neolithic tools found in the Kathmandu Valley indicate that people have been living in the Himalayan region for at least 9,000 years. It appears that people who were probably of Kirant ethnicity lived in Nepal 2,500 years ago.[17]
Ancient
Nepal is mentioned in Hindu scriptures such as the Narayana Puja[18] and the Atharva Siras (800-600 BC).[19]Around 1000 BC, small kingdoms and confederations of clans arose in the region. From one of these, the Shakya confederation, arose a prince named Siddharta Gautama (563–483 BC), who later renounced his royalty to lead an ascetic life
and came to be known as the Buddha ("the enlightened one").7th Kirata king Jitedasti was on throne in Nepal valley at the time. By 250 BC, the region came under the influence of the Mauryan empire of northern India, and later became a vassal state under the Gupta Dynasty in the fourth century AD. From the late fifth century, rulers called the Licchavis governed the area. There is a good and quite detailed description of the kingdom of Nepal in the account of the renowned Chinese Buddhist pilgrim monk, Xuanzang, dating from c. 645 AD.[20][21]
The Licchavi dynasty went into decline in the late eighth century and was followed by a Newari era, from 879, although the extent of their control over the entire country is uncertain. By the late 11th century, southern Nepal came under the influence of the Chalukaya Empire of southern India. Under the Chalukayas, Nepal's religious establishment changed as the kings patronised Hinduism instead of the prevailing Buddhism.
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