When travelling to a country such as Nepal, with layers of history and significance. One can get lost in the beauty of this tranquil escape but never know the true reason for its creation. The diversity in Nepal is so rich that in a small square such as of Patan, Kathmandu and Bhaktapur lie countless bricks of the bygone era layered one atop the other. Temples of the then forgotten world, stand tall with the new architecture and even among the temples, lie countless tiers of history.
The external beauty is enriched and uplifted with knowledge of their creation, are significance and its value. One can feel as if they have been transported to a bygone era, as his/her imagination contemplates the creation of these sites as they flip through pages of history carefully protected and transcribed into the pages of a book.
History is complicated, especially when it comes to Nepalese history which features so many diversities, micro kingdom, a lack of documentation and dark eras during when neither history was documented but was rather lost.
When Nepal was opened in the 1950s for the world to experience, it didn’t just boost the tourism industry but also the arrival of historians and academics helped document the history and unravel treasures of a forgotten past. Among the many books that have helped conserve Nepali history, listed below are a few books to get one started.
A History of Nepal by John Whelpton
While John Whelpton's history of Nepal focuses on the period since the overthrow of the Rana family autocracy in 1950-51, the early chapters are devoted to the origins of the kingdom and the evolving relations of its diverse peoples. Whelpton portrays a country of extraordinary contrasts, whose history has been buffeted constantly by its neighbours, China and India. Economic and political turmoil over the last fifty years came to a climax with the massacre of the royal family in 2001 when the country erupted into civil war. This book is the most comprehensive and accessible English-language one-volume history of Nepal. John Whelpton, who works as a teacher in Hong Kong, is a historian and linguist. He has worked and travelled extensively in Nepal, and has written numerous articles and books on the subject. These include Nationalism & Ethnicity in the Hindu Kingdom: The Politics and Culture of Contemporary Nepal (Routledge, 1997), and Kings, Soldiers and Priests: Nepalese Politics and the Rise of Jang Bahadur Rana, 1830-1857 (South Asia Books, 1992).
Kathmandu by Thomas Bell
One of the greatest cities of the Himalaya, Kathmandu, Nepal, is a unique blend of thousand-year-old cultural practices and accelerated urban development. In this book, Thomas Bell recounts his experiences from his many years in the city—exploring in the process the rich history of Kathmandu and its many instances of self-reinvention.
Closed to the outside world until 1951 and trapped in a medieval time warp, Kathmandu is, as Bell argues, a jewel of the art world, a carnival of sexual license, a hotbed of communist revolution, a paradigm of failed democracy, a case study in bungled western intervention, and an environmental catastrophe. The layered development of the city can be seen in the successive generations of its gods and goddesses; its comfort in the caste system and ethos of aristocracy and kingship; and the recent destabilizing effects of consumerist approaches and the push for egalitarianism and democracy. In important ways, Kathmandu’s rapid modernization can be seen as an extreme version of what is happening in other traditional societies. Bell also discusses the ramifications of the recent Nepal earthquake.
A comprehensive look at a top global destination, Kathmandu is an entertaining and accessible chronicle for anyone eager to learn more about this fascinating city.
History of The Kingdom of Nepal by Daniel Wright
History of Nepal by Daniel Wright and translated from the Parbatiya by Munshi Shew Shunker Singh and Pandit Shri Gunanand forms part of the indispensable canon of works about the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal. Daniel Wright has his own distinctive style of wright about the people, culture, customs and history of Nepal. In his book, he talks about not only the history and geography of Nepal but also gives us an insight into the traditional instruments, songs and original manuscripts of this Picturesque country. It is an excellent book to gain the perspective of a foreign national regarding Nepalese culture and history. The book contains an interesting history of Nepal including that of Newaris and Kathmandu. It is also termed as the myth of Kathmandu.
Battles of the New Republic: A Contemporary History of Nepal by Prashant Jha
Battles of the New Republic: A Contemporary History of Nepal is a story of Nepal's transformation from war to peace, monarchy to a republic, a Hindu kingdom to a secular state, and a unitary to a potential federal state.
Part-reportage, part-history, part-analysis, part-memoir, and part-biography of the key characters, the book breaks new ground in political writing from the region. With access to the most powerful leaders in the country as well as diplomats, it gives an unprecedented glimpse into Kathmandu's high politics. But this is coupled with ground-level reportage on the lives of ordinary citizens of the hills and the plains, striving for a democratic, just and equitable society.
It tracks the hard grind of political negotiations at the heart of the instability in Nepal. It traces the rise of a popular rebellion, its integration into the mainstream, and its steady decline. It investigates Nepal's status as a partly-sovereign country and reveals India's overwhelming role. It examines the angst of having to prove one's loyalties to one's own country and exposes the Hindu hill upper-caste dominated power structures.
Battles of the New Republic is a story of the deepening of democracy, of the death of a dream, and of that fundamental political dilemma - who exercises power, to what end, and for whose benefit.