Nepal Bridges Two Great Civilisations

Yuba Nath Lamsal:- Nepal is an ancient Himalayan country in South Asia with a long history of its continued existence as an independent state. Nepal lies on the southern slope of the mighty Himalayas, almost in a rectangular shape, bordering Tibet of China in the north and the great Gangetic plain of India in the south. The High Himalayan range forms the border with China in the north and no such geographical features mark the boundary with India in the south, while rivers (Mechi in the east and Mahakali in the west) form the borderline with India in the east and the west. Nepal is one of the oldest countries in the world and the oldest independent country in South Asia. When Nepal existed as a country, there were several kingdoms and principalities in the rest of South Asia. However, none of these principalities exists as a country at present. These South Asian kingdoms and principalities were taken over by external occupiers one after another, with Nepal being the only country to maintain its independence in the region. Even in the heydays of the British Empire, when it colonised most parts of South Asia, Nepal remained an independent country. Nepal fought a bloody war with the British colonial power and defended its independence and sovereignty. When the British left South Asia in 1947, India and Pakistan were born as two young countries out of the British colony. Legend: As goes the myth, the Kathmandu Valley was once a lake with no human settlement. According to the Buddhist version of the legend, Manjushree, who came from central China, drained the water out of the lake and facilitated human settlement. But the Hindu version says Lord Krishna cut off the land in the southern part of Kathmandu, making a small gorge in Chovar to drain the water out of the lake. So far as the name Nepal is concerned, historians base their arguments partly on myths and partly on chronicles. According to historian Balchandra Sharma, who has based his arguments on the documents of various foreign writers, a saint called ‘Ne’ started human settlement in the Kathmandu valley after the lake was cleared of water. The place built and protected by ‘Ne’ was called Nepal. Another version states that the name ‘Nepal’ came from the Tibetan language, as the house of wool. In the Tibetan language, ‘Ne’ means wool and ‘Pal’ means house. The origin of Nepal as a country dates back to 1000 BCE, or 3000 years ago and since then, Nepal as a country has continued to exist. Kautilya has mentioned Nepal in ‘Arthashastra’ (Economics) as a hub for the trade of woollen rugs between Tibet and the southern plain. Nepal has also been mentioned in various ancient inscriptions of India. It is said in history that Maurya emperor Ashoka visited Kathmandu and got his daughter Charumati married to a prince of Nepal, Devpal, in the 3rd century BCE. There are several other religious and historical documents that state Nepal’s existence as a state since almost 1000 BCE. In the beginning, Kathmandu valley alone used to be called Nepal or Nepal Mandala. It is said that Gopals (cow herders) and Mahishpals (buffalo herders) were the earliest settlers or rulers of Nepal, but there is no concrete historical evidence to ascertain the exact timeline of their existence in Nepal. However, it is said that their kingdom had extended as far as Dudhkoshi in the east, Trisuli in the west, the Himalayas in the north and Chitlang in the south. Kirats replaced the Gopal dynasty and further consolidated their kingdom. Yalambar was the first Kirat king known for their bravery. According to mythology, a Kirat king Jitedasti fought the Mahabharat war from the Pandavas’ side against the Kauravas. However, this cannot be matched with the historical facts, as the Mahabharat period and Kirat period distinctly differ. The Mahabharat period was 3000 BCE ago while the Kirat period in Nepal was between around 800 BCE to 400 AD. Kirats were replaced by Lichchhivis. Lichchhivi kings, especially Mandev and Amsuvarma, are famous for their astute rule and external relations. Lichchhivis were replaced by Mallas. The Malla period was Nepal’s golden era in terms of art and architecture and was also economically prosperous due to bustling trade with Tibet and some southern principalities. The size of Nepal expanded and contracted during different regimes. Yakshya Malla divided Nepal Mandala into three kingdoms—Bhadgaun (Bhaktapur), Kantipur (Kathmandu) and Patan (Lalitpur) and made his three sons kings of these divided principalities. Gorkha’s king Prithivi Narayan Shah conquered all three kingdoms of the Kathmandu valley, along with several other principalities outside, in the quest for Nepal’s unification. Prithivi Narayan Shah laid the foundation of unified Nepal and his successors gave continuity to his unification campaign until the 1814 war between Nepal and the East India Company. In the war, the British dominated and the Sugauli Treaty of 1816 was signed, in which Nepal not only lost a sizable portion of its territory but also its expansion came to a permanent halt. Nepal had been in contact with the states of both north and south right from its early period. Kirat had established relations with the neighbouring states in the north as far as central China, whereas Lichchhivi rulers further widened it and had relations with most of the principalities in the southern Gangetic plain as far as Hastinapur (now Delhi). After unification, Nepal entered into a modern era of international relations. Intersection: Right from ancient times, Nepal has been an intersection of two great civilisations — South Asian civilisation and Chinese civilisation. Now it connects two large economies — one second largest and the other fourth largest and it serves as a bridge between South Asia and East Asia. Nepal is a small country only when compared to its two immediate neighbours. Otherwise, Nepal is a mid-sized country in terms of both physical size and population. Nepal is a unique country from multiple perspectives. This is home to the ancient Himalayan civilisation (Himbatkhand civilisation), while geographically Nepal is a country of the world’s highest mountains in the northern Himalayas, and a part of the low Gangetic plain in the south. Similarly, it has diverse climatic conditions available in the world, and so is the flora and fauna. Given its diversity in multiple sectors, Nepal is a unique country and a world in microcosm.