History of Nepal

The second People's Movement (Jana Andolan II, 2062/63 BS) brought the following social impacts in Nepal:

1. Inclusion and identity: Marginalised groups, Madhesi, Janajati, Dalit and women, raised their voices, and the demand for inclusion and federalism became stronger.
2. End of monarchy and equality: The abolition of the monarchy and declaration of a republic weakened feudal hierarchy and strengthened the idea of equal citizenship.
3. Women's participation: Reservation and legal provisions increased women's representation in politics and public service.
4. Freedom of expression: The press, civil society and youth became more active, and awareness of rights and democracy grew.
5. Negative effects: Political instability, delays in the transition and some tension between communities showed that social change also brought challenges.

The Rana rulers (1903 BS to 2007 BS) were autocratic: the Prime Minister post was hereditary, people had no political rights, and education and expression were restricted. Even so, some positive reforms began in this period. My views are as follows.

1. Education: Jung Bahadur opened Durbar School (1910 BS), Dev Shumsher announced schools in many places, and Tri-Chandra College was set up in 1975 BS. Although meant at first for Rana children, they started modern formal education.
2. Legal reform: Jung Bahadur's Muluki Ain of 1910 BS was the first written, comprehensive code of law. It brought a uniform set of rules and reduced arbitrary punishments, though it was caste-based.
3. Social reforms: Chandra Shumsher abolished the sati custom in 1977 BS and slavery in 1981 BS. These were important human-rights steps.
4. Development works: Roads, a ropeway, hydropower (Pharping, 1968 BS), hospitals, telephone and the railway were introduced, laying the base for modernisation.
5. Limits and my overall view: These reforms mostly served to strengthen Rana rule, reached only a few people and gave no democratic rights. But they unintentionally created an educated class, which later led the 2007 BS democratic movement.

In conclusion, the Rana regime was undemocratic, but it cannot be denied that it laid some foundations of modern education, law and social reform.

The immediate cause of the Nepal-British war (1814-16) was the dispute over Butwal and Sheuraj. After the British took over these areas, Nepal attacked the Butwal police posts in 1814 and killed British police officers, and the British East India Company declared war on 1 November 1814.

The last king of the Nepal Mandal (Kathmandu Valley) was Ranajit Malla of Bhaktapur. Bhaktapur was the last of the three Malla kingdoms to fall to Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1769 AD (1826 BS), which ended the Malla rule. (Jayaprakash Malla was the last king of Kantipur and Tej Narsingh Malla of Lalitpur.)

Dolaji pratha was a social practice of the Rana period in which the sons and daughters born from wives or concubines of lower social status (brought into the household without a full-status marriage) were called "Dolaji". They were ranked below the pure Ranas and were denied equal rank, titles and succession rights in the Rana household.

A political transition is the period of change from one political system to another. If it is not managed in time, the gains of the change may not become permanent. Nepal's transition of 2062-63 BS shows this clearly.

Background (2062-63 BS)

• On 2061 Magh 19 (1 Feb 2005), King Gyanendra took over executive power, and political parties and the people opposed it.
• The Seven Party Alliance (SPA) and the CPN (Maoist) signed the 12-point understanding in Delhi in Kartik 2062.
• The 19-day Jana Andolan II (Chaitra 24, 2062 to Baisakh 11, 2063) forced the king to restore the dissolved House of Representatives.
• The House declared that sovereignty rests with the people and curtailed the king's powers. The Comprehensive Peace Accord was signed on 2063 Mangsir 5, ending the decade-long conflict, and the Interim Constitution 2063 followed.

Analysis: why timely management matters

1. Achievements: Peace, the end of the monarchy's role, inclusion and the move towards a Constituent Assembly were big gains, but they stayed fragile without institutions.
2. Delay in the Constituent Assembly: The first CA election was held in Chaitra 2064 and the republic was declared in Jestha 2065, but the CA could not finish the constitution on time, so a second CA was needed. The constitution came only in 2072.
3. Unfinished peace process: Issues of transitional justice, the disappeared and the rehabilitation of ex-combatants dragged on for years.
4. Political instability and disputes: Disputes over federalism, forms of government and power-sharing caused frequent government changes and agitations, such as the Madhes movement of 2063-64.
5. Weak institutionalisation: Without timely laws and institutions, gains like inclusion and rights risk reversal, and people become disappointed.

Conclusion: The political change of 2062-63 BS ended autocracy, but delays in managing the transition made it hard to institutionalise the achievements. Timely agreement, strong institutions and respect for the constitution are necessary to protect democratic gains.

In the medieval period (c. 879 to 1768 AD), the Kathmandu Valley was ruled by the Thakuri dynasty and then by the Malla kings (Early Malla from about 1200, Later Malla from 1482 when it split into Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan), until Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered Kathmandu in 1768 AD (2025 BS). Development: The Mallas promoted art, architecture, temples and palaces (such as Hanumandhoka and the Durbar Squares), literature in Newari and Nepali, festivals and trade with Tibet, and Jayasthiti Malla organised society and law.

Today's Nepali culture has grown out of the long historical experience of the ancient (Gopal, Mahispal, Kirat, Lichhavi) and medieval (Malla and the small principalities) periods. Their influence is seen in the following ways.

1. Religion and belief: The Kirat tradition of nature and ancestor worship, the Hindu and Buddhist traditions that spread in the Lichhavi period, and the tolerance of Malla rulers still shape our religious life. Pashupatinath, Changu Narayan, Swayambhu and Lumbini are inherited centres of faith.
2. Art and architecture: The pagoda style temples, stupas, palaces, courtyards (durbar squares) and stone water spouts (dhunge dhara) of the Kathmandu valley come mostly from the Lichhavi and Malla periods. Newari wood carving, metal casting and paubha painting are continuing crafts. The Kathmandu valley's monuments are World Heritage Sites.
3. Festivals and jatras: Indra Jatra, Machhindranath Rath Jatra, Gai Jatra, Biska Jatra and Dashain were started or organised in these periods, and they are celebrated today in much the same way.
4. Language and literature: Sanskrit inscriptions of the Lichhavi period (such as Manadeva's Changu Narayan inscription) and Newari, Maithili and Nepali writing of the Malla era formed the basis of our languages and literature.
5. Social system and settlements: The Kirat communities of the east and the guthi system of the Lichhavi and Malla periods, which supported temples and festivals and promoted social cooperation, still operate. Neighbourhood planning with squares, chowks and bahals is also inherited.
6. Food, dress and customs: Traditional foods such as samay baji, bara and yomari, ornaments, and rituals like bratabandha, bhai tika, Ihi and Bahra continue from earlier times.
7. Trade and cultural exchange: The old trade routes to Tibet and India brought Buddhism, Hinduism, art and ideas, and their mixture gives our culture its richness and diversity.
8. Law and administration: Land and tax systems, local self-governance, and social rules under Lichhavi and Malla kings (for example Jayasthiti Malla's social codes) influenced later legal and governance practices.

Thus, many elements of present-day Nepali culture are living heritage from the ancient and medieval periods, and we should preserve them while keeping them relevant to modern life.

Nepal Sambat began in 936 B.S. (879 A.D.), on the day of Kartik Shukla Pratipada.

Why 2007-2017 B.S. is called a transitional period

The decade from 2007 B.S. (1950 A.D.) to 2017 B.S. (1960 A.D.) is called transitional because Nepal moved from 104 years of autocratic Rana rule towards democracy, but no stable system took root. The old order ended and the new one was repeatedly tried, weakened and finally replaced by the partyless Panchayat system.

1. End of Rana rule: The revolution of 2007 B.S. and the Delhi Compromise ended Rana monopoly and brought a Rana-Nepali Congress coalition under King Tribhuvan. The old autocracy ended, yet democracy was not firmly established.

2. Experiments in governance: The Interim Government Act of 2007 B.S. introduced fundamental rights and an independent judiciary. Yet governments changed frequently, with several prime ministers in a few years, showing political instability and inexperience.

3. Failure to frame a constitution: The Advisory Assembly (Salahkar Sabha) of 2010 B.S. and the long delay in the Constituent Assembly election promised by the 2007 settlement left Nepal without an elected constitution-making body. The Constitution of Nepal, 2015 B.S. was finally granted by the King.

4. Royal activism: After King Tribhuvan's death in 2011 B.S., King Mahendra gradually increased royal power while parties quarrelled among themselves.

5. Election and its overthrow: The first general election of 2015 B.S. gave the Nepali Congress a majority, and B. P. Koirala became the first elected prime minister. On Poush 1, 2017 B.S., King Mahendra dismissed the government, dissolved parliament, banned parties and later introduced the Panchayat system.

6. Socio-economic change: The First Five-Year Plan (2013 B.S.), expansion of education and the press, and Nepal's entry into the United Nations (2012 B.S.) began modernisation but were not consolidated.

Conclusion: The period was a bridge between Rana autocracy and the partyless Panchayat system, marked by hope, instability and unfinished democratic change. That is why it is called a transitional period.