The author is able to provide a brief analysis of most events and aspects of the history without taking sides, even when discussing the foreign actors and influences. Nepal historical information royal family king and queen. Nepal is a roughly rectangular country with an area. Jun 24, 2002 his history of nepal s royal machinations is filled with persistently bizarre eruptions of internecine violence. And he vividly recounts episodes from nepals more recent history, which he covered for the daily telegraph. The true life story of kumari by rashmila shakya as told to scott berry. In february 1996, the maoist parties declared a peoples war against monarchy and the elected government.
Questions unasked and unanswered and rejoinders to it. He became known as the buddha, or the enlightened one. The royal family is hindu, and until 2006 the country was officially a hindu kingdom. Why nepals crown prince went on a killing spree the. During the 1990s and until 2008, the country was in civil strife. The heavily armed crown prince dipendra opened fire and mowed down the royal family, killing his parents, brother. King birendras 29yearold son, crown prince dipendra, opened fire on his parents and other family members before turning his submachine gun on himself. In this lesson, students investigate nepalese culture, economy, geography, government, history, religion and current events to develop the introductory chapter of a guidebook. The first half of this book provides an overview of nepals complex aristocracy. The descriptions of nepal are elaborate and there is never a dull moment throughout the book.
In may 1991, nepal held its first parliamentary elections. The dead included king birendra of nepal and queen. When soma bamshi rulers were ruling over nepal, gupta rulers seem to. In the face of all this, few in kathmandu expect much from the inquiry into the royal familys murder. Nepali culture represents a fusion of indoaryan and tibetomongolian influences, the result of a long history of migration, conquest, and trade. Well after having read a lot of content from different sources, i believe that there is no point in having thought of india as not behind the nepalese royal family massacre. Land of the gorkhas, or the himalayan kingdom of nepal by w.
Its territory extends roughly 500 miles 800 kilometres from east to west and 90 to 150 miles from north to south. Kathmandu, nepal nepals crown prince has shot and killed his parents the king and queen and several other members of the royal family before. Nepal is named for the kathmandu valley, where the nations founder established a capital in the late eighteenth century. She is head of the british royal family, has 4 children, 8 grandchildren and 8 greatgrandchildren, and is 94 years, 1 month, old she is the 32nd greatgranddaughter of king alfred the great who was the first effective king of england 871899. I borrowed this library book prior to an upcoming trip to nepal, hoping to learn about a particular piece of nepal history the royal massacre in 2001 of which i had only very hazy memories. A peek inside the palace of nepals last monarchy travel. This book is the most comprehensive and accessible englishlanguage onevolume history of nepal. Nepal historical information royal family king and. Culture of nepal history, people, clothing, traditions. Since the royal nepal army was loyal to the king, at any time the monarch could. His son crown prince dipendra was named king on june 2, 2001, after the unfaithful royal family massacre of june 1, 2001 that took the lives of the king, queen, prince, princess and five other royal family members. It was 10 years ago june 1st that, by the official account, nepals crown prince strode into a royal family gathering, opened fire, and killed nine people including his father the king, before. To say that the dynasty has had an unhappy history is an understatement, and after awhile the numerous accounts of royal bloodletting become monotonous. Many of the ills of nepal have been blamed on the royal family of nepal.
Queen elizabeth ii became queen of the united kingdom and head of the commonwealth on 6th february 1952. His history of nepals royal machinations is filled with persistently bizarre eruptions of internecine violence. Economy some 75% of nepal s people engage in agriculture, which contributes about 40% of the gdp. On 1 june 2001 after a dinner party held at the palace, prince dipendra shot his. John whelpton, who works as a teacher in hong kong, is an historian and linguist. And why wasnt any member of the royal family or top army brass there.
An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your nepal ancestors lived in harsh conditions. Twelve members of the royal family were killed in a mass shooting during a party or monthly reunion dinner of the royal family in the house. Tragedy in nepal royal family massacred magazine web. Is india behind the nepalese royal family massacre. The book focuses on crown prince dipendras life, personality, and state of mind on the night he killed his family. Air of uncertainty hangs over nepal as rumours fly. But king dipendra soon died in hospital on june 4, 2001. True tales from the road to kathmandu david tomory this book deals with the history and culture of asia through the true stories of travellers who have taken the hippie journey right up to kathmandu in the 60s. The authors visited nepal and interviewed rebels, royals, and palace employees to learn about nepals history, traditions, and the 2001 royal massacre. Himalaya, the journal of the association for nepal and. An abstract history, studies in nepali history and society 7 1 209. Jun 02, 2001 eleven people including several members of the royal family were shot dead late on friday evening, apparently after a dinner table dispute about a bride for the heir to the throne. List of books and articles about nepalese history online.
By david fox kathmandu, june 6 reuters an air of uncertainty hangs over nepals capital like the storm clouds that have gathered ahead of the monsoon season. See more ideas about nepal, nepal culture and nepal art. Jun 05, 2002 author jonathan gregson sets the table by recounting the entire history of nepal s royal family, which stretches back to the mid eighteenth century. Both in the light of recent nepalese politics and the historiography of south asia, john whelptons a history of nepal is a timely introductory textbook. Chronicling both the bloodsoaked history of nepals royal family and its explosive present, massacre at the palace offers a rare and comprehensive examination of the inner workings of a family apparently doomed from its beginning to tragedy and loss. The authors visited nepal and interviewed rebels, royals, and palace employees to learn about nepal s history, traditions, and the 2001 royal massacre. As a child, rashmila shakya was a kumari, raised in isolation and worshipped as a living goddess. What happened to the nepalese royal family after the. While john whelptons history focuses on the period since the overthrow of the rana family autocracy in 19501, the early chapters are devoted to theoriginsofthekingdomandtheevolvingrelationsofitsdiversepeo ples. While john whelptons history 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. Nepal emerged as a unified state over two hundred years ago, centred on the kathmandu valley with its two thousand years of urban civilisation. They then speculate on how the recent murders of members of the royal family in nepal may affect the information provided in their guidebook. It has been written in gopal genealogy that then, defeating the kirat king with. Nepal experienced a failed struggle for democracy in the 20th century.
Pdf the abolition of the institution of monarchy on may 28, 2008 marks a. Aug 12, 2018 a pivotal moment in nepal s history was the birth of buddhism. Feb 17, 2005 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. The history of nepal is intertwined with the history of the broader indian subcontinent and the surrounding regions, comprising the areas of south asia and east asia. History of nepal by prashant jha recommended reading among the many sources of informationbooks on nepal, we find these particularly well written and insightful. Cambridge core south asian history a history of nepal by john whelpton. Gyanendra departed the narayanhiti palace in kathmandu on 11 june 2008, moving into the nagarjuna palace. While john whelptons history focuses on the period since the overthrow of the rana family autocracy in 195051, the early chapters are devoted to the origins of the kingdom and the evolving relations of its diverse peoples.
The book represents the first widely available onevolume treatment. It is a landlocked country located between india to the east, south, and west and the tibet autonomous region of china to the north. 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. Jul 12, 2016 after abolishment of the monarchy in 2008, royal family had to leave the palace. Drawing on recent research, the author portrays a country of extraordinary contrasts, whose history has been constantly buffeted by its neighbours, china and india. Nepal, country of asia, lying along the southern slopes of the himalayan mountain ranges. Family of late king birendra bir bikram shah dev royal. Tragedy in nepal royal family massacred the only hindu kingdom in the world faces an unstable future as the violent death of king birendra and his family rock the nation word spread early in the morning on june 2, 2001, that something very wrong had happened a few hours earlier at narayanhiti royal palace in central kathmandu. Why nepals crown prince went on a killing spree the world.
Hamilton, francis buchanan 1819, an account of the kingdom of nepal, and the territories annexed to this dominion by the house of gorkha, a constable. A history of nepal by john whelpton cambridge university press. A pivotal moment in nepals history was the birth of buddhism. Jun 06, 2001 in this lesson, students investigate nepalese culture, economy, geography, government, history, religion and current events to develop the introductory chapter of a guidebook. Nepal royal family trees royal tiaras royal jewelry blue bloods royal weddings rare photos king queen vintage travel king birendra of nepal coronation 1975 king mahendra 11th june 1920 died 31st january 1972. Nepals first democratic constitution is promulgated. There are usually both buddhist and brahmanic hindu versions of these various legends. The history of nepal is intertwined with the history of the broader indian subcontinent and the. May 15, 2020 nepal, country of asia, lying along the southern slopes of the himalayan mountain ranges.
This brief survey is intended as a list of works which i have found especially useful myself or which i think would be particularly suitable for readers wanting to follow up topics necessarily treated very cursorily in my recent onevolume history. Many other questions remain unanswered from nepal s decadelong civil war. If nepals royal family is to be believed, 30yearold dipendra, the then crown prince, had in one cruel stroke eliminated the king, the queen, his younger brother and at least seven other members. While john whelptons history of nepal focuses on the period since the overthrow of the rana family autocracy in 195051, the early chapters are devoted to the origins of the kingdom and the evolving relations of its diverse peoples. Many other questions remain unanswered from nepals decadelong civil war. Five days after almost the entire royal family was gunned down in a bloody palace massacre, ordinary nepalis. The royal palace massacre, conspiracy theories and nepali street.
The most spoken language of nepal is nepali followed by several other ethnic languages. The ssdi is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. Wright, daniel 1877, history of nepal, cambridge university press. Nepals rich prehistory consists mainly of the legendary traditions of the newar, the indigenous community of nepal valley now usually called kathmandu valley. Thomas bell kathmandu nonfiction prashant jha battles of the new republic. In the face of all this, few in kathmandu expect much from the inquiry into the royal family s murder.
Both versions are accepted indiscriminately in the festivals associated with legendary events, a tribute to the. The book has no index, but includes a good selection of photos. Jan 01, 2008 the royal family is hindu, and until 2006 the country was officially a hindu kingdom. The first half of this book provides an overview of nepal s complex aristocracy. A peace treaty was signed in 2008 and elections were held in the same year. Nine members of the royal family were killed in a mass shooting during a party or monthly reunion dinner of the royal family in the house. Apr 24, 2016 and he vividly recounts episodes from nepals more recent history, which he covered for the daily telegraph. Skillfully merging the epic turbulence of nepals past with an intimate knowledge of the.
May 07, 2002 i borrowed this library book prior to an upcoming trip to nepal, hoping to learn about a particular piece of nepal history the royal massacre in 2001 of which i had only very hazy memories. The 10th member of the shah family regime was about to come to a catastrophic end. After abolishment of the monarchy in 2008, royal family had to leave the palace. John whelptons history of nepal focuses on the period since the overthrow of the rana family autocracy in 19501. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. Then on 1st june 2001, a horrific tragedy wiped out the entire royal family of nepal including king birendra and queen aishwarya along with most of their closest relatives. A history of nepal is an excellent primer that fills a lacuna of english language scholarly works on the rich and com plex history of what was, until may 2006, the worlds only hindu kingdom. A vamshavali edited by daniel wright addeddate 20110703 11. It is a multiethnic, multiracial, multicultural, multireligious, and multilingual country. A contemporary history of nepal by prashant jha recommended reading among the many sources of informationbooks on nepal, we find these particularly well written and insightful. There is no single book or series that can be regarded. The entrenched caste system and rural poverty provided fertile ground for the maoist insurgency that began in the 1990s. The most comprehensive introduction to the history of nepal, concentrating on the modern. The king and queen of nepal have been killed in a massacre of royal family members by the heir to the throne.
The nepalese royal massacre occurred on 1 june 2001, at a house on the grounds of the narayanhity royal palace, the residence of the nepalese monarchy. More than,000 people died, many of them civilians, at the hands of both rebel and government soldiers. While john whelptons history focuses on the period since the overthrow of the rana family autocracy in 19501, the early chapters are devoted to. His new residence consists of ten buildings including the ro. Since 1951, he notes, revolution has been followed by royal coup followed by. In the history of nepal, junga bahadur is considered the most powerful prime. Im not that good at history so if you find any wrong information in my. Throughout the rana ascendancy the royal family nevertheless.