The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin ( Latin : Ordo Fratrum Minorum Capuccinorum ; postnominal abbr. OFMCap ) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church , one of three " First Orders " that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFMObs, now OFM), the other being the Conventuals (OFMConv). Franciscans reformed as Capuchins in 1525 with the purpose of regaining the original Habit (tunic) of St. Francis of Assisi and also for returning to a stricter observance of the rule established by Francis of Assisi in 1209.
157-651: Nepal Historical : Gorkha Kingdom Newar ( English: / n ə ˈ w ɑː r / ; 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑐮 𑐨𑐵𑐲𑐵 , nepāla bhāṣā ) is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people , the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala , which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal . The language is known officialy in Nepal as Nepal Bhasa, a name that has been historically used for
314-572: A Gorkha king, set out to put together what would become present-day Nepal. He embarked on his mission by securing the neutrality of the bordering mountain kingdoms. After several bloody battles and sieges, notably the Battle of Kirtipur , he managed to conquer the Kathmandu Valley in 1769. The Gorkha control reached its height when the Kumaon and Garhwal Kingdoms in the west to Sikkim in
471-402: A Thakuri rule. Thakuri kings ruled over the country up to the middle of the 11th century AD; not much is known of this period that is often called the dark period. In the 11th century, a powerful empire of Khas people emerged in western Nepal whose territory at its highest peak included much of western Nepal as well as parts of western Tibet and Uttarakhand of India. By the 14th century,
628-650: A tunic , with the distinctive large, pointed hood reaching to the waist attached to it, girdled by the traditional woolen cord with three knots. By visual analogy, the Capuchin monkey and the cappuccino style of coffee are both named after the shade of brown used for their habit. Besides the canonical choral celebration of the Divine Office , a portion of which was recited at midnight, there were two hours of private prayer daily. The fasts and disciplines were rigorous and frequent. Their main external work
785-455: A "partyless" Panchayat system was made to govern Nepal. The political parties were banned and politicians imprisoned or exiled. The Panchayat rule modernised the country, introducing reforms and developing infrastructure, but curtailed liberties and imposed heavy censorship. In 1990, the People's Movement forced King Birendra (ruled 1972–2001) to accept constitutional reforms and to establish
942-502: A bond of allegiance to the national independence, territorial integrity, national interest, and prosperity of Nepal. The Government of Nepal has three branches: Nepal is a federal republic comprising 7 provinces . Each province is composed of 8 to 14 districts. The districts, in turn, comprise local units known as urban and rural municipalities. There is a total of 753 local units which includes 6 metropolitan municipalities, 11 sub-metropolitan municipalities and 276 municipalities for
1099-542: A church commissioned by Pope Urban VIII in 1626. The pope's brother, Cardinal Antonio Barberini , who was of the Capuchin Order, in 1631 ordered the remains of thousands of Capuchin friars exhumed and transferred from the friary on the Via dei Lucchesi to the crypt. The bones were arranged along the walls in varied designs, and the friars began to bury their own dead here, as well as the bodies of poor Romans whose tomb
1256-591: A college was founded in Rome for the purpose of preparing their members for foreign missions. Due to this strong missionary thrust, a large number of Capuchins have suffered martyrdom over the centuries. Activity in Europe and elsewhere continued until the close of the 18th century, when the number of Capuchin friars was estimated at 31,000. The crypt is located just under the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione in Rome,
1413-450: A committee composed of all elected officials from the local governments in the district, has a very limited role. The Constitution of Nepal is the supreme law of the land, and any other laws contradicting it are automatically invalid to the extent of the contradiction. The specific legal provisions are codified as Civil Code and Criminal Code, accompanied by Civil Procedure Code and Criminal Procedure Code respectively. The Supreme Court
1570-786: A community serving in the Middle East . The Capuchin Poor Clares are cloistered nuns of the Order of St. Clare , who form the female branch of the Capuchin Order. They were founded in 1538 in Naples by the Venerable Maria Laurentia Longo , who was Abbess of the Poor Clare monastery of that city. She and the other nuns of that community embraced the then-new Capuchin reform movement, and so austere
1727-522: A hermit and to go about everywhere preaching to the poor. These permissions were not only for himself, but for all such as might join him in the attempt to restore the most literal observance possible of the Rule of St. Francis . Matteo and the original band were soon joined by others. Matteo and his companions were formed into a separate province , called the Hermit Friars Minor, as a branch of
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#17327731347331884-467: A land of spirituality and refuge in the intervening centuries, played an important role in transmitting Buddhism to East Asia via Tibet, and helped preserve Hindu and Buddhist manuscripts. By 250 BC, the southern regions had come under the influence of the Maurya Empire . Emperor Ashoka made a pilgrimage to Lumbini and erected a pillar at Buddha's birthplace, the inscriptions on which mark
2041-619: A local language. Newar is taught in schools of Sikkim. The exact placement of Newar within the Tibeto-Burman language family has been a source of controversies and confusion. Robert Shafer classified Newar as part of his Bodic division of Sino-Tibetan. George Van Driem classified Newar within the Mahakiranti grouping but he later retracted his hypothesis in 2003. Moreover, he proposed a new grouping called "Maha-Newari" which possibly includes Baram–Thangmi . T. R. Kansakar attributes
2198-490: A member of WTO since 23 April 2004. The 16.8-million-worker Nepali labour force is the 37th largest in the world. The primary sector makes up 27.59% of GDP, the secondary sector 14.6%, and the tertiary sector 57.81%. Nepal's foreign exchange remittances of US$ 8.1 billion in 2018, the 19th largest in the world and constituting 28.0% of GDP, were contributed to its economy by millions of workers primarily in India,
2355-607: A multiparty democracy. In 1996, the Maoist Party started a violent bid to replace the royal parliamentary system with a people's republic. This led to the long Nepali Civil War and more than 16,000 deaths. With the death of both the King and the Crown Prince in a massacre in the royal palace , King Birendra's brother Gyanendra inherited the throne in 2001 and subsequently assumed full executive powers aiming to quash
2512-521: A neat classification. A classification (based on Glover's) indicating a percentage of shared vocabulary within the labeled branch and an approximate time of split: Example: Karen etc Example: Sunwar Tamang , Manang , Gurung , Thakali , Kaike , Tibetan , Sherpa Examples: Limbu Chepang Baram–Thangmi Pahri or Pahari (unrelated to other "Pahari" languages of the region) Dolkha Newari Modern Nepal Bhasa ɫ "%" indicates lexical similarity/common vocabulary between Newar and
2669-482: A place protected by Ne , the country in the heart of the Himalayas came to be known as Nepāl . According to Nepāl Mahātmya , Nemi was charged with protection of the country by Pashupati . According to Buddhist mythology , Manjushri Bodhisattva drained a primordial lake of serpents to create the Nepal valley and proclaimed that Adi-Buddha Ne would take care of the community that would settle it. As
2826-558: A quarter of the total forested area has helped the local economies while reducing human-wildlife conflict . The breeding programmes coupled with community-assisted military patrols, and a crackdown on poaching and smuggling, has seen poaching of critically endangered tigers and elephants as well as vulnerable rhinos, among others, go down to effectively zero, and their numbers have steadily increased. Nepal has ten national parks , three wildlife reserves , one hunting reserve , three Conservation Areas and eleven buffer zones , covering
2983-529: A result, the whole province came under the suspicion of heretical tendencies and the Pope resolved to suppress it. He was dissuaded with difficulty, but the Capuchins were forbidden to preach. Despite earlier setbacks, the authorities were eventually satisfied as to the soundness of the general body of Capuchin friars and the permission to preach was restored. The movement then began to multiply rapidly, and by
3140-531: A school that is still owned and operated by the Capuchin Order. One of the friars of this province, Solanus Casey , was noted for the holiness of his life, serving as the porter of several Capuchin friaries both in Michigan and New York City for decades. As a miraculous healing attributed to him was approved by Pope Francis in mid-2017, he was beatified in Detroit at Ford Field on November 18, 2017. This
3297-518: A series of inscriptions; Nepal's history of the period is pieced together almost entirely from them. In 641, Songtsen Gampo of the Tibetan Empire sends Narendradeva back to Licchavi with an army and subjugates Nepal. Parts of Nepal and Licchavi was later under the direct influences of the Tibetan empire. The Licchavi dynasty went into decline in the late 8th century and was followed by
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#17327731347333454-490: A substratum of a race of pre-Dravidians and Dravidians, who were in Nepal even before the Newars, who formed the majority of the ancient inhabitants of the valley of Kathmandu. By the late Vedic period , Nepal was being mentioned in various Hindu texts, such as the late Vedic Atharvaveda Pariśiṣṭa and in the post-Vedic Atharvashirsha Upanishad . The Gopal Bansa was the oldest dynasty to be mentioned in various texts as
3611-538: A total area of 28,959.67 km (11,181.39 sq mi), or 19.67% of the total land area, while ten wetlands are registered under the Ramsar Convention . Nepal has consistently been ranked as one of the most polluted countries in the world. Nepal is a parliamentary republic with a multi-party system. Nepal has been referred as the 'Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal' since 2015. It has seven national political parties recognised in
3768-501: A total of 293 urban municipalities, and 460 rural municipalities. Each local unit is composed of wards. There are 6,743 wards in total. The local governments enjoy executive and legislative as well as limited judicial powers in their local jurisdiction. The provinces have unicameral parliamentary Westminster system of governance. The local and provincial governments exercise some absolute powers and some powers shared with provincial or federal government. The district coordination committee,
3925-516: A view that Nepal remained the true bastion of unadulterated Hinduism at a time when Indian culture had been influenced by centuries of Mughal, followed by British rule . Gorkha , one of the Baisi states, emerged as an influential and ambitious kingdom with a reputation for justice, after it codified the first Hinduism-based laws in the Nepalese hills. In the mid-18th century, Prithvi Narayan Shah ,
4082-529: Is $ 1,004. The distribution of wealth among the Nepalis is consistent with that in many developed and developing countries: the highest 10% of households control 39.1% of the national wealth and the lowest 10% control only 2.6%. European Union (EU) (46.13%), the US (17.4%), and Germany (7.1%) are its main export partners; they mainly buy Nepali ready-made garments (RMG). Nepal's import partners include India (47.5%),
4239-432: Is 59,624 km (23,021 sq mi), 40.36% of the country's total land area, with an additional 4.38% of scrubland , for a total forested area of 44.74%, an increase of 5% since the turn of the millennium. The country had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 7.23/10, ranking it 45th globally out of 172 countries. In the southern plains, Terai–Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion contains some of
4396-440: Is Nepal's largest trading partner, which it depends upon for all of its oil and gas, and a number of essential goods. Nepalis can own property in India, while Indians are free to live and work in Nepal. Relations between India and Nepal, though very close, have faced difficulties stemming from territorial disputes , economics, and the problems inherent in big power-small power relations. Nepal established diplomatic relations with
4553-594: Is a vulgarism of sanskritic Nepala, or Nepala is Sanskritisation of the local ethnic; his view has found some support though it does not answer the question of etymology. It has also been proposed that Nepa is a Tibeto-Burman stem consisting of Ne (cattle) and Pa (keeper), reflecting the fact that early inhabitants of the valley were Gopalas (cowherds) and Mahispalas (buffalo-herds). Suniti Kumar Chatterji believed Nepal originated from Tibeto-Burman roots – Ne, of uncertain meaning (as multiple possibilities exist), and pala or bal , whose meaning
4710-574: Is a foundation of the monastery in Amarillo. Together they form the Federation of Our Lady of the Angels . The Capuchins are unique for a Catholic religious order in that the growing of natural, untrimmed beards features as part of its first Constitution, which states as the reason, the beard is "manly, austere, natural, an imitation of Christ and the saints of our Order, and despised." This makes
4867-401: Is a habitat for 4.0% of all mammal species , 8.9% of bird species , 1.0% of reptile species , 2.5% of amphibian species , 1.9% of fish species , 3.7% of butterfly species , 0.5% of moth species and 0.4% of spider species . In its 35 forest-types and 118 ecosystems, Nepal harbours 2% of the flowering plant species , 3% of pteridophytes and 6% of bryophytes . Nepal's forest cover
Newar language - Misplaced Pages Continue
5024-557: Is about $ 13.71 billion (FY 2019/20); expenditure of infrastructure development budget, most of it contributed by foreign aid, usually fails to meet the target. The country receives foreign aid from the UK, India, Japan, the US, the EU, China, Switzerland, and Scandinavian countries. The Nepali rupee has been tied to the Indian rupee at an exchange rate of 1.6 for many years. Per capita income
5181-419: Is also used. Newar is spoken by over a million people in Nepal according to the 2001 census. With an increase in emigration, various bodies and societies of Newar-speaking people have emerged in countries such as the US, the UK, Australia, and Japan. Newar was Nepal Mandala 's (then only known as Nepal) administrative language from the 14th to the late 18th century. The continued official use of Newari into
5338-843: Is an additional official language in Sikkim for the purpose of preservation of culture and tradition in the state. The official weekly publication Sikkim Herald has a Newar Edition. The Information & Public Relations Department also broadcasts news bulletin in Newar. Nepal Bhasa is included as elective mother tongue subject in schools by Curriculum Development Committee. Tribhuvan University offers Bachelors, Masters, Mphil and PhD degree in Nepal Bhasa. Expatriates can study Nepal Bhasa at Bishwa Bhasa Campus in Kathmandu. Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Kirtipur Municipality are teaching Nepal Bhasa as
5495-505: Is considered by many Newars to be inappropriate as it is the Sanskritisation of "Newar". "Newar" is generally believed to be related to the word "Nepal", possibly derived by the replacement of the 'la' sound with a 'ra' sound, a common practice in historical documents from Nepal. Historically, the term "Newar" itself was rarely used, only finding use in the travelogue of some of the Capuchin missionaries who visited Nepal during
5652-403: Is considered to be the first woman to publish literature in Nepal as her poems are the earliest dated literature in Nepal authored by a woman. An example of the language used during this period is provided by the following lines from a poem written by Briddhi Lakshmi . dukha hāṅā hāṅā parabata jina lhvaneṅa maphuta, madata vipatiyā udhāra I can no longer bear the mountain of grief; there
5809-547: Is currently known as Sajha Prakashan . On 7 September 1995, the cabinet of ministers decided to use "Nepala Bhasa" instead of "Newari". On 13 November 1998, the Minister of Information and Communication issued another directive to use the name Nepal Bhasa instead of Newari. However, the Central Bureau of Statistics has not been doing so. A colloquial term is Newa Bhaay ( Devanāgarī : नेवा: भाय्, IAST : Nevāḥ Bhāy)
5966-600: Is during this period that the earliest dated document written entirely in Newar was written, a palm-leaf manuscript preserved in Uku Bāhā, a Buddhist monastery in Lalitpur , which dates from 1114. Following is a line from the document which mostly deals with business transaction. bivu mikhā tivu maduguna chu sāta duguna valhe replace for what is lost, with a remaining object or gift rightly sold out, give some clothes. The first inscription written entirely in Newar set up by
6123-452: Is expected to eradicate poverty within 20 years. The agriculture sector is particularly vulnerable as it is highly dependent on the monsoon rains, with just 28% of the arable land being irrigated, As of 2014 . Agriculture employs 76% of the workforce, services 18%, and manufacturing and craft-based industry 6%. Private investment, consumption, tourism and agriculture are the principal contributors to economic growth. The government's budget
6280-585: Is intended for crowd control, counter-insurgency and anti-terrorism actions, and other internal matters where the use of force may be necessary. The Crime Investigation Department of Nepal Police specialises in criminal investigation and forensic analysis. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority is an independent investigative agency that investigates and prosecutes cases related to corruption, bribery and abuses of authority. At 2.16 per 100,000 in 2016, Nepal's intentional homicide rate
6437-711: Is lost entirely. By 55,000 years ago, the first modern humans had arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa, where they had earlier evolved. The earliest known modern human remains in South Asia date to about 30,000 years ago. The oldest discovered archaeological evidence of human settlements in Nepal dates to around the same time. After 6500 BC, evidence for the domestication of food crops and animals, construction of permanent structures, and storage of agricultural surplus appeared in Mehrgarh and other sites in what
Newar language - Misplaced Pages Continue
6594-494: Is much lower than average; police data indicates a steady increase in the crime rate in recent years. Nepal was ranked 76 out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index (GPI) in 2019. Nepal's passport has consistently been ranked among the weakest in the world. Nepal depends on diplomacy for national defence. It maintains a policy of neutrality between its neighbours, has amicable relations with other countries in
6751-661: Is no salvation for the grieved Newar began to be sidelined after the Gorkha conquest of Nepal and the ouster of the Malla dynasty by the Shah dynasty in the late 18th century. Since then, its history has been one of constant suppression and struggle against official disapproval. Following the advent of the Shahs, the Gorkhali language became the court language, and Newar was replaced as
6908-603: Is now Balochistan . These gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation , the first urban culture in South Asia. Prehistoric sites of palaeolithic , mesolithic and neolithic origins have been discovered in the Siwalik hills of Dang district . The earliest inhabitants of modern Nepal and adjoining areas are believed to be people from the Indus Valley Civilisation . It is possible that
7065-794: Is significant because Casey could become the first male American-born Saint in the history of the Catholic Church. He had previously been declared Venerable in 1995 by Pope John Paul II . His tomb is in St. Bonaventure Monastery in Detroit, and is visited by thousands every year. As of 2011 , the province has 23 communities spread throughout the American Midwest , reaching from Michigan to Arizona . Additionally, there are friars of this province working in Central America , with
7222-589: Is the highest authority in the interpretation of laws and it can direct the parliament to amend or enact new laws as required. The death penalty has been abolished. It recognises marital rape and supports abortion rights. Owing to a rise in sex-selective abortion, however, constraints have been introduced. Nepal is a signatory to the Geneva Convention , Conventions/Treaties on the prohibition of Biological , Chemical and Nuclear weapons , International Labour Organization Fundamental Conventions , Treaty on
7379-580: Is the lowland region containing some hill ranges. The plains were formed and are fed by three major Himalayan rivers: the Koshi , the Narayani , and the Karnali as well as smaller rivers rising below the permanent snowline. This region has a subtropical to tropical climate. The outermost range of the foothills called Sivalik Hills or Churia Range, cresting at 700 to 1,000 metres (2,300 to 3,280 ft), marks
7536-477: Is the nation's capital and the largest city . Nepal is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural state, with Nepali as the official language. The name "Nepal" is first recorded in texts from the Vedic period of the Indian subcontinent , the era in ancient Nepal when Hinduism was founded, the predominant religion of the country. In the middle of the first millennium BC, Gautama Buddha ,
7693-592: Is the primary law enforcement agency. It is an independent organisation under the command of the Inspector General , who is appointed by and reports to the Ministry of Home Affairs . In addition to maintaining law and order, it is responsible for the management of road traffic, which is undertaken by Nepal Traffic Police. Nepal Armed Police Force , a separate paramilitary police organisation, works in cooperation with Nepal police in routine security matters; it
7850-490: Is the southern limit of this region, with subtropical river valleys and "hills" alternating to the north of this range. Population density is high in valleys but notably less above 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) and very low above 2,500 metres (8,200 ft), where snow occasionally falls in winter. The southern lowland plains or Terai bordering India are part of the northern rim of the Indo-Gangetic Plain . Terai
8007-636: Is widely used in traditional herbal medicine , and the luxuriant Ficus religiosa , or peepal , which is displayed on the ancient seals of Mohenjo-daro , and under which Gautam Buddha is recorded in the Pali canon to have sought enlightenment. Most of the subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest of the lower Himalayan region is descended from the Tethyan Tertiary flora. As the Indian Plate collided with Eurasia forming and raising
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#17327731347338164-472: The Camaldolese monks, in gratitude for which they later adopted the hood (or cappuccio , capuche ) worn by that Order—which was the mark of a hermit in that region of Italy—and the practise of wearing a beard. The popular name of their Order originates from this feature of their religious habit . In 1528, Friar Matteo obtained the approval of Pope Clement VII and was given permission to live as
8321-678: The Conventual Franciscans , but with a Vicar Provincial of their own, subject to the jurisdiction of the Minister General of the Conventuals. The Observants, the other branch of the Franciscan Order at that time, continued to oppose the movement. In 1529, they had four houses and held their first General Chapter , at which their particular rules were drawn up. The eremitical idea was abandoned, but
8478-674: The Dravidian people whose history predates the onset of the Bronze Age in the Indian subcontinent (around 6300 BC) inhabited the area before the arrival of other ethnic groups like the Tibeto-Burmans and Indo-Aryans from across the border. By 4000 BC, the Tibeto-Burmese people had reached Nepal either directly across the Himalayas from Tibet or via Myanmar and north-east India or both. Stella Kramrisch (1964) mentions
8635-727: The European colonization of India as missionaries and founded the community of Bettiah Christians . Bernini was invited by Maharaja Dhurup Singh of the Bettiah Raj , an appointment that was approved by Pope Benedict XIV on 1 May 1742. The United States has six provinces throughout the country. Together with the two provinces in Canada, the province of Australia and the Custody of the Mariana Islands/Hawaii they form
8792-427: The Licchavi period (approximately 400–750) contains frequent use of Sino-Tibetan words especially for proper nouns. Almost 80 percent of the names of places, taxes and merchandise used in the inscriptions are Tibeto-Burman in origin. It suggests that Newar existed as a vernacular language since at least the Lichhavi Dynasty . According to the Gopal Raj Vamshavali , a 14th century Newar language history book, before
8949-422: The Licchavis of Vaishali conquered Nepal , it was ruled by the Kirata and the language they spoke, which is referred by historians such as Shrestha as Kiranti, is believed to be the old form of the Newar language. For instance, in an inscription from 594 located in present day Bhaktapur , the area is referred as khopṛiṅa which closely resmbles the classical and modern Newar name for the city , khopa. It
9106-490: The Malla dynasty to refer to the language. The earliest occurrences of the name Nepālabhāṣā ( Devanāgarī : नेपालभाषा) or Nepālavāc ( Devanāgarī : नेपालवाच) used to refer to the language, can be found in the manuscripts of a commentary to the Nāradasaṃhitā , dated 1380, and a commentary to the Amarkośa , dated 1386. Some inscriptions from the Malla Dynasty refer to the language as deśabhāṣā ( Pracalit Script : 𑐡𑐾𑐱𑐨𑐵𑐲𑐵 , lit. ' language of
9263-407: The Malla dynasty . Only two sources from the Malla dynasty use the term "Newar" to refer to the language or its script; the multilingual stone inscription of Pratap Malla uses " nevāra ākhara " ("newar alphabet") to refer to the Pracalit script and another stone inscription set up by Pratap Malla in 1652 uses the term nevārabhāṣā ("newar language") to refer to the language. In the 1920s,
9420-493: The Shah dynasty is shown by the 1775 treaty with Tibet , which was written in the language, but it was gradually replaced in official use by Gorkhali. From the early 20th century until democratization , Newar suffered from official suppression. During this period, the use of the language for business and literary purposes was declared illegal, and Newar authors were fined or imprisoned. The Language Commission of Nepal recommended Bagmati Province to provide Nepal Bhasa (Newar)
9577-429: The Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north , and India to the south, east, and west , while it is narrowly separated from Bangladesh by the Siliguri Corridor , and from Bhutan by the Indian state of Sikkim . Nepal has a diverse geography , including fertile plains , subalpine forested hills, and eight of the world's ten tallest mountains , including Mount Everest , the highest point on Earth. Kathmandu
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#17327731347339734-440: The eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, with notable biocultural diversity . The dramatic differences in elevation found in Nepal (60 m from sea level in the Terai plains, to 8,848 m Mount Everest ) result in a variety of biomes . The Eastern half of Nepal is richer in biodiversity as it receives more rain, compared to western parts, where arctic desert -type conditions are more common at higher elevations. Nepal
9891-504: The endangered Bengal tiger , the red panda , the Asiatic elephant , the Himalayan musk deer , the wild water buffalo and the South Asian river dolphin , as well as the critically endangered gharial , the Bengal florican , and the white-rumped vulture , which has become nearly extinct by having ingested the carrion of diclofenac -treated cattle. The pervasive and ecologically devastating human encroachment of recent decades has critically endangered Nepali wildlife . In response,
10048-470: The new constitution was promulgated on 20 September 2015, making Nepal a federal democratic republic divided into seven provinces . Nepal is of roughly trapezoidal shape, about 800 kilometres (500 mi) long and 200 kilometres (120 mi) wide, with an area of 147,516 km (56,956 sq mi). It lies between latitudes 26° and 31°N , and longitudes 80° and 89°E . Nepal's defining geological processes began 75 million years ago when
10205-436: The 14th century, Newar was given the status of national language by Jayasthiti Malla . Since then, most of royal decrees, official proclamations and public notices set up by the monarchs appeared in Newar. Jayasthiti Malla himself commissioned many works in Newar like the Gopal Raj Vamshavali , a manuscript about the history of Nepal dating to 1389. From the 14th century onwards, an overwhelming number of stone inscriptions in
10362-473: The 18th century, the Gorkha Kingdom achieved the unification of Nepal . The Shah dynasty established the Kingdom of Nepal and later formed an alliance with the British Empire , under its Rana dynasty of premiers . The country was never colonised but served as a buffer state between Imperial China and British India . Parliamentary democracy was introduced in 1951 but was twice suspended by Nepalese monarchs, in 1960 and 2005. The Nepalese Civil War in
10519-412: The 1970s, which led to the eventual coalescence of hitherto scattered communist factions under the United Left Front . After the joint civil resistance launched by the United Left Front and Nepali Congress overthrew the Panchayat in 1990, the Front became CPN (UML) , adopted multi-party democracy, and in the brief period, it was in government, introduced welfare programmes that remain popular. After
10676-418: The 1990s and early 2000s resulted in the establishment of a secular republic in 2008, ending the world's last Hindu monarchy. The Constitution of Nepal , adopted in 2015, affirms the country as a secular federal parliamentary republic divided into seven provinces . Nepal was admitted to the United Nations in 1955, and friendship treaties were signed with India in 1950 and China in 1960. Nepal hosts
10833-415: The 3,000 m to 3,500 m range, dominated by oak (particularly in the west), Eastern Himalayan fir , Himalayan pine and Himalayan hemlock ; rhododendron is common as well. Above 3,500 m in the west and 4,000 m in the east, coniferous trees give way to rhododendron-dominated alpine shrubs and meadows . Among the notable trees, are the astringent Azadirachta indica , or neem , which
10990-406: The Arctic zone above 4,400 metres (14,400 ft). Nepal experiences five seasons: summer, monsoon , autumn, winter and spring. The Himalayas block cold winds from Central Asia in the winter and form the northern limits of the monsoon wind patterns. Nepal contains a disproportionately large diversity of plants and animals, relative to its size. Nepal, in its entirety, forms the western portion of
11147-418: The British underestimated the Nepali and were soundly defeated until committing more military resources than they had anticipated needing. Thus began the reputation of Gurkhas as fierce and ruthless soldiers. The war ended in the Sugauli Treaty , under which Nepal ceded recently captured lands. Factionalism inside the royal family led to a period of instability. In 1846, a plot was discovered revealing that
11304-424: The Capuchins suffered severely from the secularizations and revolutions of the end of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th; but they survived the strain, and during the latter part of the 19th century rapidly recovered ground. At the beginning of the 20th century there were fifty provinces with some 500 friaries and 300 hospices or lesser houses; and the number of Capuchin friars, including lay brothers ,
11461-507: The Ganges, and home to King Janaka and his daughter, Sita . Around 600 BC, small kingdoms and confederations of clans arose in the southern regions of Nepal. From one of these, the Shakya polity, arose a prince who later renounced his status to lead an ascetic life, founded Buddhism , and came to be known as Gautama Buddha (traditionally dated 563–483 BC). Nepal came to be established as
11618-581: The Himalayas is a very important source of sediment, which flows to the Indian Ocean. Saptakoshi, in particular, carries a huge amount of silt out of Nepal but sees extreme drop in Gradient in Bihar , causing severe floods and course changes, and is, therefore, known as the sorrow of Bihar. Severe flooding and landslides cause deaths and disease, destroy farmlands and cripple the transport infrastructure of
11775-619: The Himalayas, the arid and semi-arid Mediterranean flora was pushed up and adapted to the more alpine climate over the next 40–50 million years. The Himalayan biodiversity hotspot was the site of mass exchange and intermingling of the Indian and Eurasian species in the neogene . One mammal species ( Himalayan field mouse ), two each of bird and reptile species, nine amphibia, eight fish and 29 butterfly species are endemic to Nepal. Nepal contains 107 IUCN -designated threatened species , 88 of them animal species, 18 plant species and one species of "fungi or protist" group. These include
11932-480: The Indian continental crust eventually to under-thrust Eurasia and to uplift the Himalayas . The rising barriers blocked the paths of rivers creating large lakes, which only broke through as late as 100,000 years ago, creating fertile valleys in the middle hills like the Kathmandu Valley. In the western region, rivers which were too strong to be hampered, cut some of the world's deepest gorges. Immediately south of
12089-588: The Indian plate, then part of the southern supercontinent Gondwana , began a north-eastward drift caused by seafloor spreading to its south-west, and later, south and south-east. Simultaneously, the vast Tethyn oceanic crust , to its northeast, began to subduct under the Eurasian Plate . These dual processes, driven by convection in the Earth's mantle , both created the Indian Ocean and caused
12246-863: The Kathmandu Valley , where they are a ubiquitous element at heritage sites, are in Newar. The period from 1428 to 1769 is considered a Golden Age for Newar Literature . Many monarchs of the Malla dynasty themselves started composing hymns and dramas in Newar. Noted royal writers include Mahindra Malla , Siddhi Narsingh Malla , and Ranajit Malla . Still, there are numerous works of literature from this period with anonymous authors. Some non royal authors include Keshav Udās, Brisabhānanda and Biladātāsingha. Some notable women who wrote literature in Newar during this period include, Jagatakeshari from Banepa , Briddhi Lakshmi (queen consort of Bhaktapur ), Riddhi Lakshmi (mother of Bhupalendra Malla ), Jaya Lakshmi (queen consort of Yoga Narendra Malla ). Among them, Riddhi Lakshmi
12403-428: The Kathmandu Valley dropped from 75% to 44% and today Newar culture and language are under threat. The language has been listed as " Definitely endangered " by UNESCO . On 6 May 2024, Newar, along with Tamang and Nepali was declared as the official language of Bagmati Province . Similarly, Newar is given official status in several city governments of Nepal including Kathmandu . The official and historical name of
12560-465: The Kathmandu Valley leading to the indigenous Newars becoming a minority. During the period 1952 to 1991, the percentage of the valley population speaking Newar dropped from 74.95% to 43.93%. The Nepal Bhasa movement arose as an effort to save the language. Newars have been fighting to save their language in the face of opposition from the government and hostile neighbours from the time of the repressive Rana regime till today. The movement arose against
12717-574: The Linguist Glover, Newar and Chepang language must have diverged around 2200 BC. It is estimated that Newar shares 28% of its vocabulary with Chepang. At the same time, a very large and significant proportion of Newari vocabulary is Indo-European in origin, by one estimate more than 50%, indicating an influence of at least 1,600 years from Indo-European languages, first from Sanskrit, Maithili, Persian, and Urdu and today from Hindi, Nepali and English. The Sanskrit language stone inscriptions of
12874-790: The Maoist Party joined mainstream politics, in the aftermath of the peaceful revolution of 2006 , it also adopted multi-party democracy as its official line. The transition period between 2006 and 2015 saw sustained protests from the newly formed ethnocentric nationalist movements, principal among them the Madhes Movement . Nepal is governed according to the Constitution of Nepal . It defines Nepal as having multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious, multi-cultural characteristics with common aspirations of people living in diverse geographical regions, and being committed to and united by
13031-458: The Maoist insurgency himself. The Maoist Party joined mainstream politics following the success of the peaceful democratic revolution of 2006 ; Nepal became a secular state , and on 28 May 2008, it was declared a federal republic, ending its time-honoured status as the world's only Hindu kingdom . After a decade of instability and internal strife which saw two constituent assembly elections,
13188-493: The Middle East and East Asia, almost all of them unskilled labourers. Major agricultural products include cereals (barley, maize, millet, paddy and wheat), oilseed, potato, pulses, sugarcane, jute, tobacco, milk and water buffalo meat. Major industries include tourism, carpets, textiles, cigarettes, cement, brick, as well as small rice, jute, sugar and oilseed mills. Nepal's international trade greatly expanded in 1951 with
13345-523: The Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Paris climate accord . Some legal provisions, guided by socio-economic, cultural and religious sensibilities, remain discriminatory. There is gender-based discrimination against foreign nationals married to Nepali citizens. Paternal lineage of a person is valued and required in legal documents. Many laws remain unenforced in practice. Nepal Police
13502-708: The North American-Pacific Capuchin Conference (NAPCC). The Province of St. Joseph , originally the province of Calvary, headquartered in Detroit, Michigan , was one of the first two Capuchin Provinces to be established in the country in 1882. It was founded by Francis Haas (1826–1895) and Bonaventure Frey (1831–1912), two Swiss diocesan priests who arrived in the United States in September 1856, and were received into
13659-715: The People's Republic of China on 1 August 1955, and signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1960; relations since have been based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence . Nepal maintains neutrality in conflicts between China and India. It remains firmly committed to the One China Policy and is known to curb anti-China activities from the Tibetan refugees in Nepal. Citizens of both countries can cross
13816-479: The Rana autocracy. Following the success of Indian Independence Movement which Nepalese activists had taken part in, with India's support and cooperation of King Tribhuvan, Nepali Congress was successful in toppling the Rana regime, establishing a parliamentary democracy. After a decade of power wrangling between the king and the government, King Mahendra (ruled 1955–1972) scrapped the democratic experiment in 1960, and
13973-528: The Sanskritisation and Hinduisation of the indigenous non-Hindu tribal populations in all principalities throughout Nepal. By the middle of the 15th century, Kathmandu had become a powerful empire which, according to Kirkpatrick , extended from Digarchi or Sigatse in Tibet to Tirhut and Gaya in India. In the late 15th century, Malla princes divided their kingdom in four – Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur in
14130-497: The United Arab Emirates (11.2%), China (10.7%), Saudi Arabia (4.9%), and Singapore (4%). Besides having landlocked, rugged geography, few tangible natural resources and poor infrastructure, the ineffective post-1950 government and the long-running civil war are also factors in stunting the country's economic growth and development. Debt bondage even involving debtors' children has been a persistent social problem in
14287-625: The United Kingdom and Nepal formally signed an agreement of friendship that superseded the Sugauli Treaty of 1816. The Hindu practice of Sati , in which a widow sacrificed herself in the funeral pyre of her husband, was banned in 1919, and slavery was officially abolished in 1924. Rana rule was marked by tyranny, debauchery , economic exploitation and religious persecution. In the late 1940s, newly emerging pro-democracy movements and political parties in Nepal were critical of
14444-626: The United Kingdom, Denmark, Japan and Norway, among others. The President is the supreme commander of the Nepali Army ; its routine management is handled by the Ministry of Defence . The military expenditure for 2018 was $ 398.5 million, around 1.4% of GDP. An almost exclusively ground infantry force, Nepal Army numbers at less than one hundred thousand; recruitment is voluntary. It has few aircraft, mainly helicopters, primarily used for transport, patrol, and search and rescue. Directorate of Military Intelligence under Nepal Army serves as
14601-455: The army, but it is dominated by men from elite Pahari warrior castes. Nepal is one of the least developed countries , which ranks 165th in the world in nominal GDP per capita and 162nd in GDP per capita at PPP . Nepal's gross domestic product (GDP) for 2019 was $ 34.186 billion. Nepal has consistently been ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world. Nepal has been
14758-589: The border and travel as far as 30 km without a visa. China is viewed favourably in Nepal owing to the absence of any border disputes or serious interference in internal politics, coupled with its assistance in infrastructure development and aid during emergencies; favourability has increased since China helped Nepal during the 2015 economic blockade imposed by India. Subsequently, China granted Nepal access to its ports for third-country trade, and Nepal joined China's Belt and Road Initiative . Nepal emphasises greater cooperation in South Asia and actively pushed for
14915-572: The border with China. Seven other of the world's " eight-thousanders " are in Nepal or on its border with Tibet: Lhotse , Makalu , Cho Oyu , Kangchenjunga , Dhaulagiri , Annapurna and Manaslu . Pahad is the mountain region that does not generally contain snow. The mountains vary from 800 to 4,000 metres (2,600 to 13,100 ft) in altitude, with progression from subtropical climates below 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) to alpine climates above 3,600 metres (11,800 ft). The Lower Himalayan Range , reaching 1,500 to 3,000 metres (4,900 to 9,800 ft),
15072-488: The brief periods of democratic exercise in the 1950s and the 1990s, Nepali Congress held majority of seats in parliament; CPN (UML) was its competitor in the 1990s. After the Maoists entered the political process in 2006, they emerged as the third largest party. In the aftermath of the 2017 elections , the first one according to the new constitution, NCP, formed by the merger of CPN (UML) and CPN (Maoist Centre) had become
15229-569: The cherished of Ne , the valley would be called Nepāl . According to Gopalarājvamshāvali , the genealogy of ancient Gopala dynasty compiled c. 1380s , Nepal is named after Nepa the cowherd, the founder of the Nepali scion of the Abhiras . In this account, the cow that issued milk to the spot, at which Nepa discovered the Jyotirlinga of Pashupatināth upon investigation,
15386-427: The country ' ) and svadeśabhāṣā ( Pracalit Script : 𑐳𑑂𑐰𑐡𑐾𑐱𑐨𑐵𑐲𑐵 , lit. ' language of one's own country ' ). Similarly, Father Cassiano da Macerata, a Capuchin missionary who visited Nepal in the 1740s referred to the language as Nepalese. The term "Newari" as a name for the language was coined by Brian Hodgson in 1847 and since then used by most western scholars. The term "Newari"
15543-402: The country, during the monsoon season each year. Nepal has five climatic zones, broadly corresponding to the altitudes. The tropical and subtropical zones lie below 1,200 metres (3,900 ft), the temperate zone 1,200 to 2,400 metres (3,900 to 7,900 ft), the cold zone 2,400 to 3,600 metres (7,900 to 11,800 ft), the subarctic zone 3,600 to 4,400 metres (11,800 to 14,400 ft), and
15700-449: The difficulty about the placement of Newar to the inability of scholars to connect it with the migration patterns of the Tibeto-Burman speakers. Since Newar separated from rest of the family very early in history, it is difficult or at least arbitrary to reconstruct the basic stratum that contributed to present day Newar speech. He underscored the point that the language evolved from mixed racial/linguistic influences that do not lend easily to
15857-464: The earliest rulers of the central Himalayan kingdom known by the name 'Nepal'. The Gopalas were followed by Kiratas who ruled for over 16 centuries by some accounts. According to the Mahabharata , the then Kirata king went to take part in the Battle of Kurukshetra . In the south-eastern region, Janakpurdham was the capital of the prosperous kingdom of Videha or Mithila, that extended down to
16014-755: The east came under Nepalese control. A dispute with Tibet over the control of mountain passes and inner Tingri valleys of Tibet prompted the Qing Emperor of China to start the Sino-Nepali War compelling the Nepali to retreat to their own borders in the north. The rivalry between the Kingdom of Nepal and the East India Company over the control of states bordering Nepal eventually led to the Anglo-Nepali War (1815–16). At first,
16171-563: The emerging Himalayas, plate movement created a vast trough that rapidly filled with river-borne sediment and now constitutes the Indo-Gangetic Plain . Nepal lies almost completely within this collision zone, occupying the central sector of the Himalayan arc, nearly one-third of the 2,400 km (1,500 mi)-long Himalayas, with a small strip of southernmost Nepal stretching into the Indo-Gangetic plain and two districts in
16328-492: The empire had splintered into loosely associated Baise rajyas , literally 22 states as they were counted. The rich culture and language of the Khas people spread throughout Nepal and as far as Indo-China in the intervening centuries; their language , later renamed the Nepali language, became the lingua franca of Nepal as well as much of North-east India. In south-eastern Nepal, Simraungarh annexed Mithila around 1100 AD, and
16485-614: The end of the 16th century the Capuchins had spread all over the Catholic parts of Europe, so that in 1619 they were freed from their dependence on the Conventual Franciscans and became an independent Order. They are said to have had at that time 1500 houses divided into fifty provinces. They were one of the chief tools in the Catholic Counter-reformation, the aim of the order being to work among
16642-575: The establishment of SAARC , the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the permanent secretariat of which, is hosted in Kathmandu. Nepal was one of the first countries to recognise an independent Bangladesh, and the two countries seek to enhance greater cooperation, on trade and water management; seaports in Bangladesh, being closer, are seen as viable alternatives to India's monopoly on Nepal's third-country trade. Nepal
16799-428: The establishment of democracy; liberalisation began in 1985 and picked up pace after 1990. By the fiscal year 2016/17, Nepal's foreign trade amounted Rs 1.06 trillion, a twenty-three folds increase from Rs 45.6 billion in 1990/91. More than 60% of Nepal's trade is with India. Major exports include readymade garment, carpet, pulses, handicrafts, leather, medicinal herbs, and paper products, which account for 90% of
16956-419: The federal parliament: Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) , Nepali Congress , Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) , Rastriya Swatantra Party , Rastriya Prajatantra Party , People's Socialist Party and Janamat Party . Of the two major parties which both officially espouse democratic socialism, CPN(UML) is considered leftist while Nepali Congress is considered centrist. During most of
17113-536: The founder of Buddhism , was born in Lumbini in southern Nepal. Parts of northern Nepal were intertwined with the culture of Tibet . The centrally located Kathmandu Valley is intertwined with the culture of Indo-Aryans , and was the seat of the prosperous Newar confederacy known as Nepal Mandala . The Himalayan branch of the ancient Silk Road was dominated by the valley's traders . The cosmopolitan region developed distinct traditional art and architecture . By
17270-563: The fourth century AD. An absolute chronology can not be established, as even the oldest texts may contain anonymous contributions dating as late as the early modern period . Academic attempts to provide a plausible theory are hindered by the lack of a complete picture of history and insufficient understanding of linguistics or relevant Indo-European and Tibeto-Burman languages. According to Hindu mythology , Nepal derives its name from an ancient Hindu sage called Ne , referred to variously as Ne Muni or Nemi . According to Pashupati Purāna , as
17427-470: The friars of his day was not the one which their founder, St. Francis of Assisi , had envisaged. He sought to return to the primitive way of life of solitude and penance, as practised by the founder of their Order. His religious superiors tried to suppress these innovations and Friar Matteo and his first companions were forced into hiding from Church authorities, who sought to arrest them for having abandoned their religious duties. They were given refuge by
17584-473: The language is not the same as Nepali , an Indo-Aryan language and the current official language of Nepal , which only got the name Nepali in the 1930s. Literature in Newar is one of the oldest in Nepal, dating back to at least 600 years ago. From the start of the Rana dynasty in the 1840s until democratisation , Newar suffered from official suppression. From 1952 to 1991, the percentage of Newar speakers in
17741-480: The language known as Khas Kura, Gorkhali or Parbatiya was renamed to Nepali . Conversely, the term Gorkhali in the former national anthem entitled "Shreeman Gambhir" was changed to Nepali in 1951. Gorkha Bhasa Prakashini Samiti (Gorkha Language Publishing Committee), a government institution established in 1913 (B.S. 1970) for advancement of Gorkha Bhasa, renamed itself as Nepali Bhasa Prakashini Samiti (Nepali Language Publishing Committee) in 1933 (B.S. 1990), which
17898-417: The language of administration. However, Newar continued to remain in official use for a time as shown by the 1775 treaty with Tibet which was written in it. A few of the new rulers cultivated the language. Kings Prithvi Narayan Shah , Rana Bahadur and Rajendra Bikram Shah composed poetry and wrote plays in it. Newar suffered heavily under the repressive policy of the Rana dynasty (1846–1951 AD) when
18055-486: The language, Nepal Bhasa , which literally means Nepal Language , originates from Nepal . Historically, Nepal was only used to refer to the Kathmandu Valley and its surroundings, where the language was native to. A larger region surrounding the valley is known as Nepal Mandala . Therefore, the language spoken in Nepal Mandala became known as Nepal Bhasa. The name "Nepal Bhasa" is ubiquitous in sources from
18212-461: The language. The term " Newari " is also used to refer to the language, although the Indic -i suffix is considered inappropriate by some Newar speakers. The language served as the official language of Nepal during the Malla dynasty since the 14th century till the end of dynasty in 1769 during which the language was referred as "Nepal Bhasa", a term which literally means "Nepalese Language". However,
18369-469: The life was to be one of extreme austerity, simplicity and poverty—in all things as near an approach to St Francis' ideals as was practicable. Neither the monasteries nor the Province should possess anything, nor were any loopholes left for evading this law. No large provision against temporal wants should be made, and the supplies in the house should never exceed what was necessary for a few days. Everything
18526-487: The limits of the Gangetic Plain. Broad, low valleys called Inner Terai Valleys ( Bhitri Tarai Upatyaka ) lie north of these foothills in several places. The Indian plate continues to move north relative to Asia at about 50 mm (2.0 in) per year. This makes Nepal an earthquake-prone zone, and periodic earthquakes that have devastating consequences present a significant hurdle to development. Erosion of
18683-461: The major contributors to the UN peacekeeping missions, having contributed more than 119,000 personnel to 42 missions since 1958. Nepali people have a reputation for honesty, loyalty and bravery, which has led to them serving as legendary Gurkha warriors in the Indian and British armies for the last 200 years, with service in both world wars, India-Pakistan wars as well as Afghanistan and Iraq, though Nepal
18840-489: The mid 14th century, Nepal remains largely untouched by the Muslim invasion of India that began in the 11th century. The Mughal period saw an influx of high-caste Hindus from India into Nepal. They soon intermingled with the Khas people and by the 16th century, there were about 50 Rajput-ruled principalities in Nepal, including the 22 (Baisi) states and, to their east in west-central Nepal, 24 Chaubisi states . There emerged
18997-470: The middle of the 14th century. The Mallas ruled the valley first under the suzerainty of Tirhut but established independent reign by late 14th century as Tirhut went into decline. In the late 14th century, Jayasthiti Malla introduced widespread socio-economic reforms, principal of which was the caste system. By dividing the indigenous non-Aryan Buddhist population into castes modelled after the four Varna system of Hinduism, he provided an influential model for
19154-437: The military intelligence agency; National Investigation Department tasked with national and international intelligence gathering, is independent. Nepal Army is primarily used for routine security of critical assets, an anti-poaching patrol of national parks, counterinsurgency, and search and rescue during natural disasters; it also undertakes major construction projects. There are no discriminatory policies on recruitment into
19311-457: The next general elections in 2027. In the 1930s, a vibrant underground political movement arose in the capital, birthing Nepal Praja Parishad in 1936, which was dissolved seven years later, following the execution of the four great martyrs . Around the same time, Nepalis involved in the Indian independence movement started organizing into political parties, leading to the birth of Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal . As communism
19468-549: The northwest stretching up to the Tibetan plateau. Nepal is divided into three principal physiographic belts known as Himal – Pahad – Terai . Himal is the mountain region containing snow and situated in the Great Himalayan Range; it makes up the northern part of Nepal. It contains the highest elevations in the world including 8,848.86 metres (29,032 ft) height Mount Everest ( Sagarmāthā in Nepali) on
19625-629: The office of Vicar Provincial, became so insubordinate that he had to be expelled from the Order. Even more scandalously, the third Vicar General, Bernardino Ochino , left the Catholic faith in 1543 after fleeing to Switzerland , where he was welcomed by John Calvin , became a Calvinist pastor in Zürich , and married. Years later, claims that he had written in favor of polygamy and Unitarianism caused him to be exiled from that city and he fled again, first to Poland and then to Moravia, where he died. As
19782-512: The other languages in the branch. The date indicates an approximate time when the language diverged. ɞ Van Driem labelled this branch as "Parakiranti" and included it together with Kiranti branch to form Maha Kiranti group. However, he would later drop this hypothesis. ʌ All languages within this branch have extensive Indo-Aryan vocabulary. It is hypothesised that either ancient IndoAryan admixture happened before Newar-Thangmi-Baram split or that Thangmi-Baram borrowed through Newari. According to
19939-617: The permanent secretariat of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), of which it is a founding member. Nepal is also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Bay of Bengal Initiative . Before the unification of Nepal , the Kathmandu Valley was known as Nepal . The precise origin of the term Nepāl is uncertain. Nepal appears in ancient Indian literary texts dated as far back as
20096-568: The poor, impressing the minds of the common people by the poverty and austerity of their life, and sometimes with sensationalist preaching such as their use of the supposedly possessed Marthe Brossier to arouse Paris against the Huguenots . The activities of the Capuchins were not confined to Europe. From an early date they undertook missions to non-Catholics in America, Asia and Africa, and
20253-404: The population below the international poverty line (US$ 1.90 per person per day) from 15% in 2010 to just 9.3% in 2018, although vulnerability remains extremely high, with almost 32% of the population living on between US$ 1.90 and US$ 3.20 per person per day. Nepal has made improvement in sectors like nutrition, child mortality, electricity, improved flooring and assets. Under the current trend, Nepal
20410-418: The regime attempted to wipe it out. In 1906, legal documents written in Newar were declared unenforceable, and any evidence in the language was declared null and void. The rulers forbade literature in Newar, and writers were sent to jail. In 1944, Buddhist monks who wrote in the language were expelled from the country. Moreover, hostility towards the language from neighbours grew following massive migration into
20567-401: The region, and has a policy of non-alignment at the global stage. Nepal is a member of SAARC , UN , WTO , BIMSTEC and ACD , among others. It has bilateral diplomatic relations with 167 countries and the EU, has embassies in 30 countries and six consulates, while 25 countries maintain embassies in Nepal, and more than 80 others maintain non-residential diplomatic missions. Nepal is one of
20724-464: The reigning queen had planned to overthrow Jung Bahadur Kunwar, a fast-rising military leader. This led to the Kot massacre ; armed clashes between military personnel and administrators loyal to the queen led to the execution of several hundred princes and chieftains around the country. Bir Narsingh Kunwar emerged victoriously and founded the Rana dynasty , and came to be known as Jung Bahadur Rana . The king
20881-497: The remains, depicting various religious themes. Some of the skeletons are intact and draped with Franciscan habits , but for the most part, individual bones are used to create the elaborate ornamental designs. A plaque in the chapel reads: What you are now, we used to be. What we are now, you will be. Mark Twain visited the crypt in the summer of 1867, and begins Volume 2, Chapter 1, of The Innocents Abroad with five pages of his observations. Like all other Orders,
21038-477: The royal family also dates from this period; a stone inscription from Bajrayogini Temple of Rudra Malla from 1127 ( NS 293). The Newar language of the Medieval era (879 to 1769 CE) is referred as Classical Newar . It is further classified into Early Classical Newar, used from 879 to 1482, when the period of three kingdom started and Late Classical Newar, from 1482 to 1769, when the Malla dynasty ended . In
21195-653: The ruling party at the federal level and in six out of seven provinces. After the 2022 general election , the House of Representatives of 2nd Federal parliament was formed as hung parliament and a coalition government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal was formed in December 2022. On 15 July 2024, K. P. Sharma Oli was sworn in as Nepali Prime minister for fourth time. New coalition was formed between Nepali Congress, led by Sher Bahadur Deuba, and UML, led by Oli. The party leaders will take turns as prime ministers for 18 months each until
21352-655: The starting point for properly recorded history of Nepal. Ashoka also visited the Kathmandu valley and built monuments commemorating Gautama Buddha's visit there. By the 4th century AD, much of Nepal was under the influence of the Gupta Empire . In the Kathmandu valley, the Kiratas were pushed eastward by the Licchavis , and the Licchavi dynasty came into power c. 400 AD. The Lichchhavis built monuments and left
21509-931: The status of official language, alongside Tamang . The commission also recommends Nepal Bhasa (Newar) for official status in specific areas and purposes in Province No. 1 and Gandaki Province . At local levels, Nepal Bhasa (Newar) has official status in Kathmandu Metropolitan City , Lalitpur Metropolitan City and Kirtipur Municipality Chandragiri Municipality , Shankharapur Municipality, Tarkeshwor Municipality of Kathmandu district; Banepa Municipality , Dhulikhel Municipality of Kavre district; Godavari Municipality of Lalitpur district; and Bhaktapur Municipality , Madhyapur Thimi Municipality of Bhaktapur district have recognized Nepal Bhasa in some ways. Similarly, Bhimeshor Municipality has recognized and made policy-level decisions for Dolakha Nepal Bhasa. Newar
21666-545: The suppression of the language that began with the rise of the Shah dynasty in 1768 AD, and intensified during the Rana regime (1846–1951) and Panchayat system (1960–1990). Nepal Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal , is a landlocked country in South Asia . It is mainly situated in the Himalayas , but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain . It borders
21823-434: The system of national parks and protected areas , first established in 1973 with the enactment of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1973 , was substantially expanded. Vulture restaurants coupled with a ban on veterinary usage of diclofenac has seen a rise in the number of white-rumped vultures. The community forestry programme which has seen a third of the country's population directly participate in managing
21980-509: The then- Diocese of Milwaukee by Bishop John Henni , also a Swiss immigrant, and given charge of St. Nicholas Parish which they renamed Mount Calvary. They were later admitted to the Capuchin Order on December 2, 1857, by Antoine Gauchet of the Swiss Province who had been sent to admit them in order to establish the Order in the United States. The friars started St. Lawrence Seminary High School in 1861 at Mount Calvary, Wisconsin ,
22137-479: The total. Major imports include various finished and semi-finished goods, raw materials, machinery and equipment, chemical fertilisers, electrical and electronic devices, petroleum products, gold, and readymade garments. Inflation was at 4.5% in 2019. Foreign exchange reserves were at US$ 9.5 billion in July 2019, equivalent to 7.8 months of imports. Nepal has made significant progress in poverty reduction bringing
22294-586: The unified Tirhut stood as a powerful kingdom for more than 200 years, even ruling over Kathmandu for a time. After another 300 years of Muslim rule, Tirhut came under the control of the Sens of Makawanpur . In the eastern hills, a confederation of Kirat principalities ruled the area between Kathmandu and Bengal. In the Kathmandu valley, the Mallas , who make several appearances in Nepalese history since ancient times, had established themselves in Kathmandu and Patan by
22451-432: The valley and Banepa to the east. The competition for prestige among these brotherly kingdoms saw the flourishing of art and architecture in central Nepal, and the building of famous Kathmandu , Patan and Bhaktapur Durbar Squares ; their division and mistrust led to their fall in the late 18th century, and ultimately, the unification of Nepal into a modern state. Apart from one destructive sacking of Kathmandu valley in
22608-561: The western hills and the Terai , with an estimated 234,600 people or 0.82% of the population considered as enslaved, by The Global Slavery Index in 2016. Order of Friars Minor Capuchin The Order arose in 1525 when Matteo da Bascio , an Observant Franciscan friar native to the Italian region of Marche , said he had been inspired by God with the idea that the manner of life led by
22765-507: The world's tallest grasses as well as Sal forests, tropical evergreen forests and tropical riverine deciduous forests. In the lower hills (700 m – 2,000 m), subtropical and temperate deciduous mixed forests containing mostly S al (in the lower altitudes), Chilaune and Katus , as well as subtropical pine forest dominated by chir pine are common. The middle hills (2,000 m – 3,000 m) are dominated by oak and rhododendron . Subalpine coniferous forests cover
22922-660: The world: Africa: 1,357; South America: 1,657; North America: 664; Asia-Oceania: 2,339; Western Europe: 3,500; Central-Eastern Europe: 769. In Great Britain there are currently five Capuchin friaries, and eight in Ireland . The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General , is currently Friar Roberto Genuin. The Capuchin order, under the leadership of two Italian Capuchin priests Dr.Giuseppe Maria Bernini also known as Friar.Joseph and Dr.Massimo Alfredo Antonio Mancini also known as Friar.Alfred , took part in
23079-484: Was preaching and spiritual ministrations among the poor. In theology the Capuchins abandoned the later Franciscan School of Scotus and returned to the earlier school of St. Bonaventure . At the outset of its history, the Capuchins underwent a series of severe blows. Two of the founders left it: Matteo Serafini of Bascio ( Matteo Bassi ) returning to the Observants, while his first companion, on being replaced in
23236-782: Was a Capuchin friar. In the Imperial Crypt , underneath the Church of the Capuchins in Vienna , over 140 members of the Habsburg dynasty are buried. The most recent burial in the crypt was in 2011 for Otto von Habsburg , the last crown prince of Austria-Hungary and eldest son of the last Austrian Emperor , the Blessed Charles of Austria . As of June 2018 , there were 10,480 Capuchins worldwide, of whom 7,070 were priests , living and working in 108 countries around
23393-504: Was also named Ne . The Ne Muni etymology was rightly dismissed by the early European visitors. Norwegian indologist Christian Lassen proposed that Nepāla was a compound of Nipa (foot of a mountain) and -ala (short suffix for alaya meaning abode), and so Nepāla meant "abode at the foot of the mountain". Indologist Sylvain Levi found Lassen's theory untenable but had no theories of his own, only suggesting that either Newara
23550-577: Was made a titular figure, and the post of Prime Minister was made powerful and hereditary. The Ranas were staunchly pro-British and assisted them during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (and later in both World Wars). In 1860 some parts of the western Terai region were gifted to Nepal by the British as a friendly gesture because of her military help to sustain British control in India during the rebellion (known as Naya Muluk , new country). In 1923,
23707-468: Was not directly involved in any of those conflicts, and winning the highest military awards, including the Victoria Cross and the Param Vir Chakra . Nepal pursues a policy of "balanced relations" with the two giant immediate neighbours, India and China; the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship with India provides for a much closer relationship. Nepal and India share an open border with free movement of people, religious, cultural and marital ties. India
23864-418: Was reckoned at 9,500. The Capuchins still keep up their missionary work and have some 200 missionary stations in all parts of the world—notably India , Ethiopia , and parts of the former Ottoman Empire . Though "the poorest of all Orders", it has attracted into its ranks an extraordinary number of the highest nobility and even of royalty. The celebrated Theobald Mathew , the apostle of Temperance in Ireland,
24021-424: Was the first South Asian country to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, and the countries enjoy a strong relationship; it recognises the rights of the Palestinians, having voted in favour of its recognition at the UN and against the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Countries that Nepal maintains a close relationship with, include the most generous donors and development partners—the United States,
24178-652: Was the life that they were called "Sisters of Suffering". The Order soon spread to France , Spain and beyond. They live according to the same rules and regulations as the Capuchin friars, and are held as members of the friars' provinces. In the United States, as of 2012, there are five monasteries of this Order. There are about 50 nuns in these communities, which are located in: Denver and Pueblo in Colorado , Alamo and Amarillo (the first, founded 1981) in Texas , and Wilmington, Delaware . The monasteries were almost all founded from Mexico , where there are some 1,350 Capuchin nuns in 73 monasteries. The monastery in Pueblo
24335-412: Was to be obtained by begging, and the friars were not allowed even to touch money. The communities were to be small, eight being fixed as the normal number and twelve as the limit. In furniture and clothing extreme simplicity was enjoined and the friars were discalced , required to go bare-footed—without even sandals. Like the Observants, the Capuchins wore a brown habit but of most simple form, i.e. only
24492-403: Was trying to find its footing, Nepali Congress was successful in overthrowing the Rana regime in 1951 and enjoyed the overwhelming support of the electorate. In the partyless Panchayat system initiated in 1962 by King Mahendra , monarchy loyalists took turns leading the government; political leaders remained underground, exiled or in prison. A communist insurgency was crushed in its cradle in
24649-516: Was under the floor of the present Mass chapel. Here the Capuchins would come to pray and reflect each evening before retiring for the night. The crypt , or ossuary , now contains the remains of 4,000 friars buried between 1500 and 1870, during which time the Roman Catholic Church permitted burial in and under churches. The underground crypt is divided into five chapels , lit only by dim natural light seeping in through cracks, and small fluorescent lamps . The crypt walls are decorated extensively with
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