Nepal Tours

Nepal, officially known according to its Interim Constitution as the State of Nepal is a landlocked Himalayan country in South Asia that overlaps with East Asia, bordered by Tibet to the north and by India to the south, east and west. For a small territory, the Nepali landscape is uncommonly diverse, ranging from the humid Terai in the south to the lofty Himalayas in the north. Nepal boasts eight of the world’s top ten highest mountains, including Mount Everest on the border with China.

Nepal has been made famous for its tourism, trekking, hiking, camping, mountain biking, national wildlife parks, jungle safaris, river rafting, sport fishing, and its many beautiful temples and places of worship. Kathmandu is the capital and largest city. The other main cities include Pokhara, Biratnagar, Lalitpur (Patan), Bhaktapur, Birendranagar, Bharatpur, Siddhartanagar (Bhairahawa), Birgunj, Janakpur, Nepalgunj, Hetauda, Dharan and Mahendranagar.

The origin of the name Nepal is derived from the Nepal Bhasa, which is the language of Newars and has its origin to the fact that Kathmandu Valley used to be called Nepa, the term that is still used by Newars.

The word “Nepal” was derived from the word “Nepa:” which refers to the Newar Kingdom of Kathmandu Valley and surrounding areas, before the unification of Nepal. Newars, an ethnic community of present day Nepal, are believed to be among the earliest settlers of the Kathmandu valley called “Nepa:”. The Nepal Sambat calendar, named after this Newar kingdom and devised 1100 years ago, is still one of the major calendars used in Nepal and testifies to its antiquity.

There are many other theories on the origin of word “Nepal”. Some historians suggest that a Hindu sage named “Ne” established Kathmandu valley during prehistoric times and the word “Nepal” came into existence as the place protected (“pala” in Sanskrit) by the sage “Ne”. Another legend ties the name to agriculture; “Ne” means wool in Tibetan language and “pal” means house or godown. It is important to realize that “Nepal” was historically the name of present day Kathmandu valley only. The official calander of Nepal is Bikram Sambat, which was devised in 57 B.C.

Neolithic tools found in the Kathmandu Valley indicate that people have been living in the Himalayan region for at least 9,000 years. It appears that people who were probably of Tibeto-Burman ethnicity lived in Nepal 2,500 years ago.

Indo-Aryan tribes entered the valley around 1500 BCE. Around 1000 BCE, small kingdoms and confederations of clans arose. One of the princes of the Shakya confederation was Siddhartha Gautama (563–483 BC), who renounced his royalty to lead an ascetic life and came to be known as the Buddha (“the one who has awakened”). By 250 BCE, the region came under the influence of the Mauryan empire of northern India, and later became a puppet state under the Gupta Dynasty in the 4th century CE. From the late 5th century CE, rulers called the Licchavis governed the area.

The Licchavi dynasty went into decline in the late 8th century CE and was followed by a Newar era, from 879, although the extent of their control over the entire country is uncertain. By late 11th century, southern Nepal came under the influence of the Chalukya Empire of southern India. Under the Chalukyas, Nepal’s religious establishment changed as the kings patronised Hinduism instead of the Buddhism prevailing at that time

By the early 13th century, leaders were emerging whose names ended with the Sanskrit suffix malla (“wrestler”). Initially their reign was marked by upheaval, but the kings consolidated their power over the next 200 years. By late 14th century, much of the country began to come under a unified rule.

This unity was short-lived; in 1482 the kingdom was carved into three areas, Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhadgaon, which engaged in petty rivalry for centuries.