Tuesday, February 12, 2013
History of Nepal
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John whelpt on, who works as a teacher
in Hong Kong, is a his-torian and linguist. He has worked and travelled
extensively in Nepal, and has written numerous articles and books on the
country. These include People, Politics and Ideology: Democracy and Social
Change in Nepal (1999, with the late Martin Hoftun and William Raeper) and
Kings, Soldiers and Priests: Nepalese Politics and the Rise of Jang Bahadur
Rana, 1830–1857 (1991).
Key events
BC 130,000? Hand-axe man in Dang and Satpati
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c. 1700? Beginning
of Indo-Aryan movement into the Indian subcontinent
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c. 400? Birth
of the Buddha at Lumbini
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AD
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465 Changu
Narayan inscription of King Manadeva
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647 Nepalese
troops assist Chinese envoy in punitive expedition against an Indian state
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879 Beginning
of Nepal Era
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1097 Nanyadeva
of Karnataka takes control of Mithila
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c. 1100 Establishment
of Khasa empire in western Nepal
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1200 Commencement
of Malla period in Kathmandu Valley
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1349 Shams
ud-din Ilyas Shah of Bengal raids Kathmandu Valley
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1382 Jayasthiti
Malla gains control of Kathmandu Valley
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1482 Death
of Yaksha Malla, last sole king of Kathmandu Valley
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c. 1533 Migration of
Sherpas from Kham (Tibet) into Solukhumbu
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1559 Drabya
Shah seizes Gorkha
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1628 Jesuit
John Cabral is first European to visit the Nepal Valley
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1650 (or earlier) Treaty with Tibet gives Kathmandu
joint control over the Kuti and Kirong Passes, the right to mint Tibet’s
coinage and permission for Newars to open trading houses in Lhasa
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1715 Establishment
of Capuchin mission in Kathmandu
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1743 Prithvi
Narayan Shah crowned king of Gorkha
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1768–9 Gorkhali conquest of Kathmandu Valley
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1786 First
Nepal–Tibet War
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1791 Second
Nepal–Tibet War
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1792 Chinese
invasion of Nepal
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1793 Kirkpatrick
mission to Kathmandu
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1802–3 East India Company’s envoy Captain Knox in Kathmandu
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1806 April Assassination of Rana Bahadur Shah and beginning of Bhimsen
Thapa’s predominance
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1809–10 Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh halts Gorkhali expansion in the
west
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1814–16 Anglo-Gorkha War
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1837 July Dismissal of Bhimsen Thapa
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1840 Appointment
of ‘British ministry’
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1842 ‘National
Movement’ of courtiers and army press King Rajendra to grant powers to his
junior queen
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1846 September Jang Bahadur Rana
becomes prime minister after Kot Massacre
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1850 Jang
Bahadur Rana’s visit to Europe
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1855–56 Third Nepal–Tibet War
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1856 Jang
Bahadur Rana becomes maharaja of Kaski and Lamjung
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1857–8 Nepal assists British in suppression of Indian Mutiny
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1877 Death
of Jang Bahadur Rana
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1885 November Shamsher Ranas seize power
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1904 Chandra
Shamsher Rana assists the Younghusband expedition to Tibet
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1914–18 Around 100,000 Nepalese involved in support of Britain in
First World War
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1919 Opening
of Trichandra College in Kathmandu
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1923 Britain
recognises Nepal’s complete independence
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1924 November Chandra Shamsher Rana’s speech calling for abolition of
slavery
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1934 January Major earthquake destroys many buildings in Kathmandu Valley March Removal of C-Class Ranas from the
Roll of Succession
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1939–45 Mobilisation of Nepal’s
resources in support of Britain in Second World War
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1941 January Execution of ‘Four martyrs’
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November Abdication of Juddha and accession of Maharaja Padma Shamsher
Rana
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1947 January Formation of Nepali National Congress August India becomes independent
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November Tripartite agreement gives India twelve and UK eight of
existing Gurkha battalions
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1948 January Padma Shamsher Rana promulgates constitution
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April Following Padma Shamsher Rana’s resignation, Mohan Shamsher
Rana becomes prime minister and maharaja
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August Formation of Nepali Democratic Congress
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1950 April Merger of Nepali National Congress and Nepal Democratic
Congress to form Nepali Congress
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November King Tribhuvan’s flight to the Indian embassy
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1951 February Formal end of Rana regime and
establishment of coalition government (now celebrated annually as Democracy
Day) under restored King Tribhuvan
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April Bir
Gorkha Dal revolt in Kathmandu
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November M.
P. Koirala forms Congress government after collapse of coalition
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1952 January Raksha Dal mutiny, leading to banning of Communist
Party
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1953 June Second
M. P. Koirala government
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1955 March Death
of King Tribhuvan in Switzerland
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1956 January Tanka Prasad Acharya appointed prime minister
with cabinet of Praja Parishad and independent ministers
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July K.
I. Singh becomes prime minister with cabinet of United Democratic Party
members plus royal nominees
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November K.
I. Singh government dismissed
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1958 February Mahendra announces appointment of
Constitution Drafting Commission, government without a prime minister, and a
nominated Advisory Assembly
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1959 February Promulgation of constitution
February– Voting in general election
April
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May B.
P. Koirala becomes prime minister
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1960 December Mahendra removes Congress government
and imposes direct royal rule
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1962 November Subarna Shamsher Rana calls off
Congress armed resistance to Mahendra after outbreak of war between China and
India
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December Promulgation
of Nepal’s new constitution
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1963 April New
Civil Code (Muluki Ain)
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1964 Land
Reform Act
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1965 January Secret agreement for Nepal to use other
sources for arms only if India unable to meet its requirements
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1968 May Subarna
Shamsher Rana pledges ‘loyal co-operation’ with King Mahendra
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October Release
of B. P. Koirala and Ganesh Man Singh from prison
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1969 June Kirtinidhi
Bista, prime minister, denounces defence agreements with India
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1972 January Death of King Mahendra and accession of King Birendra
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August Congress
launches armed raid from India on Haripur (Sarlahi district)
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1973 Suppression
of Jhapeli communist group’s Naxalite-style campaign of violence
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1974 Three-month
army operation to clear out Khampas using northern Nepal as base for raids
into Tibet
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March Biratnagar
bomb attempt on Birendra’s life
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1975 February Birendra makes Zone of Peace
Proposal
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June Indira
Gandhi declares emergency rule in India
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1976 December B. P. Koirala and Ganesh Man Singh
return to Kathmandu from India and are immediately arrested
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1979 May Birendra
announces referendum on future of Panchayat system
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June Surya
Bahadur Thapa becomes prime minister
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1980 May Referendum
decides in favour of reformed Panchayat system rather than return to
multi-party democracy
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December Third
amendment to constitution provides for direct election of Rastriya Panchayat
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1985 May Congress
launch civil disobedience campaign
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June Bomb
explosions in Kathmandu
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1986 May Start
of Gorkha National Liberation Front agitation in Darjeeling
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May Second
general election under the reformed Panchayat system
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1987 December End of Gorkha National Liberation
Front campaign in Darjeeling
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1989 March India
imposes semi-blockade of Nepal
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November Janata
Party wins Indian elections, Rajiv Gandhi replaced by V. P. Singh
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1990 February Start of ‘People’s Movement’ March Start of nightly ‘light-outs’ March Patan ‘uprising’ begins
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April Dismissal
of Marichman Singh Shrestha’s government, appointment of Lokendra Bahadur
Chand as prime minister and Darbar Marg shootings
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April King
meets opposition leaders and lifts ban on political parties
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April Dissolution
of Rastriya Panchayat and Krishna Prasad Bhattarai appointed
prime minister November/ People claiming
to be refugees from Bhutan set up December makeshift
camps in Jhapa
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November Promulgation
of constitution
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November CPN
(Unity Centre) established
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1991 January Merger of CPN (M) and CPN (ML) to form
Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist- Leninist)
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January Establishment
of United People’s Front as electoral vehicle for the far-left Unity Centre
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May General
election and formation of Girija Prashad Koiral’s Congress government
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December Girija
Koirala’s cabinet reshuffle intensifies conflict within Congress
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1992 Recognition
of Nepali as one of India’s national languages
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February Thapa
and Chand factions amalgamate to form United National Democratic Party
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April Police
shooting of left-wing demonstrators in Kathmandu
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1993 May Death
of Madan Bhandari and Jivraj Ashrit in jeep accident at Dasdhunga
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1994 May United
People’s Front splits into Baburam Bhattarai and Nirajan Vaidya factions
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July Girija
Koirala requests dissolution of parliament
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November Man
Mohan Adhikari appointed prime minister following elections giving CPN (UML)
a plurality
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1995 March Prachanda’s
faction of Unity Centre renames itself CPN (Maoist)
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September Central
committee of CPN (Maoist) adopts ‘Plan for the historic initiation of the
People’s War’
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September UML
government leaves office after
parliament passes a no-confidence motion
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September Sher
Bahadur Deuba becomes prime minister heading Congress-National Democratic Party-Sadbhavana
coalition
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November Police
launch Operation Romeo against Maoist supporters in Rolpa
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1996 February Commencement of ‘People’s War’
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May Girija
Koirala is elected president of Nepali Congress
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September Joint
meeting of both Houses of parliament approves the Mahakali treaty by a
two-thirds’ majority
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December New
trade and transit treaty with India
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1997 March Deuba
fails to gain vote of confidence
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March - Swearing-in of NDP-UML-Sadbhavana coalition
under Lokendra Bahadur Chand
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October Chand
government loses no-confidence vote
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October Surya
Bahadur Thapa becomes prime minister heading NDP-Congress-Sadbhavana
coalition
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1998 January Formal split of NDP into separate Chand and Thapa
parties
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March Dissidents
formally split from UML to form the CPN (Marxist-Leninist)
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April Thapa
resigns in accordance with original agreement with Congress
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April Girija
Koirala sworn in as prime minister of a Congress minority government
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May Beginning
of Kilo Sierra 2 police operation against the Maoist insurgents
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August CPN
(ML) ministers join Koirala government
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December CPN
(ML) ministers resign from government
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December Formation
of new Congress-UML-Sadbhavana- Independent cabinet
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1999 April Death
of Man Mohan Adhikari
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May Elections
held in two main phases
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May Krishna
Prasad Bhattarai appointed prime minister
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September Seven
policeman killed and an inspector taken prisoner at post in Rukum
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December Bhattarai
sets up commission under Deuba to make recommendations on Maoist problem
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December Thapa
and Chand factions of the National Democratic Party announce they
will re-unite
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2000 February Police burn down houses in Rukum
following death of nineteen police in bomb explosion
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May Girija
Koirala replaces Krishna Prasad Bhattarai as prime minister
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July Government declares kamaiyas (bonded labourers) free
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August Death
of musician Praveen Gurung in collision with vehicle allegedly driven by an
inebriated Prince Paras
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September Maoists
attack Dunai, district headquarters of Dolpo, killing fourteen policemen and
destroying government buildings
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December Five
die in police firing in Kathmandu in rioting over alleged anti-Nepalese
remarks by Indian film star Hritik Roshan
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2001 January Birendra approves ordinances setting up Armed
Police Force and system of regional governors
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February Adoption
of ‘Prachanda Path’ as party doctrine at Maoists’ second national conference
which also elected Prachanda as party
chairman
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April Maoists
kill seventy policemen in attacks at Rukumkot (Rukum) and Naumule (Dailekh);
government announces plans for Integrated Security and Development Programme
involving key role for army
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June Crown
Prince Dipendra shoots dead king, queen and seven other members of royal
family before apparently committing suicide
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June Raj
Parishad proclaims Dipendra (now on life support) king and Gyanendra regent
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June Death
of Dipendra and accession of King Gyanendra
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June Koirala’s
resignation after army’s failure to engage with rebels holding captured
policemen
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June Sher
Bahadur Deuba appointed prime minister and declares ceasefire
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August Leaders
of constitutional leftist parties meet Prachanda at Siliguri in West Bengal
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August Talks
begin between government and rebels
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November Prachanda
announces withdrawal from negotiations over government’s refusal to concede
demand for constituent assembly
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November Rebels
break ceasefire with attacks on police and (for the first time) an army
barracks in Dang
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November Declaration
of state of emergency throughout country and full mobilisation of army
against rebels
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2002 February Bamdev Gautam and most CPN (ML) members
rejoin UML
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February Rebel
attacks on Mangalsen, district headquarters of Acham, and on nearby airfield
kill around 150 soldiers and police as well as the local chief district
officer
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May Deuba
obtains dissolution of parliament after clashing with Koirala over extension
of state of emergency
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June Formal
split in Congress
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July Unity
Centre and Masal merge and their electoral vehicles (United People’s Front
and National People’s Front) combine to form People’s Front, Nepal
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September Forty-nine
police killed in attack on post in Sindhuli
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September Rebels
overrun Sandhikharka, district headquarters of Arghakhanchi, killing sixty
security personnel
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October Following
discussions amongst political parties, Deuba formally requests king to
approve postponement of the elections until November 2003
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October Gyanendra
announces dismissal of Deuba, postponement of elections and his own
assumption of executive powers
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October Appointment
of Lokendra Bahadur Chand as prime minister
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2003 January Maoist gunmen assassinate head of Armed Police Force
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January Announcement
of ceasefire between rebels and government
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May Commencement
of five-party agitation for ending of royal rule
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June Appointment
of Surya Bahadur Thapa as prime minister
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August Maoists
announce withdrawal ‘for the time being’ from negotiations and ceasefire
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November Government
announces plan to form civilian militias
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2004 March Maoist
attack on Bhojpur bazaar kills twenty-nine security personnel
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March Maoist
attack on Beni
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Source: Cambridge University Press 0521804701 - A History of Nepal-John Whelpton
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