Culture Chinoise

A country of central Asia in the Himalaya Mountains between India and southwest China. Site of a flourishing civilization by the 4th century A.D. , the region was later divided into principalities, one of which, Gurkha, became dominant in the 18th century. Gurkha’s expansion into northern India led to border wars with Great Britain. A 1923 treaty affirmed Nepal’s full sovereignty, and a constitutional monarchy was established in 1951. Katmandu is the capital and the largest city. Population: 28,900,000.

The ancient history of Nepal has still not been fully researched but it seems that the Katmandu Valley was in early contact with Buddhism through its proximity to India. The Licchavi dynasty was founded around 300 ce and ruled until the 9th century. Buddhism was likely to have been systematically introduced into Nepal during the reign of King A??oka and has continued to flourish there to the present day alongside Hinduism. The location of Nepal between the Buddhist heartland of India and Tibet meant that it was frequently visited by travelling Tibetan and Indian monks, with the Nepalese at times acting as interpreters. Present-day Nepal has a strong Tibetan Buddhist presence alongside the traditional supporters of Buddhism among the native population. As it was never subjected to the devastating destruction wrought on Buddhist establishments by early Muslim invaders in India, large quantities of Buddhist manuscripts have survived there which have received careful attention from scholars.