Nepal Mandala (Nepali: नेपाल मण्डल) is the ancient geographic division of Nepal into different regions. It was characterized by three major divisions: “Purwanchal” (Eastern Region), “Madhyamanchal” (Central Region), and “Pashchimanchal” (Western Region). These divisions were further subdivided into smaller areas known as “Mandals.” The concept of Nepal Mandal has historical significance, reflecting the administrative and cultural organization of the region in earlier times. It is marked by cultural, religious and political boundaries that lies in present-day central Nepal. It consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding areas. The rule of the indigenous Newars in Nepal Mandala ended with its conquest by the Gorkha Kingdom and the rise of the Shah dynasty in 1768.
According to the Outline History of Nepal, Nepal consisted of three kingdoms during the early medieval period: Khas in the west, Karnatak in the south and Nepal Mandala in the center. (Full article...)
Born into an ordinary military family in the Gorkha Kingdom, Bhimsen first came close to the Crown Prince Rana Bahadur Shah at an early age in 1785. In 1798, he was recruited as a bodyguard for the King by his father. Thereafter, he rose to influence after helping the exiled ex-King Rana Bahadur Shah engineer his return to power in 1804. In gratitude, Rana Bahadur made Bhimsen a Kaji (equivalent to a minister) of the newly formed government. Rana Bahadur's assassination by his stepbrother Sher Bahadur Shah in 1806 led Bhimsen to initiate investigations into the context in which he ordered the death penalty for ninety-three people popularly known as the 1806 Bhandarkhal massacre, after which he claimed the title of Mukhtiyar (equivalent to prime minister) himself. The death of King Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah in 1816 at the immature age of 17, with his heir, King Rajendra Bikram Shah being only 3 years old, along with the support from Queen Tripurasundari (the junior queen of Rana Bahadur Shah) allowed him to remain in power even after Nepal's defeat in the Anglo-Nepalese War. After the death of Queen Tripurasundari in 1832, the intrigues of the newly adult King Rajendra, the conspiracies and infightings with the British envoy Brian Houghton Hodgson, Senior Queen Samrajya Laxmi Devi and the rival courtiers (especially the Kala Pandes, who held Bhimsen Thapa responsible for the death of Damodar Pande in 1804) finally led to his imprisonment on false charges of the murder of an infant prince and ultimately his death by suicide in 1839. (Full article...)
Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli (Nepali: खड्ग प्रसाद शर्मा ओली, pronounced[ˈkʰʌɽɡʌprʌsad̪ˈoli]; born 22 February 1952) is a Nepali Communist politician, former Prime Minister of Nepal. He has served two terms as prime minister, from 11 October 2015 to 3 August 2016, and from 15 February 2018 to 13 July 2021 as the first prime minister to be appointed following the first general election under the new constitution.
KP Oli is noted for taking a more hardline stance with regard to the Indian government during and in the aftermath of the 2015 Nepal blockade. He strengthened relations with China as an alternative to Nepal's traditional close trade ties with India and updated the map of Nepal by constitutional amendment including territories disputed with India, for which he has received some domestic praise and a reputation as a nationalist. While in office, Oli was marred by controversy for frequent use of tongue-in-cheek remarks, hostility towards critics and the media, silence on corruption by colleagues and business aides, failing to deliver on economic growth, and for deviating from promised budgetary expenditures despite a historic majority in the 2017 legislative election (Full article...)
Jimbu is a herb belonging to the onion family, used extensively in some regions of Nepal and in some central Himalayan states of India, like Uttarakhand, where it is called Jamboo or Faran. It is composed of two species of Allium, A. hypsistum and A. przewalskianum. The herb, which has a taste in between onion and chives, is most commonly used dried. In the Mustang district of Nepal and Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, it is used to flavor vegetables, pickles, and meat. In the rest of Nepal it is most commonly used to flavor urad dal or lentils. The dried leaves are fried in ghee to develop their flavor. After harvest, people store Jimbu dried for later use since it is a seasonal herb (main harvest between June and September). (Full article...)
The following pages at Wikimedia Commons contain a plethora of images taken in Nepal.
Wiki Loves Earth is an international photographic competition to promote natural heritage sites around the World through Wikimedia projects (mainly Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons).
Wiki Loves Monuments is an international photographic competition to promote cultural monuments around the World through Wikimedia projects (mainly Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons.
Image 13Nepali Pahadi Hindu marriage at Narayangadh, Chitawan (from Culture of Nepal)
Image 14A map of Greater Nepal with the book published in 1819 by Francis Hamilton M. D. named "An Account of the Kingdom of Nepal and the Territories annexed to this Dominion by the House of Gorkha". (from History of Nepal)
Image 15Nepali traditional Pahadi dress used for dance (from Culture of Nepal)
Image 16Senior offering Dashain Tika on great Nepali Hindu festival at a traditional home. (from Culture of Nepal)