Timeline of Nepalese history

This is a timeline of Nepalese history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Nepal and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Nepal. See also the list of monarchs of Nepal.

Millennia: 1st BC · 1st–2nd · 3rd
Centuries: 6th BC · 5th BC · 4th BC · 3rd BC · 2nd BC · 1st BC

15th century BC

c. 1500 BC — The King Yalamber established his first Kirat kingdom in Kathmandu.(present-day Nepal)

5th and 6th century BC

YearDateEvent
563 BCThe Gautama Buddha is born in Kapilvastu, Lumbini (present-day Nepal).

3rd century BC

YearDateEvent
268 BCAshoka establishes empire in north India (to 231 BC)

1st century BC

Centuries: 1st · 2nd · 3rd · 4th · 5th · 6th · 7th · 8th · 9th · 10th · 11th · 12th · 13th · 14th · 15th · 16th · 17th · 18th · 19th · 20th

4th century

YearDateEvent
353Samudragupta establishes empire in north India
400Licchavi kingdom in power in Kathmandu Valley (to 750)

8th century

YearDateEvent
750"Transitional" kingdom in power in Kathmandu Valley (to 1200)

11th century

YearDateEvent
1100Malla kings rule in western Nepal (to 1484)

12th century

YearDateEvent
1200Aridev malla, first monarch of the Malla Dynasty, rules in Kathmandu Valley (to 1216)

13th century

rana rule ended

14th century

YearDateEvent
1312Newar king Ripumalla leads raid in Kathmandu Valley
1345Sultan Shams ud-din Ilyas of Bengal leads raid in Kathmandu Valley (to 1346)
1382Jayasthitimalla rules as king of united Malla kingdom in Kathmandu Valley (to 1395)

15th century

YearDateEvent
1428Yakshamalla reigns – height of united Malla kingdom (to 1482)
1484Malla kingdom divided; three kingdoms of Kathmandu, Bhadgaon, and Patan expand

16th century

YearDateEvent
1526Mughal Empire established in north India
1559Gorkha kingdom established

17th century

YearDateEvent
1606Ram Shah of Gorkha reigns; Gorkha kingdom experiences first expansion (to 1633)

18th century

YearDateEvent
1743Prithvi Narayan Shah ascends to throne of Gorkha
1764British East India Company gains control of Bengal
1768Gorkha ruler Prithvi Narayan Shah conquers Kathmandu and lays foundations for unified kingdom.
1769Conquest of Chaudandi and Majh Kirant states.
1792Nepalese expansion halted by defeat at hands of Chinese in Tibet.

19th century

YearDateEvent
1806Bhimsen Thapa becomes prime minister
1809Nepalese troops lay siege to Kangra, farthest extent of Gurkha empire
1814Anglo-Nepalese War; culminates in treaty which establishes Nepal's current boundaries. (to 1816)
1837Bhimsen Thapa falls, beginning unstable period in court politics
1846Nepal falls under sway of hereditary chief ministers known as Ranas, who dominate the monarchy and cut off country from outside world.
Kot Massacre takes place
1855War waged with China (to 1858) 1856Royal decree gives absolute power to prime minister and his family
1857Sepoy Rebellion waged against British in north India; Nepal aids British (to 1858)
1858Jang Bahadur receives title of Rana
1877Jang Bahadur Rana dies
1885Ranoddip Singh Rana assassinated; Bir Shamser Rana becomes prime minister

20th century

YearDateEvent
1901Dev Shamsher Rana forced to abdicate; Chandra Shamsher Rana becomes prime minister
1914Thousands of Nepalese citizens fight as soldiers for British in World War I (to 1918)
192321 DecemberTreaty with Britain affirms Nepal's sovereignty.
1935Praja Parishad established, first political party in Nepal
1939Tens of thousands of Nepalese citizens fight as soldiers for British in World War II (to 1945)
1947Nepali National Congress established through merger of former All-India Nepali National Congress with Nepalese Society of Banaras and Gorkha Congress of Calcutta
1948Prime Minister Padma Shamsher Rana announces first constitution of Nepal, then resigns; his replacement, Mohan Shamsher Rana, represses opposition
1950Anti-Rana forces based in India form alliance with monarch.
1951End of Rana rule. Sovereignty of crown restored and anti-Rana rebels in Nepalese Congress Party form government
1952King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah Dev ascends throne
195329 MayNew Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepal's Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
1955Nepal joins the United Nations.
King Tribhuwan dies, King Mahendra ascends throne.
1959Multi-party constitution adopted; first general elections in Nepal bring to power Nepali Congress Party with B.P. Koirala as prime minister
1960King Mahendra seizes control and suspends parliament, constitution and party politics after Nepali Congress Party (NCP) wins elections with B. P. Koirala as premier.
1962New constitution provides for non-party system of councils known as "panchayat" under which king exercises sole power. First elections to Rastrya Panchayat held in 1963.
1972King Mahendra dies, succeeded by Birendra.
1980Constitutional referendum follows agitation for reform. Small majority favours keeping existing panchayat system. King agrees to allow direct elections to national assembly – but on a non-party basis.
1985NCP begins civil disobedience campaign for restoration of multi-party system.
1986
1989Trade and transit dispute with India leads to border blockade by Delhi resulting in worsening economic situation.
1990Pro-democracy agitation co-ordinated by NCP and leftist groups. Street protests suppressed by security forces resulting in deaths and mass arrests. King Birendra eventually bows to pressure and agrees to new democratic constitution. This protest time is called Jana Andolan I.
1991Nepali Congress Party wins first democratic elections. Girija Prasad Koirala becomes prime minister.
1994Koirala's government defeated in no-confidence motion. New elections lead to formation of Communist government.
1995Communist government dissolved.
Radical leftist group, the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist), begins insurrection in rural areas aimed at abolishing monarch and establishing people's republic, sparking a conflict that would drag on for over a decade.
1997Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba loses no-confidence vote, ushering in period of increased political instability, with frequent changes of prime minister.
2000GP Koirala returns as prime minister, heading the ninth government in 10 years.

21st century

YearDateEvent
20011 JuneKing Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and other close relatives killed allegedly in shooting.
4 JunePrince Gyanendra crowned King of Nepal .
JulMaoist rebels step up campaign of violence. Prime Minister GP Koirala quits over the violence; succeeded by Sher Bahadur Deuba.
NovMaoists end four-month-old truce with government, declare peace talks with government failed. Launch coordinated attacks on army and police posts.
NovState of emergency declared after more than 100 people are killed in four days of violence. King Gyanendra orders army to crush the Maoist rebels. Many hundreds are killed in rebel and government operations in the following months.
2002MayParliament dissolved, fresh elections called amid political confrontation over extending the state of emergency. Sher Bahadur Deuba heads interim government, renews emergency.
OctKing Gyanendra dismisses Deuba and indefinitely puts off elections set for November. Lokendra Bahadur Chand appointed as PM.
2003JanRebels, government declare ceasefire.
MayLokendra Bahadur Chand resigns as PM; king appoints his own nominee Surya Bahadur Thapa as new premier (to June)
AugRebels pull out of peace talks with government and end seven-month truce. The following months see resurgence of violence and frequent clashes between students/activists and police.
2004AprNepal joins the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
MayRoyalist Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa resigns following weeks of street protests by opposition groups.
JunKing Gyanendra reappoints Sher Bahadur Deuba as prime minister with the task of holding elections.
20051 FebruaryKing Gyanendra dismisses Prime Minister Deuba and his government, declares a state of emergency and assumes direct power, citing the need to defeat Maoist rebels.
30 AprilKing lifts the state of emergency amid international pressure.
NovMaoist rebels and main opposition parties agree on a programme intended to restore democracy.
2006AprKing Gyanendra agrees to reinstate parliament following weeks of violent strikes and protests against direct royal rule. GP Koirala is appointed as prime minister. Maoist rebels call a three-month ceasefire. Some times this period is called Jana Andolan-II.
MayParliament votes unanimously to curtail the king's political powers. The government and Maoist rebels begin peace talks, the first in nearly three years.
16 JuneRebel leader Prachanda and PM Koirala hold talks – the first such meeting between the two sides – and agree that the Maoists should be brought into an interim government.
NovThe government and Maoists sign a peace accord, declaring a formal end to a 10-year rebel insurgency. The rebels are to join a transitional government and their weapons will be placed under UN supervision.
2007JanMaoist leaders enter parliament under the terms of a temporary constitution. Violent ethnic protests erupt in the south-east; demonstrators demand autonomy for the region.
AprFormer Maoist rebels join interim government, a move that takes them into the political mainstream.
MayElections for a constituent assembly pushed back to November.
MayA US offer to resettle thousands of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal has raised hopes but has also sparked tension in the camps, says Human Rights Watch.
SepThree bombs hit Kathmandu in the first attack in the capital since the end of the Maoist insurgency.
SepMaoists quit interim government to press demand for monarchy to be scrapped. This forces the postponement of November's constituent assembly elections.
OctUN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges Nepal's parties to sink their differences to save the peace process.
DecParliament approves abolition of monarchy as part of peace deal with Maoists, who agree to re-join government.
2008JanA series of bomb blasts kill and injure dozens in the southern Terai plains. Groups there have been demanding regional autonomy.
MayNepali Congress leader Bal Chandra Poudel attacked by maoists in Dandagaun, Rasuwa during election
AprFormer Maoist rebels win the largest bloc of seats in elections to the new constituent assembly, but fail to achieve an outright majority.
28 MayNepal becomes a republic.
JunMaoist ministers resign from the cabinet in a row over who should be the next head of state.
21 JulyTwo months after the departure of King Gyanendra, Ram Baran Yadav becomes Nepal's first president.
15 AugustThe Constituent Assembly elects the Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' as the first Prime Minister of federal democratic republic Nepal.
20094 MayCaught in row over dismissal of Nepal's army chief, country's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, has resigned citing obstacle in government functioning as the main reason.
201525 April The 7.8 Mw Ghorka earthquake affected the country with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Almost 9,000 people were killed.
201520 September Promulgation of a new constitution 2072 by president Dr. Ram Baran Yadav

See also

References

    • Library of Congress, A Country Study: Nepal, Chronology of Important Events: online

    Further reading

    • John S. Bowman, ed. (2000). "Nepal". Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture. Columbia University Press. p. 393+. ISBN 978-0-231-50004-3.
    • Ian Preston, ed. (2001). "Nepal". Political Chronology of Central, South and East Asia. Political Chronologies of the World. Europa Publications. p. 201+. ISBN 978-1-135-35680-4.
    • John Whelpton (2005). "Key Events". A History of Nepal. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-80470-7.
    • BBC News. "Nepal Profile: Timeline".
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