The city of Patan is believed to have been built in the third century B.C. by the Kirat dynasty. It was expanded by Lichhavis in the 6th century A.D. and again by the Mallas in medieval period. The Malla kings ruled the Kathmandu Valley until the ascension of the Shah dynasty. In 1768, King Prithvi Narayan Shah began his campaign to unify Nepal and Patan became a city in the kingdom of Nepal.
In the early 1800's the Shah heirs fought the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-1816) against the British East India Company over the annexation of small neighboring states. The Nepalese lost and were forced to cede land to the British in exchange for autonomy.
In 1846, Queen Rajendralakshmi sought to curb the power of the military leader, Jang Bahadur. An armed clash between the queen's loyalists and the miliary personnel loyal to Bahadur ensued in the palace armory in Kathmandu, after which the queen had several hundred prominent men executed, including princes and chieftans. This became known as the Kot Massacre. Badahur emerged from the fighting as the only powerful leader and took the office of Prime Minister. He made the prime minister position autocratic and hereditary. During his reign he purged his enemies by killing and driving thousands into exile, including the king and queen. He replaced them with a figurehead monarch, who gave Bahadur the title 'Rana'. The rule of Bahadur and his heirs over the next 100 years became known as the Rana dynasty.
The dynasty was brought down in the 1950's by reformists who instituted a consitutional monarchy. This lasted until 1962, when King Mahendra created a panchayat system of government. This system created a pyramid structure of power based on councils from the village level to the National Parliament, with the King as head of state.
King Mahendra's son, King Birendra ascended the throne in 1972 and promised democratic reforms. He called a national referendum in 1980 to decide whether to continue the panchayat system, with reforms, or to establish a multi-party system of government. The panchayat system won a close victory.
The 1990 People's Movement ('Jana Andolan') was a cooperative effort among political parties of Nepal, including the Nepali Congress and Communist parties, to establish a constitutional democracy. It ended the panchayat system, and resulted in Nepal's first election in almost 50 years, in 1991. The following year, as a result of economic crises, a leftist group called the Joint People's Agitation Committee called for a general strike. Violence ensued, and clashes in Patan between police and activists resulted in the deaths of two activists. In Kathmandu, a crowd rallying at Tundikhel was attacked by police, resulting in an estimated 14 more deaths.
In 1995, in response to corruption, the Communist Party of Nepal (the Maoists) declared a People's war. They called for the redistribution of land, increased power for rural communities, the elimination of the caste system, equal rights for women, and the creation of a communist republic.
In 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra assassinated 11 members of the royal family, including the king and queen, and was declared King. However, he died days later of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The brother of the assassinated King Birendra, Prince Gyanendra, ascended the throne.
In 2002, due to the escalation of the Maoist rebellion, the king took control of the government temporarily and then appointed a new government. After a Maoist siege on the Kathmandu Valley in 2004, the king declared a state of emergency and assumed full authoritarian power. The king controlled the media and placed politicians under arrest.
In April, 2006, as a result of protests and strikes, the king reinstated parliament. The parliament then stripped the king of most of his powers. The Maoists reached a cease-fire agreement with the government in 2006, and then took a quarter of the seats in the newly elected parliament in January, 2007. In April, 2007, five Maoist ministers were sworn in and placed in charge of the ministries of information, local development, planning and works, forestry, and women and children. Scattered conflicts continue across the country, however.
In the early 1800's the Shah heirs fought the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-1816) against the British East India Company over the annexation of small neighboring states. The Nepalese lost and were forced to cede land to the British in exchange for autonomy.
In 1846, Queen Rajendralakshmi sought to curb the power of the military leader, Jang Bahadur. An armed clash between the queen's loyalists and the miliary personnel loyal to Bahadur ensued in the palace armory in Kathmandu, after which the queen had several hundred prominent men executed, including princes and chieftans. This became known as the Kot Massacre. Badahur emerged from the fighting as the only powerful leader and took the office of Prime Minister. He made the prime minister position autocratic and hereditary. During his reign he purged his enemies by killing and driving thousands into exile, including the king and queen. He replaced them with a figurehead monarch, who gave Bahadur the title 'Rana'. The rule of Bahadur and his heirs over the next 100 years became known as the Rana dynasty.
The dynasty was brought down in the 1950's by reformists who instituted a consitutional monarchy. This lasted until 1962, when King Mahendra created a panchayat system of government. This system created a pyramid structure of power based on councils from the village level to the National Parliament, with the King as head of state.
King Mahendra's son, King Birendra ascended the throne in 1972 and promised democratic reforms. He called a national referendum in 1980 to decide whether to continue the panchayat system, with reforms, or to establish a multi-party system of government. The panchayat system won a close victory.
The 1990 People's Movement ('Jana Andolan') was a cooperative effort among political parties of Nepal, including the Nepali Congress and Communist parties, to establish a constitutional democracy. It ended the panchayat system, and resulted in Nepal's first election in almost 50 years, in 1991. The following year, as a result of economic crises, a leftist group called the Joint People's Agitation Committee called for a general strike. Violence ensued, and clashes in Patan between police and activists resulted in the deaths of two activists. In Kathmandu, a crowd rallying at Tundikhel was attacked by police, resulting in an estimated 14 more deaths.
In 1995, in response to corruption, the Communist Party of Nepal (the Maoists) declared a People's war. They called for the redistribution of land, increased power for rural communities, the elimination of the caste system, equal rights for women, and the creation of a communist republic.
In 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra assassinated 11 members of the royal family, including the king and queen, and was declared King. However, he died days later of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The brother of the assassinated King Birendra, Prince Gyanendra, ascended the throne.
In 2002, due to the escalation of the Maoist rebellion, the king took control of the government temporarily and then appointed a new government. After a Maoist siege on the Kathmandu Valley in 2004, the king declared a state of emergency and assumed full authoritarian power. The king controlled the media and placed politicians under arrest.
In April, 2006, as a result of protests and strikes, the king reinstated parliament. The parliament then stripped the king of most of his powers. The Maoists reached a cease-fire agreement with the government in 2006, and then took a quarter of the seats in the newly elected parliament in January, 2007. In April, 2007, five Maoist ministers were sworn in and placed in charge of the ministries of information, local development, planning and works, forestry, and women and children. Scattered conflicts continue across the country, however.
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