Online Encyclopedia

northern frontier stand many of the highest peaks of the Himalayan range, such as Dhaulagiri (26,837 ft.), Mutsiputra, Gaurishankar and Yasa (24,000), Gosain Than (26,313), See also:

MOUNT, WILLIAM SIDNEY (1807-1868)

Mount See also:

Everest (29,002 according to the survey value), See also:

KINCHINJUNGA, or KANCHANJANGA

Kinchinjunga (28,146), and numerous peaks varying from 20,000 to 24,000 ft. In clear See also:

WEATHER (O. Eng. weder; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Du. weder, Dan. veir, Icel. ve8r, and Ger. Wetter and Gewitter, storm; the root is wa- to blow, from which is derived " wind ")

weather this magnificent snowy range may be seen in an almost continuous See also:

LINE

line from the See also:

TOP (cf. Dan. top, Ger. Topf, also meaning pot)

top of some of the See also:

LOWER

lower ranges near See also:

KATMANDU (less correctly KHATMMANDU)

Katmandu. See also:

South of these are numerous parallel lower ranges, varying from 16,000 to 6000 ft. in height, which are broken up at intervals by See also:

CROSS

cross ranges, thus forming a See also:

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of glens with a few See also:

hill-girt valleys interspersed. These See also:

mountain ranges determine the course of the See also:

rivers, which are divided by the cross ranges into four See also:

groups. The first of these extends from Kumaon eastward as far as Dhaulagiri, and consists of the affluents of the Kali (Sarda), Sarju, Kurnali, Eastern Sarju, and Rapti, all of which ultimately See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form the See also:

GOGRA, or GHAGRA

Gogra or Gogari, and flow into the See also:

GANGES (GANGA)

Ganges. The second See also:

GROUP

group, known to the Nepalese as the Sapt Gandaki, rises from the peaks between Dhaulagiri and Gosain Than, and unite at Trebeni See also:

GHAT, or RHAT

Ghat to form the See also:

GANDAK

Gandak. The third is a group of smaller rivers draining the great valley of Nepal, the valleys of Chitlong, Benepa, and Panoutl, and portions of the tarai around the Churiaghati range of hills. These are the various branches of the Bara Gandak, the lesser Rapti, the Bagmati and Kumla.

See also:

Day is considered to begin when the tiles on a house can be counted, or when the hairs on the back of a See also:

man's See also:

hand can be discerned against the See also:

SKY (M. Eng. skie, cloud; O. Eng. skua, shade; connected with an Indo-European root sku, cover, whence " scum," Lat. obscurus, dark, &c.)

sky. Sixty bipalas = i pala ; 6o palas = i ghari or 24 minutes; 6o gharis=i day of 24 See also:

HOURS, CANONICAL

hours. See also:

HEALTH

Health.—All families of good position have at least one See also:

BAND

band, or medical man, in constant attendance, and there are also many general practitioners. There is a large central See also:

HOSPITAL (Lat. haspitalis, the adjective of hospes, host or guest)

hospital at Katmandu, and some thirteen other smaller hospitals are distributed over the country, with free beds, and See also:

PROVISION (Lat. provisio)

provision for outdoor treatment. There is also a small hospital attached to the British Residency. The diseases most prevalent in the country are See also:

RHEUMATISM (from Gr. /56µa, flux)

rheumatism, chronic See also:

DYSPEPSIA (from the Gr. prefix Sur-, hard, ill, and 'irirreiv, to digest)

dyspepsia, skin diseases, syphilis, See also:

GOITRE (from Lat. guttur, the throat; synonyms, Bronchocele, Derbyshire Neck)

goitre, smallpox, See also:

CHOLERA (from the Gr. Xo)du, tile, and Map, to flow)

cholera and leprosy. In the rains a number of cases of mild intermittent See also:

FEVER (Lat. febris, connected with fervere, to burn)

fever, See also:

DIARRHOEA (from Gr. &Q, through, pfw, flow)

diarrhoea, and See also:

DYSENTERY (from the Gr. prefix Ova-, in the sense of " bad," and Evmpov, the intestine)

dysentery are met with. Fever of a severe typhoid type is common in the crowded lanes and dirty villages. See also:

VACCINATION (from Lat. vacca, a cow)

Vaccination is being gradually introduced into the country, and the general health of the inhabitants of the principal cities in the valley has greatly improved since the introduction of fresh See also:

WATER

water, which has been brought in by pipes from mountain springs. Towns.—There are three large towns in the Nepal valley, Katmandu, the capital, said to contain approximately 50,000 inhabitants, See also:

PATAN (_" city ")

Patan and See also:

BHATGAON

Bhatgaon about 30,000 each. The houses are from two to four storeys in height, built of See also:

BRICK (derived according to some etymologists from the Teutonic bricke, a disk or plate; but more authoritatively, through the French brique, originally a " broken piece," applied especially to bread, and so to clay, from the Teutonic brikan, to break)

brick and tiled. The windows and balconies are of See also:

wood, and some are elaborately carved.

There are numerous handsome temples in all the towns, the See also:

MAJORITY (Fr. majorite; Med. Lat. majoritas; Lat. major, greater)

majority of which are See also:

PAGODA (Port. pagode, a word introduced in the 16th century by the early Portuguese adventurers in India, reproducing phonetically some native word, possibly Pers. but-kadah, a house for an idol, or some form of Sansk. bhagavat, divine, holy)

pagoda-shaped and built of brick, with See also:

ROOFS

roofs of copper, which is sometimes gilt. The streets are narrow, and they, as well as the squares, are all paved with brick or See also:

stone. In front of the temples generally stand monoliths surmounted by figures of Garuda, or of the founder, made of See also:

brass gilt, or sometimes of black stone. Besides these three large towns, there are at least twenty smaller towns and numerous villages in the valley, all of which possess many temples. Some of these, as for instance those of Pashupati, Bodhnatha and Symbhunatha, are considered of great sanctity. Many thousands of pilgrims come at one festival to See also:

WORSHIP (i.e. " worth-ship," O. Eng. weor8scipe)

worship at Pashupati, and it is there that the dying are brought to be immersed in the Bagmati, and the dead are burned on its See also:

banks. See also:

Agriculture. While the Gurkhalis are occupied in military affairs, the agriculture of the valley is carried on by the Newars. The See also:

SOIL

soil is varied in See also:

CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character, from See also:

LIGHT

light micaceous See also:

sand to dense ferruginous See also:

clay. The whole valley is cultivated and irrigated where practicable, and the slopes of the hills are carefully terraced, so that there is little grazing ground, and few sheep or See also:

CATTLE (Norman Fr. catel, from Late Lat. capitale, wealth or property, a word applied in the feudal system to movable property and particularly to live stock, and surviving in its wider meaning as " chattel " or " chattle ")

cattle are kept There are some milch cows and buffaloes, which are either See also:

STALL (0. Eng. steall, stael, cf. Du. stal, Ger. and Swed. Stall, a common Teutonic word for a place, station, place for standing in; the root is the Indo-European std–, to stand, seen also in Latin stabulum, Greek vraO bs, and in stallion, an entire hors

stall-fed or grazed in the jungles at the foot of the hills. Animals for See also:

CONSUMPTION (Lat. consumere)

consumption and See also:

SACRIFICE (from Lat. sacrificium; sacer, holy, and facere, to make)

sacrifice are all imported, and are consumed as fast as they are brought in. In the cold season the Bhutias bring large flocks of sheep and goats laden with bags of See also:

BORAX (sodium pyroborate or sodium biborate)

borax, See also:

salt and See also:

SALTPETRE (from the Lat. sal, salt, Petra, a rock)

saltpetre.

These are sold for consumption, except a few that are retained to carry back the bags. These droves are generally accompanied by ponies and some of the large Tibetan See also:

DOGS, ISLE OF

dogs; the latter are powerful, fierce, shaggy animals, about the See also:

SIZE

size of a small Newfound-land dog. Poultry are kept and used by the Newars, especially ducks, the eggs of which are in great demand even among the orthodox Hindus. The crops grown in the valley consist of rice, both the transplanted and the dry-sown or ghaiya varieties, wheat, pulse, murwah, maize, See also:

BUCKWHEAT

buckwheat, chillies, radishes, See also:

MUSTARD

mustard, See also:

GARLIC (O. Eng. gdrledc, i.e. " spear-leek "; Gr. oKbpolov; Lat. allium; Ital. aglio; Fr. ail; Ger. Knoblauch)

garlic, onions, ginger, turmeric, sugar-cane, potatoes, ground nuts, many species of cucumbers and pumpkins, &c. Nothing but articles of See also:

food are allowed to be grown in the valley; hence its capabilities for producing tea, cotton and tobacco are unknown. All of these, however, are grown in other parts of the country, both in the hills and the tarai. Large cardamoms are extensively grown in the eastern hills, and form an important See also:

ARTICLE (from Lat. articulus, a joint)

article of export. The See also:

HEMP (in O. Eng. henep, cf. Dutch hennep, Ger. Hanf , cognate with Gr. Kavval3er, Lat. cannabis)

hemp plant (Cannabis indices) grows wild, and is used both for manufacturing purposes and for producing the resinous See also:

EXTRACT (from Lat. extrahere, to draw out)

extract and other intoxicating products which are exported. Plants producing dyes, such as See also:

MADDER

madder or man it, are grown in some places; and drugs, such as chirata, are collected and exported. The better class of soils yields a return of about Rs. 18o per khait, and the poorest about Rs. 90 per khait.

From some of the finer soils as many asthree crops of various sorts are obtained annually. The land-See also:

MEASURES

measures in use are different in different parts of the country. Thus, in the eastern tarai a bigha measures 9oX90 yds. English, while in the western tarai it is only 15)05 yds. In the hills the unit of land measurement is called ropni, which is about twice the size of a western tarai bigha,—and twenty-five ropnis make one khait. This measurement applies only to rice lands. Other land measurements for the valley are as follows: One Nepali bigha is 90 yds. X 90 yds. British. (A British Indian bigha is 40 yds. X 40 yds. and 3 Nepali bighas equal about 5 acres.) Sixteen ropnis equal i Nepali bigha. Land Taxes.—The tarai lands pay from two to nine rupees (British) per Nepali bigha according to quality of land.

In the hills taxes are charged on the plough, thus: one plough pays 13 annas; one See also:

BULLOCK, WILLIAM (c. 1657-c. 1740)

bullock without plough about so annas; one See also:

SPADE

spade 61 annas. These taxes are termed See also:

Hal, Patay and Kodaley. See also:

Horticulture.—The Newars are also fond of horticulture. Many European fruits, flowers and vegetables have been introduced and grow freely. The country is famous for its oranges and See also:

PINE (Lat. Pinus, Gr. srlrur)

pine-apples. Flowers are grown and sold for religious purposes, and even wild flowers are brought into the See also:

MARKET (Lat. mercatus, trade or place of trade)

market and much used by the Newar See also:

WOMEN

women in adorning their hair, as well as for offerings at the shrines. Many wild fruits are collected and sold in the markets. Apples and See also:

PEARS

pears, of English stock, thrive well; apricots and plums are good; peaches and grapes grow freely and are of large size, but they seldom ripen before the rains begin, when they rot. See also:

Trade.—All the trade and manufactures of the country are in the hands of the Newars, and a few Kashmiris and natives of Hindustan. The trade in European goods is chiefly carried on by the latter, whilst the Newars See also:

DEAL

deal in See also:

corn, oil, salt, tobacco and articles of domestic manufacture. The trade with India is carried on at numerous marts along the frontier, at each of which a customs station is established, and the taxes are collected by a thikadar or See also:

FARMER, RICHARD (1735–1787)

farmer. The Newars also carry on the trade with Tibet, through a See also:

COLONY (Lat. colonia, from colonus, a cultivator)

colony which has been for many years established at See also:

LHASA (LIIASSA, LASSA, " God's ground ")

Lhasa, but this trade has been a shrinking See also:

ITEM (a Latin adverb meaning " also," " likewise ")

item since the opening of the Lhasa-See also:

DARJEELING

Darjeeling route.

There are two principal routes to Tibet. One of these runs north-east .from Katmandu to the frontier-station of Kati or Nilam, See also:

CROSSING

crossing the Himalayan range at a height of 14,0oo ft.; the other passes out of the valley at the north-west corner, and runs at first upwards along the See also:

main See also:

BRANCH (from the Fr. branche, late Lat. branca, an animal's paw)

branch of the Gandak, crossing the Himalayas, near Kerung, at a height of 9000 ft. All goods on these routes are carried on men's backs, except the salt, &c., carried in bags by the Bhutia sheep and goats. The principal imports from Hindustan are raw cotton, cotton goods, woollen goods, silks and velvets, hardware, See also:

CUTLERY (Fr. coutellerie, from the Lat. cultellus, a little knife)

cutlery, beads, jewels, See also:

CORAL

coral, See also:

SADDLERY

saddlery, shoes, guns, See also:

GUNPOWDER

gunpowder, glassware, See also:

VERMILION

vermilion, indigo, See also:

lac, tea, betel-See also:

nut, spices, paper, sugar, tobacco, See also:

OILS (adopted from the Fr. oile, mod. huile, Lat. oleum, olive oil)

oils, See also:

SHEET

sheet copper, goats, cattle, buffaloes; and from Tibet, musk, medicines, yaks' tails, tea, woollen See also:

CLOTH

cloth, blankets, borax, salt, saltpetre, paper-plant, See also:

HONEY (Chin. me ; Sansk. madhu, mead, honey; cf. A.S. medo, medu, mead; Gr. p Xt, in which 0 or b is changed into X; Lat. mel ; Fr. miel ; A.S. hung ; Ger. Honig)

honey, See also:

wax, sheep, goats, yaks, ponies, silver, gold. The exports to Hindustan include wax, paper-plant, See also:

MUSIC

music, yaks' tails, medicines, cardamoms, borax, sulphate of copper, brass pots, iron pots, ponies, elephants, See also:

HAWKS, FRANCIS LISTER (1798-1866)

hawks, hides and horns (buffalo), rice, See also:

GHEE (Hindostani ghi)

ghee, oil seeds, red chillies, madder, See also:

COBALT (symbol Co, atomic weight 59)

cobalt, potatoes, See also:

orange's: and to Tibet, broad cloth, raw cotton, cotton goods, tobacco, sugar, opium, coral, jewels, pearls, spices, betel-nut, copper pots, iron pots and hardware. The Nepalese are utterly regardless of See also:

STATISTICS

statistics, but See also:

RECENT

recent estimates value the exports and imports to and from the British provinces at 3 million See also:

sterling annually. Duties are levied on exports and imports, which will be noticed under the See also:

head of See also:

revenue. Manufactures.—The Newars are skilful workmen. Their bricks are excellent, and so also is their pottery, for which certain towns are famous, such as Themi and Noakote. As carpenters they excel, though the use of the large saw is still unknown, and planks are cut with See also:

CHISEL (from the O. Fr. cisel, modern ciseau, Late Lat. cisellum, a cutting tool, from caedere, to cut)

chisel and See also:

mallet. Some of the wood carvings on the temples and large houses are most See also:

ARTISTIC

artistic in See also:

DESIGN (Fr. desiin, drawing; Lat. designare, to mark out)

design and bold in See also:

EXECUTION (from Lat. ex-sequor, exsecutus, follow or carry out)

execution, though unfortunately they are sometimes of a most obscene character. The manufactures are few, consisting chiefly of coarse cotton cloths, paper made of the inner bark of the paper-plants (Daphne), bells, brass and iron utensils, weapons, and ornaments of gold and silver.

Coinage.—At one See also:

time Nepal supplied Tibet with its silver coinage, but this was abandoned on See also:

account of the adulterations introduced by the Nepalese. The ancient coins, specimens of which are still to be met with, were made by hand. The See also:

MODERN

modern coinage is struck by machinery, a See also:

REGULAR

regular See also:

mint having been established by See also:

Sir See also:

JUNG, JOHANN HEINRICH (1740-1817)

Jung Bahadur at Katmandu, and since improved by his successors. Government.—The Nepalese have relations with See also:

CHINA

China, and occasionally send an See also:

EMBASSY

embassy with presents to See also:

PEKING, or PEKIN

Peking. The British too have considerable See also:

INFLUENCE (Late Lat. influentia, from influere, to flow in)

influence with the government in regard to their See also:

FOREIGN

foreign relations, and a British See also:

RESIDENT

resident is stationed at Katmandu. But in See also:

ali matters of domestic policy the Nepalese See also:

BROOK

brook no interference, and they are most jealous of anything that has a tendency to encroach on their See also:

independence. Theoretically the government of Nepal is a pure despotism, and the maharajah is See also:

PARAMOUNT (Anglo-Fr. paramont, up above, par el mont, up or on top of the mountain)

paramount. Practically, all real See also:

POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power has long been in the hands of the See also:

PRIME, PRIMER AND PRIMING

prime See also:

MINISTER (Lat. minister, servant)

minister, of Gurkhas from amongst the soldiers of that See also:

RACE

race who were thrown and much of the modern history of the country consists of out of employment, owing to the termination of the first phase of various factions for the war with Nepal. These regiments were styled the 1st, and accounts of the struggles of the power. and 3rd Gurkhas, and were soon employed on active service. The Under the prime minister there is a council, consisting of the 1st and and behaved with much gallantry at the See also:

SIEGE (0. Fr. sege, siege, mod. siege, seat, ultimately from sedere, to sit, cf. Class. Lat. obsidium, a siege)

siege and storming relations of the See also:

king, the raj guru, the generals, and 'a few other of See also:

BHARATPUR, or BHURTPORE

Bharatpur, and in the First See also:

SIKH

Sikh War, while the and and 3rd officials known as kajis and sirdars and bhardars, which is See also:

con- won a great name for See also:

LOYALTY

loyalty and courage during the See also:

Mutiny of 1857- 58, especially at the siege of See also:

DELHI, DEHLI

Delhi. This induced the British to suited on all important business, and which forms a See also:

court of raise, in 1858, two more battalions, which they numbered the 4th See also:

APPEAL

appeal for disputed cases from the courts of See also:

law. There are and 5th, and the whole Gurkha force has since proved its usefulness separate See also:

CIVIL

civil and criminal courts, but the distinction is not and loyalty on many occasions, particularly during the Afghan War always observed, as difficult cases are often transferred from of 1878 80, and on many frontier expeditions.

Battalions have also to the other. been sent on service to See also:

BURMA

Burma, See also:

EGYPT

Egypt, China and Tibet. The one Gurkhas in the British service now consist of ten regiments of Law and See also:

JUSTICE (Lat. justitia)

Justice.—The old savage legal See also:

CODE (Lat. codex)

code with its ordeals by riflemen of two battalions each, and number about 20,000 men. See also:

FIRE (in O. Eng. f j'r; the word is common to West German languages, cf. Dutch vuur, Ger. Feuer; the pre-Teutonic form is seen in Sanskrit pu, pavaka, and Gr. irup; the ultimate origin is usually taken to be a root meaning to purify, cf. Lat. purus)

fire and water, and its punishments by See also:

MUTILATION (from Lat. mutilus, maimed)

mutilation and See also:

TORTURE (from Lat. torquere, to twist)

torture was abolished by Sir Jung Bahadur after his return from See also:

England in 1851. See also:

TREASON (Fr. trahison, Lat. traditio)

Treason, See also:

REBELLION

rebellion and See also:

DESERTION

desertion in war-time are punished by See also:

DEATH

death. See also:

BRIBERY (from the O. Fr. briberie, begging or vagrancy, bribe, Mid. Lat. briba, signifying a piece of bread given to beggars; the Eng. " bribe " has passed through the meanings of alms, blackmail and extortion, to gifts received or given in order to influ

Bribery and peculation by public servants are punished by dismissal from office, and a See also:

FINE

fine and imprisonment, the latter of which can be commuted by payments at various rates, according to the nature of the offence. See also:

MURDER

Murder and the killing of cows are capital offences. See also:

MANSLAUGHTER (0. Eng., mannslaeht, from mann, man, and slaeht, act of slaying, sledn, to slay, properly to smite; cf. Ger. schlagen, Schlacht, battle)

Manslaughter and See also:

MAIMING

maiming cows are punished by imprisonment for See also:

LIFE

life, and other offences against the person or See also:

PROPERTY

property by imprisonment or fine. Brahmans and women are exempted from capital See also:

PUNISHMENT (from Lat. punire, to punish, from poena, punishment, Gr. 7rocvil)

punishment. Offences against caste are heavily punished by fine and imprisonment. In some cases indeed all the offender's property is confiscated, and he and his family may be sold as slaves. See also:

BANKRUPTCY (from Lat. bancus or Fr. banquet table or counter, and Lat. ruptus, broken)

Bankruptcy See also:

LAWS

laws have been recently introduced. The See also:

MARRIAGE

marriage laws are somewhat See also:

PECULIAR

peculiar. Among the Gurkhas the laws resemble those of other Hindus as regards the marriage of widows, See also:

POLYGAMY, (Gr. nabs, many, and yayos, marriage)

polygamy, &c., but among the Newars every girl while still an See also:

INFANT (in early forms enfaunt, enfant, through the Fr. enfant, from Lat. infans, in, not, and fans, the present participle of fari, to speak)

infant is married with much ceremony to a See also:

bel See also:

FRUIT (through the French from the Lat. fructus; frui, to enjoy)

fruit, which is then thrown into some sacred stream.

As the See also:

FATE

fate of the fruit is unknown, a Newari is supposed never to become a widow. At the See also:

AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

age of See also:

PUBERTY (Lat. pubertas, from pubes, puber, mature, adult)

puberty a See also:

HUSBAND

husband is selected, but the woman can at any moment See also:

DIVORCE

divorce herself by placing a betel-nut under her husband's See also:

PILLOW (O. Eng. pylu; Lat. pulvinus, a cushion)

pillow and taking her departure. See also:

ADULTERY (from Lat. adulterium)

Adultery is punished by the imprisonment and fine of both the adulteress and her paramour. Sati has been abolished in Nepal by law. Gaols.—There are three large prisons in the Nepal valley, one for See also:

MALES

males and two for See also:

FEMALES

females; there are also a considerable number of .gaols throughout the country. The prisoners are kept in irons, and employed in public See also:

WORKS

works of various sorts. They are allowed six pice a day for subsistence at the capital, and five pice in other places. Their relatives are allowed to minister to their creature comforts. See also:

SLAVERY

Slavery is an institution of the country, and all families of rank possess many slaves, who are employed in domestic and See also:

field See also:

WORK

work. They are generally treated well, and are carefully protected by law. The See also:

price of slaves ranges from Rs. 'no to Rs.

200. Revenue.—The revenue of Nepal is about one See also:

HUNDRED

hundred and fifty lakhs of rupees, i.e. £10,000,000. The See also:

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief See also:

SOURCES

sources of it are the land-tax, customs, mines, forests and monopolies. About 10 % of the tarai lands, and 20 % of the hill lands, are private property. Some lands were assigned by the Gurkhali rajas to Brahmans, soldiers and others, and these are untaxed. Others, which were the gifts of the old Newar See also:

KINGS, FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF

kings, pay from 4 to 8 annas per bigha. All such grants of land, however, are subject to a heavy fine on the See also:

CORONATION (Lat. corona, crown)

coronation of a new See also:

RAJA

raja. Land which does not produce rice is lightly taxed, but in the valley of Nepal, and wherever rice is grown, the government tax or See also:

RENT

rent is one See also:

HALF

half of the produce of the land. See also:

WASTE (O. Fr. wast, guast, gast, gaste; Lat. vastus, vast, desolate)

Waste lands, when brought into cultivation, are rent free for ten years, after which for five years the tax is only 4 annas per bigha, and the See also:

CULTIVATOR

cultivator receives one-tenth of the cleared land rent free for his life. A considerable revenue in the shape of See also:

ROYALTY (0. Fr. realte, reialte, royaulte, from Med. Lat. regalitas, the substantive of regalis, of or belonging to a king, rex)

royalty is obtained from mines of copper, iron, &c. The taxes on merchandise amount to from 12 to 14% on the value of the goods carried to and from British India, and from 5 to 6% is charged on goods exported to Tibet.

See also:

Army.—Much See also:

ATTENTION (from Lat. ad-tendo, await, expect; the condition of being " stretched " or " tense ")

attention is devoted by the Gurkhalis to military matters, and the bulk of that race may be said to be soldiers. The See also:

STANDING

standing army consists of about 50,000 men, in a fair state of efficiency. Besides this force there is a reserve, consisting of men who have served for a few years and taken their See also:

DISCHARGE (adapted from the O. Fr. discharge, modern decharge, from a med. Lat. discargare, to unload, dis- and earn care, to load, cf. " charge ")

discharge, but in See also:

case of See also:

NECESSITY (Lat. necessitas)

necessity can be called on again to enter the ranks. These would probably raise the strength to between 70,000 and 80,000 men. The regiments are formed on the European See also:

SYSTEM

system, and similarly drilled and officered. Each man carries in addition to a See also:

BAYONET

bayonet a kukri or native See also:

KNIFE (0. E. cuff, a word appearing in different forms in many Teutonic languages, cf. Du. knijf, Ger. Kneif, a shoe-maker's knife, Swed. knif; the ultimate origin is unknown; Skeat finds the origin in the root of " nip," formerly " knip "; Fr. canif is a

knife. There is practically no See also:

CAVALRY (Fr. cavalerie, Ger. Kavallerie or Reiterei, derived ultimately from late Lat. caballus, horse)

cavalry, as the country is not suited for horses. The See also:

ARTILLERY (the O. Fr. artiller, to equip with engines of war, probably comes from Late Lat. articulum, dim. of ars, art, cf. " engine " from ingenium, or of artus, joint)

artillery, however, is on a larger See also:

scale, and consists nearly entirely of batteries of mountain artillery. There is a large See also:

ARSENAL

arsenal well provided with supplies of gunpowder and military stores. There are workshops where See also:

CANNON (a word common to Romance languages, from the Lat. canna, a reed, tube, with the addition of the augmentative termination -on, -one)

cannon are See also:

CAST (from the verb meaning " to throw "; the word is Scand. in origin, cf. Dan. kaste, and Swed. kasta; " cast " in Middle Eng. took the place of the A.S. weor pan, cf. Ger. werf en)

cast, and rifles, and See also:

AMMUNITION

ammunition of all sorts turned out in large quantities, but of an indifferent quality. In addition to its own army, Nepal supplies to the British army in India a large force of splendid soldiers, who were raised under the following circumstances. In 1815 the British-enlisted three battalions History.—Nepal and the somewhat similar country of See also:

KASHMIR, or CASHMERE

Kashmir are peculiar among the Hindu states of India in possessing an See also:

HISTORICAL

historical literature.

The Nepalese Vamgavali professes to start from a very See also:

early See also:

period in the Satya Yuga, when the See also:

PRESENT

present valley was still a lake. The earlier portion of it is devoted to the Satya and Treta Yugas, and contains mythological tales and traditions having reference to various sacred localities in the country. During these two Yugas, and also the Dwapur Yuga, the Vamcavali deals in See also:

ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round See also:

numbers of thousands of years. In the beginning of the Kali Yuga, the See also:

GUPTA

Gupta See also:

DYNASTY (Gr. &vvaareta, sovereignty, the position of a hevnori7r, lord, ruler, from SuvaaBay to be able, Suvaµas, power)

dynasty is said to have been founded by Ne-Muni, from whom the country takes its name of Nepal. Lists are then given of the various dynasties, with the lengths of the reigns of the rajas. The dynasties mentioned are the Gupta, Ahir, Kirati, Somavanshi, Suryavanshi, Thakuri or first See also:

RAJPUT

Rajput, Vaishya Thakuri, second Rajput and Karnataki dynasties. The country was then invaded by Mukundasena, and after his See also:

EXPULSION (Lat. expulsio, from expellere)

expulsion various Vaishya Thakuri dynasties are said to have held the See also:

THRONE

throne for a period of 225 years. The See also:

CHRONOLOGY (Gr. xpovo?oyfa, computation of time, xp6vos)

chronology of the Vam4avali up to this period is very confused and inaccurate; and, though the accounts of the various invasions and See also:

INTERNAL

internal struggles, mixed up as they are with See also:

GROTESQUE

grotesque legends and tales, may be interesting and amusing, they can hardly be considered See also:

AUTHENTIC (from Gr. aOO 'rns, one who does a thing himself)

authentic. Some of the names of the rajas, and the dates of their reigns, have been determined by coins, the colophons of old MSS., and certain See also:

INSCRIPTIONS (from Lat. inscribere, to write upon)

inscriptions on the temples and ancient buildings. For instance, Anguvarma, of the Thakuri dynasty, reigned about A.D. 633, as he is mentioned by the See also:

CHINESE, JAPANESE AND

Chinese traveller Hsuan Tsang, who visited Nepal. His name too is found in an inscription still extant.

In like manner it is ascertained from MSS. that See also:

RUDRA (probably from the root rud, " to howl," hence " the howler ")

Rudra-See also:

deva-Varma was reigning in roo8; Lakshmikama-deva from 1015 to 1040; Padma-deva, of the Vaishya Thakuri dynasty, in ro65; Manadeva, of the second Rajput dynasty, in 1139; Ananta-Malla; 1286–1302; Harisinha-deva, 1324; Jayastithi-Malla, 1385-1391. Much See also:

INFORMATION (from Lat. informare, to give shape or form to, to represent, describe)

information as to the chronology of the various dynasties can be obtained from the See also:

CATALOGUE (a Fr. adaptation of the Gr. KaraXoyos, a register, from Karalyety, to enrol or pick out)

catalogue of the See also:

Cambridge MSS. compiled by See also:

CECIL

Cecil Bendall, and also from his papers on the ancient coins of the country. Inscriptions too have been edited by See also:

PROFESSOR (the Latin noun formed from the verb profiteri, to declare publicly, to acknowledge, profess)

Professor Biihler in the Indian See also:

ANTIQUARY

Antiquary, vol. ix. Detailed lists of the rajas are to be found in Kirkpatrick's Account of Nepal, in See also:

HODGSON, BRIAN HOUGHTON (1800-1894)

Hodgson's Essays, See also:

Prinsep's papers in the See also:

ASIATIC

Asiatic Society's See also:

Journal and See also:

Wright's History of Nepal. The records begin to be more accurate from the time of the invasion and See also:

CONQUEST

conquest of the country by Harisinha-deva, the raja of Simraun, 1324. This raja was driven from Simraun by Tughlak Shah of Delhi, but seems to have found little difficulty in the conquest of Nepal. There were only four rajas of this Ayodhya dynasty, and then the throne was occupied by Jayabhadra-Malla, a descendant of Abhaya-Malla, one of the Rajput dynasty, who reigned in the i3th See also:

CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century. There were eight rajas of this dynasty. The seventh, Jayastithi-Malla, who reigned for See also:

FORTY

forty-three years (1386–1429), appears to have done much in forming codes of laws, and introducing caste and its rules among the Newars. In the reign of the eighth raja, Yaksha-Malla, the See also:

KINGDOM

kingdom was divided into four separate states—namely, Banepa, Bhatgaon or Bhaktapur, Kantipur or Katmandu, and Lalitapur or Patan. There was only one raja of Banepa, who died without issue. The Malla dynasty in the other three branches continued in power up to the conquest of the country by the Gurkhas in 1768.

The Gurkhas claim descent from the Rajputs of Chitor, in See also:

RAJPUTANA

Rajputana. They were driven out of their own country by the victorious Moslems, and took refuge in the hilly districts about Kumaon, whence they gradually pushed their way east-wards to Lamjung, Gurkha, Noakote and ultimately to the valley of Nepal, which under Raja Prithwi Narayana they finally captured. In the struggle which took See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place at Bhatgaon, Jayaprakasa (the raja of Katmandu) was wounded, and shortly afterwards he died at Pashupati. Ranjit-Malla, the aged raja of Bhatgaon, was allowed to retire to See also:

BENARES

Benares, where he ended his days. Tej Narsinha, the raja of Patan, was kept in confinement till his death. During the latter years of the war Jayaprakasa applied to the British for assistance, and a small force, under See also:

CAPTAIN (derived from Lat. ca put, head, through the Low Lat. capitanus)

Captain Kinloch, was sent into the tarai in 1765, but it was repulsed by the Gurkhas. Prithwi Narayana died in 1774. He See also:

LEFT

left two sons, Pratapasinha Sah and Bahadur Sah. The former succeeded his See also:

FATHER

father, but died in 1777, leaving an infant son, Rana Bahadur Sah. On the death of Pratapa-sinha, his See also:

BROTHER

brother, who had been in See also:

EXILE (Lat. exsilium or exilium, from exsul or exul, which is derived from ex, out of, and the root sal, to go, seen in salire, to leap, consul, &c.; the connexion with solum, soil, country is now generally considered wrong)

exile, returned to Nepal and became See also:

REGENT (from Lat. regere, to rule)

regent. The See also:

MOTHER

mother of the infant king, however, was opposed to him, and he had again to flee to See also:

BETTIA

Bettia, in British territory, where he remained till the death of the rani, when he again became regent, and continued so till 1795. During this time the Gurkhas were busily annexing all the neighbouring See also:

PETTY, SIR WILLIAM (1623-1687)

petty states, so that in 1790 their territories extended from See also:

BHUTAN

Bhutan to the See also:

SUTLEJ

Sutlej river, and from Tibet to the British provinces.

At length, in 1790, they invaded Tibet, and were at first successful; but they were thus brought into contact with the Chinese, who in 1791 sent a large force to invade Nepal. In 1792 the Chinese advanced as far as Noakote, and there dictated terms to the Nepalese. In 1791 the Gurkhas had entered into a commercial treaty with the British and hence, when hard pressed, they applied for assistance against the Chinese to See also:

Lord See also:

Cornwallis. In con-sequence of this Kirkpatrick was despatched to Nepal, and reached Noakote in the See also:

SPRING (from " to spring," " to leap or jump up," " burst out," O. Eng., springau, a common Teut. word, cf. Ger. springer, possibly allied to Gr. QnrFpxecOac, to move rapidly)

spring of 1792, but not till after See also:

peace had been concluded. One result of this embassy was the ratification of another commercial treaty on the 1st of See also:

March 1792. In 1795 Rana Bahadur removed his See also:

UNCLE

uncle, Bahadur Sah, from the regency, and two years subsequently put him to death. From this time up to 1799 the king, who seems to have been insane, perpetrated the most barbarous outrages, till at length his conduct became so intolerable that he was forced to abdicate in favour of his son, See also:

GIRVAN

Girvan-yuddha Vikrama Sah, who was still an infant. Rana Bahadur once again recovered the throne in 1804, but was assassinated in 1805. In October 18or another treaty was signed by the British and Nepalese authorities, and a British resident was sent to the Nepalese court, but was withdrawn in 1803, owing to the conduct of the Nepalese. From this time the Nepalese carried on a system of encroachment and See also:

OUTRAGE (through O. Fr. ultrage, oltrage, oultrage, from Lat. ultra, beyond, exceeding, cf. Ital. oltraggio; the meaning has been influenced by connexion with " rage," anger)

outrage on the frontier, which led to a See also:

DECLARATION (from Lat. declarare, to make fully clear, clams)

declaration of war by the British in See also:

NOVEMBER (Lat. novem, nine)

November 1814. At first the British attacks were directed against the western portion of the Nepalese territory, and under Generals Marly, Wood and See also:

Gillespie several disasters were met with. General Gillespie himself was killed while leading an See also:

ASSAULT (from Lat. ad, to or on, and saltare, to leap)

assault on a small fort called Kalunga.

General See also:

OCHTERLONY, SIR DAVID

Ochterlony was more successful, and the Gurkhas were driven eastward beyond the Kali river, and began to negotiate for peace. Arms, however, were soon taken up again, and Ochterlony, who was put in command, in See also:

JANUARY

January 1816, advanced directly on the capital in the line of the route that is now in use. He soon fought hi?; way as far as Mukwanpur, and the Nepalese sued for peace. A treaty was concluded in March, by which the Nepalese relinquished much of their newly acquired territory, and agreed to allow a British residency to be established at Katmandu. In November the raja died, and was succeeded by his infant son, Surendra Bikran Sah, the reins of government being held by General Bhimsena Thapa. From this time the records for many years furnish little of See also:

INTEREST

interest except a history of struggles for office between the Thapaand Pandry factions, and futile attempts at forming combinations with other states in Hindustan against the British. In 1839 Bhimsena's enemies succeeded in See also:

DRIVING (from " to drive," i.e. generally to propel, force along or in, a word common in various forms to the Teutonic languages)

driving him from power, and he committed See also:

SUICIDE (from Lat. sui, of oneself, and cidium, from cued ere, to kill)

suicide, or was murdered, in See also:

PRISON (derived through the Fr. from the Lat. prehensio, seizure)

prison. The Kala Pandry See also:

FACTION (through the French, from Lat. factio, a company of persons combined for action, facere, to do; from the other French derivative facon comes " fashion ")

faction then came into power, and there were frequent See also:

GRAVE

grave disputes with the British. War, however, was averted by the exertions of the resident, Mr See also:

BRIAN (926-1014)

Brian Hodgson. In 1843 Matabar Singh, the See also:

NEPHEW

nephew of Bhimsena, returned from exile, soon got into favour at court, and speedily effected the destruction of his old enemies the Kala Pandrys, who were seized and executed in May 1843. At this time mention begins to be made of a nephew of Matabar Singh, Jung Bahadur, the eldest of a band of seven See also:

BROTHERS, RICHARD (1757-1824)

brothers, sons of a kaji or state See also:

OFFICIAL (Late Lat. QJicialis, for class. Lat. apparitor, from officium, office, duty)

official. He See also:

rose rapidly in the army and in favour at the court, especially with one of the ranis, who was of a most intriguing disposition.

In 1844 he was a See also:

COLONEL (derived either from Lat. column, Fr. colonne, column, or Lat. corona, a crown)

colonel, and on the 18th of May 1845 killed his uncle, and immediately, with the aid of the rani, took a prominent See also:

PART

part in the government. After a short but turbulent See also:

INTERVAL

interval of intrigue, he got rid of his enemies at one See also:

fell swoop, by what is known as the Kot See also:

MASSACRE

massacre, on the 15th of See also:

SEPTEMBER (Lat. septem, seven)

September 1846. From that time till the day of his death Jung Bahadur was in reality the ruler of Nepal. His old friend, the rani, was banished, and all posts of any consequence in the state were filled by Jung, his brothers and other relatives. In 1850, finding himself securely seated in power, Jung Bahadur paid a visit to England, which made a great impression on his acute See also:

INTELLECT (Lat. intellectus, from intelligere, to understand)

intellect, and ever after he professed and proved himself to be a stanch friend of the British. On his return in 1851 he at once devoted himself to reforming the See also:

ADMINISTRATION (Lat. administrare, to serve)

administration of the country, and, whatever may have been the means by which he gained power, it must be allowed that he exercised it so as to prove himself the greatest benefactor his country has ever possessed. In 1853 a treaty for the See also:

EXTRADITION (Lat. cx, out, and traditio, handing over)

extradition of criminals was proposed, but it was not ratified till February 1855. In 1854 the Nepalese entered into a war with Tibet, which lasted with varying success till March 1856, when peace was concluded on terms very favourable to Nepal. In June 1857 intelligence of the mutiny of the native troops in Hindustan reached Nepal, and produced much excitement. Jung Bahadur, in spite of great opposition, stood See also:

FIRM

firm as a friend of the British. On the 26th June 4000 troops were sent off to assist, and these rendered good service in the See also:

CAMPAIGN

campaign against the mutineers. Jung himself followed on the loth of See also:

DECEMBER (Lat. decent, ten)

December, with a force of 8000 men, 500 artillerymen and 24 guns, but too See also:

LATE

late to be of much use.

Many of the mutineers and rebels, including the infamous Nana See also:

SAHIB

Sahib, took refuge in the Nepalese tarai, and it was not till the end of 1859 that they were finally swept out of the country. The Nana was said to have died of fever in the tarai, and it is probable that this was the case. His wives and a few attendants resided for many years near Katmandu. In return for the aid afforded to the British, Jung Bahadur was well rewarded. He was created a G.C.B., and in 1873 a G.C.S.I., honours of which he was not a little proud. The troops employed received food and pay from the day of leaving Katmandu; handsome donations were given to those severely wounded, and to the relatives of the killed; great quantities of muskets and rifles were presented to the Nepalese government; and, to See also:

CROWN

crown all, a large portion of the tarai was restored to Nepal. This ground contains most valuable sal and sisu forests, and yields a revenue of several lakhs of rupees yearly. From the termination of the mutiny Nepalese history has been uneventful. The country has been prosperous, and the relations with the British have continued to be most friendly. Nevertheless the restrictions on See also:

commerce, and the prohibitions against Europeans entering the country, or travelling beyond certain narrow limits, are as rigidly enforced as they were a hundred years ago. Sir Jung Bahadur died suddenly in the tarai in 1877. In spite of all the exertions he had made to bring about a better state of things, three of his wives were allowed to immolate themselves on his funeral pyre.

His brother, Sir Ranadip Singh Bahadur, G.C.S.I., succeeded him as prime minister. Shortly after his See also:

ACCESSION (from Lat. accedere, to go to, to approach)

accession to power a See also:

plot was formed against him, but nearly forty of the conspirators were seized and executed, while others escaped into exile. He was, however, murdered in 1885 and was succeeded by his nephew Sir Shamsher Jung, G.C.S.I., who died in 1901 and was succeeded by his brother Deb Shamsher Jung. But in June of that year a See also:

PALACE (Lat. Palatium, the name given by Augustus to his residence on the Palatine Hill)

palace revolution placed another brother, Chandra Shamsher Jung, in power, whilst Deb Shamsher fled to India. Maharajah Chandra Shamsher has ruled Nepal with much ability. He gave effective aid to the British during the Tibet war of 1904, and the relations with the government of India became more cordial after his accession to power. In 1906 Chandra Shamsher was created a G.C.S.I., and in 1908 he visited England as a See also:

guest of the government, when he was in-vested with the G.C.B. by King See also:

EDWARD

Edward VII. He was also made a See also:

major-general in the British army, and honorary colonel of the 4th Gurkha Rifles. For authorities see Dr See also:

Daniel Wright, History of Nepal (1877); Colonel Kirkpatrick, Account of Nepal; Brian See also:

HOUGHTON, RICHARD MONCKTON MILNES, 1ST BARON (1809—1885)

Houghton Hodgson's essays; Dr H. A. See also:

OLDFIELD, ANNE (1683–173o)

Oldfield's sketches; Sir C. M.

Aitchison, See also:

TREATIES

Treaties and Engagements; Sir See also:

Joseph See also:

Hooker's writings; and Sir See also:

Richard See also:

Temple, See also:

Hyderabad and Nepal (1887). (D. Wiz.; H.

End of Article: NEPAL, NEPAUL

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