Historical Dictionary of Nepal

by Nanda R. Shrestha, Keshav Bhattarai

Overview

Nepal is a living example of contrasts and contradictions.It is a country that was born in medieval times, grew up in the 16th century, and now finds itself engulfed in the high-tech gadgets and material marvels of the 21st century. Nepal has its share of problem which include inadequate economic development and social infrastructure, poverty and corruption, plus worsening pollution, but now it finally has relative peace and quiet after a hasty Maoist uprising. Indeed, it has passed through several democratic elections, and finally seems to be getting on the right track.

This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Nepal contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Nepal.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442277694
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	02/08/2017
Series:	Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	530
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.80(d)

About the Author

Nanda R. Shrestha is professor of resource and cultural management in the School of Business & Industry at Florida A&M University (FAMU). In addition to his personal knowledge and experience, Shrestha has conducted extensive field research in Nepal on several occasions as part of his two research grants from the National Science Foundation, as well as from the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations. He has published numerous articles in various academic journals.

Keshav Bhattarai is professor and program coordinator in the School of Environmental, Physical, and Applied Sciences at the University of Central Missouri. He has published articles in many academic journals.

Table of Contents

Editor’s Foreword
Acknowledgements
Reader’s Note
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Maps
Chronology
Introduction
The Dictonary
Appendixes
Bibliography
About the Author

Editorial Reviews

This volume is part of the publisher's ‘Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East’ series of regionally organized historical dictionaries. Updating their first edition (2003), editors Shrestha and Bhattarai include a lengthy new introductory overview as well as an updated chronology that begins with the birth of Buddha in 563 B.C., with heaviest emphasis in this second edition on the last 15 years. The dictionary includes more than 700 entries, all cross-referenced, on topics ranging from important personalities and culture, including religion, to politics, economy, and international relations. Shrestha, a Nepalese geographer experienced in resource and cultural management, capitalizes on his many years of extensive field research in Nepal. Likewise, coeditor Bhattarai, an environmental and applied scientist, relies on both historical and contemporary sources. Several maps, appendixes listing government offices and officers, a glossary, and an extensive bibliography complete the volume. With its vast amount of organized and accessible data on all aspects of Nepal, this volume provides an excellent starting point for research.

Summing Up: Recommended. All libraries. All levels.

Choice Reviews

This volume is part of the publisher's ‘Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East’ series of regionally organized historical dictionaries. Updating their first edition (2003), editors Shrestha and Bhattarai include a lengthy new introductory overview as well as an updated chronology that begins with the birth of Buddha in 563 B.C., with heaviest emphasis in this second edition on the last 15 years. The dictionary includes more than 700 entries, all cross-referenced, on topics ranging from important personalities and culture, including religion, to politics, economy, and international relations. Shrestha, a Nepalese geographer experienced in resource and cultural management, capitalizes on his many years of extensive field research in Nepal. Likewise, coeditor Bhattarai, an environmental and applied scientist, relies on both historical and contemporary sources. Several maps, appendixes listing government offices and officers, a glossary, and an extensive bibliography complete the volume. With its vast amount of organized and accessible data on all aspects of Nepal, this volume provides an excellent starting point for research. Summing Up: Recommended. All libraries. All levels.

Choice

This volume is part of the publisher's ‘Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East’ series of regionally organized historical dictionaries. Updating their first edition (2003), editors Shrestha and Bhattarai include a lengthy new introductory overview as well as an updated chronology that begins with the birth of Buddha in 563 B.C., with heaviest emphasis in this second edition on the last 15 years. The dictionary includes more than 700 entries, all cross-referenced, on topics ranging from important personalities and culture, including religion, to politics, economy, and international relations. Shrestha, a Nepalese geographer experienced in resource and cultural management, capitalizes on his many years of extensive field research in Nepal. Likewise, coeditor Bhattarai, an environmental and applied scientist, relies on both historical and contemporary sources. Several maps, appendixes listing government offices and officers, a glossary, and an extensive bibliography complete the volume. With its vast amount of organized and accessible data on all aspects of Nepal, this volume provides an excellent starting point for research.

Summing Up: Recommended. All libraries. All levels.

CHOICE

This historical dictionary is well timed and relevant to modern concerns of the region….this is a good start to understanding the history of a culture virtually unknown in the West…Students and scholars of Asia as well as general readers will benefit from this source.

American Reference Books Annual

This book is a valuable quick reference to a wide range of Nepali people, places, institutions, and social practices. Although not the first encyclopedic compilation of information on Nepal, it is the most comprehensive to date. Certainly the dictionary itself constitutes the bulk of the text, but a collection of statistical tables and a historical chronology at the beginning of the book are also quite useful. A thirty-four page introduction to Nepal additionally helps provide a context for many of the entries that follow....this is a valiant effort at providing a reference work on the whole of Nepal. Its entries on people and institutions from the 1950s to the present are especially extensive; and in the chronology and introduction, the authors have provided a useful overview of political changes since 1990. For anyone who has spent hours digging through field notes trying to find a tidbit of historical information dutifully recorded a decade or two ago on a Nanglo's napkin, this dictionary is a most welcome compilation.

Journal of Asian Studies

This historical dictionary is well timed and relevant to modern concerns of the region….this is a good start to understanding the history of a culture virtually unknown in the West…Students and scholars of Asia as well as general readers will benefit from this source.

American Reference Books Annual (ARBA)

This book is a valuable quick reference to a wide range of Nepali people, places, institutions, and social practices. Although not the first encyclopedic compilation of information on Nepal, it is the most comprehensive to date. Certainly the dictionary itself constitutes the bulk of the text, but a collection of statistical tables and a historical chronology at the beginning of the book are also quite useful. A thirty-four page introduction to Nepal additionally helps provide a context for many of the entries that follow....this is a valiant effort at providing a reference work on the whole of Nepal. Its entries on people and institutions from the 1950s to the present are especially extensive; and in the chronology and introduction, the authors have provided a useful overview of political changes since 1990. For anyone who has spent hours digging through field notes trying to find a tidbit of historical information dutifully recorded a decade or two ago on a Nanglo's napkin, this dictionary is a most welcome compilation.

Journal Of Asian Studies