Dark age
Nepal Bhasa began to be sidelined after the Gorkha conquest of Nepal and the ouster of the Malla dynasty by the Shah dynasty in the late 18th century. Since then, its history has been one of constant suppression and struggle against official disapproval.The Nepal Bhasa movement began during this time.
Following the advent of the Shahs, the Gorkha language became the court language, and Nepal Bhasa was replaced as the language of administration. However, Nepal Bhasa continued to remain in official use for a time as shown by the 1775 treaty with Tibet which was written in it. A few of the new rulers cultivated the language. Kings Prithvi Narayan Shah, Rana Bahadur and Rajendra Bikram Shah composed poetry and wrote plays.
Nepal Bhasa suffered heavily under the repressive policy of the Rana dynasty (1846–1951 AD) when the regime attempted to wipe it out. In 1906, legal documents written in Nepal Bhasa were declared unenforceable, and any evidence in the language was declared null and void. The rulers forbade literature in Nepal Bhasa, and writers were sent to jail. In 1944, Buddhist monks who wrote in the language were expelled from the country. It was even illegal to speak on the telephone in Nepal Bhasa.
Second dark age
Democracy lasted for a brief period, and Nepal Bhasa and other languages of Nepal entered a second dark age with the dissolution of parliament and the imposition of the Panchayat system in 1960. Under its policy of "one nation, one language", only the Nepali language was promoted, and all the other languages of Nepal were suppressed as "ethnic" or "local" languages.
In 1963, Kathmandu Municipality's decision to recognize Nepal Bhasa was revoked. In 1965, the language was also banned from being broadcast over Radio Nepal. Those who protested against the ban were put in prison, including Budddhist monk Sudarshan Mahasthavir.
The New Education System Plan brought out in 1971 eased out Nepal's other languages from the schools in a bid to diminish the country's multi-lingual traditions.Students were discouraged from choosing their mother tongue as an elective subject as it was lumped with technical subjects.
Nepal's various languages began to stagnate as the population could not use them for official, educational, employment or legal purposes.
Nepal Bhasa began to be sidelined after the Gorkha conquest of Nepal and the ouster of the Malla dynasty by the Shah dynasty in the late 18th century. Since then, its history has been one of constant suppression and struggle against official disapproval.The Nepal Bhasa movement began during this time.
Following the advent of the Shahs, the Gorkha language became the court language, and Nepal Bhasa was replaced as the language of administration. However, Nepal Bhasa continued to remain in official use for a time as shown by the 1775 treaty with Tibet which was written in it. A few of the new rulers cultivated the language. Kings Prithvi Narayan Shah, Rana Bahadur and Rajendra Bikram Shah composed poetry and wrote plays.Nepal Bhasa suffered heavily under the repressive policy of the Rana dynasty (1846–1951 AD) when the regime attempted to wipe it out. In 1906, legal documents written in Nepal Bhasa were declared unenforceable, and any evidence in the language was declared null and void. The rulers forbade literature in Nepal Bhasa, and writers were sent to jail. In 1944, Buddhist monks who wrote in the language were expelled from the country. It was even illegal to speak on the telephone in Nepal Bhasa.
Second dark age
Democracy lasted for a brief period, and Nepal Bhasa and other languages of Nepal entered a second dark age with the dissolution of parliament and the imposition of the Panchayat system in 1960. Under its policy of "one nation, one language", only the Nepali language was promoted, and all the other languages of Nepal were suppressed as "ethnic" or "local" languages.
In 1963, Kathmandu Municipality's decision to recognize Nepal Bhasa was revoked. In 1965, the language was also banned from being broadcast over Radio Nepal. Those who protested against the ban were put in prison, including Budddhist monk Sudarshan Mahasthavir.
The New Education System Plan brought out in 1971 eased out Nepal's other languages from the schools in a bid to diminish the country's multi-lingual traditions.Students were discouraged from choosing their mother tongue as an elective subject as it was lumped with technical subjects.
Nepal's various languages began to stagnate as the population could not use them for official, educational, employment or legal purposes.
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