THE
CLOSED DOORS FOR THE GOSPEL IN NEPAL
BEFORE 1950 by: -Pabitra M. Bhandari
INTRODUCTION
During 18th and 19th
century, while churches in the West were busy on debating, quarrelling and
again reviving due to the "Rationalism, revivalism and denominationalim,"[1] the
Himalayan Kingdom Nepal, the top of the world remained in darkness without the light
of the Gospel. It was the year of 1950, when the door for the gospel was opened
in Nepal .
Then, the Churches around the kingdom (i.e. various parts of India ) entered into
Nepal
with the good news.[2]
Until today, millions of people have not heard the name of Jesus across the country, but, today, the possibility
is there. Many missionaries are harvesting the crops today, but it was
impossible to find a Christian in side
the country, 50 years ago. Indians received Gospel long time ago. Churches were
flourished in the neighbor land under British colonialism. But their voice was
too low to reach at the ears of Nepalese peoples.[3] What did
close the door back then? Why any missionary did not enter the country before
1950? The paper will focus on these questions analyzing the situation of Nepalese,
Gospel in Nepal
events during those periods.
Before 1700s, Instead of a single nation, there were several minute
kingdoms in the place where present Kingdom
of Nepal is situated. Malla
ruled at the Kathmandu
Valley during the Later
Medieval ages. And those kings were religiously generous toward other
religions.[4] They
allowed preaching the gospel. Missionaries from Lasha came to Nepal in 1715
and achieved significant success on their mission. It is said that there were
even a few Catholic churches were built in Nepal valley before 1769.[5] But it
was the period when King from Gorkha a great warrior, Prithvi Narayan
Shah saw a vision to unite the minute kingdom and came to attack Kathmandu Valley .[6] All the Christians
were wiped out and the door was shut. Following
kings also followed the same footsteps of the great conqueror and the door for
the Gospel was shut for Hundreds of years.[7]
Chapter 2
THE POLITICAL DOOR
Though Nepal
was isolated in the mountains from the rest of the world but they certainly
knew the situations around their neighborhood. They knew that Portuguese,
Dutch, French and English colonizing all over the world. Nepalese saw that British India companies are in the control of their
closest neighbor India
and power remained to them. The great threat was realized by king Prithvi
Narayan Shah.[8]
Therefore the door was closed politically by King Prithvi Narayan Shah and his
successors took his footsteps. Until the Ranas were over thrown from the
power in 1950 the door remained closed for almost 180 years.
The Unification and the Exclusion Policy
Prithvi Narayan Shah, king of a small hilly country, had vision to unify
all the tiny states to form them into one Larger, viable nation.[9] Prithvi
Narayan Shah started his unification by uniting his neighbor countries such as
Banepa, Nala, Nuwakot etc.[10] Around
1770, Prithvi
Narayan Shaha
got victory over the valley where the gospel seed was newly planted.[11] He was able
to reign 7 years his unified state and died in 1775.[12] Nepali
Language became the lingua franca uniting the diverse people, and the nation
came to be the only Hindu
Kingdom in the modern
world.[13] The British
colonialism in India
gave suspicion toward the foreigners in the valley. Lindell writes, "The
Circumstances of the Fathers and of the Christians became extremely difficult
during the final months of the conquest of the valley cities."[14] The
pressure was so heavy that the Christians decided to leave the country, and
permission to leave was also granted in February 1769. 60 Christians with those
missionaries left for India .[15] It was
the year of 1789 that the activities of Christians in Nepal valley
came to an end.[16]
War with England : Pride and Fear
The unification begun by the Great King Prithvi Narayan Shah was carried on
by his followers. Nepal 's
boarder was extended until Sikkim
to the east, Sutjet to the west and Garhwal and Kumaon of Uttar Pradesh to the
south.[17] The New
kings came to be more fundamental Hindus, who established mandir, performed
dharma and gave dan to others.[18] But
when the kingdom grew, it became a threat to the British in India . As a
result they clashed together from 1814~16. Even though Nepal lost one
third of its territory, it was able to preserve its sovereignty.[19] Lindell
says, "The attitude of the Gorkhalis (Kings after Prithvi Narayan
Shah) toward foreigners evolved considerably during these years of shifting
thrones and boundaries."[20] The Kingdom of Nepal isolated herself from its neighbor
building a wall of exclusion. Same time British made a huge wall of restriction
on Nepal
by controlling her foreign relations.[21] Nepal , with a
little pride for wining British but a lot of fear, closed the door for
outsiders that stopped the Gospel flourishing outside the boarder.
Monopoly of Ranas for over a century
After the peace treaty with British, the possibility
of expanding the kingdom was ended. Then the internal struggle for peopower and
position began.[22]
From the middle of the 19th century, Ranas from the Capital controlled
the political power. After happening several massacre, Janga Bahadur
Rana declared himself the prime
minister.[23]
The century of total darkness began. King was left
without power. People remained in their primitive Economic condition of 18th
century. He established a fundamental Hindu Muluki Ain .[24] Prime
minister and his family developed a tight administrive policy. No voice for
change was tolerated. Peoples who do in and out of country were watch
carefully. Over all Strong Hinduism ruled the country, where Christianity found
no place to step in.[25]
Rana's Friendship with England was
ended. The Nationalist movement started in India spread inside the country. King took refuge in India in 1951. The Monarchy was
restored with the help of India .
Rana's century long dictatorship was ended and the right of the people was given
first time to the Nepali people.[26] The
political door that blocked Christianity was opened. Nepal 's foreign relations
increased. Even though the change was political i.e. shifting of power from one
hand to another, but it opened opportunities to experience new things, As
Lindell writes, "The floodgates were open."[27]
CHAPTER 3
SOCIO-RELIGIOUS DOOR
It was the political situation outside and inside that caused exodus of all
the Christians from Nepal
in 1769, and the internal political crisis prevented Christianity from entering
into Nepal .
But there was also another door that kept Gospel out of the nation was
Socio-Religious door. While Nepalese, who migrated outside of Nepal received Christ , the Society and religious culture inside Nepal always
rejected gospel even though occasionally they were introduced to Jesus .[28] There must be something that hindered Gospel
inside Nepal
other than politics only because Nepalese in Darjeeling who were free from the factors
were very responsive to Christianity.[29]
The Hindu Religion: the Foundation
When, Hindu look at the History that king
Prithvi Narayan Shah's exclusion policy, they see it as the preservation of the
civilization and culture of the valley.[30] BBC
writes in one instance that Nepalese are proud of their History, specially the
unification of the states by King Prithvi Narayan Shah.[31] People
worship King Prithvi Narayan Shah's palace as BBC quotes Purna Jung Shahi,
curator of Gorkha Durbar, "This is a place where we our history combines
with our faith."[32] Nepal is a
diverse, multi ethnic, multi linguistic nation and King
unites them all. Their Worship of King as Visnu, as preserver of life. Therefore
Hinduism is the very central to Nepalese.[33] Therefore,
nation itself is representing the ancient Hinduism to the world. Since Prithvi
Narayan Shah laid the foundation of the Kingdom Nepal the Hindu socio-religious
door is been closed for the Gospel.
The Caste system: the Structure
Today one can not deny that "Caste,
family and Marriage are
parts of
the Hindu social system."[34] Due to
the isolation from outsiders, each group of people preserved their own distinct
language or dialect and developed its own marriage and social rules and became
ethnocentric in almost every respect.[35] During
the isolation period (From 1769 to 1950), the cast system became a social
ladder thus the Hindu caste system tends to pervade the entire Nepali
Situation.[36]
Nepal Society is made of four different castes i.e. Brahman, Kshatriya,
Vaishya and sudra. And it was also believed that these castes
were created by great god, Prajapati.[37] Among
these castes, Brahmans are very numerous and have much influence in the
country because they are the priest of this religion based society.[38] Cindy Perry
writes one of the reasons for the exclusion policy was because of the Brahmins,
the priestly cast who rose up against the Christians.[39] The
kings and rulers after king Prithvi Narayan Shah also gave high priority to the
sayings of Brahmans and Brahmans had a lot of privileges during those days.[40] The
kings or the central rulers appoint all the Local governors and rulers, most of
the appointee were Brahmans, because in those days only sons of Brahmans had
opportunity to study in the Sanskrit school, and they were the only educated
among the society.[41] Therefore
the caste system, the social structure contributed to the exclusion policy promoting
fundamental Hinduism.[42] It gave
a one more lock to open in the nation for the gospel to reach to the people.
The Culture: The Bond
The foundation of the Hinduism and social
structure of caste system defines and maintains the main component of Nepali
Culture.[43]
Occupations of Nepalese are defined by their Caste and every aspect of Nepali
culture, art, architecture, festivals and other customs are painted by Hindu
religion.[44]
Since all the rulers and high class people are Hindu (most of them Brahmins),
they promote Hindu cultures in the society. And People are also very fond of
those religious practices they mingle with this with great enthusiasm.[45] Inter-caste
marriage is not allowed if done the consequence is disgrace and exclusion from
the society.[46]
From Birth to marriage and death all the ceremony and cultures are bound to
hindu social structures. However, The Tradition of religiousness has given
birth to two aspects i.e. loyalty towards the country and king.[47] The
reason for his given by Baidhya and Bajracharya as following:
"The country
is mother for a Nepali and one can easily sacrifice everything he owns
including his precious life. Similarly, the king is father and protector, whom
utmost loyalty must be offered. Hindu scriptures deal in length the importance
of one's country and King and this is the cause why Nepali culture preserves
this tradition."[48]
Therefore it is clearly seen that people in
this country are tightly bound with the culture and it is very hard from them
to go away with this. The bound was much more tight and rigid during those
excluded years. It was the last door that was locked again the gospel. Nowadays
people are more educated than before and people started analyzing their social
structures and society. we can know this by observing one young person's
request for change in one magazine. He writes,
"Christianity
is the best! It’s the most liberal or democratic –in political jargon... our
signs on many temples read – "Only Hindus are allowed"... We still
have the gene – "Untouchables" in the biochemistry of the Hindu
doctrine..."[49]
But this is not the voice of all the Nepali
people. Still opposition is there form society, and culture. People need Jesus but the culture and social system doesn't
allow. That's why, when Sadhu Sundar Singh dared to enter Nepal and
preach Gospel during the closed period, people rejected him.[50] Culture
and society blocked the way of the Gospel.
CHAPTER 4
CONCLUSION
Today Nepal has one of the fastest
growing population in the world. 15000 populations of Christians in 1970 jumped
up to 400,000 until ad. 2000.[51] It is
proven that Nepal
is a fertile soil for the Gospel. The seed planted into the hearts of the
people is growing everyday. But various hindrances in the past disturb planting
the gospel seed into the heart of people. Nepali people are religious, loyal
and committed. Gospel needs such soil to grow and bear fruits. Even though
various disturbances blocked Christianity to enter this Kingdom, it is sure
that God has prepared everything for today to go and sow the seeds. It is time harvest,
Nepal
needs more workers.
by: -Pabitra M. Bhandari
GLOSSARY
Brahman: the highest caste in Nepal
Dharma: Rituals and ceremony done to be religious or to earn salvation
Gorkha: A Hilly region of Nepal , where King Prithvi Narayan Shah ruled. From this place, he started his expansion to other parts of present Nepal
Gorkhalis: People from Gorkha, it Also refers to the Shah Kings
Kshatriya: the caste lower than Brahman, who are actively engaged in government etc.
Lasha: Capital of Tibet , there was trade between Lasha and Nepal in ancient days
Malla: a Group of Nepali who ruled in Kathmandu Valley during the late Medieval ages
Mandir: Temple
Prajapati: Lord of People
Prithvi Narayan Shah: Great King and most respected King who initiated the expansion of the Kingdom.
Ranas: a group of Nepali people. During the 19 century they took over the power and conducted dictatorship over Nepal
Sudra: the lowest level caste, they do the lowest level of job
Vaishya: the third level caste, usually they are soldiers
Visnu: A Hindu God, Preserver of life
SELECTED
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bhattarai,Guna Dev.
"Christian Missionaries In Nepal ," The
Rising Nepal ,
March 17, 2001 .
Bista, Dhor Bahadur .
People of Nepal .
Kathmandu , Nepal : Ratna Pustak
Bhandar , 1996.
Maharjan, Mangal Man. Comparative
study of Hinduism and Christianity in Nepal . Kathmandu , Nepal :
Ekta Books, 2002.
____________. Nepali
around the World: Emphasizing Nepali Christians of the Himalayas .
Kathmandu , Nepal : Ekta Books, 1997.
Sharma, Bal Krishna. The
Origin of Caste System in Hinduism and its Relevance in the Present Context. Kathmandu , Nepal :
Samdan Publishers, 1999.
Vaidya, T.R. and B.R. Bajracharya .
Nepal :
People and Culture. New Delhi ,
India : Anmol
Publication, 1996.
[1]Earle E. Cairns, Christianity
through the Century, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1996). 335
[2]Cindy Perry , A Biographical History
of the Church in Nepal
(Kathmandu, Nepal: Nepal Church History Project, 1989), 58.
[3]Ibid. 27
[4]Guna Dev Bhattarai , "Christian Missionaries In Nepal,"
The Rising Nepal, March
17, 2001 ; the article is available from http://www.nepalnews.com/
(search: Christians)
[7]Ibid, 40.
[9]Ibid, 35.
[10]Shew Shunker
Singh Munshi & Sri Gunanand Pandit, History
of Nepal
(Delhi: Low Price Publication, 1958), 173.
[11]Munshi & Pandit, 176.
[12]Ibid.
[15]Ibid.
[17]Cindy Perry , Nepali around the
World: Emphasizing Nepali Christian of the Himalayas
(Kathmandu, Nepal: Ekta Books, 1997), 11.
[19]Lindell, 40.
[20]Ibid, 41.
[21]Ibid.
[22]Lindell, 63.
[23]Karl Samson & Jane Aukshunas ,
"In Depth: History," Google; available from http://www.frommers.com/destinations/nepal/023
2020044.html; Internet; May
29, 2004 .
[24]"Nepal : The
Dictatorship of Jang Bahadur, Google; available from
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy: @fieldDOCID+np0025); Internet;
May 29, 2004 .
[25]Lindell, 64~5.
[26]Samson & Aukshunas;
Internet.
[27]Lindell, 132.
[31]Daniel Lak , "Nepal 's living
link with history," BBC; avilable from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/
1388481.stm; Internet; May
29, 2004 .
[32]Ibid.
[33]Ibid.
[36]Ibid, ix.
[37]Bal Krishna Sharma, the
Origin of Caste System in Hinduism and it Relevence in the Present Context (Nepal:
Samdan Publishers and ISPCK, 1999) 13.
[38]Munshi & Pandit, 29.
[40]Munshi & Pandit, 179.
[42]Bal Krishna Sharma, 197.
[43]T.R. Vaidya & B.R. Bajracharya , Nepal : People and Culture
(New Delhi: Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd., 1996), 24.
[44]Ibid.
[45]Sushil K. Naidu, 92.
[46]Bal Krishna Sharma, 185.
[47]T.R. Baidya & B.R. Bajracharya, 25.
[48]Ibid.
[49]Ritesh Shrestha "Mission
Christian," Kathmandu Post, July 30, 2001 . also
avilable from http: nepalnews.com; internet (search: Christian ).
[50]Lindell 56; Cindy Perry ,
A Biographical History of the Church in Nepal , 27.
[51]Anil Stephen ,
"the Church at the Top of the World," Christianity Today Magazine Vol.
44, No. 4, (April 3, 2000 ,)
56.