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and Kathmandu—which influenced the Nep- alese culture for centuries to come. Although previous dynasties had followed the Hindu faith, the Malla were especially zealous in promoting it among the people. It was under the Malla that the caste system became widespread throughout the

Gurkhas In their war with Nepal in

the early 1800s, British soldiers often found themselves on the wrong end of a kukri —a long, curved knife carried by Gurkhas, Nepalese soldiers who came from the Gurkha district of the country. Gurkhas proved to be some of the toughest, most dedicated warriors the British had ever encountered. After the British won the war, they made sure the peace treaty with Nepal included a provision that allowed them to recruit Gur- khas into their own army. It’s a tradition that’s endured for more than 200 years. Today, the selection process to become a Gurkha is extremely difficult. One trial is the famous “doko race,” during which participants run uphill for more than three miles (five kilometers), carrying a load that weighs 55 pounds (25 kilograms). Despite the grueling admissions process, there’s still fierce competition among Nepalese men (and a few women) to gain one of just 200 spots per year, since the pay is far better than what ordi- nary citizens earn.

country. Under this system, differ- ent classes of people have varying degrees of social status. Most of Nepalwas controlled bytheMallakingdoms,butseveral other independent areas coexist- edwith themajor regions.Oneof

these, Gurkha, became especially powerful. While the kings of the three Malla regions feudedamongthemselves, therulerof Gurkha, Prithvi Narayan Shah, gradually conquered areaafter area, including theprizedKathman- du Valley in central Nepal in 1768. Nepal’s size and strength initially grew under the Shah family, but therewas pressure from foreign countries, primarily China and Britain. Nepal lost control of Tibet to China in the late 1700s, and also lost a war with the British in 1816 for control over parts of India, which at the time was a British colony. Stung by these defeats, Nepal retreated into itself, closing its borders to outsiders

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