Dark Period
After the Gorkha conquest of Nepal in 1768 and the advent of the Shah dynasty, the Nepali language, formerly known as Khaskura or Gorkhali, began edging out Nepal Bhasa.
Overt suppression was started by the Rana dynasty (1846–1951 AD). In 1906, official documents written in Nepal Bhasa were declared illegal. The use of the language for business and literary purposes was forbidden. Books were confiscated and writers were jailed. As a result, not only literary creations but also writing for general purposes almost ceased; and the distance between the spoken and the written language began to widen.
A small number of hymns and religious stories were produced during this period. Notable writers of the era were Swami Abhayananda (younger brother of famed prime minister Bhimsen Thapa), Hari Bhakta Mathema, Man Bahadur Joshi and Bir Bahadur Malla.
Read more about this topic: Nepal Bhasa Literature
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