Central Department of Nepalese History, Culture and Archaeology | Tribhuvan University

University Campus, Kirtipur, Kathmandu

ABOUT

Established in 1959 as the Department of Culture, the Department of Nepalese History, Culture, and Archaeology facilitated learning subjects like Philosophy, Religion, and Indian History. The department was again renamed Ancient History, Culture and Archaeology and provided Bachelors (B.A) and Intermediate (I.A) level programs.

The Central Department of Nepalese History, Culture and Archaeology, Tribhuvan University today offers Masters level as well as PhD level programs under the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. The academic program under the department and research projects cover the areas of Culture, Archaeology, Traditional Art, and Architecture along with specialized subjects namely, Numismatics, Museology, Iconography, Paleography, Epigraphy, and Tourism.

The students under the department will undertake many cultural projects and will be involved in archaeological excavations in different historical, cultural, and archaeological sites around the country. Students and scholars alike will have the opportunity to explore the communities of Nepal and identify how the cultural and historical factors shape their identity in the process.

The students under the department vie for positions in government institutions namely, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Department of Archaeology, National Museums. However, their scope goes beyond government offices as there is rising opportunity in the travel and tourism sector, as well as international organizations.

Salient Features

The Central Department of Nepalese History, Culture and Archaeology serves to provide the students with the optimum quality education and believes the following features are vital in the achievement of the same:

Library

The library is built to facilitate the students and researchers and contains the resources categorized as test references, dissertations, magazines, and tabloids along with books on Nepalese Culture, History Archaeology, Religion, Architecture & many more. Although students are not allowed to take the book back home, they can use the library within office hours.

Archaeological Museum

Archaeological Museum maintained at the central department preserves Terracotta objects, lithic findings, pottery samples. Various sculptured objects are finely housed and displayed in the museum. The items in the museum are collected throughout the long period of excavations and explorations carried out under the department. the museum is also accessed in order to impart many practical courses on Art, Pre-History, and Archaeology. This is believed to complement the theoretical sessions conducted at the department. The students are allowed to access the Museum for practical purposes with the permission of the department.

Archaeological excavation and exploration projects

Masters level students are to undertake archaeological excavation and exploration projects under Field Archaeology as a requirement under the curriculum. Excavations are usually undertaken in January and explorations in February however, logistics is managed by the department itself. This provides students with the opportunity to explore major archaeological sites in the country.

Internal Academic tour

Masters level students are also provided with the opportunity to be a part of the internal academic tour in Kathmandu valley. This allows them to explore the art, culture, and history of the Kathmandu valley that is known for its rich heritage and culture.

Research and publication

The central department has been publishing the academic journal titled, 'Nepalese Culture' in series of volumes. The Journal provides space for prominent researchers and academics in the field to access and publish articles on topics covering culture, art, architecture, archaeology, cultural tourism, museology, numismatics, epigraphy, history, and society.