India, Sept. 1 -- Nearly three centuries ago Rasuwa and the region around it -- the ground zero of the recent disaster to hit Nepal -- was the site of bloody battles between Gorkha-ruled Nepal and Tibet-China.

Nepal's political history is rich and diverse but under-studied. The Himalayan region straddles the vast plains in India on the south and Tibet in the north. It has been a frontier zone for centuries, the pathway for trade and religions.

Over the last two thousand years various dynasties have ruled the Himalayan region. From the Buddhist-leaning Shakyas, to Tibetan-Burmese Kiratas and then the Licchavis. It is strongly hypothesised that the Licchavi princess Bhrikuti Devi became the principal queen of King Songtsen Gampo, King of ...