The Democratic Republic of Nepal is located in the Himalayas of South Asia, and it is landlocked by India and the Chinese region of Tibet. The mountains of northern Nepal are home to eight of the ten tallest peaks in the world, including the highest, Mount Everest. The capital and largest city of Nepal is Kathmandu, having a population of over 29 million people. Historically a monarchy, Nepal was ruled by the Shah dynasty of kings from 1768-2008. The civil war of 1996-2006, between Maoist fighters and the existing government, ultimately led to the end of the monarchy and the establishment of a secular democratic republic. Nepal is relatively low on the U.N. human development index, with its economic growth continuing to be stunted by political uncertainty.

There is little recorded Christian activity in Nepal before the 20th century. Most of the recorded activity came from the migration of those who came back to Nepal from other parts of the world. The work of William Carey in India, and his translation of the New Testament into Nepali, also played an important role in Nepali Christianity. One man, Ganga Prasad Pradhan (1851-1932), was born in Kathmandu in a wealthy Newar family but was raised in Darjeeling, India. It is there that he became a Christian. He is known as the first ordained Nepali pastor. He labored to translate the Bible and other evangelistic material into the Nepali language in 1914. He returned with his family to Katmandu to establish a Christian presence in Nepal, but he was soon expelled by the Rana rulers. In 1951, King Tribhuvan opened Nepal’s borders and invited the world to assist in Nepal’s development. This now opened the door for the foreign missionary to enter. It is said that the first church was formed in 1952. Mission’s originations soon started hospitals, nursing colleges, clinics, and schools. Even though they were forbidden to convert people to Christianity, these institutions played a vital role in their development. After the institution of the multi-party democracy in Nepal in 1990, a new constitution brought more freedom for Christian activities. However, in recent days, we have seen this freedom restricted by the government, as they are now instituting laws that would prevent the spreading of the gospel. The need for more labourers is great, for Nepal has the fifth-highest number of unreached people groups in the world.
Sources: Wikipedia, Joshua Project, and Operation World