Arts & Culture

१९७४ एडी

One of Nepal's most successful rock bands, known for fusing rock with Nepali folk, funk, and jazz

अभि सुवेदी

Poet, playwright, and academic who taught English literature at Tribhuvan University for four decades

अमृत गुरुङ

Lead vocalist, songwriter, and founder of the folk-rock band Nepathya

अनुप बराल

Theatre and film actor-director, founder of the Pratibimb Theatre Laboratory and a National School of Drama graduate

अरनिको

Nepalese architect and artist at Kublai Khan's Yuan dynasty court; built the White Stupa in Beijing and helped originate the pagoda style

अरुण थापा

Singer-songwriter whose song Reetu Haruma Timi Hariyali Basant was voted among the BBC's top 10 most popular songs of all time

अरुणा लामा

Singer known as the "Nightingale of the Hills," one of the most celebrated voices in Nepali music

आस्था राउत

Pop singer known for Chaubandi Ma Patuki and Jhumke Bulaki; coach on The Voice of Nepal

बालकृष्ण सम

Playwright honoured as Natya Siromani and often called the "Shakespeare of Nepal"; one of the trinity of modern Nepali literature

भक्तराज आचार्य

Widely considered one of the greatest singers in Nepali music history, known as "Bhajan Shiromani"

भानुभक्त आचार्य

Widely regarded as the first great poet of the Nepali language, honoured with the title Aadikabi for his translation of the Ramayana

भीमनिधि तिवारी

Prolific post-1950s Nepali poet, novelist, and playwright who wrote over 38 works advocating social reform

भूपतीन्द्र मल्ल

The most widely known king of Bhaktapur, remembered for building the Nyatapola Temple during a golden age of art and architecture

भूपी शेरचन

One of the most beloved and widely read modern Nepali poets, known as "Sarbahara Kavi"

बुद्धिसागर

Author of Karnali Blues, described as the most widely read Nepali novel of the past two decades

चन्द्रमानसिंह मास्के

Leading figure in the development of contemporary art in Nepal, one of the first two officially recognised art teachers in the country

चित्तधर हृदय

Nepal Bhasa poet honoured as Kabi Kesari, who wrote the epic Sugata Saurabha in prison

चित्तरञ्जन नेपाली

Historian and writer known for his biography of Bhimsen Thapa, Janaral Bhimsen Thapa Ra Tatkalin Nepal

दयाहाङ् राई

One of Nepal's most acclaimed contemporary actors, known for Loot, Kabaddi, and White Sun

दीप श्रेष्ठ

Veteran singer from Nepali music's golden era, known for Jhaskiyecha Maan Mero; coach on The Voice of Nepal

दीपक बज्राचार्य

Singer, songwriter, and lead guitarist known for pop-rock hits including Man Magan and Maya Ko Dori Le

दीपक रौनियार

Director of Highway and White Sun, the first Nepali films to screen at the Berlin and Venice film festivals

धर्मरत्न यमी

Nepal Bhasa writer and anti-Rana activist who changed his surname from Tuladhar to Yami in prison to identify as Newa; father of Hisila Yami

गिरीशबल्लभ जोशी

Considered the first Nepali novelist, author of Bir Charitra

गोपाल योञ्जन

Lyricist, singer, and composer known for patriotic and wide-ranging Nepali songs

गुरुप्रसाद मैनाली

Considered one of the best short story writers in Nepali literature, best known for the anthology Naso

हरिदेवी कोइराला

Folk singer who has recorded over 800 songs across a five-decade career

जगतलाल मास्टर

Educator who ran a home school in defiance of Rana-era restrictions, teaching students who became notable writers and freedom fighters

जगतसुन्दर मल्ल

Honoured as one of the Four Pillars of Nepal Bhasa; opened a school defying Rana-era bans on modern education

झमक घिमिरे

Writer who composes with her left foot, and the first disabled woman to win the Madan Puraskar

काली प्रसाद बास्कोटा

Singer, lyricist, and composer behind Thamel Bazaar and other major Nepali film songs; Nepal Idol judge

कमल प्रकाश मल्ल

Linguist and historian, professor emeritus of Newar studies at Tribhuvan University, known for critical essays challenging Nepali nationalist orthodoxy

केसर लाल

Nepal's premier folklorist, self-taught and published over 50 books of Nepali stories, legends, and translations, mostly in English

खड्कराज पौडेल

Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation in Prime Minister Balendra Shah's cabinet; novelist and translator

खगेन्द्र लामिछाने

Theatre actor, writer, and director known for Talakjung vs Tulke and Pashupati Prasad

किरण मानन्धर

Painter and founding chancellor of the Nepal Academy of Fine Arts, discovered as a child by artist Chandra Man Singh Maskey

कृष्णचन्द्रसिंह प्रधान

Prominent Nepali literary critic and essayist, winner of the Madan Puraskar and two-time Sajha Puraskar

कृष्णलाल अधिकारी

Nepal's first "literary martyr," imprisoned and killed for publishing a book on maize cultivation deemed treasonous by the Rana regime

कृष्ण सेन

Journalist and poet who died in police custody during the Maoist insurgency, a case widely cited by press freedom organisations

लैनसिंह बाङ्देल

Regarded as the "father of modern art" in Nepal for introducing Western modernist trends through his 1962 exhibition

लक्ष्मीप्रसाद देवकोटा

National poet of Nepal, best known for the narrative poem Muna Madan

लेखनाथ पौड्याल

Regarded as the founding father of modern Nepali poetry, honoured with the title Kavi Shiromani

माधवप्रसाद घिमिरे

Poet honoured with the title Rashtrakavi (National Poet), the second person to hold the title after Laxmi Prasad Devkota

मञ्जुल

Singer, writer, and poet known for socially conscious songs and poetry, and for co-founding influential 1960s musical groups

मेलावा देवी

The first female singer from Nepal to be professionally recorded

मेलिना राई

Pop singer and coach on The Voice of Nepal and The Voice Kids Nepal

मिन बहादुर भम

Director of Kalo Pothi (The Black Hen) and Shambhala, the first Nepali films at the Venice Film Festival and Berlinale Competition

मोतीराम भट्ट

Considered the first biographer and literary critic of Nepali literature; established Bhanubhakta Acharya as the language's first poet

निमा रुम्बा

Pop singer known for Priti Basyo and Huri Bataas

पारिजात

Novelist and poet, first woman to win the Madan Puraskar, for her novel Shirishko Phool

प्रताप मल्ल

One of the most celebrated kings of Kathmandu, a poet-king who expanded Hanuman Dhoka palace and secured a monopoly on trade with Tibet

प्रेमबहादुर कंसाकार

Fighter for democracy and Nepal Bhasa linguistic rights; founded Asa Archives, the only public archive in Nepal

रचना रिमाल

Singer credited with recording over a thousand Nepali songs in under two years

राजमानसिंह चित्रकार

First Nepali artist to apply Western lighting and perspective, pioneering three-dimensional effects in Nepali painting

राजेश पायल राई

Playback singer who has recorded songs for more than 250 Nepali films

रोबिन तामाङ

Rock singer and frontman of Robin and The New Revolution, a defining figure of Nepal's rock scene

सबिन राई

Rock singer-songwriter and frontman of Sabin Rai and The Pharaoh

सरुभक्त

Playwright, novelist, and poet known for the classic novel Pagal Basti

सत्यमोहन जोशी

Cultural historian and folklorist honoured as "Shatabdi Purush" (Man of the Century), first director of Nepal's Department of Archaeology

सेतुराम श्रेष्ठ

First Nepali artist to record a song on gramophone disc, in 1908

शङ्कर लामिछाने

Considered one of Nepal's foremost essayists, known for his Madan Puraskar-winning collection Abstract Chintan Pyaj

सिद्धिनरसिंह मल्ल

King of Patan who built the Krishna Mandir, a rare all-stone temple, transforming Patan into a centre of religious art and architecture

सिद्धिचरण श्रेष्ठ

Revolutionary poet imprisoned for 18 years by the Rana regime for writings that inspired freedom fighters

सुबिन भट्टराई

Novelist known for the bestselling novels Summer Love and Saaya

सुगम पोखरेल

One of the most prominent figures in Nepali pop music, known for the top-selling album Mero Sansaar

सुमन पोखरेल

Multilingual poet, lyricist, playwright, and translator; the only writer to win the SAARC Literary Award twice

सुनिता दुलाल

Prominent folk singer, actress, and television presenter

सूर्यविक्रम ज्ञवाली

Historian known for his biographies of Prithvi Narayan Shah and poet Bhanubhakta Acharya

सुसान्त के.सी

Pop singer-songwriter known for Saathi and Bardali; first Nepali artist to headline a concert at Times Square's Palladium Hall

तोया गुरुङ

First female executive member of the Royal Nepal Academy; poet who headed its poetry department for a decade

उषा शेरचन

Poet, lyricist, and novelist known for writing on women's issues and among the few Nepali writers addressing LGBTQ themes

उत्तम नेपाली

Pioneer of abstract art in Nepal and a key figure in establishing formal art education in the country

भिटेन

One of the most prominent artists in the Nephop (Nepali hip-hop) scene, known for Churot and Hami Yestai Ta Ho Ni Bro

यमबुद्ध

Pioneering Nepali hip-hop artist, widely regarded as one of the most influential rappers in Nepalese hip-hop

योगनरेन्द्र मल्ल

King of Patan remembered for the gilded cobra-crowned statue of himself at Patan Durbar Square, a beloved local legend