Baburam Acharya ( Nepali: बाबुराम आचार्य) (1888–1971 AD) was a

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

ese historian and literary scholar. He is known as the historian laureate () of Nepal. The four part biography of King Prithivi Narayan Shah, founder of Modern Nepal is a key series of work he created. He is known for the study of ancient Nepalese inscriptions.

Sagarmatha

Nepal’s eminent historian late Baburam Acharya is credited with the Nepali name Sagarmatha () for

Mount Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...

that straddles Nepal-China

border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...

. Previously, Nepal had no official name of its own for the world’s tallest peak in Nepali, although names among many

Nepalese people Nepali or Nepalese () are the permanent citizens of Nepal under Nepali nationality law. The term ''Nepali'' strictly refers to ''nationality'', meaning people holding citizenship of Nepal. Conversely, people without Nepalese citizenship but wi ...

- Sherpa, Limbu, etc. existed long ago. What may not be true however is that he coined the name for the mountain. Baburam wrote an essay in the late 1930s in which he said that among the local population of the remote Everest region the mountain was popular by the name Sagarmatha (meaning the Head of the Earth touching the Heaven); some even called it Jhomolongma. In his own words: The then rulers of Nepal took exception to publication of the essay and the historian was admonished. In his book ''A Brief Account of Nepal'', Baburam wrote In his book ''China, Tibet and Nepal'' Baburam wrote: "The name Sagarmatha already existed; I only discovered it; it is not that I christened the mountain with a new name." Two decades after the publication of the essay, the Nepalese government gave official recognition to the name.

Publications

* The Bloodstained Throne: Struggles for Power in Nepal (1775–1914) * Chin, Tibet ra Nepal * Purana Kavi ra Kabita * General Bhimsen Thapa: Yinko Utthan ra Patan * Nepalko Sanskritic Parampara * Hamro Rastrabhasa Nepali * Shree Panch Pratapsingh Shah * Prachinkaalko Nepal * Nepalko Samchhipta Britanta * Shree Panch Prithvi Narayan Shah ko Samchhipta Jeewani * Baburam Acharya ra Unka Kriti

Recognition

Acharya was commemorated in a stamp issued by the Government of Nepal 12 March 1973.

Further Studies

* Sahitya ra Srasta.

References

1888 births 1971 deaths 20th-century Nepalese historians {{Nepal-academic-bio-stub Khas people Nepalese non-fiction writers Himalayan studies