Karuna Ratna Tuladhar
Encyclopedia
Karuna Ratna Tuladhar (Devanagari
: करुणा रत्न तुलाधर) (23 October 1920 – 19 July 2008) was a pioneer of Nepalese public transport. He was proprietor of Nepal Transport Service
which he and his brother Lupau Ratna founded in 1959. This was Nepal's first public bus service which linked the capital Kathmandu with the railhead of Amlekhganj
190 kilometers to the south near the Indian border. The same year, Nepal Transport Service also started the first local shuttle between Kathmandu and Patan (Lalitpur
), one of the three cities in the Kathmandu Valley
.
was born at Dhalasikwa in Asan
, Kathmandu, the second son of trader Pushpa Sundar Tuladhar
and his wife Dhan Maya. Pushpa Sundar owned a business house in Lhasa
, Tibet which conducted trade between Nepal, Tibet and India, transporting merchandise over the Himalaya by mule caravan.
, followed by taking the Indian railway and a motorcar to Sikkim
. The caravan trek between Sikkim and Lhasa then took 20 days. This trade route is an offshoot of the ancient Silk Road
.
Tuladhar would subsequently make two more trips, spending a total of 17 years in the Tibetan capital. In 1948, in between his second and third tours, he married Hira Shobha Tamrakar. He served as president of the Nepalese Chamber of Commerce, Lhasa
in 1952. He returned from Tibet for the last time in 1954 and managed the business from Kathmandu and Kalimpong in West Bengal, India
, the start of the caravan route to Lhasa.
opened to jeep traffic in 1956. After the road was improved to handle larger vehicles, Nepal Transport Service went into operation hauling freight with two Tata Mercedes-Benz trucks in March 1959.
The company started passenger service in July the same year with a lone bus. Subsequently, its fleet grew to 11 Tata Mercedes-Benz, Chevrolet and Bedford buses. Its head office was situated at the family home at 122 Asan Tyouda Tol, Kathmandu.
The initial years were profitable, but the company began racking up losses due to the long periods of downtime as major repairs needed to be done in India. Nepal Transport Service folded in 1966. Tuladhar died in Kathmandu in 2008.
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: करुणा रत्न तुलाधर) (23 October 1920 – 19 July 2008) was a pioneer of Nepalese public transport. He was proprietor of Nepal Transport Service
Nepal Transport Service
Nepal Transport Service was the first Nepalese public bus line. The company was based in the capital Kathmandu and operated from 1959 to 1966...
which he and his brother Lupau Ratna founded in 1959. This was Nepal's first public bus service which linked the capital Kathmandu with the railhead of Amlekhganj
Amlekhganj
Amlekhganj is a town and Village Development Committee in Bara District in the Narayani Zone of south-eastern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 4,006 persons living in 742 individual households.-External links:*...
190 kilometers to the south near the Indian border. The same year, Nepal Transport Service also started the first local shuttle between Kathmandu and Patan (Lalitpur
Patan, Nepal
Patan , officially Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, is one of the major cities of Nepal. It is one of the sub-metropolitan cities of Nepal located in the south-western part of Kathmandu valley. Patan is also known as Manigal. It is best known for its rich cultural heritage, particularly its...
), one of the three cities in the Kathmandu Valley
Kathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Valley , located in Nepal, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of Asia, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several places of pilgrimage for the Hindus and the Buddhists. There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites within this valley.-Etymology:The city of...
.
Early life
TuladharTuladhar
Tuladhar is a caste from the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. The name Tuladhar is derived from the Sanskrit words tula and dhar , thus meaning scale-bearer or in general, merchant. Tuladhars belong to the Uray group which includes Kansakar, Tamrakar, Sthapit, Bania, Sindurakar,...
was born at Dhalasikwa in Asan
Asan
Asan is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located at , bordering the Seoul Metropolitan Area to the north. Asan has a population of approximately 250,000.Asan is known for its hot springs and is a city of spas....
, Kathmandu, the second son of trader Pushpa Sundar Tuladhar
Pushpa Sundar Tuladhar
Pushpa Sundar Tuladhar was a prominent merchant of Kathmandu and one of the chief donors to the restoration of the Swayambhu stupa in 1918. Swayambhu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the holiest Buddhist shrines in Nepal and the center of Newar Buddhism. The renovation project was headed...
and his wife Dhan Maya. Pushpa Sundar owned a business house in Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
, Tibet which conducted trade between Nepal, Tibet and India, transporting merchandise over the Himalaya by mule caravan.
Business in Lhasa
After a brief period of schooling, Karuna Ratna Tuladhar travelled to Lhasa for the first time in 1934 to join the family business. As his son Kamal Ratna Tuladhar explained, the journey at that time involved walking for two days, riding a vintage lorry and then a steam locomotive to the Indian border at RaxaulRaxaul
Raxaul or Raxaul is a sub-divisional town in the East Champaran district of the Indian state of Bihar. It is situated on the India-Nepal border with Birganj on the other side of the border.-Demographics:...
, followed by taking the Indian railway and a motorcar to Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
. The caravan trek between Sikkim and Lhasa then took 20 days. This trade route is an offshoot of the ancient Silk Road
Silk Road
The Silk Road or Silk Route refers to a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa...
.
Tuladhar would subsequently make two more trips, spending a total of 17 years in the Tibetan capital. In 1948, in between his second and third tours, he married Hira Shobha Tamrakar. He served as president of the Nepalese Chamber of Commerce, Lhasa
Nepalese Chamber of Commerce, Lhasa
The Nepalese Chamber of Commerce, Lhasa opened in 1943, the first ever organization of businesses formed by Nepalese traders based in the Tibetan capital. The Newar merchants conducted trade between Lhasa and Kolkata transporting goods over the Himalaya by mule caravan...
in 1952. He returned from Tibet for the last time in 1954 and managed the business from Kathmandu and Kalimpong in West Bengal, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the start of the caravan route to Lhasa.
Nepal Transport Service
Tuladhar decided to downsize his Tibet business and concentrate on home after Nepal's first highway Tribhuvan HighwayTribhuvan Highway
The Tribhuvan Highway connects the outskirts of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, with Birganj/ Raxaul on the Nepal-India border. NH 28 and NH 28A links Raxaul with Lucknow/ Barauni and other locations in India.-History:...
opened to jeep traffic in 1956. After the road was improved to handle larger vehicles, Nepal Transport Service went into operation hauling freight with two Tata Mercedes-Benz trucks in March 1959.
The company started passenger service in July the same year with a lone bus. Subsequently, its fleet grew to 11 Tata Mercedes-Benz, Chevrolet and Bedford buses. Its head office was situated at the family home at 122 Asan Tyouda Tol, Kathmandu.
The initial years were profitable, but the company began racking up losses due to the long periods of downtime as major repairs needed to be done in India. Nepal Transport Service folded in 1966. Tuladhar died in Kathmandu in 2008.