Editing Nepal (section)

===Literature and the performing arts===
{{main|Nepalese literature|Music of Nepal|Cinema of Nepal}}
[[File:Bhanu Bhakta Acharya (1814-1869) author.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Bhanubhakta Acharya]], Nepali writer who translated the ancient Hindu epic ''[[Ramayana]]'' in the [[Nepali language]]]]
Nepal's literature was closely intertwined with that of the rest of South Asia until its unification into a modern kingdom. Literary works, which were written in Sanskrit by [[Brahmin]] priests educated and sometimes also based in [[Varanasi]], included religious texts and other fantasies involving kings, gods and demons.<ref name=bba/> The oldest extant Nepali language text is dated to the 13th century but except for the epigraphic material, Nepali language literature older than the 17th century have not been found. [[Newar literature]] dates back almost 500 years.<ref name=Hutt1991/> 

The modern history of [[Nepali literature]] begins with Bhanubhakta Acharya (1814–1868), who for the first time composed major and influential works in Nepali, the language accessible to the masses, most prominently, the [[Bhanubhakta Ramayana]], a translation of the ancient Hindu epic.<ref name=bba>{{Cite journal|last=Maitra|first=Kiran Shankar|year=1982|title=The First Poet of Nepali Literature|journal=Indian Literature|volume=25|issue=5|pages=63–71|issn=0019-5804|jstor=23331113}}</ref> By the end of the nineteenth century, [[Motiram Bhatta]] had published print editions of the works of Acharya, and through his efforts, single-handedly popularised and propelled Nepali language literature into modernity.<ref name=Hutt1991/> By the mid-twentieth century, Nepali literature was no longer limited to the Hindu literary traditions. Influenced by western literary traditions, writers in this period started producing literary works addressing the contemporary social problems,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sharma|first=V.|year=1992|journal=Journal of South Asian Literature|volume=27|issue=2|pages=209–218|issn=0091-5637|jstor=40874126|title=B. P. Koirala: A Major Figure in Modern Nepali Literature}}</ref> while many others continued to enrich Nepali poetic traditions with authentic Nepali poetry. Newar literature also emerged as a premier literary tradition. After the advent of democracy in 1951, Nepali literature flourished. Literary works in many other languages began to be produced. Nepali literature continued to modernise, and in recent years, has been strongly influenced by the post civil-war Nepali experience as well as global literary traditions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Nepali-literature|title=Nepali literature|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|language=en|access-date=11 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.therisingnepal.org.np/index/news/34119|title=Conflict-period Nepali literature holds importance for awareness|website=The Rising Nepal|access-date=11 December 2019|archive-date=11 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211155930/http://www.therisingnepal.org.np/index/news/34119|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Riccardi|first=Theodore|year=1993|title=Review of Himalayan Voices: An Introduction to Modern Nepali Literature|journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London|volume=56|issue=1|pages=157–158|issn=0041-977X|jstor=620321|doi=10.1017/S0041977X00002007|s2cid=162890099}}</ref><ref name=Hutt1991>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y6IwDwAAQBAJ|title=Himalayan Voices: An Introduction to Modern Nepali Literature|last=Hutt|first=Michael J.|date=29 July 1991|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-07048-6|language=en}}</ref>

[[Maruni]], [[Lakhey]], [[Sakela]], [[Kauda]] and [[Tamang Selo]] are some examples of the traditional Nepali music and dance in the hilly regions of Nepal.

Nepali film industry is known as "Kollywood".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kathmandupost.com/miscellaneous/2016/05/28/changing-winds-in-kollywood|title=Changing winds in Kollywood|website=Kathmandu Post |language=en|access-date=4 December 2019}}</ref>

[[Nepal Academy]] is the foremost institution for the promotion of arts and culture in Nepal, established in 1957.<ref name=Hutt1991/>