Download Nepali Books PDF – Free Nepali Novels, Poetry & Classics

Muna Madan is a khanda kavya (narrative poem) written in the folk jhyaure rhythm and one of the best-selling Nepali books of all time. Madan leaves his wife Muna and his old mother in Kathmandu to trade in Lhasa. On his way home he falls gravely ill, is abandoned by his companions and is nursed back to life by a kind Bhote man, a moment that teaches that humanity is greater than caste. When he finally returns, Muna has already died of grief.

Devkota is often quoted as saying that all his works could be burned, but Muna Madan must be saved, which shows how dear this evergreen poem was to him.

Shakuntala is Devkota's first epic and the first Mahakavya written in the Nepali language, famously composed in about three months. Spread over 24 cantos, it is based on Kalidasa's Sanskrit play Abhijñānaśākuntalam and shows Devkota's mastery of Sanskrit metre and diction. Scholar and translator David Rubin counted it among Devkota's greatest achievements.

A collection of short Nepali haiku by Chitwan-based writer Ramesh Prabhat. In just a few syllables each, these poems comment on power, politics and everyday life. Shared here with the author's permission.

Written by former Prime Minister B.P. Koirala, Sumnima explores the powerful attraction between Somdatta, a Brahmin boy devoted to scripture and austerity, and Sumnima, a free-spirited Kirati girl. Somdatta's unexpressed love haunts him for life, and he comes to see how rigid religious rules and divisions of caste kept him from real happiness. The novel shows how denying natural human desires can all but ruin a life.

Teen Ghumti ("Three Turns") follows Indramaya, a Newar woman from Kathmandu, through three turning points in her life. Her love for Pitambar, a young man from a Brahmin family who joins the political struggle, shapes choices that challenge the society around her. The novel was adapted into a popular Nepali film in 2016.

Based on real-life events, Ek Chihan ("One Grave") portrays the struggles of a poor Newar family in Kathmandu. A landmark of Nepali social realism, it exposes poverty, the hardships of farmers and the narrow walls of caste and ethnicity, and its characters stand up against harmful social traditions by embracing inter-caste marriage.

Purple Haze speaks to anyone living an unhappy life just to impress others. Its message is simple: ignorance makes the mind as heavy as a rhinoceros, while knowledge makes it lighter than a balloon. No one else can change you; you have to change yourself, and if you keep letting the same people hurt you, it is time to stop repeating the same mistake.

A heart-touching romantic novel and one of the best-selling Nepali books of recent years. It tells the inter-caste love story of Atit and Saya, two university students in Kathmandu. Read our full chapter-wise summary.

Doshi Chasma is B.P. Koirala's celebrated collection of short stories. Through ordinary characters, he digs into the human mind, desire and inner conflict, which made these stories a turning point for psychological realism in Nepali literature.

A collection of B.P. Koirala's stories, including Sannani, Writer Baje, Ek Raat and the title story Shwet Bhairavi.

Shaped by B.P. Koirala's own painful years in prison, this work reflects on tyranny and human suffering through the story of Hitler and the Jews, and also offers a picture of Nepali society of that time.

The glory of the Gita is hard to put into words. It holds the essence of the Vedas in language simple enough to follow with a little practice, yet its ideas are so deep that a lifetime of study never exhausts them. Every reading reveals something new, which is why it stays fresh for every generation.

The Bhagavad Gita, often simply called the Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture in Sanskrit. It is part of the Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata and records the dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna on duty (dharma), action (karma), devotion (bhakti) and knowledge (jnana).

The Mahabharata is a timeless epic with something for readers of every age. Through the rivalry of the Pandavas and Kauravas and the great war of Kurukshetra, it explores duty, justice, family and the consequences of our choices. It also contains the Bhagavad Gita. Download this Nepali version and discover its wisdom for yourself.

Practical wisdom from the ancient teacher Chanakya on life, friendship, money and leadership. One example: make friends with people at your own level. A friend far below you may only seek favours and disappear when you need help, while a friend far above you can make you compare yourself and feel jealous.

Rabindra Bhattarai holds an MA in Finance & Investment and has taught at Shanker Dev Campus for more than 13 years. A well-known share market trainer, he travels across Nepal to run investor workshops and has written more than 10 books on the stock market.