 | | |
| | | |
| |
| |
|
| |
| |
| Facts
About Nepal: | |
Location: | Southern Asia,landlocked
between China and India | | Area | 140,800
sq km | | Population | 25,284,463
| | Ethnic groups | Brahman,
Chetri, Newar, Gurung, Magar, Tamang, Rai, Limbu, Sherpa, Tharu, and others |
| Religions | Hinduism
86.2%, Buddhism 7.8%, Islam 3.8%, other 2.2% | | Languages |
Nepali (Official Language) and other more than 40 dialects | | |
| | |
| | |
|
| |
| | |
| |
| People
And Places: | |
| Nepal
is a land of diversity. It has a population of more than 18 million people made
of different races living in different regions, with diverse culture, languages
and dialects. The Gurungs and Magars live mainly in the west. The Rais, Limbus
and Sunuwars inhabit the slopes and valleys of the eastern mid hills. The Sherpas
live in the Himalayan region. The Newars constitute an important ethnic group
of the capital valley Kathmandu. There are Tharus, Yadavas, Satar, Rajvanshis
and Dhimals in the Terai region. The Brahmans, Chhetris and Thakuris are spread
generally over most parts of the kingdom. | |
| | |
| | |
|
| |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| Areas
Of Interest: | | |
| Kathmandu Valley: Kathmandu is the capital of
Nepal. This slowly-getting-modern city reflects the vast cultural and traditional
richness found all over the country. Kathmandu Valley consists of three main cities
- Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. All these three cities are of great historic
and cultural importance. | | |
| | | |
| Kathmandu : The country's capital and
largest city simultaneously reeks of history and the wear and tear of increasing
modernity. The tightly packed historical centre, with its squares and temples,
continues to preserve a world light years away from the shanty towns, expensive
hotels, restaurants and shops on the city's outskirts. Kathmandu's core is Durbar
Square, with the Vishnumati River to the west and Ratna Park to the east. The
Bagmati River forms the southern boundary, while Thamel, the budget travellers'
hangout, sprawls to the north. | | |
| | | |
| Patan : the second-largest city in the
valley, lies just across the Bagmati River from Kathmandu, but it's a much quieter
and less frenetic place to visit. The city is justly proud of its temples and
artisans and it is their handiwork that provides the focus of the stunning Durbar
Square - choc-a-block with the largest display of Newari architecture in Nepal.
It includes the Royal Palace, which contains a richly decorated bathtub, and the
two-tiered brick Jagannarayan Temple. Look up to the roof struts to see carvings
of figures engaged in quite athletic acts of intercourse. A few minutes' walk
north of the square is the Golden Temple, a Buddhist monastery guarded by sacred
tortoises that potter around the courtyard; and the Kumbeshawar, reputedly the
oldest (1392) temple in Patan. South of the square is an area of charming streets
lined with metalsmiths and brassware shops. | | |
| | | |
| Bhaktapur : It is in many ways the most
medieval of the three major cities in the Kathmandu Valley. Despite recent development,
the city still retains a distinctly timeless air, with much of its glorious architecture
dating from the end of the 17th century. Most sights can be easily traversed by
foot and include yet another Durbar Square, which is infinitely larger than Kathmandu's
and has its fair share of temples, statues and columns, many with grisly histories
behind them. For instance, the sculptor of the Ugrachandi & Bhairab Statues
had his hands chopped off to prevent him from duplicating his masterpieces. | | |
| | | |
| Pokhara : The city of Pokara is renowned
for its setting rather than its historical or cultural endowments. Its quiet lakeside
location and proximity to the mountains mean it is an ideal place for recovering
from (or gearing up for) a trek, taking leisurely strolls or simply putting your
nose in a good book. And wouldn't you know it, Pokhara has some of the country's
best accommodation and restaurants as well. There's a batch of Tibetan settlements,
a hilltop monastery and the pretty Devi Falls nearby. Day walks can be taken to
Sarangkot (1592m), the limestone caves at Mahendra Gufa or Rupa and Begnas Tals
lakes. | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
| Religions
and Festivals: | | |
| Nepal's festive calendar is hectic. Dasain,
celebrated nationwide in October, is the most important of all Nepalese celebrations
and features the biggest animal sacrifice of the year. Running a close second
is Tihar (November), but unlike Daisan, animals are honoured rather than slaughtered.
Other festivals celebrated nationally include the water-tinged Holi (March) and
Chaitra Daisan (April), which is yet another bad day for animals. Hindu festivals
number the Haribodhini Ekadashi (November) and Maha Shivaratri (March), both celebrated
in Pashupatinath, the Gai Jatra (August) in Kathmandu and the Krishna Jayanti
(August/September) in Patan. Buddhist celebrations are just as thick on the ground,
and include Mani Rimdu (November) in Solu Khumbu, Buddha Jayanti (May) in Kathmandu,
and Losar (Tibetan New Year) (February) in Swayambhunath, Jawlakhel and highland
communities. | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
| Culture
: | | |
| At once a time machine and a magic carpet,
Nepal sweeps you along crooked, timeworn streets flanked by irregular, multi-roofed
pagodas, stupas and stone sculptures, and into rooms cluttered with horror-eyed
masks, spinning prayer wheels, trippy thangka scrolls and Tibetan carpets. Muttered
chants, esoteric tantric hymns and Nepalese music hang in the air, whether it
be the twang of a four-stringed saringhi or the plaintive notes of a flute. Traditional
folk musicians, or gaines, gather for an evening of singing and socialising; classical
dancing and trance-like masked dances enliven the Kathmandu Valley and Bhaktapur
regions; while no wedding would be complete without the raucous damais - Nepal's
modern ensembles. Religion is the lifeblood of the Nepalese. Officially it
is a Hindu country, but in practice the religion is a syncretism of Hindu and
Buddhist beliefs with a pantheon of Tantric deities tagged on. The remainder of
the population that isn't Buddhist or Hindu are either Muslim, Christian or shamans. | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
