Nepal
Posted February 24th, 2008 by Anonymous
Nepal (Nepali: नेपाल ) is a landlocked nation in South Asia, bordering the People's Republic of China to the North and India to the South, East and West.
In 2006, Nepal was the only known officially-declared Hindu kingdom in the world. On May 18, 2006, Nepal was declared a secular state by the Interim Parliament of Nepal. On December 28, 2007, the interim parliament passed a bill and declared Nepal to be a federal democratic republic . The current king, Gyanendra Shah, will be the last king of Nepal if the present ruling parties win the scheduled April 2008 elections.
For a relatively small country, Nepal has a diverse landscape, ranging from the humid Terai plain lands in the south to the mountainous Himalayas in the north. Eight of the world's top ten highest mountains, including Mount Everest, are in Nepal.
Nepal's flag is the only national flag that is not quadrilateral in shape.
The northern mountains are sparsely populated. Despite of migration of significant section of the population to the southern plains or terai in recent years, majority of the population still live in the central highlands. Kathmandu, with a population of around 800,000 (Metropolitan area: 1,5 million) is the largest city in the country.
Culture
Nepalese culture is diverse, reflecting people of different ethnic origins. The Newar community is particularly rich in cultural diversity, hosting most of the festivals and being well known for their music and dance.
A typical Nepalese meal is dal-bhat , a kind of lentil soup served with rice, vegetables, and pickles. The Newar community, however, has its own unique cuisine. It consists of non-vegetarian and vegetarian items as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Mustard oil and a host of spices, such as cumin, sesame seeds, turmeric, garlic, ginger, methi (fenugreek), bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, chili, mustard seeds, vinegar, etc. are used in cooking. The cuisine served in the festivals is considered to be the best diet cuisine.
Folklore is an integral part of Nepalese society. Traditional stories are rooted in the reality of day-to-day life, tales of love, affection, battles, and demons and ghosts; they reflect and explain local lifestyles, cultures and belief. Many Nepalese folktales are enacted in dance and music.
The Newari Music consists mainly of percussion instruments. Wind instruments such as flutes and other similar instruments are also used. String instruments are very rare. There are songs pertaining to particular seasons and festivals. Paahan chare music is most probably the fastest played music whereas the Dapa the slowest. The dhimay music are the loudest ones. There are certain musical instruments such as Dhimay and Bhusya which are played as instrumental only and are not accompanied with songs. In the hills, people enjoy their own kind of music, playing saarangi (string instrument), madal and flute. They also have many popular folk songs like lok geet and lok dohari .
The Newar dances can be broadly classified into masked dances and non-masked dances. The most representative of Newari dance is Lakhey dance. Almost all the settlements of Newar have Lakhey dance at least once a year. Almost all of these Lakhey dances are held in the Goonlaa month. So, they are called Goonlaa Lakhey. However, the most famous Lakhey dance is the Majipa Lakhey dance. It is performed by the Ranjitkars of Kathmandu. The dance takes place during the whole week containing the full moon of Yenlaa month. The Lakhey are considered as the saviors of children.
The Nepali year begins in mid-April and is divided into 12 months. Saturday is the official weekly holiday. Main holidays include the National Day (birthday of the king) December 28, Prithvi Jayanti, (January 11), and Martyr's Day (February 18) and a mix of Hindu and Buddhist festivals such as dashain in autumn, and tihar late autumn. During tihar, the Newar community celebrates its New Year as per local calendar Nepal Sambat.
Most houses in rural lowland of Nepal are made up of a tight bamboo framework with mud and cow-dung walls. These dwellings remain cool in summers and retain warmth in winters. Dwellings in higher latitudes are mostly stone masonry walls with slate and thatch roof and timber based.
Religion
The main religion of Nepal is Hinduism. Nepal is home to the largest Shiva temple in the world, the famous Pashupatinath Temple where Hindus from all over the world come to pilgrimage. Lord Shiva is regarded as the guardian angel of the country. Sita Devi from the Ramayana was born in the Mithila Kingdom of King Janaka Raja. Most of the festivals in Nepal are Hindu. As it is believed that Ne Muni is established Nepal, an important priest in Nepal is called by the title "Tirthaguru Nemuni". The Machendrajatra festival is dedicated to Hindu Shaiva Siddha is celebrated even by Buddhists and it is the Buddhists' main festival.
Differences between Hindus and Buddhists have been in general very subtle and academic in nature due to the intermingling of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. Both share common temples and worship common deities and many of Nepal's Hindus could also be regarded as Buddhists and vice versa. Gurkhas are from Nepal. Buddhism was relatively more common among the Newar. Among the other natives of Nepal, those most influenced by Hinduism were the Magar, Sunwar, Limbu and Rai. Hindu influence is less prominent among the Gurung, Bhutia, and Thakali groups, who employ Buddhist monks for their religious ceremonies.
See also
- List of Nepal-related topics
Notes
- ^ According to interim constitution Nepali is only official language (article 5, point 2), other languages spoken as the mother tongue in Nepal are the national languages (article 5, point 1)
- ^ Nepali Home Minister unveils special security mechanism for CA elections. Xinhua (2008-1-24). Retrieved on 2008-1-24.
- ^ http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=132620
- ^ P. 17 Looking to the Future: Indo-Nepal Relations in Perspective By Lok Raj Baral
- ^ P. 17 Looking to the Future: Indo-Nepal Relations in Perspective By Lok Raj Baral
- ^ a b A Country Study: Nepal. Federal Research Division, Library of Congress . Retrieved on September 23, 2005.
- ^ Timeline: Nepal. BBC News . Retrieved on September 29, 2005.
- ^ http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=132620 http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/nepal.monarchy.ap/
- ^
- ^ http://sundaytimes.lk/071007/International/international00009.html. Retrieved on October 7, 2007.
- ^ a b Nepal. CIA World Factbook . Retrieved on September 23, 2005.
- ^ Nepal: Economy. MSN Encarta . Retrieved on September 23, 2005.
- ^ Nepal. Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation . Retrieved on September 23, 2005.
- ^
- ^ http://www.apf.gov.np/introduction/introduction.php Official Website of Armed Police Force Nepal
- ^ Anthologia anthropologica. The native races of Asia and Europe; by James George Frazer, Sir; Robert Angus Downie
- ^ P. 28 Historical Studies and Recreations By Shoshee Chunder Dutt
- ^ Wright, P. 107, History of Nepal: With an Introductory Sketch of the Country and People of Nepal
- ^ P. 885 Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics Part 10 By James Hastings
References
- Shaha, Rishikesh (1992). Ancient and Medieval Nepal . New Delhi: Manohar Publications. ISBN 8185425698.
- Tiwari, Sudarshan Raj (2002). The Brick and the Bull: An account of Handigaun, the Ancient Capital of Nepal . Himal Books. ISBN 9993343528.
- Nepal. MSN Encarta . Retrieved on 2005-09-23.
- India Nepal Open Border. Nepal Democracy . Retrieved on 2005-09-23.
- Football at the heart of the Himalaya. FIFA . Retrieved on 2005-09-23.
- Nepal: Information Portal. Explore Nepal . Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
- The Best Memoir You Never Heard Of: "Shadow Over Shangri-La". San Francisco Chronicle.
- Nepal: A state under siege. The South Asian: Featured Articles . Retrieved on 2005-09-23.
- Nepal: Basic Fact Sheet. Nepal homepage . Re
User contributed Nepal thoughts.
manokranti movement made a naked protest in nepal against the prevailing yellow journalism
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Nepal
Nepal ( Nepali : नेपाल [neˈpaːl] ( help · info ) ) is a landlocked nation in South Asia , bordering the People's Republic of China ( Tibet ) to the north and India to ...
Nepal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Nepal national football team is the national team of Nepal and is controlled by the All Nepal Football Association . A member of the AFC . ...
Nepal national football team - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Features news, weather and links to newspapers and other news sources for the country.
Nepalnews.com News from Nepal as it Happens
Official site of Nepal Tourism Board. Offers a business and resource directory with information on nature, culture and tourism.
WelcomeNepal.com
Nepal has been a member of ADB since 1966. ... Nepal Resident Mission Srikunj, Kamaldi, Ward No. 31 Post Box 5017 Kathmandu, Nepal
If you would like additional Nepal information, see our sitemap.
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