Nepal.
Capital: Kathmandu.
Population. 30 million.
Area: 56828 square miles.
Provinces: 5.
Revenue Districts: 75.
Nepal is landlocked between India to the east, south, and west and the Tibet to the north. Its territory, which has an area of 56,828 square miles, extends 500 miles from east to west and 90 to 150 miles from north to south.
The capital is Kathmandu, long under the rule of hereditary prime ministers favouring a policy of isolation, remained closed to the outside world until a palace revolt in 1950 restored the crown's authority in 1951. It became a member of United Nations in 1955.
In 1991 the kingdom established a multi-party parliamentary system. Wedged between two giants, India and China, Nepal seeks to keep a balance between the two countries in its foreign policy.
A factor that contributes immensely to the geopolitical importance of the country is the fact that a strong Nepal can deny China access to the rich Gangetic Plain.
Nepal marks the southern boundary of China north of the Himalayas.
Nepal is one of the least developed nations of the world. In recent years many countries, including India, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Denmark, Germany, Canada, and Switzerland, have provided economic assistance to Nepal.
The extent of foreign aid to Nepal has been influenced to a considerable degree by the strategic position of the country between India and China.
Nepal is a country of highly diverse and rich geography, culture, and religions. The mountainous north has eight of the world's ten highest mountains, including the highest, Sagarmatha, known as Mount Everest. The fertile and humid south is heavily urbanized. It contains over 240 peaks more than 20,000 feet above sea level
Hinduism is practiced by a larger majority of people in Nepal. Buddhism, though a minority faith in the country, is linked historically with Nepal as the birthplace of the Buddha.
About half of the population lives below the poverty line.
A monarchy throughout most of its history, Nepal was ruled by the Shah dynasty of kings from 1768, when Prithvi Narayan Shah unified its many small kingdoms. In 2006, however, a decade-long People's Revolution by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) along with several weeks of mass protests by all major political parties of Nepal culminated in a peace accord, and the ensuing elections for the constituent assembly, voted overwhelmingly in favor of the abdication of the last Nepali monarch and the establishment of a federal democratic republic.
Nepal experiences five seasons: summer, monsoon, autumn, winter and spring.
The Himalaya blocks cold winds from Central Asia in the winter and forms the northern limit of the monsoon wind patterns. In a land once thickly forested, deforestation is a major problem in all regions, with resulting erosion and degradation of ecosystems.
Nepal is popular for mountaineering, containing some of the highest and most challenging mountains in the world, including Mount Everest. Technically, the south-east ridge on the Nepali side of the mountain is easier to climb; so, most climbers prefer to trek to Everest through Nepal.
“Nepal has been highlighted for the last several centuries in Indian Sanskrit literature like 'Skand Purana'. 'Skanda Purana' has a separate volume known as 'Nepal Mahatmya', which explains in more details about the beauty and power of Nepal.”
Nepal is also mentioned in Hindu scriptures such as the Narayana Puja and the Atharva Shastra. (800-600 BC). Around 1000 BC, small kingdoms and confederations of clans arose in the region. From one of these, the Shakya confederation arose a prince named Siddhartha Gautama (563–483 BC), who later renounced his royalty to lead an ascetic life and named Buddha. The 7th Kirata king, Jitedasti, was on the throne in the Nepal valley at the time.
By 250 BC, the region came under the influence of the Mauryan Empire of northern India, and later became a vassal state under the Gupta Empire in the fourth century AD. In the fifth century, the Licchavis governed the majority of its area. There is a good and quite detailed description of the kingdom of Nepal in the account of Chinese Buddhist pilgrim monk Xuanzang, dating from 645 AD.
The Licchavi dynasty went into decline in the late eighth century and was followed by a Newari era, from 879, although the extent of their control over the entire country is uncertain. By the late 11th century, southern Nepal came under the influence of the Chalukaya Empire of southern India.
Under the Chalukayas, Nepal's religious establishment changed as the kings patronized Hinduism instead of Buddhism.
The overwhelming majority in Nepal follow Hinduism. Shiva is regarded as the guardian deity of the country. Nepal is home to the largest Shiva temple in the world, the famous Pashupatinath Temple, where Hindus from all over the world come for pilgrimage. According to mythology, Devi Sita was born in the Mithila Kingdom of King Janaka.
The Newari Music orchestra consists mainly of percussion instruments, though 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 probably the fastest played music whereas the Dapa the slowest. There are certain musical instruments such as Dhimay and Bhusya which are played as instrumental only and are not accompanied with songs.
The dhimay music is the loudest one. In the hills, people enjoy their own kind of music, playing saarangi, madal and flute. They also have many popular folk songs known as lok geet and lok dohari.
Festivals are celebrated Hindu style like costumed Hindu-girls in a drama. The two small children represent the god Krishna and his consort Radha. Sitting behind are the god Vishnu and his consort Laxmi, and narrate spell-bound theme of love and devotion.
The Newar dances can be broadly classified into masked dances and non-masked dances. The most representative of Newari dances is Lakhey dance. Almost all the settlements of Newaris organise Lakhey dance at least once a year, mostly 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 and the celebration continues for the entire week that contains the full moon of Yenlaa month. The Lakhey are considered to be the saviors of children.
Folklore is an integral part of Nepalese society. Traditional stories are rooted in the reality of day-to-day life, tales of love, affection and battles as well as demons and ghosts and thus reflect local lifestyles, cultures and beliefs. Many Nepalese folktales are enacted through the medium of dance and music.
The Nepali year begins in mid-April and is divided into 12 months. Saturday is the official weekly holiday. Main annual holidays include the National Day, celebrated on the birthday of the king (December 28), Prithvi Jayanti (January 11), Martyr's Day (February 18), and a mix of Hindu and Buddhist festivals in autumn, in late autumn. During tihar, the Newar community also celebrates its New Year as per their local calendar.
Agriculture accounts for about 40% of Nepal, services comprise 41% and industry 22%. Agriculture employs 76% of the workforce, services 18% and manufacturing/craft-based industry 6%. Agricultural produce — mostly grown in the Terai region bordering India — includes tea, rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops, milk, and water buffalo meat. Industry mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce, including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain.
Most houses in rural lowland of Nepal are made up of a tight bamboo framework and walls of a mud and cow-dung mix. These dwellings remain cool in summer and retain warmth in winter. Houses in the hills are usually made of unbaked bricks with thatch or tile roofing. At high elevations construction changes to stone masonry and slate.
