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About Nepal |
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 About Nepal
Nepal is the most beautiful and stunning Himalayan country in the world. Though small in size, it is known in the world as a nation of color and contrasts-a hidden Shangri-La of nature, culture and adventure. In the countryside the way of life is still traditional, nature is at its best, high mountains and lush valleys are ideal places for trekking and mountaineering, flora and fauna invites a nature lover for a rendezvous with them. Nepal is rich with traditions of art and culture and Kathmandu, the capital city, is a treasured house of ancient art and culture
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Geography
Nepal is a mountainous and landlocked country lying on the southern slopes of the Himalayas between India and China. Its area is 147,181 sq.km. It is 885 km east to west and 145 to 241 km north to south. The country is divided into three geographical regions
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Himalayan Region
The altitude of this region is above 5,000m. The region encompasses eight of the 14 highest summits of the world crossing over an altitude of 8,000m including Everest, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri etc
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Hilly Region
The region lies between the Himalayan and Terai region soaring up to 4,877m
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Terai Region
It extends from the Nepal-India border in the south to the base of Siwalik Hills (Churia) in the north. Its elevation ranges from 70 to 200m with subtropical climate
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People
Nepal has a composite population stemming from various racial and ethnic communities. It has been a melting pot of diverse linguistic and ethnic groups with population 25 million living in different regions, wearing different costumes and speaking different languages and dialects the people belong to multi-ethnic groups, ranging from the Indo-Aryan to Mongoloid. The Himalayan and central hilly regions are mostly inhabited by the people of the Tibeto-Burman stock while the people inhabiting the Terai lowlands may be grouped under the Indo-Aryan category
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Religion
Hinduism and Buddhism constitute two major religions in Nepal. A remarkable feature of Nepal is the religious homogeneity that exists, particularly between the Hindu and Buddhist communities for centuries. Apart from the Hindus and Buddhists, Islam forms the third largest religious group
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Art and Culture
There is perhaps no country in the world except Nepal where traditional architecture, painting and sculpture have been well preserved for 1500 years. The exquisite medieval art and architecture of the Kathmandu valley vividly reflects the artistic ingenuity and the religious tradition of the people. To better understand the deep and complex roots of Nepalese culture, it is necessary to visit the monuments and religious shrines across the country
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History
Nepal has a long glorious history. Its civilization can be traced back to thousand of years before the birth of Christ. For centuries, the erstwhile kingdom of Nepal was divided into many principalities (Chaubise States). Kirantas ruled in the east, the Newars in the Kathmandu Valley, while Gurungs and Magars had their domain the mid-west. The Kirantas were said to have ruled their territories from 300 B.C. The scattered principalities were unified into one kingdom only after 1768 A.D. when Prithvi Narayan Shah, king of Gorkha, conquered all the tiny states.
Since the mid 19th century, the Rana started wielding absolute power for 104 years. During Rana regime, the Shah Kings were merely recognized. The first nationwide people’s movement of the early 1950s helped to restore monarchy system in Nepal by toppling Rana regime. This democratic government was short-lived and King Mahendra introduced a ‘party less’ Panchayat system in Nepal. Power remained only with the King. This Panchayat system lasted for 30 years.
In 1990 the second People’s Movement’ started and hundreds of people died and the king Birendra dissolved his cabinet, legalized political parties and invited the opposition to form an interim government. Even this Nepal’s first democratic government could not run well and after King Birendra’s family massacre, . In the mean time a new Maoist party came into existence under the leadership of Prachanda and declared people’s war in the country claiming 13,000 lives within 10 years of Maoist insurgency. They organized massive protests and in April 2006, the king was dethroned and the country was declared Federal Democratic Republic.
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Places To Visit
