Festivals and celebrations

Several of the festivals of Nepal last from one day to several days. Dashain is the longest and the most important festival of Nepal. Generally Dashain falls in late September to mid October, right after the end of the monsoon season in Nepal. It is "a day of Victory over Demons". Tihar is another important festival of Nepal.

Other important festivals include Buddha Jayanti (the celebration of the birth of Buddha); Maha Shivaratri, a festival of Lord Shiva, and during Maha Shivaratri festivities, some people consume excessive drinks and smoke charas. Sherpas, mostly located at higher altitudes and in the Everest region, celebrate Mani Rimdu, for the good of the world. Most festivals include dancing and music and eating all kinds of local delicacies. A variety of foods is consumed during festivals and on special occasions. If one has to taste Nepali food, Newa cuisine is a must have; a festive meal, like one served during a marriage, is a real treat, and include vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian dishes.

Religion in Nepal

A Buddhist Monastery

The 2001 census identified 80.6% of the population as Hindu and Buddhism was practiced by about 11% of the population (although many people labelled Hindu or Buddhist often practice a syncretic blend of Hinduism, Buddhism and/or animist traditions). About 3.2%of the population is Muslim and 3.6% of the population follows the indigenous Kirant religion. Christianity is practiced officially by less than 0.5% of the population.

Hindu and Buddhist traditions in Nepal go back to more than two millennia. In Lumbini, Buddha was born, and Pashupatinath temple, Kathamandu, is an old and famous Shiva temple of Hindus. Nepal has several other temples and Buddhist monasteries as well as places of worship of other religious groups. Traditionally, Nepalese philosophical thoughts are ingrained with the Hindu and Buddhist philosophical ethos and traditions, which include elements of Kashmir Shaivism, Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, works of Karmacharyas of Bhaktapur, and a variety of tantric traditions. Tantric traditions are deep rooted in Nepal, including the practice of animal sacrifices. Five types of animals, always male, are considered acceptable for sacrifice: water buffalo, goats, sheep, chickens, and ducks.

With a multiplicity of groups, Nepal has several cults, and gods and goddesses, which co-exist with the major religions. In its long cultural history, Nepal has always remained a land of religious harmony.

Languages of Nepal

As per 2001 census, at least 92 different living languages are spoken in Nepal, though other studies list 123 living languages[1]. Nepal’s linguistic heritage has evolved from three major language groups, namely, Indo-Aryan, Tibeto-Burman, and indigenous. The major languages of Nepal (percent spoken as mother tongue) are Nepali (49%), Maithili (12%), Bhojpuri (8%), Tharu (6%), Tamang (5%), Newari/Nepal Bhasa (4%), Magar (3%), Awadhi (2%), Thulung (Rai) (3%), Bantawa (2%), Limbu (1%), and Bajjika (1%). The remaining languages are each spoken as mother tongue by less than one percent of the population, for example Dura. Nepali, written in Devanagari script, is the official, national language and serves as lingua franca among Nepalese of different ethno-linguistic groups. In the southern Terai Region, (5 to 10 mile wide stretch of flat plains, which is a northward continuation of Gangetic plains of India), Hindi is also spoken. Extinct languages of Nepal include Kusunda and Waling. Among notable writers of Nepalese literature is Parijat and Jhamak Ghimire‎‎.

Music of Nepal

Legends state that dances in the Indian subcontinent originated in the abode of Lord Shiva - the Himalayas and the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal - where he performed the tandava dance. This indicates that dance traditions of Nepal are of very ancient origin. With altitudes and ethnicity, the dances of Nepal slightly change in style as well as in the dance costumes. Accompanying music and musical instruments also change in tune with the themes, which revolve around topics like harvesting of crops, marriage rites, war stories, a lonely girl’s yearning for her love, and several other themes and stories from everyday life in the villages.

Tourism

Nature has given plentiful tourism resources to Nepal. The natural scenery, high mountains, incomparable cultural heritage, art, culture and numerous specialties have made Nepal a well-known destination in world tourism map with a distinct image of its own. Almost all world's climate and ecosystem is available in Nepal, moreover cultural, geographical, ethnic and bio-diversities of the country allure international visitors to Nepal time and again, which truly substantiate the spirit of Nepal tourism brand; naturally Nepal once is not enough ! "Welcome Nepal - Tourism Year 2011" is a three year program. The main objective of this program is to promote tourism sector of Nepal internationally, beside this program helps to promote the Nepalese

Wel Come To Nepal

Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and is the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India. With an area of 147,181 square kilometers and a population of approximately 30 million, Nepal is the

Tourism In Nepal

Tourism is the largest industry in Nepal, and the largest source of foreign exchange and revenue. Possessing 8 of the 10 highest mountains in the world, Nepal is a hotspot destination for mountaineers, rock climbers and people seeking adventures. The Hindu and Buddhist heritage of Nepal, and its cold weather are also strong attractions.
Contents
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    1 Overview
    2 Statistics
    3 Wilderness tourism
    4 Religious sites
    5 References
    6 External links

[edit] Overview

Nepal is the country where Mount Everest, the highest mountain peak in the world, is located. Mountaineering and other types of adventure tourism and ecotourism are important attractions for visitors. The world heritage Lumbini, birth place of Gautama Buddha, is located in southern Nepal, and there are other important religious pilgrimage sites throughout the country.

The government of Nepal has declared 2011 to be Nepal Tourism Year, and hopes to attract one million foreign tourists to the country during that year.[1] The tourist industry is seen as a way to alleviate poverty and achieve greater social equity in the country.
[edit] Statistics

In 2007, the number of international tourists visiting Nepal was 526,705, which was an increase of 37.2% compared to the previous year. In 2008, the number of tourists decreased by 5% to 500,277.

In 2008, 55.9% of the foreign visitors came from Asia (18.2% from India), while Western Europeans accounted for 27.5%, 7.6% were from North America, 3.2% from Australia and the Pacific Region, 2.6% from Eastern Europe, 1.5% from Central and South America, 0.3% from Africa and 1.4% from other countries.

Foreign tourists visiting Nepal in 2008 stayed in the country for an average of 11.78 days.[2]
[edit] Wilderness tourism

According to Nepal's Ministry of Tourism, major tourist activities include wilderness and adventure activities such as rock climbing and mountain climbing, trekking, bird watching, flights, paragliding and hot air ballooning over the mountains of Himalaya, exploring the waterways by raft, kayak or canoe, mountain biking and jungle safaris especially in the Terai region.
[edit] Religious sites

The major religion in Nepal is Buddhism, and the Lumbini, which is located in Kapilvastu, attracts many pilgrims and tourists. Other Hindu pilgrimage site include the temple complex in Swargadwari located in the Pyuthan district, lake Gosainkunda near Dhunche, the temples at Devghat, Manakamana temple in the Gorkha District, and Pathibhara near Phungling.

Buddhism is the largest minority religion. The World Heritage site Lumbini, which is traditionally considered to be the birthplace of Gautama Buddha, is an important pilgrimage site. Another prominent Buddhist site is Swayambhunath, the Monkey Temple, in Kathmandu.

Muktinath is a sacred place for Hindus as well as Buddhists. The site is located in Muktinath Valley, Mustang district.

Democracy Movments

In the late 1940s. Meanwhile, with the annexation of Tibet by the Chinese in 1950, India faced the prospect of an expansive military power operating under a radically different political philosophy on its long northern borders, र was thus keen to avoid instability नेपालमा. Forced to act, India sponsored both King Tribhuvan as Nepal's new ruler in 1951, र a new government, mostly comprising the Nepali Congress Party. After years of power wrangling between Tribhuvan's son, King Mahendra र the government, Mahendra dissolved the democratic experiment in 1960. In 1962 he declared that a "partyless" panchayat system would govern Nepal.

Popular dissatisfaction against the family rule of the Ranas had started emerging from among the few educated people, who had been taught in various Indian school र colleges, र from within the Ranas, many of whom were marginalised within the Ruling Rana hierarchy. Many of these Nepalese in exile had actively taken part in the Indian Independence struggle र wanted to liberate Nepal as well from the internal autocratic occupation. The political parties like The Prajaparishad र The Nepali Rastriya Congress were already formed in exile by the patriotic minded people who wanted to stage both the military र popular political movement नेपालमा to overthrow the autocratic Rana Regime. Among the prominent martyrs to die for the cause executed at the hands of the Ranas were Dharma Bhakta Mathema, Shukraraj Shastri, Gangalal Shrestha र Dasharath Chand. This culminated in 1950, King Tribhuvan, a direct descendant of Prithvi Narayan Shah, fled उनका "palace prison" to newly independent India, touching off an armed revolt against the Rana administration. This allowed the return of the Shah family to power and, eventually, the appointment of a non-Rana as prime minister. A period of quasiconstitutional rule followed, during which the monarch, assisted by the leaders of fledgling political parties, governed the country. During the 1950s, efforts were made to frame a constitution नेपालको लागि that would establish a representative form of government, based on a British model.

In early 1959, King Mahendra issued a new constitution, र the first democratic elections for a national assembly were held. The Nepali Congress Party, a moderate socialist group, gained a substantial victory in the election. Its leader, B.P. Koirala, formed a सरकार र served as

Royal Family

Factionalism among the royal family led to a period of instability after the war. In 1846, Queen Rajendralakshmi plotted to overthrow Jang Bahadur, a fast-rising military leader who was presenting a threat to उनको power. The plot was uncovered र the queen had several hundred princes र chieftains executed after an armed clash between military personnel र administrators loyal to the queen. This came to be known as the Kot Massacre. However, Bahadur emerged victorious र founded the Rana  lineage. The king was made a titular figure, र the post of Prime मन्त्री was made powerful र hereditary. The Rana regime, a tightly centralized autocracy, pursued a policy of isolating Nepal from external influences. This policy helped Nepal maintain its national independence during the colonial era, but it also impeded the country's economic development.

The Ranas were staunchly pro-British, र assisted the British during the Sepoy Rebellion in 1857, र later in both World Wars.

History Of Nepal

In June 2001 Crown Prince Dipendra went on a shooting-spree assassinating 11 members of the royal family including King Birendra र Queen Aishwarya before shooting himself. Due to उनका survival he temporarily became king before dying of उनका wounds resulting in Prince Gyanendra  (Birendra's brother) inheriting the throne. Meanwhile, the Maoist rebellion escalated, र in October 2002 the king temporarily deposed the सरकार र took complete control of it. A week later he reappointed another government, but the country is still very unstable because of the civil war with the Maoists, the various political factions, the king's attempts to take more control of the सरकार र worries about the competence of Gyanendra's son र heir, Prince Paras.

In the face of unstable governments र a Maoist siege on the काठमाडौं Valley in August 2004, popular support for the monarchy began to wane. On 2005-02-01, Gyanendra dismissed the entire सरकार र assumed full executive powers, declaring a "state of emergency" to quash the Maoist movement. Politicians were placed under house arrest, phone र internet lines were cut, र freedom of the press was severely curtailed. The king's new regime made little progress in उनका stated aim to suppress the insurgents.

King Gyanendra took control once again on February 1, 2005. Municipal elections in February 2006 were described by the European Union as "a backward step for democracy", as the major parties boycotted the election र some candidates were forced to run for office by the army.[३] In April 2006 strikes र street protests in काठमाडौं forced the king to reinstate the parliament. A seven-party coalition resumed control of the सरकार र stripped the king of most of उनका powers. At present, the future of monarchy remains in question, र it is unclear whether the Maoist parties, which part of the interim government, will hold true to their cease fire. As of 15 January 2007 Nepal is governed by an unicameral legislature under an interim constitution.

My Contry Nepal

Nepal officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovergin state located in South Asia It is located in the Himilyas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India. With an area of 147,181 square kilometres (56,827 sq mi) and a population of approximately 30 million, Nepal is the world's 93rd largest country by land mass and the 41st most populous country. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and the country's largest metropolis.

Nepal has a rich geography. The mountainous north has eight of the world's ten tallest mountains, including the highest point on Earth, Mount Everest, called Sagarmatha in Nepali. It contains more than 240 peaks over 20,000 ft (6,096 m) above sea level.[7] The fertile and humid south is heavily urbanized.

By some measures, Hinduism is practised by a larger majority of people in Nepal than in any other nation. Buddhism, though a minority faith in the country, is linked historically with Nepal. Many Nepali do not distinguish between Hinduism and Buddhism and follow both religious traditions. There are three different buddhist traditions: Himalayan Buddhism, Buddhism of Kathmandu Valley (mostly Mahayana and Vajrayana), and also the Theravada Buddhism.

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. However, a decade-long Civil War by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and several weeks of mass protests by all major political parties led to the 12 point agreement of November 22, 2005. The ensuing elections for the constituent assembly on May 28, 2008 overwhelmingly favored the abdication of the Nepali monarch Gyanendra Shah and the establishment of a federal multiparty representative democratic republic. The first President of Nepal, Ram Baran Yadav, was sworn in on July 23, 2008.