| Geographically: Nepal is Between of China and India occupying an area of 147,181 sq.km, its lenght from North-west to South-East is about 800 km and its width varies from 90km to 230km.Thorugh Nepal is small in size, we find different geographical positions and variations in the altitudes of different places. Its elevation ranges from 60mt.above sea level to 8848 mt. Nepal is geographically divided into three major regions: Himalayan Region: This region possesses one third of the entire Himalayan ranges including the eight highest peaks over 8,000 m(26,326ft.): Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Manaslu and Everest (mother of the Earth). In height making Nepal proud of its natural beauty and heritage. Mountion Region: This region covers 64% of Nepals total surface area. The Mahabharat range with an altitude of 4877mt. and chure hills ranging from 135mt. to 900mt. Terai Region This region covers 17% of Nepals total surface area. A major protion of this region is used in farming. This is where most Nepal's forests and Wildlife are found, Royal Bengal tigers, one-horned rhinos, crocodiles, snakes, fresh-water dolphins, more then 400 species of birds etc are all part of the wildlife found this region. Religion Nepali religion based on two "great and high" traditions____buddshim and hinduism____each undergired bye experssions of local "little" traditions of animism and shamanism. (Of course, practitioners of the latter do not necessarily see their religion in this way, the dichomoty is only for purposes of analaysis.) Since only a very small percentage of Nepalis are Muslim, or Musalman, they will not be considered here. Hinduism is not a religion, but a way of life, " This seems evident for observing the devout in Nepal. Hinduism is rooted in the texts of the acient Vedas dating to 2000 B.C. As it evolved, three main deities became focal: Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. In their varied manifestations, they pervade daily ritual and symbolize the cycle of life. There are no basic dogmas, no qualities that define a Hindu, expect perhaps whether that person employs a Brahman as a priest. It is left to each individual to decide the form of his or her worship. The caste system is a fundamental aspect of Hinduism. An individual who aspires to rebirth in a higher caste must live a proper life in his present caste. This precept has exerted a significant stabilizing effect on India and Nepali societies. Caste etiquette was codified as law in Nepal in the Muluki Ain of 1854. Although this law has now been repealed, it still governs behavior. Buddhism,On the other hand, is more a philosophy than a religion, is more a philosophy than a religion. Founded by the disciples of Siddhartha Gautam, born at Lumbini in Nepal's Tarai around 623 B.C.,Buddhism is based on the four noble truths: Existence is suffreing, craving and attchment cause suffring, the attainment of nirvana is an end to this suffering, and there is a path to nirvana, the eightflod way. These are right views, right reslove, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfullness, and right concentration. Buddhism depends on the institution of a monastrey and monks. The Buddhist community supports a monastery and derives strength from it. Meditation and observance of moral precepts are the foundations of Buddhist practice. To trekkers, the recitation of the esoteric mantra Om Mani Padme Hum, and the spinning of prayer wheels, is examples of meditative practice observed by the common folk. In Nepal, Hinduism is reflected both in the system of caste, which defines social status and in a subsistance economy based on rice agriculture and highly ritualized cattle culture (Cow Worship). Buddhism, Principally the Mahayana ("Great Vehicle") Tibeten form, with strong tantric expression, is found among the Bho Tiya people of the northern border area. Buddhist Newar of Kathmandu Valley practices Vajnarayan Buddhism. Buddshim and Hinduism tend to blend in many settings, such as the Kathmandu Valley, where indigenous Newar practice both religions, side and intermixed. The various local expressions of these two religions, and of animism and shamanism, are so conceptually interwoven that it would take much more than this short account to untangle and explain them accurately and clearly. "Animism and shamanism are concerned respectively with spritis that exist in nature and with the human condition, body and soul, alive or departed. Animistic beliefs and shamanic ritual permeate both of the "high" cultures of Buddhism and Hinduism. At virtually every wayside shrine, in almost every religions rite, in ceremonies performed by lay people as well as by Hindu temple priests (Pujaari), Buddist priests(Lama), or village shaman (jhaakri), you will see some from of worship (puja) focusing on both the animate and inanimate objects of nature. Funerals, rites of passage, and curing ceremony, your presence may be offensive (your proximity to food preparation or to hallowed ground, for example, may be deemed ritually polluting). As you observe ritaul events, be aware of the sensitivities of the officates and praticipants. In addtion, open your senses to the fullness of their expression, especially to the sometimes-awesome respect shown for nature to the moon, earth, fire, water, and air: to cow dung and smoky incense; to cow's urine and curds; to the blood sacrfice of chickens, pigeons, goats, and buffalo. There in you will begin to glimpse a very close association between villager and nature, a necessary relationship that many people, caught up in the frenetic pace of the modern world elsewhere, seem to have forgotten or have uncaringly abandoned. In addition, Please you should Sign-In for village tours and visit the multi-ethnic groups to get first hand experience of their customs and lifestyle. As eating is a specail offer in Nepal there is food for each and every occasion and festival, Kathmandu offers an incredible selection of dining opportunities. Many restaurants serve only authentic Nepali food complete with ethnic ambience. I would like to give many-many thanks for read my Personal Home Page (PHP) and I hope that all friends will give me the good suggestion for to do better. I wish all of you to come to Nepal in 2005. |