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| Sunday, 29 January 2006 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Nepal - World's only Hindu kingdom We have learned about several Asian countries through this column. This week we will have a closer look at Nepal, another important country in the South Asian region.
Officially known as the Kingdom of Nepal, it is a landlocked country, lying between India and the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China. Nepal has the distinction of being the world's only Hindu nation, with over eighty per cent of the people following this faith. For a relatively small country, the Nepali landscape is uncommonly diverse, ranging from the humid Terai in the south to the lofty Himalayas in the north. Nepal boasts eight of the world's ten highest mountains, including Mount Everest on the border with China. Kathmandu is the capital and largest city. The exact origin of the name Nepal is uncertain, but the most popular understanding is that it is derived from Ne (holy) and pal (cave). It has a long and rich history, under a variety of rulers. In 1990, Nepal became a constitutional monarchy. This arrangement was marked by increasing instability, both in the parliament and, since 1996, throughout large parts of the country that were fought over by Maoist insurgents. The Maoists sought to overthrow the monarchy and establish their own form of republic. This led to a civil war in which more than 12,000 people have died. Nepal is roughly of rectangular shape, 850 km wide and 200 km broad, with an area of about 147,181 km. Although Nepal shares no boundary with Bangladesh, the two countries are separated by a narrow strip of land about 24 km wide, known as the Chicken's Neck. Efforts are under way to make this area a free-trade zone. Nepal is commonly divided into three physiographic areas (Physiography is the Science of the Earth's surface) the Mountain, Hill, and Terai Regions. These ecological belts run east-west and are bisected (divided into two) by Nepal's major river systems. Nepal has five climatic zones, broadly corresponding to altitude. The tropical and subtropical zones lie below 1,200 m, the temperate zone between 1,200 and 2,400 m; the cold zone between 2,400 m and 3,600 m; the sub-arctic climatic zone between 3,600 and 4,400 m, and the arctic zone above 4,400 m. Nepal experiences five seasons: summer, monsoon, autumn, winter and spring. The Himalaya blocks the cold winds from Central Asia in winter, and forms the northern limit of the monsoon wind patterns. Until 1990, Nepal was an absolute monarchy under the executive control of the king. In 1990, King Birendra agreed to large-scale political reforms by creating a parliamentary monarchy with the king as Head of State and a Prime Minister as Head of Government. Nepal is divided into 14 zones and 75 districts grouped into five development zones. Each district is headed by a chief district officer responsible for maintaining law and order and coordinating the work of field agencies of the various government ministries. Nepal has an estimated population of 27.7 million as of July 2005, with a growth rate of 2.2 per cent. Thirty nine per cent of the population is 14 years and below, 57.3 per cent are aged between 15 and 64, and 3.7 per cent above 65. The largest ethnic group is the Chhettri. Other groups are the Brahman-Hill, Magar, Tharu, Tamang, Newar, Muslim, Kami, Yadav and others. 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. Buddhists are mostly concentrated in the eastern regions and the central Terrai. Buddhism was relatively more common among the Newar and Tibeto-Nepalese groups. Among the Tibeto-Nepalese, those most influenced by Hinduism were the Magar, Sunwar, and Rai peoples. Hindu influence is less prominent among the Gurung, Limbu, Bhutia, and Thakali groups, who employ Buddhist monks for their religious ceremonies. Hinduism is the official religion of the country, making it the only officially Hindu nation. From the south to the north, similarities can be observed in the clothing, way of life, language and food. A typical Nepalese meal is dal-bhat, boiled lentils served with rice and usually vegetables. This is consumed twice daily, once in the morning and again after sunset. 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 systems. Many Nepalese folktales are enacted in dance and music. The Newar people are well-known for masked dances that tell stories of the gods and heroes. Music is percussion-based, sometimes with flutes or shawm accompanying the intense, nasal vocal lines. Musical styles are a variety of pop, religious and folk music, among other styles. The sarangi, a four-stringed, hand-carved instrument is usually played by wandering minstrels. In recent times, Nepali rock or rock music, sung to Nepali lyrics, has become popular among youth. Soccer is the most popular sport, followed by cricket and kabaddi. The Martyrs Soccer League is the national soccer championship. ***** Fact file Ruler: King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Deva (2001) Area: 54,363 sq m(140,800 sq km) Population (2005 est.): 27,676,547 (growth rate: 2.2 per cent); Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Kathmandu, 1,203,100 (metro. area), 729,000 (city proper). Other large cities: Biratnagar, 174,600; Lalitpur, 169,100 Monetary unit: Nepalese rupee. Languages: Nepali 90 per cent (official), over 40 other languages and major dialects, English (1995). Ethnicity/race: Brahmin, Chetri, Newar, Gurung, Magar, Tamang, Rai, Limbu, Sherpa, Tharu, and others (1995). Religions: Hindu 86.2 per cent, Buddhist 7.8 per cent, Islam 3.8 per cent, other 2.2 per cent (1995). Literacy rate: 45 per cent (2003 est.) |
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