TM Federal Democratic Republic of CultureGrams Kids Edition 2012 Nepal Sanghiya Loktāntrik Ganatantra Nepāl Nepal has its own calendar (Bikram Samvat), with the New Year in mid-April. The Himalayas, in northern Nepal, contain some of the world’s highest peaks; six are over 26,000 feet (8,000 m), including Sagarmatha (Mount Everest). Climbers refer to these select few as the eight-thousanders. Cows are considered sacred in Nepal; people should not point a foot at them or touch them. In Nepal, personal privacy is rare; it is considered strange to want to spend time alone. Lord Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born in the foothill town of Lumbini. Nepal’s flag is the only country flag in the world that is not quadrilateral (square or rectangle). Similar to Bigfoot, the legendary Yeti is an ape-like creature said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal. Flag The flag of Nepal is the unique shape of two overlapping right triangles. The triangles traditionally represented two rival ruling families. Later they came to represent Nepal’s desire to be independent as long as the sun and moon last. The triangles are also said to represent the Himalayas. National Image The Himalayas are considered sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus. Himalayas literally means “abode of snow.” The gods are believed to live in the highest peaks, and one should not cross through their territory without leaving an offering. Land and Climate With an area of 54,362 square miles (140,800 sq km), Nepal is about the size of Bangladesh or the state of Wisconsin. Completely landlocked, Nepal is bordered by China and Tibet in the north and India in the south. The Himalayas, in the north, are home to some of the world’s highest peaks; covered in snow year round, six of these peaks are over 26,000 feet (8,000 m), including Sagarmatha (Mount Everest), at 29,034 feet (8,850 m). The middle hills region covers half of the country and includes the capital city Kathmandu. The hills are marked by steep terraces, carved into the sides of them by the hardy people who grow food and make their homes there. To the south lies the Terai, the only flat area in Nepal. The majority of the nation’s crops are grown here, particularly rice. Humid subtropical jungles are found in the Terai, along the northern rim of the Gangetic Plain. Few other nations in the world experience such differences in climate as Nepal. In the north, cool summers and harsh winters prevail. Temperatures are similar to those in arctic regions. This climate contrasts with the subtropical climate of the south. Monsoons from the Indian Ocean bring plentiful rainfall to the sub-Himalayan regions 1 TM CultureGrams Nepal throughout the summer months. Population Nepal is home to around 30 million people. Around one million of them live in the capital of Kathmandu, while about half the population lives in the Terai. Because of the wide range in climates, many Nepalese move back and forth between regions according to the season. Life in Nepal is ruled by the caste system, which separates people into different groups according to the social class they were born into. People cannot move to a higher caste or marry outside of their own caste. Often a person’s caste determines what craft they will learn or what job they will have. The Indo-Aryan group includes the two highest Hindu castes, the Brahmins (traditional priests) and Chhetris (warriors), as well as the lowest caste, the Shudras (artisans). The Vaisyas (merchants and traders) are ranked above the Shudras. Some of the largest ethnic tribal groups include the Gurung, Magar, Rai, Limbu, Thakali, and the Sherpa, who are mainly farmers but are also known for being highly skilled guides and climbers. A large population of Indians and Tibetans also live in Nepal. Language Nepali is the official language of Nepal, though most people choose to speak their individual ethnic group’s native language. Nepali is similar to Hindi and the two languages share the same Devanagari writing system, in which each written character represents a specific sound. The use of Nepali is influenced by the caste system, so people use more formal, respectful words when speaking to someone of a higher caste and less formal phrases when talking to someone from a lower caste. Hindi is spoken widely in the Terai region, while several Tibetan dialects are common in the north. More than a dozen different languages are spoken in Nepal on a daily basis. In the cities and at many private schools and universities, English is spoken, taught, and used in business transactions. Can You Say It in Nepali? Hello Namaste (Nah-MAH-stay) Good-bye Namaste (Nah-MAH-stay) Please Kripaya (kree-PIE-ya) Thank you Dhanyabad (DHAN-nai-bat) Yes Hajur (HA-jur) No Chhaina (Chai-NA) Religion The majority of the Nepali population follows Hinduism, which encompasses a traditional set of beliefs including the law 2 TM CultureGrams Nepal of karma, which states that every person’s actions have a set of consequences. Together, those actions and consequences determine what sort of existence the person will have after this life is over. Eleven percent of the people are Buddhist. For the most part, Hindus and Buddhists share customs and worship at each other’s shrines. The three supreme gods in Hinduism are Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. Nepal is home to many important religious holy sites, where faithful followers come to visit and worship. These include the Pashupatinath temple, dedicated to the god Shiva, and the birthplace of Lord Buddha, in Lumbini. About 4 percent of the population is Muslim. Time Line 600 BC 600 BC The Kirati people settle in the Kathmandu Valley; the Buddha is born in Lumbini AD 200 AD 200 The Licchavi people come from northern Indian and conquer the Kirati, setting up their own kingdom 1200 1200 The Malla Dynasty comes to power in Bhaktapur and ushers in several centuries of growth and learning 1364 Bengali Muslims raid and take over the Kathmandu Valley 1482 Yaksha Malla dies, leaving the kingdom divided between his three sons 1700 1768 After years of fighting, Gurkha ruler Prithvi Narayan Shah conquers and unifies Kathmandu 1792 China puts an end to Nepalese expansion by defeating Nepal in Tibet 1800 1814–1816 Nepal fights a war with England, ending in the signing of the Treaty of Seaguli, which establishes Nepal’s current boundaries 1846 A line of chiefs known as Ranas seize power and rule the land for the next century, cutting it off from the outside world 1900 1923 Nepal is guaranteed freedom from outside control through a treaty with Britain 1951 The Rana rule ends 3 TM CultureGrams Nepal 1953 New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepal’s Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest 1955 Nepal joins the United Nations 1959 The first free elections are held 1960 King Mahendra seizes power, suspending parliament, the constitution, and the multi-party system 1990 Violent street protests force the king to agree to free elections and a new democratic constitution 1995 Communist radicals begin rebelling in western Nepal 2000 2001 Crown Prince Dipendra kills most of the royal family as well as himself; his uncle Gyanendra becomes king 2006 After years of fighting, Parliament votes to limit the king’s powers; the government and communist rebels sign a peace agreement allowing the rebels a role in the government 2007 Parliament approves doing away with the monarchy 4 TM CultureGrams Nepal 2008 Nepal becomes a republic; Ram Baran Yadav becomes Nepal’s first president PRESENT The Kirati Period Very little is known about Nepal before the sixth century BC, when the Kirati people migrated there and settled in what is now the Kathmandu Valley. This tribe began to exert control over the other peoples living in the area at the time and eventually created their own kingdom. The Kirati ruled the land for many years. In 563 BC, Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born in the hill town of Lumbini. He would later give up his title and power to become the founder of Buddhism. Thereafter he was known simply as the Buddha, meaning the Enlightened One, and he traveled across the land teaching people about how to live a peaceful, good life. Over time Buddhist monasteries (houses of prayer) cropped up here and there, and the Kirati culture progressed and developed through trade with India. A History of Dynasties As other tribes moved into the region, the Kirati’s dominance began to decline and a series of dynasties began, which would stretch down into the present day. One of the most important and long-lasting of these was the Malla dynasty. The Mallas ruled from the 12th to the 18th century. The Mallas were Hindus, but they carefully coexisted with the Buddhists who were already there, and this period is known as a golden age of the arts in Nepal. It was during this period that the city that would become Kathmandu was founded and the majority of Nepal’s temples and palaces were built. Yaksha Malla, the last and one of the greatest of the Malla kings, divided his kingdom between his three sons. They argued and ended up dividing the Kathmandu Valley between themselves. These three divisions became known as the Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Patan kingdoms. A United Nepal Weakened by the split, the Malla dynasty was defeated by a warlord known as Prithvi Narayan Shah. From the little kingdom of Gorkha, Shah united Nepal and became king in 1769.