Bodhnath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal
Siddhartha Gautama, called the Buddha, was born in Nepal. Although most of the country’s population now practices Hinduism, many elements of Buddhism continue to exist in religious practice. The white-domed Bodhnath Stupa in Kathmandu, the capital, is revered by Tibetan Buddhists.
Caste System of the Newar
Black saris with red borders reveal that these women belong to the farmer caste of Nepal's Newar people. The Newar, the original settlers of the Kathmandu Valley, are well known for their exquisite artwork depicting religious themes. Among the Newar, if your father is a farmer you will be one too, and you must marry within your caste. Nepal's caste-oriented society was influenced by the Hindu caste system.
Durbar Square Temples
Durbar Square, in the Nepalese capital city of Kathmandu, has one of Nepal's richest collections of historical structures. The focus of Kathmandu's tourism industry, this part of the city boasts a royal palace, fascinating old residences, and more than 50 temples and shrines.
Elephant Safari
An elephant safari is a popular mode of travel within Royal Chitwan National Park in the Tarai region of southern Nepal. Maintaining a healthy working elephant is expensive. One animal typically requires 272 kilograms (600 pounds) of food and 190 liters (50 gallons) of water daily. Each elephant has a human support group, which includes assistants responsible for gathering its food. The elephant's rider or master, known as Pahit in Nepali, stays with the elephant during its entire working life.
Foothill Farms in Nepal
The Himalayas create a formidable barrier to development, communication, and transportation in Nepal. As a result, most Nepalese are confined to farming communities such as this one in the Himalayan foothills. Their isolation forces residents to rely on their immediate resources for sustenance; as a result, they use stones or mud bricks for constructing their homes.
Golden Gate, Bhaktapur
The Golden Gate, or Sun Dhoka, stands at the western end of Bhaktapur's Royal Palace. The building of the gate and palace began during the reign of King Bhupatindra Malla (1696-1722) and was completed during the reign of his successor, Jaya Ranjit Malla. The Malla dynasty family deity, Taleju Bhawani, displays her 4 heads and 16 arms directly above the entrance. Taleju Bhawani became the royal goddess to the Malla kings in the 14th century, and many temples have been erected in her honor.
Himalayas, Nepal
The Himalayas, which comprise the highest mountain system in the world, extend through most of Nepal and help shape its northern border. Eight of the ten highest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest (8,850 m/29,035 ft), are located either wholly or partially in the country. The resulting geographic isolation has hindered the development of Nepal’s natural resources.
Isolated Mountain People
The Manangis of northern Nepal live in almost total isolation, surrounded by towering Himalayan peaks. These staunch Buddhists, whose culture is essentially Tibetan, survive as herders, traders, and farmers. They grow potatoes, maize, wheat, millet, and other grains, depending on the elevation of their farming plots.
Kanchenjunga
The third highest mountain in the world, Kanchenjunga, measuring 8598 m (28,209 ft), soars behind this town in Nepal, near India. This peak is part of the Great Himalayas, which contain 9 of the 14 highest peaks in the world.
Lalitpur, Nepal
Lalitpur is an ancient city located in Nepal, on the Bagmati River. Pieces of wall and Hindu temples in the city date back to the 3rd century bc. The city of Lalitpur was founded in ad 650, as the capital of the first traditional king of Nepal
Nepal’s Fertile Tarai Lowlands
The Tarai is a fertile river plain extending along Nepal’s southern border with India. Farmers in the Tarai grow a variety of crops and raise livestock such as poultry, cattle, and water buffalo. In addition to farmland, the tropical Tarai also contains many jungles and swamps.
Nepalese Farmers
The men and women in Nepal prepare the soil for crops. The economy of Nepal centers on agriculture. About 20 percent of the country’s land is cultivated.
Nepalese Schoolchildren
School attendance in Nepal is required for primary-school aged children, such as these students listening to a lesson in their village classroom. Illiteracy is a major problem for the country’s adult population, with about seven out of every ten people unable to read.
Sherpa Weaving
A Sherpa woman in the mountains of Nepal weaves a woolen blanket while her children look on. Sherpas are Buddhists who migrated south in the 16th century from the region of Kham, in eastern Tibet. Sherpa is Tibetan for "eastern people.
Young Laborers in South Asia
In many countries, children endure hard physical labor and dangerous working conditions in factories and fields. Child labor is traditional in some countries in South Asia. Clockwise from left, a young girl crushes bricks with a hammer in Bangladesh; a Nepali girl harvests tea in India; and young children weave carpets in a factory in Nepal.
Asian Theater
In Nepal, Mahayana Buddhist monks wearing large, colorfully painted masks perform the country’s most prominent dance-drama, the mani-rimdu. Performances take place in temple courtyards over three-day periods in May and November, and they celebrate Buddhism’s victory over Nepal’s traditional animism. Musical instruments include brass horns that are 3 m (10 ft) long, cymbals, and a trumpet made from a human thigh bone.
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