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Nepal has a composite population stemming from various racial and ethnic communities. It has been a melting pot of diverse linguistic and ethnic groups with population of 25 million living in different regions, wearing different costumes and speaking different languages and dialects. The people belong to multi-ethnic groups, ranging from the Indo-Aryan to Mongoloid. The Himalayan and central hilly regions are mostly inhabited by the people of the Tibeto-Burman strand while the people inhabiting the Terai lowlands may be grouped under the Indo-Aryan category. Its cultural traditions, art and literary heritage go back to thousands of years. The varied mosaic of various races and ethnic groups have given to Nepal a distinct character and culture.
Festival in Nepal has always been a meaningful event where people enjoy themselves more through their direct involvement than just watching them. In Nepal every festival has some purpose to serve, such as to bring rain or to have good harvest, to avert calamities and so on. In fact, festivals are the best way to understand and appreciate the Nepalese way of life. The Nepalese year is full of festivals which are celebrated according to the lunar calendar.
Nepal possesses diverse climate and weather due to its unique topographical variation. The country though smaller in size has its altitudes ranging from 70m in the southern Terai area to 8848m of Mt. Everest. The country experiences tropical, subtropical, alpine and Trans-Himalayan types of climate. Such climatic and topographical variations have made the country centre of attractions for the people around the world.
There is perhaps no country in the world except Nepal where traditional architecture, painting and sculpture have been well preserved for 1500 years. The exquisite medieval art and architecture of the Kathmandu valley vividly reflects the artistic ingenuity and the religious tradition of the people. To better understand the deep and complex roots of Nepalese culture, it is necessary to visit the monuments and religious shrines.
Nepal has a long glorious history. Its civilization can be traced back to thousand of years before the birth of Christ. For centuries, the kingdom of Nepal was divided into many principalities (Chaubise States). Kirantas ruled in the east, the Newars in the Kathmandu Valley, while Gurungs and Magars had their domain the mid-west. The Kirantas were said to have ruled their territories from 300 B.C. The country took its present shape only after 1768 A.D. when Prithvi Narayan Shah, king of Gorkha, conquered and united all the tiny statues into one kingdom.
Religion is the lifeblood of the Nepalese who believe in mysticism and spiritualism with a multitude of gods and goddess reflecting the diverse facets of their life. Hinduism and Buddhism constitute two major religions in Nepal. A remarkable feature of Nepal is the religious homogeneity what exists, particularly between the Hindu and Buddhist communities. Apart from the Hindus and Buddhists, Muslim forms the third largest religious group.
Muslims comprise a small section of the population, mainly found along the Indian border and in a few isolated villages. There are a few Christians as well. Some ethnic groups including the Tharus and Rais follow their own shamanist and animist traditions, although their practices incorporate many Buddhist and Hindu influences.
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