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My Visit to Nepal 2nd to 9th November 2011 Prof
R.R.Mahitcha
The Kingdom of Nepal is a landlocked country situated between
India and China's Tibetan Autonomous region. The Himalayas fall
within the country's boundaries, thus Nepal is well known for its
mountainous and hilly topography. Nepal is home to the magnificent
Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain. - enchanting
Kanchenjunga peak awesome Dhaulagiri range and breath taking
Annapurna The fascinating geography of Nepal contributes greatly to
the country's wonder and touristic appeal.
MOUNT EVERST
Seven of the world's above eight thousand meter peaks are in
Nepal or on its border with China: Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu,
Kanchenjunga, Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu.
INTRODUCTION Nepal is one of the richest countries in the world
in terms of bio- diversity due to its unique geographical position
and altitudinal variations .The elevation of the country ranges
from 60m above sea level to the highest point in the earth, Mt
Everest at 8,848m
NEPAL INFORMATION Location: Situated between Tibetan Autonomous
Region of the Peoples Republic of China in the north and India in
the South, East and West. Capital: Kathmandu Population: 23.1
million People: Nepal has more than 101 ethnic groups and 92 spoken
languages Language: Nepali is the official language of Nepal.
However, English is understood and spoken by majority of people in
Kathmandu valley and other major cities. Time: 5 hours 45 minutes
ahead of GMT and 15 minutes ahead of Indian Standard Time Religion:
Main religion in Nepal is Hinduism. However Buddhism, Islam and
Christian religions are followed by some people. All religions even
in minority have co-existed amicably in Nepal for ages. Climate
ranges from Tropical in the lowlands to arctic higher altitudes
Monsoon: June to August. However, most of the northern belts of
Trans-Himalayan Zones are in the rain-shadow which provides rain
free trekking. Topography: From the worlds deepest gorge
Kaligandaki to Mt. Everest, the highest point on earth.
NEPAL From the highest mountain in the world to dense forests
that are home to a rich and wide variety of wildlife and fauna,
within this spectacular geography is also one of the richest
cultural landscapes anywhere.
NEPAL Nepal is also home to a rich cultural heritage and it
offers an astonishing diversity of sightseeing attractions and
adventure opportunities like trekking and mountaineering found
nowhere else on earth.
What is Nepal ? Nepal's acronym of Never Ending Peace And Love,
does well to characterize this small nation of good natured and
accommodating people Land of majestic Himalayan scenery comprising
eight of the world's ten highest mountains, including Mt Everest.
Country filled with many different ethnic groups, customs and
traditions reflected in a wonderfully diverse geography.
What is special about Nepal ? the world (Everest-8848m) The
highest mountain peak in The deepest river gorge in the world (Kali
Gandaki River) The birthplace of Lord Buddha (Lumbini) The Living
Goddess (Kumari) who is worshipped and taken in a chariot
procession annually Tradition of goat sacrifice is still continued
The non-rectangular flag. The best place in the world to study
Tibetan Buddhism The largest selection of books on the Himalayas
Largest museum of mountaineering Kathmandu the capital city with as
many idols as men and as many temples as houses A hotel in Everest
National park at an altitude of 3870m, claimed to be the highest
hotel in the world (Hotel Everest View)
What is special about Nepal ? Is also one of the worlds great
trekking paradise and probably the finest country in the world for
mountaineering Contains one of the ten best rivers in the world for
rafting It has such a concentration of art, culture and tradition
in the Kathmandu valley which cannot be found anywhere else in the
world Is one of the few countries of the world where you can see
one horned Rhinos Great elephant breeding centre
Wonderful Nepal ! Nepal-occupying only 0.1% of the earth is
home to 2% of all the flowering plants in the world. 8% of the
worlds population of birds (more than 848 species) 4% of mammals on
earth 11 of the worlds 15 families of butterflies (more than 500
species) 600 indigenous plant families 319 species of exotic
orchids
Seasons in Nepal Nepal has four major seasons Winter ( December
February) Spring ( March May) Summer (June August) Autumn
(September November)
Kathmandu Kathmandu is the capital and, with close to one
million inhabitants, the largest metropolitan city of Nepal. The
city is the urban core of the Kathmandu Valley in the Himalayas,
which contains two sister cities: Lalitpur (Patan)and
Bhaktapur
Kathmandu The city stands at an elevation of approximately
1,400 meters (4,600 ft) in the bowl-shaped valley in central Nepal
surrounded Kathmandu, as the gateway to Nepal Tourism, is the nerve
centre of the countrys economy. With the most advanced
infrastructure among urban areas in Nepal, Kathmandu's economy is
tourism centric accounting for 3.8% of the GDP in 1995 96
Kathmandu Kathmandu was ruled by Licchavis and Mallas. The city
grew largely during this time. Most of the historic temples,
monasteries and buildings were built during this era. The city
served as an important transit point in the trans-Himalayan trade
between India and China
BHAKTAPUR Durbar Square Bhaktapur Durbar Square is a
conglomeration of pagoda and shikhara-style temples grouped around
a fifty-five window palace of brick and wood. The square is one of
the most charming architectural showpieces of the Valley as it
highlights the ancient arts of Nepal. The golden effigies of the
kings perched on the top of stone monoliths, the guardian deities
looking out from their sanctuaries, the wood carvings in every
place struts, lintels, uprights, tympanums, gateways and windows
all seem to form a well-orchestrated symphony. The main items of
interest in the Durbar Square are:
BHAKTAPUR The Golden Gate: The Golden Gate is said to be the
most beautiful and richly molded specimen of its kind in the entire
world. The door is surmounted by a figure of the goddess Kali and
Garuda (mythical man-bird) and attended by two heavenly nymphs. It
is also embellished with monsters and other mythical creatures of
marvellous intricacy. In the words of Percy Brown, an eminent
English art critic and historian, the Golden Gate is "the most
lovely piece of art in the whole Kingdom; it is placed like a
jewel, flashing innumerable facets in the handsome setting of its
surroundings." The gate was erected by King Ranjit Malla and is the
entrance to the main courtyard of the palace of fifty-five
windows.
BHAKTAPUR The Lion Gate: Dating as far back as 1696 A.D., this
gate is guarded on either side by two huge statues of lions.
Alongside there are two stone images of Bhairav (the dreadful
aspect of Shiva) and Ugrachandi (the consort of Shiva in her
fearful manifestation).[2]
BHAKTAPUR The Palace of Fifty-five Windows: This magnificent
Palace was built during the reign of King Yaksha Malla in 1427
A.D., and was subsequently remodelled by King Bhupatindra Malla in
the seventeenth century. Among the brick walls, with their gracious
setting and sculptural design, is a balcony of fifty-five windows,
considered to be a unique masterpiece of woodcarving.[2] The
Picture Gallery: The Picture Gallery is of considerable value which
contains ancient paintings belonging to the Hindu and Buddhist
Tantrism of various periods and descriptions. This gallery is open
everyday except Tuesday.[2]
BHAKTAPUR The Statue of King Bhupatindra Malla: This statue
showing King Bhupatindra Maila in the act of worship, can be seen
placed on a column facing the palace. Of the square's many statues,
this is considered to be the most magnificent.[2] Batsala Temple:
The stone temple of Batsala Devi depicts many intricate carvings;
however, it is most famous for its bronze bell, known to local
residents as "the bell-of barking dogs," as when it is rung, all
dogs in the vicinity begin barking and howling! The colossal bell
was hung by King Ranjit Malla in 1737 A.D. and was used to sound
the daily curfew. It is nowadays rung every morning when goddess
Taleju is worshipped.[2] The Pashupati Temple: This temple is a
replica of the famous temple by the Bagmati river in Kathmandu and
is widely noted for the erotic carvings on its struts. 11 was built
by King Yakshya Malla.[2]
PASHUPATINATH Pashupatinath Temple is one of the most sacred
Hindu temples of Lord Shiva in the world, located on the banks of
the Baghmati River in the eastern part of Kathmandu, The temple is
served as the seat of the national deity, Lord Pashupatinath, Nepal
is a secular Hindu country . The temple is listed in UNESCO World
Heritage Sites list. The temple is one of the 275 Paadal Petra
Thalamus Hindus alone are allowed to enter the temple premises.
Non-Hindu visitors are allowed to have a look at the temple from
the other bank of Bagmati river.
PASHUPATINATH Pashupati Temple stands in the center of the town
of Deopatan, in the middle of an open courtyard. It is a square,
two-tiered pagoda temple built on a single-tier plinth, and it
stands 23.6 meters above the ground. Richly ornamented gilt and
silver-plated doors are on all sides. On both sides of each door
are niches of various sizes containing gold-painted images of
guardian deities. Inside the temple itself is a narrow ambulatory
around the sanctum. The sanctum contains a one-meter high linga
with four faces (chaturmukha) representing Pashupati, as well as
images of Vishnu, Surya, Devi and Ganesh.
PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE
PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE The Bagmati River, which runs next to
Pashaputinath Temple, has highly sacred RIVER. The river banks are
lined with many ghats for use by pilgrims Arya Ghat, dating from
the early 1900s, is of special importance because it is the only
place where lustral water for Pashupatinath Temple can be obtained
and it is where members of the royal family are cremated. The main
cremation site is Bhasmeshvar Ghat The separate bathing spot for
women is the Gauri Ghat.
Swayambhunath The Swayambhunath complex consists of a stupa, a
variety of shrines and temples, some dating back to the Licchavi
period. A Tibetan monastery, museum and library are more recent
additions. The stupa has Buddha's eyes and eyebrows painted on.
Between them, there is something painted which looks like the nose
- but is the Nepali symbol of 'unity. There are also shops,
restaurants and hostels. The site has two access points: a long
stairway, claimed to have 365 steps, leading directly to the main
platform of the temple, which is from the top of the hill to the
east
SS
LUMBIMI Lumbin is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in Nepal. It is
the place where Queen Mayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama,
who as the Buddha Gautama founded the Baudh Dharma. The Buddha
lived between roughly 563 and 483 BCE. Lumbini is one of four
magnets for pilgrimage that sprang up in places pivotal to the life
of the Buddha, the others being at Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya, and
Sarnath.
LUMBIMI Lumbini is located 25 km east of Kapilavastu, in Nepal;
where the Buddha lived until the age of 29. Lumbini has a number of
temples, including the Mayadevi temple, Also located here is the
Puskarini or Holy Pond where the Buddha's mother took the ritual
dip prior to his birth and where he, too, had his first bath, as
well as the remains of Kapilvastu palace.
Pokhra Pokhara is one of the most popular tourist destinations
in Nepal. Three out of the ten highest mountains in the world are
situated within 50 miles (linear distance) of the city so that the
northern skyline of the city offers a very close view of the
Himalayas. Due to its proximity to the Annapurna mountain range the
city is also a base for trekkers undertaking the Annapurna
Circuit
Pokhra Pokhara is quite a modern city, however, many medieval
era temples and old newari houses are still a part of the The
modern commercial city centres at Chipledhunga (slippery stone,
which is still there) and Mahendrapul (recently renamed as Bhimsen
Chowk).
Vindhyavasini Temple On the way from Pokhra to Kathmandu
beautiful temple called Vindhyavasini is situated There are caves
also around the temples
MANAKAMNADEVI Since the 17th century Manakamana Devi has been
widely venerated all over the Nepal because of the belief that she
fulfills all wishes. Manakamana is one of the most popular temples
in Nepal for animal sacrifices. The ruling goddess, Bhagwati, is
believed to grant wishes in exchange for prayer and animal
sacrifices.
Cable car system The temple can be visited by Cable car system
which is the longest in Asia. It takes 15 minutes to reach atop.
The ride in cable car is very exhilarating to enjoy beautiful
mountains and river Trisuli below The return fare of cable car is
250 Rs.
MANAKAMANA DEVI
Mountaineering Museum One of the largest mountaineering museum
of the world is situated near Pokhra Let us look at the museum The
museum is dedicated to those mountaineers who lost their lives
while exploring the mysteries of nature
Chitvan National Park Chitwan National Park is the first
national park in Nepal. Formerly called Royal Chitwan National Park
it was established in 1973 and granted the status of a World
Heritage Site in 1984. It covers an area of 932 km2 and is located
in the subtropical Inner Terai lowlands of south-central Nepal in
the Chitwan District.