People & Religion

Nepal is the museum of the human races or even said as the anthropological pilgrimage. The population of the country is 23 million with the density of 156.27 per square kilometers as the National Census 2001 A.D. roughly the majority of the peoples are the Indo-Aryans and the remainder is of Mongoloid origin. The peoples in the Himalayan are called Tibeto-Mongoloid by races and Tibeto-Buddhist by religion. They speak Tibetan language and their own dialects. Their life is based on the Trans- Himalayan trade and Cis- Himalayan trade. It was believed that the people called the Sherpas of the North East Nepal were the migrants of the eastern Tibet.

In the midhill region the peoples are living with agriculture. Newars are the main ethnic group of Kathmandu and are mostly associated in business. Magars, Gurungs, Rai and Limbus form the warrior class and are famous throughout the world as Brave Gurkhas. Terai had been poorly inhabited for long time because of the fear of so-called disease Malaria .It was covered with the dense forests for many years and now mass deforestation has made this region better place to live. During the course of time people from mid-hills started migrating to this region as they found the land there rich enough for cultivation. Rapid migration is affecting the density of population.

Nepal is regarded as the only Hindu Kingdom. Officially, large number of the population is believed as the followers of Hinduism. It is believed as the oldest religion and guided by the oral tradition for long time. For Hindus Himalayas has been described in the Epics as the playground of the Gods and Goddesses. There are so many sacred places, temples shrines and monuments for Hindus in all around this Himalayan country.

Though Buddhism was founded some 2600 yrs back by the lord Buddha in the southern part of the present Nepal, Buddhism occupies second place in the country and chiefly dominant in the northern part and in the Kathmandu Valley. Lumbini the birth place of Lord Buddha is now the best and most important pilgrimage for Buddhists.In the southern part there is some number of the Islam. The practices of Animism and Shamanism are another type of practice which is very rare with the modern attack in the society .Now the increasing numbers of the Christianity belief shows its influence upon Nepalese.In fact Hinduism and Buddhism exist side by side along with others and showing the perfect harmony of the religious practices.