About Nepal

A country of colour, mountains and a rich history:

The Country.

Nepal lies on the shoulder of the southern Himalayas, between China to the north and India to the south. Not only does it have the world's tallest mountains, including the cloud-hugging Everest and Annapurna, they're also the youngest - and still growing.

Apart from its four mountain ranges - Chure Hills, Mahabharat Range, Himalayas and the Tibetan Marginals - Nepal also has vast plains in the south, fertile valleys in the midlands and high-altitude deserts in the north.

The heavily cultivated belt between the Mahabharat Range and the Himalayas supports the bulk of the country's population. There are over 6500 species of trees, shrubs and wildflowers in Nepal. The height of floral glory is in March and April when rhododendrons, the national flower, burst into colour.

Nepal also boasts an astounding diversity of animal life, with exotic mammals such as the royal Bengal tiger and snow leopard, as well as rhinoceros, elephant, bear, deer, monkey and jackal. Unfortunately, due to habitat degeneration and poaching, opportunities for seeing wildlife are usually restricted to national parks, reserves and western Nepal.

Nepal has a typically monsoonal two-season year: the dry season (October to May) and the wet season (June to September). The monsoon affects the whole country, often flooding the southern plains, before tailing off as it moves away to the north and west. Temperatures vary but are generally hottest in May and June and coldest during December and January. Nepal has a population of some 20 million people, a large percentage of which live in and around the country's Capital of Kathmandu.

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Some History of Nepal.

Nepal's recorded history began with the Kiratis, who arrived in the 7th or 8th century BC from the east. Little is known about them, other than their deftness as sheep farmers and fondness for carrying long knives. It was during this period that Buddhism first came to the country; indeed it is claimed that Buddha and his disciple Ananda visited the Kathmandu Valley and stayed for a time in Patan.

By 200 AD, Buddhism had waned, and was replaced by Hinduism, brought by the Licchavis, who invaded from northern India and overthrew the last Kirati king. The Hindus also introduced the caste system and ushered in a classical age of Nepalese art and architecture.

By 879, the Licchavi era was succeeded by the Thakuri dynasty. A period of instability and invasion, often referred to as the `Dark Ages' followed, but Kathmandu Valley's strategic location ensured the kingdom's survival and growth.

Several centuries later, the Thakuri king, Arideva, founded the Malla dynasty, commencing another renaissance of Nepali culture. Despite earthquakes, invasion and feuding between the independent city-states of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, the dynasty flourished, reaching its zenith in the 15th century under Yaksha Malla.

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Sugauli Treaty.

The rulers of Ghorkha, the most easterly region, coveted the Mallas' wealth. Under the leadership of Prithvi Narayan Shah, the Ghorkha launched a campaign to conquer the valley. In 1768 - after 27 years of fighting - they triumphed and moved their capital to Kathmandu. From this new base the kingdom's power expanded, borne by a seemingly unstoppable army, until progress was halted in 1792 by a brief and chastening war with Tibet.

Further hostilities followed in 1814 with the British over a territorial dispute. The Nepalese were eventually put to heel and compelled to sign the 1816 Sugauli Treaty. The effect of this was that it surrendered Sikkim and most of Terai (some of the land was eventually restored in return for Nepalese help in quelling the Indian Mutiny of 1857), established Nepal's present eastern and western boundaries and installed a British 'resident' in the country.

The Shah dynasty continued in power during the first half of the 19th century, until the ghastly Kot Massacre of 1846. Taking advantage of the intrigue and assassinations that had plagued the ruling family, Jung Bahadur seized control by butchering several hundred of the most important men while they assembled in the Kot courtyard. He took the more prestigious title Rana, proclaimed himself prime minister for life, and later made the office hereditary.

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The Culture.

Nepal sweeps you along crooked streets flanked by irregular, multi-roofed pagodas, stupas and stone sculptures, and into rooms cluttered with horror-eyed masks, spinning prayer wheels, trippy thangka scrolls and Tibetan carpets.

Muttered chants, esoteric tantric hymns and Nepalese music, whether it be the twang of a four-stringed saringhi or the plaintive notes of a flute, hang in the air. Traditional folk musicians or gaines gather for an evening of singing and socialising, classical dancing and trance-like masked dances enliven the Kathmandu Valley and Bhaktapur regions, while no wedding would be complete without the raucous damais - Nepal's modern ensembles.

Religion is the lifeblood of the Nepalese. Officially it is a Hindu country, but in practice the religion is a syncretism of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs with a pantheon of Tantric deities tagged on. The remainder of the population that aren't Buddhist or Hindu are either Muslim, Christian or shamans.

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A Gurkha in full ceremonial dress.

A country of mountains, palaces and temples.