Nepali culture

Nepal is blessed with a rich cultural heritage. Culture has been called 'the way of life for an entire society'. The statement holds particularly true in case of Nepal where every aspect of life, food, clothing and even occupations are culturally classified. In a society so feudalistic and so fractured across class lines, cultural heritage comes as a fresh wind. The culture of Nepal includes the codes of manners, dress, language, rituals, norms of behavior and systems of belief. The culture of Nepal is a unique combination of tradition and novelty. The traditions are followed as they were and new customs are created to keep pace with the changing times. It is surprising to note that a country as poor, illiterate and backward as Nepal displays such flexibility when it come to incorporating traits from other cultures. Culture in Nepal is an assemblage of music, architecture, religion and literature. The mountain kingdom of Nepal is multi-ethic and multi-lingual. The land is rich with unique cultural groups like Tharu,Yadav, Ahir, Newars and others. Nepalese are among the most hospitable hosts. This is the reason for which tourists from far and wide enjoy coming to Nepal time and again. Nepalese are culturally warm, hospitable and affectionate hosts who place their heart above their head. 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 Tantrik deities tagged on. Nepal's food is surprisingly dull given that it lies at the intersection of the two great gastronomic giants India and China. Most of the time meals consist of a dish called dhal-bhat-tarkari that is a combination of lentil soup, rice and curried vegetables. It can hardly be considered, a dynamic national cuisine. On the other hand, Nepal has adapted famously to Western tastes, markedly evident in Katmandu's smorgasbord of menus: Mexican tacos; Japanese sukiyaki; Thai chocolate; Chinese marshmallows; onion and minestrone soup; borscht, quiche and soy burgers; and some of the best desserts - apple and lemon pies, almond layer cakes, fruit cakes - found anywhere in the world.

Art and Crafts of Nepal Nepalese art is heavily inspired from Hinduism and Buddhism. The 2 millennium old Hindu and Buddhist heritage has survived various onslaughts and is still influencing the Nepalese art and craft tradition. Following are the various art and craft forms of Nepal.

Fairs and Festivals in Nepal Nepal has a vibrant Hindu past and that's reflected in most of its festivals and celebrations. Besides, being the close neighbor of India, Nepal has had a constant history of cultural exchange with it. Therefore most of the Hindu festivals that are celebrated in India are celebrated in Nepal as well. The most important of these festivals are Dipawali and Holi.

Nepali Music The rhythm, beats, bounce of Nepali traditional folk and classical music is spiritual enough to sooth you and entertaining enough to cheer you. Music is associated with every event in Nepal, then be it birth, marriage, festivals or National events.

Cuisines of Nepal The most prevalent Nepali dish is 'Daal, Bhaat and Tarkaari' (lentils, rice, vegetable curry respectively). This is the main course served in the most Nepalese houses irrespective of the economic conditions, that too in both lunch as well as dinner. Nepali food is much less spicy than Indian food, and many dishes are Tibetan in origin. It seems that Indian influence is only confined to Southwestern part of Nepal.

Languages of Nepal Nepal is a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic country. The Nepalese society has acted as the melting pot for various ethnic groups. Almost all of these ethnic groups have their own languages. Nepali or Nepalese is the major language of Nepal. It is also the official language of Nepal. There are other languages too that are widely spoken in Nepal such as Newari, Bhojpuri, Awadhi and Maithali. While the Newar community speaks the former, the immigrants from the Indian states of Bihar and Eastern Utter Pradesh speak Bhojpuri, Awadhi and Maithali.

People of Nepal Perched on the Southern slopes of the Himalayan Mountains, the Kingdom of Nepal is ethnically diverse. The Nepalese are descendants of three major migrations. These migrations have taken place from India, Tibet, and Central Asia. Among the earliest inhabitants were the Newar of the Kathmandu Valley and aboriginal Tharu in the southern Tarai region.

Muna Madan

Muna -Madan is a book written by great poet of Nepali literature,Laxmi Prasad Devkota in poetic version.By the way this book describes a well elaborated poor society of Nepalese rural area.Madan is the main character of this book who represents all the Nepalese youths who are willing to go abroad to earn their living.Because of unemployment problems and poverty ,thousands of Nepalese people are going third countries to sell their sweat and blood.

Muna is wife of Madan who is the queen of love and sacrifice.She knows their poverty needs to be eliminated and that is possible only she lets her husband to go to Lahsa even though the work would be uncertain and risky.She would be here alone for a number of days ,but she accepted this challange.She stayed in her country with her mother in law who is weak and old.She tries to forget about the bitters of her life by taking care of this old woman.
In this book ,what Madan does in Lahsa and what are the difficulties he has to face there and during his journey is well focused.While going through the different countryside areas,Madan catches a deadly disease,but his accompanied friends turn out to be selfish.finally he will be rescued by a man who is considered to be a lower cast in Nepal.
So it is said that a man is said to be great and honourable not because of his race and caste but by a heart in which there is a progrssion of love and humanity.
During this period Madan's mother dies and he returns back home country .
Above and all,Laxmi Prasad Devkota wants to stabilize the facts of traditional societies,unscientific beliefs,poverty,love,friendship,the relationship of husband and wife, love between mother and son etc.Because of the combination of all these categories of human life,this book has earned a great successful journey in Nepali literature and it will be living forever.

"Lekhnath Municpality"- the garden city of seven lakes

Lekhnath is a municipality in Kaski District in the Gandaki Zone of northern-central Nepal. It is located in the south western part of the Pokhara Valley, about 10 km southwest of Pokhara and about 190 km west of Kathmandu. Total population of the city is 41,369 as per the census carried out in 2001. Lekhnath is named after the famous Nepali poet Lekh Nath Paudyal (1885–1966), but is also called the garden city of seven lakes. The seven lakes are Begnas, Rupa, Khaste, Depang, Maidi, Neureni and Gunde. Except Begnas and Rupa most of the other lakes are little known to the outsiders.

Lekhnath possesses many terrains and Mountain View sites. It is also becoming a famous destination among trekkers as some of the comfortable and short trekking routes in Pokhara valley begin here.

Rightly called eastern gateway to Pokhara, Lekhnath, is the place from where you can catch the view of the whole Annapurna range including Machhapuchhre (Fishtail), and Dhaulagiri.