11 Interesting Facts About Nepal Which Will Amuse You

Nepal is a beautiful country with never ending stunning landscapes, charismatic mountains and mesmerizing lakes.

Nepal is one of the finest country with wide prospect of development in technology and tourism sectors. With wide variety of flora and fauna in the country, Nepal beholds some of the rarest species like the one-horned Rhino, the Bengal tiger and their national flower Rhododendron.

But how many of us know these interesting facts about our neighbors ?

1.  Major Part Of Himalayas Is In Nepal

The Himalayas mountains is shared between five countries in descending order: Nepal, Bhutan, India, China and Pakistan. The mountainous north of Nepal has eight of the world’s ten tallest mountains, including the highest point on Earth, Mount Everest

2. Nepal Was Never Under Any Foreign Invasion

Nepal does not have an independent day because Nepal was never colonized. Nepal is also the oldest country in South Asia.

3. Nepal Is The Only Country With A Non-Rectangular Flag

Nepal’s flag is maroon with two triangular shapes stacked on one another with blue border. The upper triangle consists of moon and the lower triangle consists of the sun. The basic design of this flag is over 2000 years old.

4. Nepal Was Once Named As The Weed Capital

Weed is said to be illegal and is not available for buy and sale, we can find the growth of weeds everywhere mostly in the rural area, around the roads, ditches, farm lands, mountainside and everywhere. Who would not love to fire a pot and get along with the fine environment that Nepal beholds.

5. Nepal Is The Birthplace Of Lord Gautam Buddha

Siddhartha Gautam (Buddha) was born in Kapilvastu, Lumbini which lies in Nepal. Lumbini is a sacred place for Buddhists.

6. About 60% People In Nepal Surf Internet With A Speed Which Is Below 256 Kbps

Internet was introduced in Nepal back in 1994, even though surprisingly Nepal stands second after Libya for low internet connection as a country.

7. The Only Living Goddess In The World Called Kumari Can Be Found In Nepal

The literal meaning of Kumari is Virgin. In Nepal these kumari, or “living goddesses,” are pre-pubescent girls considered to be the earthly manifestations of divine female energy, incarnations of the goddess known as Taleju, the Nepalese name for Durga.

Selected as children, they live in temples, are carried in chariots during festivals and are worshipped by thousands of Hindus and Buddhists. They retire upon puberty.

8. Nepal Gurkhas Have Been Part Of The British Army Since 1816

“Better to die than be a coward” is the motto of the world-famous Nepalese Gurkha soldiers who are an integral part of the British Army since 1815 when a peace agreement was clinched by the British East India Company after it suffered heavy casualties during an invasion of Nepal.

9.  Nepal Holds A Number Of Records Which Makes A High Profile For This Small Country

Mount Everest being the peak of the world at the height of 8,848 m, there are others like the Tilicho lake- the highest lake on earth at the height of 4800m, Shey Phoksundo Lake- the deepest lake of 145m at the height of 3600m, the deepest gorge of Kalidanki of 1200m and the highest valley on Earth- the Arun valley. Nepal also holds some of the world famous Guinness world records and different international prizes, international recognitions and involvements that have made the profile of this small country to be one of the best.

10.  Not A Single Drop Of Blood Has Ever Been Shed In Nepal In The Name Of Religious And Ethnic Riot.

Something for the world to learn from these people who hold the best feeling for Unity and Patriotism. There hasn’t been a single case were there has been a clash in the name of religion in Nepal.

11. Nepal Has Over 80 Ethnic Groups And 123 Languages

Garuda to sweat on Naag Panchami 7th August

Naag Panchami is widely observed in Nepal, particularly for the fight between Garuda and a great serpent. It is also the festival held in honour of the great serpent on the coils of which Lord Vishnu is resting between the Universe.

In the Changu Narayan Temple in Kathmandu, there is statue of Garuda which is said to have been established by Garuda himself and on the Naga Panchami day the image is said to sweat reminiscing his great fight with a giant snake; people collect the sweat and use it for curing leprosy.

Three reasons why you should visit Bhedetar this summer

Nepal’s western region has traditionally been home to the most attractive of tourist destinations in the country. The tourist hub of Pokhara is in the west, and so is Mustang, where people from around the world come to experience nature and its beauty. It would not be a hyperbole to say that Nepal’s east is equally beautiful as the west, and Bhedetar can lay claim to the number one destination for nature lovers. Until ten years ago, Bhedetar, a hill station in Nepal’s eastern hills was not on the Nepal’s tourism entrepreneur’s radar. But in the last few years a number of hotels and  resorts have come up on the once-remote hilltop. Here we have top three reasons why you should consider going to Bhedetar for vacation this summer.

1.

The Weather 

Those people who have been to Bhedetar say that its main attraction is its weather. You might reach there on a sunny day, but soon the clouds will gather, and the weather will change. It is a perfect destination for summer. Located at an altitude of around 1,420 metres above sea level, the hill station never experiences heat. That is why people from UP and Bihar frequent Bhedetar to beat the heat, local say.

2.

The Hotels 

According to Hotel Association of Nepal (HAM) there are over 35 hotels in Bhedetar. There are 10 more star hotels that are coming up in the area. HAN’s Bhedetar chapter, the hotels in Bhedetar can accommodate up to a thousand tourists at a time.

3.

The Adventure

Bhedetar is not just for a relaxed holiday. The place has something to offer for thrill seekers as well. Nine km down the trail, there is the Namaste Waterfall, which the locals also call Simsuwa. You can take a dip in the cold water or go canoeing in the river. There is also the option of paragliding from Bhedetar to Dharan, one of the biggest cities in the east.

Tiger population rises in Nepal

Endangered tiger numbers have nearly doubled in Nepal in just three years, thanks to conservation efforts led by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, supported by the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).

DNPWC/NTNC/Panthera/ZSL

Bengal tiger caught on camera trap in Nepal

Survey figures released on International Tiger Day (July 29), show that Endangered Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris) numbers have risen dramatically since the Society and its partners began their important conservation work in the Chitwan-Parsa tiger complex in 2014. 

ZSL collaborated with The Government of Nepal’s Department for National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) and Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organisation, to carry out the 2016 survey in Parsa - as part of their ongoing partnership to protect and monitor tigers throughout the lowlands of Nepal.  

ZSL’s Conservation Programmes Director, Professor Dr Jonathan Baillie said: “Success for tiger conservation requires viable habitats, stringent protection, effective monitoring and community engagement and when those conditions are in place, tiger numbers will flourish as Parsa Wildife Reserve in Nepal has demonstrated very clearly. Nepal’s exemplary track record in conserving its iconic wildlife makes it a conservation leader in the South Asian region.”  

Today, just 3,900 wild tigers remain in all of Asia, largely due to poaching for the illegal wildlife trade. In 2013 Nepal was estimated to support 198 Bengal tigers; the latest survey confirms that Parsa is now home to approximately 90% more. 

Nepal’s Director General of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Krishna Prasad Acharya said: ‘The tiger population in Parsa Wildlife Reserve has significantly increased since the last census, this is fantastic news for tigers and it demonstrates that Nepal’s dedicated conservation efforts are delivering clear results. Nepal has committed to doubling its tiger population by 2022 and encouraging results like these show that we are on track to achieve that.”

DNPWC/NTNC/Panthera/ZSL

Bengal tiger numbers have nearly doubled in Nepal in just three years

Panthera Senior Tiger Program Director, Dr. John Goodrich, stated: “The impressive doubling of tigers in Parsa, and the almost unprecedented speed of this recovery, is testament to how law enforcement and strong government leadership can help save the species. At a time when poachers are waging an all-out war against wildlife, Nepal serves as a beacon of hope for the tiger.” 

Goodrich continued: “The country’s conservation model and the courageous spirit of those working to protect Nepal’s natural heritage, particularly given the devastating earthquake of April 2015, must be celebrated and replicated to ensure the tiger lives on throughout Asia.”

The Chitwan-Parsa complex - made up of Chitwan National Park and the Parsa Wildlife Reserve -contains nearly 2000 km2 of contiguous tiger habitat and is one of the highest priority landscapes for conservation in Nepal. 

Since 2014, ZSL and Panthera have collaborated in the Parsa Wildlife Reserve to monitor tigers and their prey using camera traps, and provide training for effective law enforcement training and the use of the SMART system - a computer-based platform that improves the effectiveness of wildlife patrols. 

Parsa is also a trial site for innovative conservation technologies which have been effectively deployed to provide valuable information to park managers including ZSL’s seismic and magnetic sensors and Panthera’s PoacherCam – a remote camera that distinguishes people from wildlife and can transmit images to law enforcement, to stop poaching. 

ZSL in partnership with the DNPWC has also recently equipped and supported the deployment of a state of the art Rapid Response Patrol team in PWR which further strengthens the park management’s capacity to prevent tiger poaching  before it takes place. 

Over the next few years ZSL and Panthera plan to expand their conservation efforts to three other protected areas that are home to tigers in the lowlands of Nepal with Nepal’s DNPWC as the lead and with full support of our national partner NTNC.

Precious stones on the himalayas of Nepal.

Until 1940s Nepal had huge treasures of gold, gems, ruby, diamonds and pearls in the remoteness of Himalayas. Before then Nepal was not open to visit for foreigners. 

It is believed that the bottom of ocean erected to form the himalayas of Nepal after collision of Indian tectonic plate with Chinese plate. This brought up many precious stones on the surface of Himalayas. 

Traces of these precious stones can be still found on the trekking trails of Nepal.

7,000 B.C. - The Lolladoff plate, discovered in Nepal

Why Now is the Time to Visit Nepal

The deadly earthquakes that hit Nepal on April 25 and May 12, 2015, damaged Boudhanath, the largest stupa in Nepal. (Photograph by imageBROKER Alamy Stock Photo)

Late last year, I traveled to Nepal to report on whether the country was ready to welcome travelers after a series of major earthquakes rattled it to its core in the spring of 2015.

I came home wondering how you could not go. If ever there were a time to visit Nepal, it’s now.

My stomach is a knot of nervous anticipation as I check my packing list, preparing to join a group of international journalists and tour operators on a 10-day survey of the South Asian nation. How bad would the tourism infrastructure be?

In the days and months following the earthquakes, the media had portrayed a country in ruin. But was Nepal unsafe now, nine months after the ground had stopped shaking?

Getting there is no easy task. In Dallas, I have to sprint to make my connection, skidding into my seat a sweaty mess. Fifteen hours later, I touch down in Qatar, with eight hours to kill in an airport hotel. By the time I land in Kathmandu, after a full 35 hours in transit, I’m not sure what day it is, or if it’s time to drink morning coffee or go to bed.

Suitcases trickle onto the conveyor belt like water dripping from a faucet. When the creaky carousel slows to a halt two hours later, leaving me empty handed, I shuffle over to the grievance desk. As I gape at the chaotic piles of misplaced luggage crowding the floor, the baggage representative offers me a handwritten triplicate claim form. “It’s not even in a computer system,” I think, my chest tightening.

I email my husband in a panic, begging for help. “I don’t have time to call the airline,” I type desperately. After all my careful preparation, I have nothing. No water purifier. No clothes. No DENTAL FLOSS. I choke back tears and then immediately scold myself. “You’re a seasoned traveler. This is NO BIG DEAL.”

The next day, I scurry around Kathmandu’s Thamel neighborhood, outfitting myself for the days ahead in 45 frantic minutes between activities. I feel awkward in ill-fitting off-brand trekking pants and a bright blue tourist T-shirt that screams ANNAPURNA BASE CAMP. I’ve never been to Annapurna Base Camp; I’m not even sure where it is. I long for my slim Prana travel pants and wool Icebreaker tee.

Then I pass a dusty tent village in the Nepali capital, where earthquake refugees live with only the clothes on their backs. They are all smiling. I shrink down in shame. How could I be feeling sorry for myself?

The next morning, our group visits Kathmandu’s Kopan Monastery. A Buddhist monk in flowing robes leads us into the temple and speaks with uplifting potency about the secrets to contentment: love, compassion, acceptance. Stop looking for the next thing and be happy with the here and now, he says.

My heart swells with gratitude.

Farmland in Jomsom (Photograh by thisyearsboy, flickr)

We continue on to Boudhanath, the holiest Tibetan Buddhist temple outside Tibet, whose prominent golden stupa had cracked during the earthquake and is being rebuilt. Climbing worn stone stairs to a rooftop deck overlooking the temple, we pass a clutch of chanting Buddhists, who seem unfazed by the damage. Life goes on. Devotion persists. Stupas are still sacred, even if they are imperfect.

We light butter lamps and recite a prayer: “May all beings everywhere, plagued by suffering of body and mind, obtain an ocean of happiness and joy.”

In nearby Bhaktapur, earthquake damage from 2015 and 1934 is evident but not disruptive to the tempo of everyday life. “We are constantly rebuilding,” our tour guide tells us as we admire the ancient city’s carved lattice woodwork, narrow brick alleys, and open squares with pagoda-topped temples.

Nepal’s history is rife with hardship—poverty, earthquakes, civil war, border skirmishes, and—during our visit—a fuel shortage that has resulted in 20-hour waits for gas. Yet, everywhere we go the locals seem optimistic. So much so that I ask Sumit Baral, a tourism advisor for the country, for his thoughts on the subject. “It’s a mind-set,” he explains. “[Some things are] beyond our control. It all boils down to expectation.”

Our group hops a plane to Pokhara, an adventure destination and gateway to the famedAnnapurna trekking circuit. Though the breathtaking region was almost wholly unharmed by the earthquakes, its tourism-dependent economy is suffering. Along the usually bustling lakefront, our footsteps echo against a row of shops where business owners sit idly with no one to greet.

Still, we see smiles. Riding mountain bikes to a stupa, we pass beaming locals who wave and shout, “Namaste!” Hiking through farms along a lush hillside, our small band joins a group of children playing on a swing. “Namaste!”

I go paragliding in Pokhara, soaring on pockets of wind over the Himalayas. Back on the ground, my instructor tells me business has been down since the earthquakes. I ask if he’s had to consider seeking out other work. “I like to fly,” he says with a smile, grateful to have a customer for the day. “This is my dream.”

Experts estimate that tourism numbers were down 65 percent across Nepal in 2015. Yet the places we visit are functioning normally, lacking only the usual tourist rush. It’s a magically quiet time.

From Pokhara, we head north to Jomsom, in Nepal’s mountainous Mustang District. I wander the cobblestone streets, dodging donkeys and waving at shy, cherub-cheeked children who linger in doorways. A window cluttered with prayer wheels, singing bowls, yak bells, woven rugs, and jewelry catches my eye, and I duck into the small shop for a look.

I ask the elderly man behind the counter how life has been post-earthquake.

“This whole area has been empty since then. I’ve lost a lot of business, but I’m positive and hopeful that one day guests will return,” he says, then quickly adds: “I’m just happy me and my family are safe, and I’m very sad for those who died.”

Six days into our trip, just when I have stopped worrying about it, my luggage appears. I unzip my duffle and immediately feel overwhelmed. “What do I do with all this stuff?”

I have learned to live with what I have. Nepal is rubbing off on me.

Avery Stonich is a freelance writer based in Boulder, Colorado, who has traveled to more than 45 countries in search of adventure. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @averystonich.