A sideview of the Ganesh Himal range of snow clad mountains may be seen from Kathmandu. This range stretches from a tributary of Trisuli river in the east to the upper basin of Budhi Gandaki river in the west. Distinct peaks of this range in separate groups of Himalayas are Ganesh Peak (24,299 ft.), Paldor (19,351 ft.) and Charmar (23,545 ft.).
GANESH
Ganesh is the Hindu God of wisdom and remover of obstacles. In mythology, Ganesh is the son of Shiva and Parvati. Short, fat, four-handed and an elephant headed person, he is the yellow coloured Lord of Ganas or Gana-Devatas, the attendant deities of Lord Shiva. Ganesh is a very popular deity among Nepalese who is worshipped for the success of any work, undertaking or travel etc. Shrewd and talented, Ganesh is the main character of many myths and legends. He is known by many names such a Gajanana, Heramba, Ganapati, Lambakarna, Lambodara etc. Ganesh, the elephant headed god of wisdom and success is the defender and remover of obstacles and has to be propitiated before worshipping other gods. He is one of the sons of Shiva and is also known as “Siddhi Data” or the one who bestows success for the accomplishment of any work. His elephant head has only one complete tusk, while the other is broken. It is believed that he lost it in a fight with Parsuram. It is also believed that he broke it to write the epic Mahabharata to the dictation of sage Vyasa. His elephant head is believed to be an emblem of wisdom and his mount is a mouse or Mooshika – the emblem of sagacity. Ganesh popularly known as Vinayaka as well.
GANDAKI ZONE
Covering an area of 4,688 square miles and with a population of (???) this large zone of Central Nepal situated in the mountainous region is surrounded by Tibet to its north, Lumbini and Narayani zone to the south, Bagmati zone on the east and the Dhaulagiri zone on the west. This zone is home to many a lofty Himalayan peak, including, Mt. Annapurna and Mt. Manaslu. The Seti, Kali and Madi are the principal rivers here. There are many beautiful lakes here including the Fewa Lake, Rupa Lake and, Begnas Lake. Though still un-exploited, various minerals are found in this zone (such as iron, gold, copper, slate, nickel and salt. Many people engage in small scale and cottage industries, keeping aside the vast majority of people engaged in cultivation and cattle breeding. Due to construction of roads from various parts of the country leading to this zone, Gandaki zone is remarkably progressing in trade and industry besides other sectors of development. The districts of this zone are Manang, Parvat, Kaski, Syangja, Lamjung, Tanahun and Gorkha.
GANDAKI RIVER SYSTEM
This is a major river system and an important river with a huge river basin of the middle parts of Nepal is known as Sapta Gandaki meaning the seven Gandaki rivers because of the seven rivers which meet the main river system at one or the other points. They are (a) Kali Gandaki, (b) Trisuli, (c) Budhi Gandaki, (d) Marsyangdi, (e) Seti (f) Badhigad, and (g) Modi. These rivers originate from various Himalayan ranges of northern Nepal.
GAAI JATRA
Or the week-long cow festival. The day following Rishi Poornima or the first day of the “Lunar month” of Bhadra (August) is the main day of Gaai Jatra. Bereaved Hindu families send a cow or a man with a horn made of straw and his face painted to symbolically resemble a cow, to roam about in the streets in the belief that the gates of heaven will open only by the horns of sacred cows enabling the entry of the departed souls. The whole week of Gaai Jatra is dedicated to fun-making, satires and irony and all sorts of jokes. People form groups of clowns and caricaturists, and move about in the streets amusing onlookers, arousing curiosity and generally, mirth. They often criticise and make sharp comments on subjects of public interest by their sarcastic and jocular presentations. Even some newspapers and magazines bring out similar Gaai Jatra special editions for similar carry forward the tradition of jokes and satire.
Another attraction of this festival is the masquerade. On this day (and also in the days that follow), many people dress up in the oddest possible robes and go round the city. Some of them are clad only in rags and some in straw and hay to make themselves look funny. A number of these showmen have their face painted to make themselves look like devils. According to a Hindu tradition these are regarded to represent the ghostly spirits lost and lamented and wandering around on their way to the world of the dead. However, the Buddhist version of this masquerade is quite different. According to them, these masquerading ones are none other than the personification of the Maras or the devils of temptations who were set to disrupt the deep meditation of Lord Gautam Buddha.
Thus Gai jatra seems to have many interesting insights to offer for festival watchers. Very often rich families organize dramatic recitation of Ramayana in the streets by hiring renowned artists and musicians on this day.
Another attraction of this festival is the masquerade. On this day (and also in the days that follow), many people dress up in the oddest possible robes and go round the city. Some of them are clad only in rags and some in straw and hay to make themselves look funny. A number of these showmen have their face painted to make themselves look like devils. According to a Hindu tradition these are regarded to represent the ghostly spirits lost and lamented and wandering around on their way to the world of the dead. However, the Buddhist version of this masquerade is quite different. According to them, these masquerading ones are none other than the personification of the Maras or the devils of temptations who were set to disrupt the deep meditation of Lord Gautam Buddha.
Thus Gai jatra seems to have many interesting insights to offer for festival watchers. Very often rich families organize dramatic recitation of Ramayana in the streets by hiring renowned artists and musicians on this day.
EXPEDITION
Nepal being the paradise of trekkers and mountaineers, mountain expedition have been a common feature of Nepal. Expedition parties from many parts of the world visit Nepal to conquer the challenging peaks and snow walls almost every year. The conquering of Mt. Sagarmatha (Everest), the world’s highest peak (29,028 ft.) by Tenzing Norgay Sherpa (born in eastern Nepal) and Edmund Hillary (of New Zealand) in 1953 has been the glorious landmark of all expeditions. Many other expeditions have, since, scaled various challenging peaks including Mt. Everest successfully. Adventurous expeditions have become synonymous with popular sport or an agenda of life for individuals, groups or the nations. Hence, hundreds of expedition teams scale various peaks of Nepal every year these days.
EVEREST, MT
The highest peak of the world, Mt. Everest or Mt. Sagarmatha is the crown of the greatest Himalayan range known as Khumbu Himal or Mahalangur Himal. This world-famous peak has been linked with many adventures of mankind, innumerable pieces of literature and the religious and cultural life of Nepal, India and several other countries. Attempted since 1922, this peak was first conquered by two members of a British group of mountaineers led by Col. Hunt in 1953. They were Tenzing Norgay Sherpa (born in Nepal) and Edmund Hillary (New Zealander).
ETHNICITY
Nepal has a very diverse network of cultures, languages and ethnicity just as its diverse geographical locations and topography. In the northern regions or in the high altitude Himalayan regions, live the Tibetan-speaking groups namely Sherpas, Dolpas, Lopas, Baragaonlis, Manangis. The Sherpas are mainly found in the east in the Solu and Khumbu region; the Baragaonlis and Lopas live in the semi-deserted areas of Upper and Lower Mustang in the Tibetan rain-shadow area; the Managis live in Manang district area; while the Dolpos live in Dolpa district of West Nepal, one of the highest settlements on our planet at 4,000 meters.
A diverse set of ethnic groups live in the middle mountain ranges, hills and the valleys. Diverse ethnic groups living together in harmony may be noted as a great tradition of the middle hills and valleys. The following groups of people are commonly found living in the mid-hills: Magars, Gurungs, Tamangs, Sunuwars, Newars, Thakalis, Chepangs, Brahmans and Chhetris. Brahmans and Chhetris are comparatively larger communities and their dominance in various walks of life in Nepal is noticeable. Other occupational groups of people are Damai (tailor), Sarki (cobbler), Kami (blacksmith) and Sunar (goldsmiths).
The Kathmandu Valley represents a cultural cauldron of the country, where, people from varied backgrounds live together. It is model area of cultural dilution, a melting pot of Nepal. The natives of Kathmandu Valley are the Newars. They are generally termed as one ethnic group these days, but it is, in fact, a diluted and integrated nation of diverse ethnic groups of people who came to Kathmandu valley at different times in course of the history. Newari culture is also an integration of both Hinduism and Buddhism.
The main ethnic groups in the low-land plain areas of Nepal, popularly known as Terai, are the Tharus, Darai, Kumhal, Majhi, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Awadhi and Rajbanshi. There are many other groups like Majhi (fishermen), Kumhal (potter) and Danuwar (cart driver), Dhimal (???) etc.The following population breakdown shows the broad picture of major ethnic groups of Nepal.
POPULATION OF MAJOR ETHNIC GROUPS
ETHNIC GROUP POPULATION
BRAHMAN 23,88,455
CHHETRI 29,68,082
CHEPANG 36,656
GURUNG 4,49,189
LIMBU 2,97,186
MUSLIM 6,53,055
MAGAR 13,39,308
NEWAR 10,41,090
RAI 5,25,551
RAUTE 2,878
SHERPA 1,10,358
THARU 11,94,224
THAKURI 2,99,473
THAKALI 13,731
TAMANG 10,18,252
A diverse set of ethnic groups live in the middle mountain ranges, hills and the valleys. Diverse ethnic groups living together in harmony may be noted as a great tradition of the middle hills and valleys. The following groups of people are commonly found living in the mid-hills: Magars, Gurungs, Tamangs, Sunuwars, Newars, Thakalis, Chepangs, Brahmans and Chhetris. Brahmans and Chhetris are comparatively larger communities and their dominance in various walks of life in Nepal is noticeable. Other occupational groups of people are Damai (tailor), Sarki (cobbler), Kami (blacksmith) and Sunar (goldsmiths).
The Kathmandu Valley represents a cultural cauldron of the country, where, people from varied backgrounds live together. It is model area of cultural dilution, a melting pot of Nepal. The natives of Kathmandu Valley are the Newars. They are generally termed as one ethnic group these days, but it is, in fact, a diluted and integrated nation of diverse ethnic groups of people who came to Kathmandu valley at different times in course of the history. Newari culture is also an integration of both Hinduism and Buddhism.
The main ethnic groups in the low-land plain areas of Nepal, popularly known as Terai, are the Tharus, Darai, Kumhal, Majhi, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Awadhi and Rajbanshi. There are many other groups like Majhi (fishermen), Kumhal (potter) and Danuwar (cart driver), Dhimal (???) etc.The following population breakdown shows the broad picture of major ethnic groups of Nepal.
POPULATION OF MAJOR ETHNIC GROUPS
ETHNIC GROUP POPULATION
BRAHMAN 23,88,455
CHHETRI 29,68,082
CHEPANG 36,656
GURUNG 4,49,189
LIMBU 2,97,186
MUSLIM 6,53,055
MAGAR 13,39,308
NEWAR 10,41,090
RAI 5,25,551
RAUTE 2,878
SHERPA 1,10,358
THARU 11,94,224
THAKURI 2,99,473
THAKALI 13,731
TAMANG 10,18,252
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