Nepal
has been the dreamland of the tourists for a long
time. Nepal invites, welcomes, charms and bewilders
the visitors. Those who have already visited Nepal
cherish and desire for a second visit and those
who have heard or read about the kingdom make
a plan to visit the country.
Although
a tiny kingdom, Nepal is rich in its diversity
of culture, ethnicity, art and religion.Nepal
is the only country that is a Hindu state, boasts
tremendous religious tolerance of the many faiths
practiced within its borders.
Hindus
predominate in Nepal as 86.5% of the population.The
next largest religious groups consist of Buddhists,
7.8%, and Muslims, 3.5% of the population.Common
to all of these religions is the integration of
religious expression within everyday life. In
contrast with Western religions, these religions
involve codes for- individual behavior and daily
rites of worship. In the morning, people gather
at temples, sanctuaries or river banks to offer
prayers and puja.
Architecture
People
walking the streets of Kathmandu cannot fail to
notice the abundance of religious buildings in
the city. Temples exist near or around royal palaces,
as well as at important geographical locations
including the top of hills, river banks or near
wells. Private temples were built anywhere and
can be found in almost every neighbourhood.
Temples
are usually one of three types; pagodas, shikaras
or stupas. Stupas are exclusively a Buddhist temple,
but pagodas and shikaras may be Hindu or Buddhist.
Buddhist temples are almost always surrounded
by a wall with a defined entrance way. A wall
of prayer wheels often surrounds the temple. Whether
Hindu or Buddhist, these temples are not places
of religious gatherings popular within Christianity
and Muslim religions but are sites of individual
worship.
Modern
Nepal
Although
rooted in this rich cultural heritage, Nepal is
still a modern Kingdom where you find all the
niceties of life. Khatmandu is full of five star
hotels and good accommodation with casinos in
most major hotels, where tourists go to spend
the evenings. Gambling at games such as roulette,
blackjack, slot machines and one hand bandits
is still the norm at Yak & Yetti. Give
it a try and you might end up paying your holiday
bills ! |
