Religion in Nepal
Encyclopedia
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
was the world's last constitutionally declared Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
state. But after the movement for democracy in early 2006 and the sacking of King Gyanendra, the Nepali Parliament amended the constitution to make Nepal a secular state.
History
According to the 2001 census, 80.6 percent of Nepalese are Hindu, 10.7 percent are Buddhist, 4.4% are MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, 3.6 percent are Kirat
Kirant
Kirat or Kirati are indigenous ethnic groups of the Himalayas extending eastward from Nepal into India, Burma and beyond. They migrated to their present locations via Assam, Burma, Tibet and Yunnan in ancient times...
(an indigenous religion with Hindu influence), 0.5 percent are Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, and 0.4 percent are classified as other groups such as Bön religion. Although the population is mostly Hindu, since the 1971 census Hindus have shown the greatest decline as a proportion of the population, and Buddhists and Kirats have increased the most: in 1971 Hindus were 89.4 percent of the population, Buddhists 7.5 percent, and Kirats statistically 0 percent. However, statistics on religious groups are complicated by the ubiquity of dual faith practices, particularly among Hindus and Buddhists. Moreover, shifts in the population's religious composition also reflect political changes.
The geographical distribution of religious groups in the early 1990s revealed a preponderance of Hindus, accounting for at least 87 percent of the population in every region. The largest concentrations of Buddhists were found in the eastern hills, the Kathmandu Valley
Kathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Valley , located in Nepal, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of Asia, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several places of pilgrimage for the Hindus and the Buddhists. There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites within this valley.-Etymology:The city of...
, and the central Tarai; in each area about 10 percent of the people were Buddhist. Buddhism was more common among the Newar
Newar
The Newa , Newār or Newāl) are the indigenous people and the creators of the historical civilization of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. The valley and surrounding territory have been known from ancient times as Nepal Mandala, its limits ever changing through history.Newas have lived in the Kathmandu...
and Tibeto-Nepalese
Ethnicity and caste in Nepal
- Caste :Caste systems are hereditary systems of social class in many parts of the world. Today, it is most commonly associated with the Indian caste system and the varna in Hinduism. In a caste society, the assignment of individuals to places in the social hierarchy is decided by birth or...
groups. Among the Tibeto-Nepalese, those most influenced by Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
were the Magar, Sunwar
Sunwar
Sunuwar or Sunwar are one of the indigenous peoples of Nepal and some areas in India. The tribe is influenced by Hinduism. They speak the Sunuwar language...
, and Rai
Rai (ethnic group)
The Rai are one of Nepal's most ancient indigenous ethnolinguistic groups. They were Raya meaning king. Once someone was recognized as a ruler then Hindus awarded the title Raja, Rai, Raya, Malla etc. When the king Pritivi Narayan Shah couldn't defeat Kirant king , he somehow took them in...
peoples. Hindu influence was less prominent among the Gurung
Gurung
The Gurung people, also called Tamu, are an ethnic group that migrated from Mongolia in the 6th century to the central region of Nepal. Gurungs, like other east Asian featured peoples of Nepal such as Sherpa, Tamang, Thakali, Magar, Manaaggi, Mustaaggi, and Walunggi, are the indigenous people of...
, Limbu
Limbu people
The Yakthung or Limbu tribes and clans belong to the Kirati nation or to the Kirat confederation.They are indigenous to the hill and mountainous regions of east Nepal between the Arun and Mechi rivers to as far as Southern Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim....
, Bhote, and Thakali
Thakali
The Thakali are ethnolinguistic group originated from the Thak Khola region of the Mustang District in the Dhaulagiri zone of Nepal. Thakali, like Mutanggi their ancestors, culture and traditions are traced back to ancient himalayan region...
groups, who continued to employ Buddhist monks for their religious ceremonies. Since both Hinduism as well as Buddhism are Dharmic religions, they usually accept each others practices and many people practice a combination of both.
Buddhism and Hinduism in Nepalese culture
It is even believed, according to Nepalese mythology that Lord BrahmaBrahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
, Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
and Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
had come to Nepal in the form of deer.
Also, the people of Nepal follow Buddhism and Hinduism together. Due to the existence of religious tolerance, it is difficult to separate the modern religious life of the people of Nepal. Same person follows Hinduism and Buddhism at the same time. They celebrate Dashain and Buddha Jayanti regardless of what their religious category is. As the time passed by from the Lichhavi period, the people of Kathmandu followed both religions (Hinduism and Buddhism) and along with the tradition. The Nepalese citizen never knew they would be later divided into Hindus and Buddhist. Nepal was declared a "Hindu Kingdom" by king Prithvi Narayan Shah. In Nepal, it is hard to separate who is a Hindu or a Buddhist; they perform the same cultures, celebrate the same holidays and never work as a team. Hinduism and Buddhism has a unique combination in the society of Nepal. A Hindu in Nepal never hates a Buddhist and vice versa. Instead, they respect each other. In terms of respecting another religion and performing religious ceremony, a Buddhist in Nepal is different from a Buddhist in Japan and a Hindu in Nepal is different from a Hindu in India. The Buddhist and Hindus of Nepal follow the same culture and tradition and don't emphasize on what religion they belong to.
Establishment of Nepal by Ne Muni
He used to perform religious ceremonies at Teku, the confluence of the Bagmati and Bishnumati rivers. He is said by legend to have selected a pious cowherd to be the first of the many kings of the Gopala Dynasty. These rulers are said to have ruled Nepal for over 500 years. He selected Bhuktaman to be the first king in the line of the Gopal (Cowherd) Dynasty. The Gopal dynasty ruled for 621 years. Yakshya Gupta was the last king of this dynasty.However,this mythology can be challenged as no such name as Ne exists in Nepali or other Sanskrit-derived languages.Flag of Nepal
It is believed that Lord VishnuVishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
had organized the Nepali people
Nepali people
Nepali people can refer to:*People of Nepal*Ethnic Nepalis of Indian citizenry residing in Gorkhaland area of West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and other parts of India.* Indian Gorkhas*Lhotshampas of Bhutan.*Nepali diaspora the world over....
and given them this flag, with the sun and moon as emblems on it.
In a Hindu Purana, it is written that it was Lord Shiva who handed the flag to Lord Vishnu, and then Lord Vishnu to Lord Indra, for the purpose for battling demons.
This type of Flag is seen in all Temples of Nepal and India. This is basically a design of flag that was carried by the Kingdoms since Hinduism was established. India managed to change the shape of its flag into a rectangular flag as is has all types of religions followed; but Nepal held in the Hindu traditional flag and thus has a unique flag no other country has.
Gorakhnath and Gurkhas
It is said that came to Nepal in the reign of the 8th Thakuri King.The Gurkhas of Nepal are the descendants of Gorakhnath of the Nath sect. Gorakhnath was a disciple of Machendranath, a backward-caste saint.
Machendrajatra is a national festival in Nepal to celebrate the birth of the saint. The Gurkha war-cry to this day is "Guru Gorakhnath ki jai".
According to a Terai myth, when the Pandavas were ascending to heaven, they all fell, but Bhima from the Pandava brothers was rescued by Gorakhnath.
One Nepalese myth says that as Gorakhnath arrived in Nepal, the terrible dought in occurring in the period halted!
Buddha's lineage from Vedic Sages
Lord Buddha is said to be a descendant of Sage Angirasa in many Buddhist texts. Scholars like Dr. Eitel too connect the name to the Rishi Gautama.Placenames from Hindu icons
There are many places in Nepal with names signifying icons in Hindu history.Janakpur is the name of a city, named after Raja Janaka, the father of Sita. The modern-city is the capital of the Janakpur Zone
Janakpur Zone
Janakpur Zone The headquarters of Janakpur zone and its main city is Janakpur. Close to the Indian border, it is a historic city of Hinduism. The city was believed to be the capital city of the King Janak, the father in law of Lord Rama, the son of the then King of Ayodhya, Dasharatha. The city...
.
The Mahakali Zone
Mahakali Zone
Mahakali|Kali River]] or Mahakali River, which originates from Kalapani.Mahakali's headquarter is Mahendranagar in Kanchanpur District. The zone covers the Himalayan range including Api Peak in the North, Hill valleys, Inner Terai valleys such as Patan in Baitadi District in the center and the...
is also the name of a collection of districts, named after Kali Maa
Kali
' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...
. Within this zone, there is also the Mahakali River.
Mahabharata is the name of a town in Nepal, named after the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
/Kurukshetra War
Kurukshetra war
According to the Indian epic poem Mahābhārata, a dynastic succession struggle between two groups of cousins of an Indo-Aryan kingdom called Kuru, the Kauravas and Pandavas, for the throne of Hastinapura resulted in the Kurukshetra War in which a number of ancient kingdoms participated as allies of...
.
The Kapilvastu District
Kapilvastu District
Kapilvastu district of 481,976.-Geography:The district situated at the height of 93 to 1491 meters from sea level. Geographically, the district can be divided into plain low lands of terai and low Chure hills.Kapilvastu is bounded by-...
is named after Sage Kapila.
The Vyasa
Vyasa
Vyasa is a central and revered figure in most Hindu traditions. He is also sometimes called Veda Vyasa , or Krishna Dvaipayana...
Valley is the name given to the (near the Lipu-Lekh pass at the border between India and Tiblet) and Kailash Lake Mansarovar.
See also
- Buddhism in NepalBuddhism in NepalBuddha was born in Shakya kingdom which lies in Rupandehi district, Lumbini zone of Nepal.10.74% of Nepal's population practice Buddhism, consisting mainly of groups of Tibeto-Burman origin.-Overview:...
- Hinduism in NepalHinduism in NepalHinduism is the major religion of Nepal. In the 2001 census, approximately 80.6 percent of the Nepalese people identified themselves as Hindus. Buddhists constitute 10.7%. The remainder followed other religions...
- Islam in NepalIslam in NepalIslam is a minority religion in Nepal. According to the 2001 Nepal census, 4.27% of the population are Muslim.Islam is thought to have been introduced by Indian Muslims settling in Nepal....
- Nepali MuslimsNepali MuslimsNepali Muslims, while they are mainly Sunni, constitute a heterogeneous group. Their ancestors arrived in Nepal from different parts of South Asia and Tibet during different epochs, and have since lived amidst the numerically dominant Hindus. About 97% of the Muslim community live in the Terai...
- Nepali Muslims
- History of the Jews in NepalHistory of the Jews in NepalThe permanent Jewish community in Nepal is very small and consists largely of diplomatic officials and Chabad staff.Nepal established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1960. Among Jews, Nepal is known as the premier destination of Israeli backpackers. In 1986, the Israeli embassy in the Thamel...
- Christianity in NepalChristianity in NepalProtestant Christians came to Nepal primarily through the Nepalese who were living outside of Nepal during and prior to the Rana Regime. After the collapse of Ranas rule in Nepal in 1950, Nepali Christians living in India came in, along with some western missionaries...
- Bahá'í Faith in NepalBahá'í Faith in NepalThe Bahá'í Faith in Nepal begins after a Nepalese leader encountered the religion in his travels before World War II. Following World War II, the first known Bahá'í to entire Nepal was about 1952 in the person N. P. Sinha who moved to Birganj and the first Nepalese Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly...