Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Geography of Nepal

Geography of Nepal is uncommonly diverse. Nepal is of roughly trapezoidal shape, 800 kilometres (500 mi) long and 200 kilometres (125 mi) wide, with an area of 147,181 square kilometres (56,827 sq mi). See List of territories by size for the comparative size of Nepal.
Nepal is commonly divided into three physiographic areas: the Mountain, Hill, Siwalik region and Terai Regions. These ecological belts run east-west and are vertically intersected by Nepal's major, north to south flowing river systems.
The southern lowland Plains bordering India are part of the northern rim of the Indo-Gangetic plains. They were formed and are fed by three major rivers: the Kosi, the Narayani, and the Karnali. This region has a hot, humid climate.
The Hill Region (Pahad) abuts the mountains and varies from 1,000 to 4,000 metres (3,300–13,125 ft) in altitude. Two low mountain ranges, the Mahabharat Lekh and Shiwalik Range (also called the Churia Range) dominate the region. The hilly belt includes the Kathmandu Valley, the country's most fertile and urbanised area. Unlike the valleys called Inner Tarai (Bhitri Tarai Uptyaka), elevations above 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) are sparsely populated.

Mount Everest
The Mountain Region, situated in the Great Himalayan Range, makes up the northern part of Nepal. It contains the regions of highest altitude in the world; the world's highest mountain, 8,850 metres (29,035 ft) height Mount Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepali) is located here on the border with Tibet. Seven other of the world's ten highest mountains are located in Nepal: Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Kanchenjunga, Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu.

The arid and barren Himalayan landscape.
Nepal has five climatic zones, broadly corresponding to the altitudes. The tropical and subtropical zones lie below 1,200 metres (3,940 ft), the temperate zone 1,200 to 2,400 metres (3,900–7,875 ft), the cold zone 2,400 to 3,600 metres (7,875–11,800 ft), the subarctic zone 3,600 to 4,400 metres (11,800–14,400 ft), and the Arctic zone above 4,400 metres (14,400 ft).
Nepal experiences five seasons: summer, monsoon, autumn, winter and spring. The Himalaya blocks cold winds from Central Asia in the winter and forms the northern limit of the monsoon wind patterns. In a land once thickly forested, deforestation is a major problem in all regions, with resulting erosion and degradation of ecosystems.
Nepal is popular for mountaineering, containing some of the highest and most challenging mountains in the world, including Mount Everest. Technically, the south-east ridge on the Nepali side of the mountain is easier to climb; so, most climbers prefer to trek to Everest through Nepal.
Until the Sugauli Sandhi (treaty) was signed, the territory of Nepal also included Darjeeling, and Tista to the east, Nainital to the south-west and Kumaun, Garwal and Bashahar to the west. However, today these areas are a part of India. As a result, Nepal shares no boundary with Bangladesh now and the two countries are separated by a narrow strip of land about 21 kilometres (13 mi) wide, called the Siliguri Corridor‎ or Chicken's Neck. A huge majority of Nepalese still live there (almost 2 million). Efforts are underway to make this area a free-trade zone.[28] The border dispute between India and Nepal has often been a cause of tension between the two countries.
Prehistory

Kathmandu Valley
Neolithic tools found in the Kathmandu Valley indicate that people have been living in the Himalayan region for at least 9,000 years. It appears that Kirant ethnicity people were the first people to settle in
How we came about and History of our ancestors..




Kirat-or Kirati- means people with lion nature. It is derived from two words Kira= Lion and Ti- people. It refers to the Kirati group or a Kirata confederation that includes the Limbu, Rai, Yakkha and Sunuwar ethnic groups of Nepal. They were the earliest inhabitants of Nepal. Dhimal, Hayu, Koch, Thami, Tharu, Chepang, and Surel ethnic groups also consider themselves to be of Kirati descent.[1]



Religion

The Kirant follow Kirant Mundhum. Their holy book is the Mundhum also known as the Kirant Veda.[6] Kirant Rai people worship Nature and ancestors, Animism and Shamanism, believing in a their primeval ancestors, SumnimaParuhang. Some names for festivals they celebrate include Sakela, Sakle, Toshi, Sakewa, Saleladi Bhunmidev, Chyabrung, Yokwa and Folsyandar. They have two main festivals: Sakela/Sakewa Uvauli, during plantation season; and Sakela/Sakewa Udhauli, in the time of the harvest.
Kirant Limbu people believe in Supreme God Tagera Ningwaphuma, who is also known as the supreme knowledge .[7] Ancestor Yuma Sammang and God of War Theba Sammang are second most important deities.
Many of the Kirant that were outside of Hinduism did convert by the ruling elites of later days Nepal[8]
There is a giant Linga of the Kirant at Kirantaeshvara. It possibly had a Kirant name but all such evidence was destroyed by the next rulers of Nepal[9]
There is a tradition amongst the Kirant Limbus there the reclining Vishnu found at Budhanilakantha is the ancestor of the Limbus. Many of them don't know because Brahmin or Chetri people who live in Kathmandu won't let them to pray budhanilkantha. There are mainly three Budhanilkantha and no one knows which one is original. [10]





















History


[edit] Mentioned as Kiratas in Mahabharat epic
Main article: Kirata Kingdom
The Kiratas (Sanskrit: किरात) mentioned in early Hindu texts are the tribals of the forest and mountains. They are mentioned along with Cinas (Chinese). Kirati languages belong to Tibeto-Burman family of Languages . Kiratas have been identified as the present day Rai, Limbu and Sunuwar of Nepal.

King Yalamba Haang- First Kirata King
In Yoga Vasistha 1.15.5 Rama speaks of "kirAteneva vAgurA", "a trap [laid] by Kiratas", so about BCE Xth Century, they were thought of as jungle trappers, the ones who dug pits to capture roving deer. The same text also speaks of King Suraghu, the head of the Kiratas who is a friend of the Persian King, Parigha.
Hindu myth has many incidents where their God Shiva has imitated a Kirat person. [11]
History of Kirats describes some of the achievements of Kirata people in eastern Nepal


Background

Historians today are convinced that a widespread cultural conflict took place in the eastern Himalayan region between the indigenous inhabitants – called the Kirat – and the Tibetan migrant population, reaching a climax during the 18th and 19th centuries. Another wave of political and cultural conflict, between Gorkhali and Kirat ideals, surfaced in the Kirat region of present-day Nepal during the last quarter of the 18th century. A collection of manuscripts from the 18th and 19th centuries, till now unpublished and unstudied by historians, have made possible a new understanding of this conflict. These historical sources are among those collected by Brian Houghton Hodgson – a British diplomat and self-trained Orientalist appointed to the Kathmandu court during the second quarter of the 19th century – and his principal research aide, the Newar scholar Khardar Jitmohan.

The Map of Limbuwan.
For over two millennia, a large portion of the eastern Himalaya has been identified as the home of the Kirat people, of which the majority are known today as Rai, Limbu, Yakha and Lepcha. In ancient times, the entire Himalayan region was known as the kimpurusha desha, a phrase derived from a Sanskrit term used to identify people of Kirat origin. These people were also known as nep, to which the name nepala is believed to have an etymological link. The earliest references to the Kirat as principal inhabitants of the Himalayan region are found in the texts of Atharvashirsha and Mahabharata, believed to date to before the 9th century BC. For over a millennium, the Kirat had also inhabited the Kathmandu Valley, where they installed their own ruling dynasty. This Kirat population in the valley, along with original Australoids and Austro-Asiatic speakers form the base for later Newar population. As time passed, however, those Kirat, now known as the Limbu settled mostly in the Koshi region of present-day eastern Nepal and Sikkim.
From around the 8th century, areas on the northern frontier of the Kirat region began to fall under the domination of migrant people of Tibetan origin. This flux of migration brought about the domination by Tibetan religious and cultural practices over ancient Kirat traditions. This influence first imposed shamanistic Bön practices, which in turn were later replaced by the oldest form of Tibetan Buddhism. The early influx of Bön culture to the peripheral Himalayan regions occurred only after the advent of the Nyingma, the oldest Buddhist order in Lhasa and Central Tibet, which led followers of the older religion to flee to the Kirat areas for survival. The Tibetan cultural influx ultimately laid the foundation for a Tibetan politico-religious order in the Kirat regions, and this led to the emergence of two major Tibetan Buddhist dynasties: in Sikkim and Bhutan. The early political order of the Kingdom of Bhutan had been established under the political and spiritual leadership of the lama Zhabs-drung Ngawang Namgyal. Consequently, Bhutan used to be known in the Himalayan region as the ‘kingdom of [Buddhist] spiritual rule’ (in old Nepali, dharmaako desh). The Tibetan rulers of Sikkim were also known as Chögyal, or spiritual rulers.
Both of these kingdoms adopted policies of suppression of indigenous practices, replacing them with those of Tibetan Buddhism. Bhutan's religious rulers established a tradition of appointing religious missions to other Himalayan kingdoms and areas, through which they were able to establish extensive influence in the region. Bhutan's ambitious missions were sent as far west as Ladakh. Even before the founding of modern Nepal by Prithvi Narayan Shah of Gorkha in 1769, Bhutan's rulers were able to establish spiritual centres in several parts of what was to become the former's territories, including Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Gorkha and Vijayapur in the midhills, and Mustang, north of the central Himalayan range.
Sikkim had long been home to Lepcha Kirat people and culture. Under the guidance of Tibetan Buddhist lamas, however, their self-rule and cultural independence was suddenly taken away. Sikkim kings were even able to subdue the entire far-eastern part of the Kirat region – historically known as Limbuwan – for at least a short period of time. Here, the new rulers adopted policies of religious and cultural subjugation, encouraging Sikkim lamas to travel to places of strategic importance in order to establish monastic centres. But the indigenous population did not easily surrender themselves to this cultural invasion. Limbu and Lepcha manuscripts collected by Brian Houghton Hodgson in Darjeeling indicate significant resistance by the Kirat against Tibetan Buddhist rule and cultural domination. While much of this struggle consisted of attempts to strengthen cultural awareness, there were also violent engagements between Kirat communities and their new rulers.

RAI

The Rai, also known as the Khambu(people of Khumbu region). They are one of Nepal's most ancient indigenous ethnolinguistic groups. The Rai(Khambu) belong to the Kirati group or the Kirat confederation that includes the Limbu, the Sunuwar, Yakkha Dhimal, Koche, Meche,Hayu ethnic groups.
According to Professor Dor Bahadur Bista(anthropologist,Tribhuvan University) and late Professor Suniti Kumar Chatterji(linguist and Kiratologist,Calcutta university)Kirats migrated from east via north Burma and Assam along the mid-hills(lower mountains) along with their pigs in ancient times.(ref.30,31).
According to Prof. Suniti Kumar Chatterji(linguist and kiratologist) and other prominent linguists,Rai,Limbu,and Dhimal languages are Pronominalised(Austric/Kol influence)strongly indicating earliest migratory wave of these peoples compared to other Tibeto-Burmans whose languages are non-pronominalised.(ref.31)
The traditional homeland of the Rai(Khambu) extends across Solukhumbu,Okhaldhunga (Wallo Kirat or Near Kirat), home of the Bahing,Wambule subgroups), Khotang, Bhojpur and the Udayapur districts (Majh Kirat or Central Kirat),home of Bantawa,Chamling etc. in the northeastern hilly/mountainous region of Nepal, west of the Arun River in the Sun Koshi River watershed. Rais are also found in significant numbers in the Indian state of Sikkim and in the northern West Bengal towns of Kalimpong and Darjeeling.





According to Nepal's 2001 census, there are 635,751 Rai(Khambu) in Nepal which represents 2.79% of the total population. Of this number, 70.89% declared themseleves as practising the traditional (Kiranti/Kirant) religion and 25.00% declared themselves as Hindu. Yakkha were measured as a separate ethnic group of which 81.43% were Kirant and 14.17% were Hindu. The Rai are divided into many different sub-groups - Bantawa, Chamling, Sampang, Dumi, Jerung, Kulung, Khaling, Lohorung, Mewahang, Rakhali, Thulung,Tamla, Tilung, Wambule, Yakkha, Yamphu, Sunuwar, Jero (Jerung) , etc. Some groups number only a few hundred members. The languages together with the traditional religion of the Rai is known as Kirant.
More than 32 different Kiranti languages and dialects are recognized within the Tibeto-Burman languages family.Their languages are Pronominalised Tibeto-Burman languages,indicating their antiquity. The oral language is rich and ancient, as is Kiranti history, but the written script remains yet to be properly organised as nearly all traces of it was destroyed by the next rulers of Nepal, The Lichhavis and almost eradicated by the Shah dynasty.
The traditional Kiranti religion, predating Hinduism and Buddhism, is based on ancestor-worship and the placation of ancestor spirits through elaborate rituals governed by rules called Mundhum. Sumnima-Paruhang are worshipped as primordial parents. A major Rai holiday is the harvest festival, Nwogi, when fresh harvested foods are shared by all. The Bijuwa and Nakchhung (Dhami) or Priest plays an important role in Rai communities.
They do not truly belong to the Caste system or Varna system although few have accepted the kshatriya status.Majority of Rai have never accepted Casteism and never adopeted a Caste(Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities and Nepal government have recognised this fact)(29)
Because of the fiercely independent nature of the Rai community and its location at the eastern end of the consolidated Nepalese nation-state, the Rai were given exceptional rights of Kipat autonomy and land ownership in their homeland of Majh (middle) Kirant.
Subsistence agriculture of rice, millet, wheat, corn and even cotton is the main occupation of the Rai although many Rai have been recruited into military service with the Nepali army and police, and the Indian and British Gurkha regiments and Singapore Police Force.
Rai women decorate themselves lavishly with silver and gold coin jewellery. Marriage unions are usually monogamous and arranged by parents, although "love marriage",bride capture(in the past) and elopement are alternative methods. Music (traditional drums and string instruments: yele, binayo, murchunga, dhol and jhyamta), dance (Sakela or Sakewa dance) and distilled spirits (alcohol) called aaraakha, ngashi, or waasim are central to Rai culture.
Sakela or Sakewa dance is the greatest religious festival of Kirant Rai.
Well the times 1151am and the dates 13th May 2009.. And i am here..
Well many things happened and on 8th May 2009 Dhurba left with
Hemantha Dai, Chabi Dai and Narayan. Well it was a suprising they
left. I dont know but maybe its for their best. Ones need to decide
whats best for themselves... I dont know but well its kind of lonely
now days.. And other than that finance not so good and spending
times in library.. to kill the time and the... Well nothing special except
day in day out.. but its better than nothing.. Any way later going down
for a Dunhill cigarette.. And
By the time you receive this sms you would be sleeping soundly..
lost in your dream.. Its very true, sometimes when we plan no
matter how much effort it is put into, nothing works out. Thats
why some just go with the flow. And this is what is happening
to me and i am getting lost. Dont know if i would ever be able to
make it out of my lost world. Even if i do will i be able to live a
normal life.. this confuses me..guess i think too much.. may be
this is where my mistake is .. i dont know and i will fight for
my own and try to make it out.. if not i will accept what ever
may come.. cause some people are not ment to lead.. and i
will still accept it..





We are only human being.. we make mistake or are forced to
make mistake. We are vanurable creature but most important
we learn an important lesson in out every day life. We cant
regret but become stronger person day in day out. I have
learned to accept life the way it is and to forget and forgive
the past mistake i have made in my life..





Life is like so funny, sad, unpredictable, strange, mystery, and
so on.. The things we want in life we never get.. Although we
strive we are never happy with the outcome.. we try to content
our heart but always feeling something is lacking.. Some times
confused and lost.. Dont know exactly who we are.. Just follow
what may come by and accepting to be who we are.. Its just
expression that we want to show thats all and lets face this
life that we have to face..





They say that marriage is made in heaven.. But i say no cause it is
between two souls committing in a relationship and finding out that
they are ment to be for each other.. And thats when they take vow
in " I DO'.. With this i would like to say congraluation..





Love is what i felt something magical.. But as i analyze. I think it is
something of a communication, trust, understanding, respect, bonding,
forgiving,,, Cause it is what we call the sharing the life with each other
till the time..





Dont know why my tears drops.. I think it is better to let it..so that all
the sorrow and pain will flow away with it and i will be able to face a
new lease of life.. Its better to release than to carry it around.. at least
it will be a comfort to the heart rather than keep.. At least i am being
honest rather than hide it...





Well i am happy so long as i am living and going forward and nothing
stops my journey as i move on. I dont really care what i do and how
shameful i get myself into as long i dont blame others. But frankly i am
where i am because of others.. Its my right to blame others or their
their right to be blamed..





As i smoke my cigarette.. Inhale and exhale the smoke.. It gives me
the pleasure of releasing my inner doubt and refresh myself.. What is this
drug that i cant live without having a puff or two.. I tried to quit but just
cant and its taking my finance away.. What must i do to eliminate this bad
habit of mine.. Or what measure must i take to quite.. But will i be able to..
I dont know,, but i must try..





Our eyes only wants to see beautiful things.. Our heart only wants to feel
happy.. Our lips only wants to smile.. Our ear only wants to hear good things..
If we want all this than we are perfect human. Which means we are not
human. And i rather not want that..instead i will live my life to experience
that by engaging mysely in everything i do bad or good.. This will give more
meaning to my life and be able to experience all the emotion of human being..





31 years of my life has gone by and what can i say about myself. How
times passes by and how my mind passed by facing each and every obsticle
weather i learned anything or just wondered around. How i see the world
changed and how people cahnged. How i meet a whole lot of people and see
through their life and how they have taught me. How i longed for certain goal.
Some i achieved while most failed. Different mood in different situation
always telling myself it is ment to be this way. The problem created and still
trying to rectify. Some i leave it cause ther is no solution. Some times cherishing
my life and most of the time grumbling how it turned out this way. But as i
look back neither i can regret nor change it but to accept and move along
and bringing changes. Will i make it i dont know but i have to try. I just
cant believe i am 31





As i sit at the shade of a tree to relax my mind of all the problem that i
have.. How beautiful she looks with all the flowers bloomed and the wind
gently blowing giving me a piece of mind.. The very essence to life.. one by
one the flower drops after its lifetime of life.. how gracefully it drops
dancing in the air till it reaches the ground.. The birds in grouy playfully
enjoying the nectar from the flower and dancing with delight cause they will
have to wait for another season to bloom again.. how it gives life to other
creature to survive their daily life.. Without it there wont be anything.. What
better way to describe it than to see it with my own eyes and experience the
very meaning of life.. I feel very proud to be alive and cherish who i am cause
there can only be ME..





Well now i am at the same place where the tree bloomed last week. Even
though the tree has stopped blooming flower, it still give the birds shelter and
foods in other ways. The birds chippering way and enjoying the atmosphere
it gives. How meaningful it has given to the living things and how it stands
proudly day after days. And how beautiful she looks at the place where it
stands alone from cicilised atmosphere.. Without it how dull the place will
be.. Sometimes i think, how will the newer generation be able to experience
this beautiful nature. But as i grow older i realize we are the ones who is the
destiny to the newer generation. It is us that decides their fate. And if we
dont do something about it than the newer generation will not be able to
experience it...







WELL ABOVE WAS TYPED IN MY MOBILE PHONE
WHEN I HAD THE TIME TO TYPE.. SOME OF THEM
ARE ALMOST 3 MONTH OLD.. ITS JUST I COULD NOT
OR HAD THE TIME TO BLOG IT..