Tourism in Nepal.

"Travelers will cross many rivers and climb many mountains. Plainsmen may always live within a valley. But only those seeking truth will ever reach the summit."    — Anan, 11th century Indian saying.

---

Kathmandu

OK, I'm not going to say much about Nepal. First because I don't know much about it and second because there are books (and websites) with much better things than what I could write. We were not in Nepal long enough to have the time to learn much about the country, just playing tourists around Kathmandu for a few days before going on to Lhasa in Tibet and then to Cho-Oyu. Here are just a few pictures.

Nepal / Tibet. Katmandu / Lhassa. The same or different ? One on either side of the Himalaya. One city Indian at heart, the other forcefully Chinese. Late monsoon clouds drifting above bringing drizzles of rain. We spend some days in Katmandu, getting our gear ready in large heavy plastic drums that we roll all through the hotel, visiting Buddhist temples, sorting things out with the trekking agency. A hot an humid city, bursting with energy, cars surfing around the many pedestrians and bicycles. There we purchase our last missing pieces of equipment, try new foods, start getting sick too.
Like in many countries, the most interesting things to visit are the temples (Durbar Square in Patan, left). I wonder why... Looks like mankind has never been able to show much ingenuity for better things than religions (and war by the way)...<

Well, I don't want to criticize one of the only place in the world where two religions (Buddhism and Hinduism) manage to coexist peacefully. Some of the temples are even shared by statues of Buddhas (Right) and Hinduist gods (left). I know more than one country that could use their example...

Another original characteristic of the temples there is that they often show couples doing... interesting things (left). OK, this is the country that gave us the Kamasutra, but still, I wish we had such decorations on our churches ! And if you arrived on this page through a search engine keyword thinking of free image, no such luck, but you might as well lose more time here...

Statues of cow are omnipresent (left), and many cows still roam the city. But it's sad to think that their main food is garbage and they usually die choked by plastic bags. The monkey statue (right) looked strangely weird to me and I don't have an explanation for it or the chains around it.

Pashupatinah is a sacred Hindu city in Nepal, where Shadus come to pray (some of them are fakes just taking the pose for the tourists' cameras and, of course, asking money for it before going to have a smoke behind the temple) and pilgrims from all over Nepal come to bathe in the sacred waters of the Bagmati river (right). Many also come to die and be burnt by the river (the smoke on the left picture). If there is not enough wood, they just throw the remains in the river, among the playing kids...

Durbar Square in Bhaktapur impressed me more than most other places, maybe for its beautiful light passing through the last monsoon clouds or the red colors or the bricks and construction wood. The rain of the monsoon had one advantage, it had chased the tourists away.

Left: There were few tourists and the kids who usually work as self-appointed and non removable guides were spending their time talking sitting on the temples' steps or playing with kites. Many kites were visible on the electric wires or the temples adornments...

Right: The backstreets of Bhaktapur were also interesting and colorful: shops selling high-priced (and often false) Cashmere shawls, potter wheels in action, women throwing grain in the air, drying chilli peppers and corns...

Left: Since running water must not be a common commodity, most people can be seen washing up and doing their laundry at the many fountains in Katmandu.

Right: The fountains are usually below street level and some of them have been filled up and are full of playing kids... and floating trash !

"10 rupees" repeated ad nauseam is a sound that seem to surround every tourist walking near the temples, kids just out of the crib getting in your legs until you give them something or you step on them, so called 'guides' who propose to make your visit 'enjoyable', street sellers who mutter 'dope' under their breath hoping for a quick sell. It's amazing how by just looking at a tourist they can figure out which language to start a conversation with. And if they fail or if you feint miscommunication, they try everything from English to Japanese and Basque, just giving you enough time to run away in the meanwhile.

And after Nepal we took the plane to Lhasa, Tibet for the second part of the trip.

---

Counters: Page:91596, Section:3102657, Site:25295667.

Travel Information

Travel Information

Overview
The working area of Tourism Industry Division after the re-structuring of the Ministry in 2055 B.S. and 2057 B.S. has been specified as follows :
The work relating to tourist standard hotels and restaurants.
Travel, trekking, rafting and other business related to tourism.
Mountaineering, mountain tourism and all adventure tourism related work.
The work related with the establishment of sound relationship with the private sectors concerning to the field of tourism.
Similarly, this Division deals in issuing of permission to run tourism business, renew the permission, and to regulate it. It also regulates the mountaineering permission, mountaineering related rules & regulations and decisions. It also functions to provide information on the tourism industries through the six District Tourism Offices, based in Kakadbhitta, Janakpur, Birgunj, Pokhara, Bhairahawa and Nepalgunj.
Manpower
There are 60 personnel working in this Tourism Industry Division including 1 Joint Secretary, 2 Under Secretaries, 4 Section Officers ,1 Police Inspector and other assistants. Similarly there are 33 personnel working in six different tourism offices in six districts.

Sections running under the Tourism Industry Division :

Hotels, Restaurant and Travel Section
Trekking and Mountaineering Section
Tourist Police Unit
For further information :
Tourism Industry Division
Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel : 977 1 4256228 or 4256232, or 4247037
Fax No. : 977 1 4227281
E-mail : info@tourism.gov.np

Introduction in Nepal

Nepal is a landlocked Himalayan country between India and China. The tourism in Nepal consists of its ethereal mountain scenery and also its unique brand of syncretic Hindu and Buddhist religious practices.

The tourism in Nepal involves a large section of its general population. It constitutes the largest service industry of the Himalayan country. Nepal tourism is bolstered by the presence of the highest mountain in the world-Mount Everest. The country also is home to 8 of the10 highest mountains on earth. Nepal acts as a veritable magnet for persons following an active lifestyle. Mountaineers, rapellers and ski professionals regularly visit the country to hone their professional skills. The tourism industry in Nepal is responsible for a large portion of the foreign exchange coming into the country.

The tourist industry in Nepal employs 42% of the total working population in Nepal. It is the main source of economic sustenance after agriculture. Many Nepali people depend upon foreign tourists for their livelihood. The growth of organized tourism in Nepal has given rise to higher wages of the Nepali population depending upon tourist activity for their economic sustenance. Responsible tourism is practiced by the government to ensure that environmental degradation does not occur as a by-product of tourist activities.

History of Nepal

Nepal has seen many rulers and ruling dynasties. The earliest rulers were the Kirantis who ruled from 9th century B.C. to 1st century A.D. Legends and chronicles mention that the Indian Emperor Ashoka had come to Nepal and visited Lumbini, the place where the Buddha was born, and where he erected a huge stone pillar to commemorate his visit to that spot.

The Kirants were replaced by Licchavis who, according to the earliest evidences in inscriptions of the 5th century A.D. found in the courtyard of Changunarayan temple which is about 15 km north east of Kathmandu, ruled this country from 1st century to 9th century A.D. This period is noted for the many temples and fine sculptures built around the Kathmandu valley.

The Licchavis were followed by the Thakuris, and then came the Malla dynasty. The Mallas ruled focusing mainly on the Kathmandu Valley which has been the residence for most Nepali rulers from time immemorial. No other part of Nepal is as rich in cultural heritage as Kathmandu. Thanks to the exceptionally talented crafts-men, who dedicated themselves to construct the many temples and statues, we have seven world heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley itself.
In the 14th century A.D. King Jayasthiti Malla established a rigid social order. His grandson tried in every way to protect his country from suspected enemy states. Unfortunately, all his efforts were fruitless, everything went beyond his control and the country eventually divided up into 50 small feudal states including the three major ones in the valley.

Then came the Shah dynasty, which prevails even today. King Prithvi Narayan Shah, founder of Modern Nepal, who annexed small principalities including three states in the Kathmandu Valley and unified Nepal in a single kingdom. Recognizing the threat of the British Raj in India, he dismissed European missionaries from the country and for more than a century, Nepal remained in isolation.

During the mid-19th century Jung Bahadur Rana became Nepal's first prime minister to wield absolute power. He set up an oligarchy and the Shah Kings remained figureheads.

Culture of Nepal

Nepal is a landlocked country in Southern Asia, between China and India. It is one of the most fascinating countries in the world with its natural beauty, rich cultural heritage, towering Pagodas, spectacular Himalayanj Ranges with worlds highest peaks It contains eight of the world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest - the world's tallest - on the border with Tibet.

Culture is embedded in the high peaks of Nepal, tradition flows with its rivers, art traverses through its valleys and religion lies in the heart of its people. Nepal, in short, is a country where art, culture and religion are a part of life of the inhabitants. People celebrate every moment with aroma, adding novelty to the traditions without affecting their essence.

The culture of Nepal is a assemblage of music, architecture, religion and literature. This mountain kingdom is multi-ethic and multi-lingual. The land is rich with unique cultural groups like Tharu,Yadav, Ahir, Newars and others
It can hardly be considered, a dynamic national cuisine. On the other hand, Nepal has adapted famously to Western tastes, markedly evident in Katmandu's smorgasbord of menus: Mexican tacos; Japanese sukiyaki; Thai chocolate; Chinese marshmallows; onion and minestrone soup; borscht, quiche and soy burgers; and some of the best desserts - apple and lemon pies, almond layer cakes, fruit cakes - found anywhere in the world.

Festivals in Nepal

Nepal is called the land of festivals. There are more than 50 festivals celebrated in Nepal every year. While the national festivals have fixed dates, religious festivals are set by astrologers following the lunar calendar. The best part about the festivals in Nepal is that all the events are celebrated with the same enthusiasm and galore the way it used to be hundreds of years ago when people had no other means of entertainment.

New Year

It is known as “Navavarsha” in Nepal. Nepal has its official calendar that begins from the first day of month Baisakh. This very first day is observed as Nepali New Year which usually falls in the second week of April.

Lhosar (Tibetan New Year)

Lhosar is the New Year of the Tibetans and Sherpas of Nepal which falls in February. The Buddhist monasteries in Kathmandu like Boudhanath and Swayambhunath are decorated with eye catching colorful prayer flags pulling the crowd.

Saraswati Puja

It is a day to celebrate the birthday of Saraswati – the Goddess of education. This is a day when people from school students to scholars worship their pens and books to please the Goddess and expect her favor in their studies so they become wise and knowledgeable.

Shivaratri (Maha Shivaratri)

Night of Lord Shiva or Shivaratri that falls sometime between February/March is one of the major festivals of Nepal. This day is dedicated to the Lord of the Lords – Lord Shiva or Mahadev who lived in Mt. Kailash in the Himalayas. Lord Shiva is the most worshipped God in the Hindu religion.

More than 100,000 of Hindu devotees from India and Southeast Asia throng weeks ahead of the festival and gather in and around Pashupatinath temple – one of the holiest shrines of the Hindus in Kathmandu to pay their homage to Lord Shiva on his birthday.

Holi

This festival of water and colors that falls between February/March is also known as “Phagu” in Nepal. This day is observed to rejoice the extermination of female demon Holika who together with her King Brother conspired to kill his son Pralhad, an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu.

Ghode Jatra (Festival of Horses)

This festival takes place between March/April and a grand horse parade takes place at Tundikhel.

Buddha Jayanti

Buddha’s birth anniversary is celebrated every year during May in Nepal. On this day people swarm in Swayambhunath and Boudhanath to pay homage to Lord Buddha and also visit Buddha’s birth place in Lumbini and chant prayers and burn butter lamps.

Gai Jatra (Cow Festival)

Cow is regarded as a Goddess and it is also the national animal of Nepal. As per the tradition, the family who has lost a relative during the past one year must take part in a procession by sending young boys in cow like attire and walk through the streets of Kathmandu lead by a cow.

This festival also purges many who have lost their loved ones as they get to console themselves as to they are not the only ones who have been bereaved and it also teaches to accept death as a part of life. This festival of cow is celebrated every year in August/September.

Krishna Janmastami

Krishna Janmastami is birth anniversary of Lord Sri Krishna, believed to be the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu falls sometime in August/September.

Teej

This festival is celebrated in August/September. This is a Hindu married woman’s day for her man. Women clad in beautiful red saris with shining potes, singing and dancing is the sight almost everywhere in Nepal during the festival of Teej.

Indra Jatra

Lord Indra- the God of Rain and also the King of Heaven is celebrated by both the Buddhists and Hindus in Nepal in August/September. This festival lasts for eight days with singing, mask dancing and rejoicing.

Tihar

Tihar is the festival of lights that falls between October/ November is the second biggest festival after Dashain. This festival lasts for five days and people worship Laxmi – the Goddess of Wealth. On this very day, the Newari New Year which is also known as Nepal Sambat begins. The festival ends with Bhai Tika – brothers’ day when his sisters worship him for his long and healthy life to safeguard the lives of his sisters.

Dashain (Bijaya Dashami)

During the month of Kartik (late September and early October), the Nepalese people indulge in the biggest festival of the year, Dashain. Dashain is the longest and the most auspicious festival in the Nepalese annual calendar, celebrated by Nepalese of all caste and creed throughout the country. The fifteen days of celebration occurs during the bright lunar fortnight ending on the day of the full moon.