Some interesting facts about Nepal!
Unique Nepali Calendar
The Nepali calendar called Bikram Sambhat is approximately 67 years and 8.5 months ahead of the Gregorian calendar. The Nepali New Year is celebrated in mid-April.
Slaughtering cows is illegal
As a national animal of the country and considered ‘holy’, the slaughtering of cows is illegal in Nepal. It is not uncommon to see cows wandering around the streets of the city of Kathmandu.
Nepal – Amazon of Asia
In terms of biodiversity, Nepal is one of the richest countries in the world. It is rightfully called Amazon of Asia as it is a home for the variety of unique species of Flora and Fauna.
Nepal has more than 900 species of birds, which accounts to 8.9% of the total species of birds all around the world. It has 4.2 % of the world’s butterfly species and 3.96 percent of the world’s mammal species.
Kathmandu – Living Cultural Museum
Nepal is culturally rich country. There are dozens of World Heritage Sites categorized as Natural and Cultural World Heritage Sites. Kathmandu valley alone has seven UNESCO’s World Heritage Cultural sites within a radius of 15 kilometres. No wonder! Kathmandu is known to be the living cultural museum of the world.
Durbar Square in Kathmandu
Mount Everest
Nepal has 8 out of 10 of the world’s highest mountains, including the world’s highest, Mount Everest, standing 8,848 metres high. Mount Everest is called Sagarmatha in Nepali and Chomolungma by the local Sherpa people and Tibetans.
Thousands of trekkers visit Everest Base Camp and hike to Kala Patthar to catch a glimpse of Mt. Everest close up.
Birthplace of Lord Buddha
Nepal is the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautam, the man who came to be known as ‘Buddha’ and considered by many to be the ‘Light of Asia’. Siddharta was born in 623 B.C. in Kapilvastu, Lumbini, which lies in Nepal. Lumbini is a sacred place of pilgrimage for Buddhists all over the world.
There are different relics around Maya Devi Temple which dates back to the time during Buddha’s birth.
Triangular Flag
Nepal is the only country in the world with a non-rectangular flag. Nepal’s flag is maroon colored with two triangular shapes stacked on one another with dark blue border. The upper triangle consists of moon and the lower triangle consists of the sun.
The current flag has been in place since 1962, although the basic design has been used for over 2,000 years in Nepal.
Independent Nation
Amongst the most famous warriors in the world, the “Gurkhas” are from Nepal. Having always been protected by these brave warriors, Nepal does not celebrate an ‘independence day’ as it has never been colonized by any other country in the world.
Living Goddess – Kumari
Nepal is the only country in the World where people believe in a living goddess – called the Kumari. ‘Kumari’ literally means virgin in Nepali. There are three different Kumaris in the three main cities of the Kathmandu valley.
Last Hindu Country
Nepal was the last Hindu Country in the world when it was declared secular by the parliament in the year 2006. Although many religions co-exist in the country, 81.3 percent of the population in the country follows Hinduism.
Nepal still has the highest proportion of Hindus in the world.
Namaste – I salute the God in you
A handshake is quite uncommon in Nepal. The people of Nepal traditionally put their palms together and bow their forehead and say Namaste or Tashidele (in the Sherpa Communities). Namaste is directly translated as ‘I salute the God in you’.
Yeti Resides in Nepal
The mysterious creature of the Himalayas called Yeti is said to have been spotted in the Nepalese Himalayas by many who have trodden secluded paths in that region. Sir Edmund Hillary even led an expedition to find the Yeti in 1958.
Altitude Variation
Nepal is the only country in the world with an altitudinal variation that ranges from 59 metres to 8848 metres. Nepal holds some of the most extreme places on the earth such as the highest lake on earth (Tilicho 4800 metres), the highest valley on earth (Arun valley), the deepest gorges on earth (1200 metres in Kaligandaki) and the tallest grassland in the world in Chitwan.