endangered white-rumped, the red-headed and the globally endangered slender-billed vulture are found in the foothills. Cinereous vultures are seen in winter.
In the caragana bush habitat of Muktinath, Jharkot and Jomsom, look for the white-browed tit-babbler, white-throated, Guldenstadt’s and blue-fronted redstart, brambling and brown rufous-breasted and Altai accentor. Rock bunting and chukor partridge inhabit areas between Kagbeni, Muktinath, around Manang and south to Lete. In the air you can observe the speedy insect-hunter white-rumped needletail, Nepal house martin, red-rumped swallow and Himalayan swiftlet. Finally, near the Thorong La, observe the Himalayan snow cock and flocks of snow pigeons foraging near trails, oblivious of passing trekkers.
Brief history
Nepal is one of the most diverse places on earth, its culture and people as varied as its scenic attractions. With a long history of isolation, the country and its once mystical capital, Kathmandu, has an amazing story to tell. Its history is a complex blend of exotic legend, historical fact and religious influence, suffused with myth.
The original inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley were the Kiranti people. Around 550BC, in Lumbini in southern Nepal, Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born, later becoming the Buddha, whose philosophy would have such an impact on the country. In the third century BC, Ashoka, one of the first emissaries of Buddhism in India, built the ancient stupas (a large Buddhist monument, usually with a square base, a dome and pointed spire) of Patan and the pillar in Lumbini. Around AD300, during the Licchavi Period, the Hindu religion blossomed across the southern and middle hills. Trade routes flourished between Tibet and India, with Kathmandu being the most important trading centre.
When Buddhism declined in India, ‘adepts’ (masters of Buddhism) crossed the Himalayas to find refuge in Tibet. Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism later trickled back into Nepal, providing many of the fascinating aspects of the country’s religious life. The Buddhist master Padma Sambhava (Guru Rinpoche) travelled around the Himalayas in the eighth century. Few records exist of the period following until the 13th century, when the Malla kings assumed power.
The Malla period marks the golden age of art and architecture in Nepal, with the construction of multi-tiered palaces and pagodas. The people lived in decorated wood and brick houses. Jayasthiti Malla, a Hindu, consolidated power in the Kathmandu Valley and declared himself to be a reincarnate of the god Vishnu, a practice that was considered appropriate for the monarchs of Nepal until 2007. Jyoti Malla and Yaksha Malla enhanced the valley with spectacular structures. Around 1482 the three towns of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur became independent cities, with each king competing to build the greatest Durbar Square, parts of which still exist today.
Durbar Square. Patan
From a hilltop fortress above the town of Gorkha (Gurkha) came Prithvi Narayan Shah. His forces swept in from the west, subduing the cities of the Kathmandu Valley and unifying Nepal. Nepalese armies invaded Tibet in 1788, but were later repulsed by Tibet with Chinese intervention. In 1816 the British defeated the Gurkhas and, in the treaty of Segauli, Nepal had to cede Sikkim to India, with the current borders delineated. The British established a resident office, but Nepal effectively became a closed land after 1816.
In 1846 a soldier of the court, Jung Bahadur Kunwar Rana, took power after a bloody massacre in Kot Square in Kathmandu. The queen was sent into exile and the king dethroned. For the next 100 years the Rana family ruled Nepal, calling themselves Maharajas. Family intrigues, murder and deviousness dominated the activities of the autocratic Ranas. The country remained closed to all but a few invited guests, retaining its medieval traditions until 1950.
After Indian independence in 1947, a Congress Party was formed in Kathmandu. The powerless king became a symbol for freedom from the Ranas’ rule. For those who dared to confront the Ranas, there was a terrible price to pay; many suffered the death penalty. King Tribhuvan finally ousted the Ranas in 1951.
A coalition government was installed, with a fledgling democracy. The country opened to visitors and Mount Everest was climbed in May 1953. King Tribhuvan died in 1955 and his son Mahendra assumed power. In 1960 Mahendra ended the brief experiment with democracy, introducing the party-less panchayat system, based on local councils of elders with a tiered system of representatives up to the central parliament. In 1972 King Birendra became the new king, but his coronation did not take place until the spring of 1975, on an auspicious date. In 1980 a referendum was held and the panchayat system was retained. After 1985, rapid expansion brought many changes; the population grew astonishingly, and the traditional rural lifestyle of the valley began to disappear under a wave of construction.
In April 1990 full-scale rioting and demonstrations broke out, forcing the king to allow a form of democracy to be introduced. But political corruption and infighting did little to enhance the democratic ideals, and in the late nineties a grass roots Maoist rebellion developed. Many had genuine sympathy with the need for greater social equality, but violence and demands for a leftist dictatorship met with resistance. In a tragic shooting spree in June 2001 King Birendra and almost his entire family were wiped out by his son, Crown Prince Dipendra. King Birendra’s brother Gyanendra became king, but in October 2002 he dissolved parliament and appointed his own government until elections could be held. Meanwhile the Maoist rebellion continued to threaten all parts of the country. Coercion and intimidation were rife in the countryside and no solutions were in sight.
King Gyanendra relinquished power in April 2006 and the Maoist leaders entered mainstream politics after winning a majority of votes in the election. Since then, the government of Nepal has been in freefall, with a political stalemate and paralysis derailing development. A new constitution was finally promulgated in September 2015, but it remains to be seen where the ruling elite will take the country. Tourism is still one of the main foreign exchange earners, but an increasing number of young Nepalese are seeking work outside the country, particularly in the Arabian Gulf. Despite the political uncertainty, tourists are still made to feel very welcome in the country.
People of Nepal
Children in Bhaktapur
At the latest estimate there are around 32 million people living in Nepal. (In 1974 there were a mere eight million.) There are at least 26 major ethnic groups, with the majority of these living in the middle hills. In general, the people in the southern zones are Hindu followers while those from the high Himalayan valleys are Buddhist. However, there is no clear traditional divide in the major valley of Kathmandu, and many thousands of villagers ‘escaped’ from the effects of the Maoist insurgency to the safety of Kathmandu.
The Newaris – a mix of Hindus and Buddhists – are the traditional inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley. The Tharu are a major group from the lowland Terai, with their ancestry probably linked to Rajasthan in India. Other people of the Terai, also related to Indian Hindu clans, are collectively known as the Madhesi. The first President of Nepal, Dr Ram Baran Yadav, comes from this ethnic group.
The rural hills of the Annapurna region are home to Magars, Chhetris, Gurungs and Brahmins (technically high caste). Gurung men are particularly noted for their service to the Gurkhas. Thakalis live along the Kali Gandaki. Manangis inhabit the higher reaches of the Marsyangdi.
Religion
Holy places never had any beginning. They have been holy from the time they were discovered, strongly alive because of the invisible presences breathing through them.
The Land of Snows, Giuseppe Tucci
Paintings
