Nepal General Information

Economy
Nepal is considered to be one of the poorest countries in the world with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of just $210 a person per year. It is not as bad as it seems because 90% of the people are sustenance farmers, not dealing with cash crops. Of the GDP farming accounts for 41% of it. Most farmers grow their basic food and do a small amount of sales for cash. Nepal has to import rice, because of recent population increases.

Industry accounts for around 30% of the GDP. Around 250,000 sq metres of Tibetans rugs are produced year accounting for around $125 million of income. This trade was begun in 1960 with the Nepal International Tibetan Refugee Relief Committee with the help the Swiss government help Tibetan refugees to start producing Tibetan carpets in Patan.

Tourism accounts for 15% of the foreign exchange earned in Nepal. Foreign aid accounts for 23%. Payments to Gurkha soldiers by the British, Indians and Brunei account for 7.5%. The export of Tibetan rugs accounts for around 25% of foreign exchange. The rest is basically earned by trade.

Population
The population is estimated to be around 23 million. The rate of increase of the population is 2.7%. The life expectancy is 57 years old.
Nepal has only a 25% literacy rate.

Government
In November 1990 a new constitution was adopted. It consists of a multi-party parliamentary system and a constitutional monarchy.
The House of Representatives (Pratinidhi Sabha) has 205 members and is elected every five years. In the May 1999 election the Nepali Congress party gained a majority and Krishna Bhattarai became the Prime Minister.

The National Assembly (Rastriya Sabha) has sixty members who are elected for a six year term. One-third of the members (20) are elected every two years. Thirty-five are elected by proportional representation, 10 are appointed by the king and 15 are elected by local governments.

The Himalayas
Himalaya is a Sanskrit word that mean “abode of snow.” Nepal has eight mountains over 8000m. Of the ten highest mountains eight are in Nepal. Mt Everest is the highest mountain in the world at 8848m. It is known to the Nepalis as Sagarmatha and to the Tibetans as Qomolangma. During the 1950s and 1960s most of the mountains were climbed. Forty years ago when the mountains were first climbed it took hugh extremely expensive expeditions.

Some of the highest mountains are on the border of Nepal and are in two countries. Everest is in both Nepal and China and Kanchenjunga (8598m) is in both Nepal and India.

Some go viewpoints for the mountains are Nagarkot or Dhulikhel near Kathmandu and Sarangkot near Pokhara. You can also go on a mountain flights and view the mountains from the air. If you go trekking you can go to some of the base camps of the mountains and get a real close up view.

Many of the mountains can be climbed and this is called mountaineering. To climb the 8000m peak can be extremely difficult. There are also “trekking peaks” which are smaller mountains that can be climbed in combination with a trek.

Farming
Much rice is grown in the Terai, but rice can be found up to 2000m. It is usually planted before the monsoon, transplanted after the monsoon and is harvested in autumn. Wheat is often planted in the rice fields in autumn and is harvested in the spring.
Corn is planted in the spring. Millet, barley and buckwheat (has white and pink flowers) are planted at higher altitudes. Yellow-flowering mustard is planted to make cooking oil. Potatoes are grown up to 4000m and besides being a food staple for the Sherpas, they also sell it. Also grown are lentils, chili pepper, soya bean and sesame. In the west cannabis is grown for hemp.

In village different vegetable are often grown in small gardens which include pumpkins, beans, c cucumbers, greens, squash, radishes and turnips.
The average land owner has half a hectare on land in the hills and 1.5 hectares in the Terai. A half hectare of land produced around 500kg of vegetables and 1000kg of rice.

Some domestic animals in Nepal are cows, buffaloes and long-haired yaks. A female yak is called a nak. Yaks are often crossbred with cattle and it produces a good animal for load carrying. The male is known as a dzopkyo or zopkiok and the female as a dzum or zhum.

Food
Nepali usually do not eat breakfast, but just have tea in the morning. The main meal of the day is usually taken between 10 and 11 am. Usually if you get a large breakfast in the morning, you will start late. More serious places can arrange breakfast in the morning. It is best to order breakfast the night before. You may want to carry cereal or muesli.

If you want to eat lunch at noon or later, you may have to wait a while for a meal to be prepared. Noodles are something that can be prepared quickly for lunch. If you want to save time it is usually best to follow the normal Nepali schedule of tea for breakfast and lunch at 10 am.

At the smaller places, there may be a huge selection of things on the menu. But if five people order five different things, often everything will have to be made separately and therefore there can be a long waiting time. It may be advised to order the same thing and save on time and cooking fuel. You may want to ask how long something ordered will take to prepare.

When served dhal bhat, you usually will be expected to eat it with your right hand. They may be able to find a spoon, if you insist.

Feeding your Guide or Porter
Usually you pay a set price for a guide or porter for living costs, and also pay for their food and drinks. It is best to set a price, say Rs 50 for food; otherwise you may be charged an outrageous amount. Extra cups of tea, food, and whatever may be added onto the bill. Also porters can eat an outrageous amount of food when you are paying the bill.

If your guide is together he should help arrange for food and drink, and then you pay for it the next morning. Sometimes they will add on some extra things onto the bill.

Begging
It is highly advised not to give anything to children, especially while trekking. They will come ask for pens, money and candy.

Charities
It is usually best not to give to beggars, but a rupee or two won’t hurt.

Some established charities are
See Nepal (475-927), PO Box 501, Kathmandu
Leprosy Hospital (290-545), PO Box 151, Anandban, Kathmandu.

Rather than giving to beggar, it could be a good idea to support training facilities in Nepal by buying product made at them. Also there are non-profit handicraft shops that sell products made from poorer women and the disadvantaged classes. The money from these shops goes directly to the people in the form of salaries and training facilities.
Kumbeshwar Technical School (522-271), PO Box 2181, near the Kumbeshwar Temple, was established to train the untouchable class in different skills. They make carpets, woodwork and sweaters.

Dhankuta Sisters and Dhukuti work with women. Dhukuti has a shop in Kopundol, near bridge over the Bagmati River, on the way to Patan, and another shop in the Lakeside area in Pokhara.

Mahaguti (521-493), PO Box 396, Kathmandu, is a good organization that works with thousands of people. It was established with Oxfam. It helps homeless women and children.

Architecture
The entire Kathmandu Valley is most likely the best museum in the world. A highlight of Kathmandu is walking through the street and looking at the fantastic ancient architecture that suddenly appears. Some of the best pieces of art are found carved on the temples.

The Licchavi period which goes from the 4th to the 9th century was a good time for architecture. The temples are all gone, but there are some great stone sculptures can still be seen. Many temples have Licchavi sculptures on their grounds. Some great examples are the Vishnu Deity at Budhanilkantha and some of the sculptures at the Changu Narayan.

There are several samples of intricate woodcarving dating from the Malla period from the 12th and 13th centuries. This is the earliest woodcarving in the Kathmandu Valley. There are woodcarvings on the Kasthamandap building in Durbur square and the Basantapur Tower in the old Royal Palace in Kathmandu. Other examples of Malla architecture is the Uku Bahal in Patan and the Indreshwar Mahadev Temple in Panauti. Also during the Malla period there are other works done in metalwork, stone sculpture and brick.

In the late 13th century the multi-roofed pagoda style temple started to become popular. Also Tibetan influence started coming into Nepal architecture. In the later centuries of the Malla’s rule many temples were built in the Kathmandu Valley.

Most of the major examples of architecture in the Kathmandu Valley date before 1768, when King Prithvi Narayan Shah from Gorkha took over the valley.

Newar Pagoda Temples
These temples have tiered roof, which may be one to five levels, the usually number being two or three. The roofs are usually covered by baked clay tiles called jhingati, and one of the levels may be made of gilded copper. The pinnacle (gajur) is made of gilded copped or baked clay and is usually bell-shaped.

Temples are usually square, but can also be rectangular or octagonal. Vishnu, Siva, and Ganesh will usually only occupy a square temple and Krishna may be in an octagonal temple.

Temples are usually built on a stepped base, which may be higher than the temple.

Most temples often have wooden struts that support the roof. They usually have intricate wood carvings, often of deities in relation to the main deity of the temple. They may also be floral designs. Some temples have carvings of erotic (sexual act) scenes, sometime of animals.

Between each roof there are sometimes there are some metal or brass decorations, for example strips of embossed metal (kinkinimala) or a rows of bells. The metal streamers that sometimes extends from the top roof to under the lowest roof is called a pataka. It is believed that the deity descends to earth on this. It is found on the Gold Temple in Patan.

Shikhara Temple
Shikhara temples are influenced by the Indian style of temple, which have high towers. This style of temple first appeared during the Licchavi period in the 9th century. It derives this name because it has a high tower that resembles a mountain peak (the meaning of shikhara in Sanskrit).

There temples usually have a high tower over the main altar and may have four smaller tower around the main one, or there may be four towers over the main entrance. The tower is often built on a square base. An example of this type of temple is the Siva Temple in Durbar Square in Bhaktapur and the Krishna Temple in Durbar Square in Patan.

Stupas
The Buddhist stupas at Swayambhunath and Bodhnath are some of the most visited and interesting monuments in Nepal.

The bottom part of a stupa is the plinth, which is often a square base (platform), but may be multi-leveled. On top of the plinth is a hemispherical (rounded) dome called a kumbha (pot). It is usually white-washed each year. On top of the dome is a spire. On top of the dome is a square base called a harmika. On each side of it there are often a pair of eyes, which some people believe symbolizes the all seeing eyes of Buddha.

On top of the harmika is a section (tower) in 13 levels, which are said to represent the 13 levels to reach perfection. On the top is a gilded top (what look like an umbrella) that represents royalty.

Music and Dance
While traveling in Nepal you may see the gaines, the traditional musicians and storytellers. The damais, who come from the tailor class, are professional musician who often take part in wedding. Most Westerners may not like this type of music.

Some traditional music is Jhagad from the eastern Terai; Bhairavkali, dance dedicated to Shiva, Sangini, which is religious dance performed by Bahun-Chhetri women; Bhojpuri from the Terai; and Bajrayogini, Tantric Buddhism music.
The Newars perform classical dance in the Kathmandu Valley and mask dancing call Lakhe. Masked dancing can be seen in Bhaktapur during festival, especially at the Indra Jatra festival.

Maoist Rebels
The Nepal Communist Party-Maoist (NCP-M) has been waging an insurgency since February 1996 against the democratic constitutional monarchy system of government in Nepal. Over 600 people have been killed in the fightings. They are mainly active in northwest Nepal. The Maoist boycotted the 1999 elections because they believed they would do nothing to improve Nepal. There have been no incidents where they did anything to any foreigners, and they are not considered dangerous to tourists.

Copyright ©2001 John Howley and Spiritual Guides