History
For centuries the Kingdom of Nepal remained divided into many principalities. Kirats ruled in the east, the Newars in Kathmandu Valley, while Gurungs and Magars occupied the mid-west. The Kirats ruled from 300 BC and during their reign, Emperor Asoka arrived from India to build a pillar at Lumbini in memory of Lord Buddha. The Kirats were followe

d by the Lichchhavis whose descendants today are believed to be the Newars of the Kathmandu Valley. During this period, art thrived in Nepal and many of the beautiful woodcarvings and sculptures that are found in the country belong to this era. With the end of the Lichchhavi dynasty, Malla kings came to power in 1200 AD and they also contributed tremendously to Nepal's art and culture. However, after almost 600 years of rule, the kings were not united among themselves and during the late 18th century, Prithvi Narayan Shah, King of Gorkha, conquered Kathmandu and united Nepal into one 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. The Ranas were overthrown in a democracy movement of the early 1950s.

Geography
The Kingdom of Nepal covers an area of 147,181 square kilometers, and stretches 145-241 kilometers north to south and 850 kilometers west to east. The country is located between India in the south and China in the north. At latitudes 26 and 30 degrees north and longitudes 80 and 88 degrees east, Nepal is topographically divided into three regions: the Himalaya to the north, the hills consisting of the Mahabharata range and the Churia Hills in the middle, and the Tarai to the south. Elevations are varied in the kingdom. The highest point is Mt. Everest (8848 m) in the north and the lowest point (70 meters above sea level) is located at Kechana Kalan of Jhapa District. Altitude increases as you travel south to north to the north temperatures are below -40 degrees Celsius and in the Tarai, temperatures rise to 40 degrees Celsius in the summer. During June, July and August, the kingdom is influenced by monsoon clouds.

The Himalaya:
The Himalayan range makes up the northern border of the country and represents 16% of the total land area of Nepal. Peaks like Mt. Everest (8848 m), Kanchenjunga (8598 m), and Dhaulagiri (8137 m) are found here and sparse vegetation is found up to 4,500 m. Some of Nepal's most beautiful animal and plant life are also found here. Although rare, the snow leopard and Danfe, (Lophophorous) bird are much talked-about sights among visitors. The people in this region produce and sell cheese besides working as porters and guides. Many also trade with Tibet and travel across the border to sell their goods.

The Hills:
This region covers 65% of the total land area of the country. Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal is located here. Elevations range from 500 to 3,000 m above sea level. During summer the temperature reaches an average of 32 degrees Celsius. Winters are cold; temperature sometimes reaches -1 degree Celsius. Areas in the eastern hills receive more rainfall because of the monsoon clouds which come from the south-east. The rivers in the west which do not receive much rainfall are dependent upon the melted snow that flow down the Himalaya. Wild animals to be found here are the spotted leopard, barking deer, and Himalayan black bear. The hilly region is also popular for different kinds of birds. Over four hundred species of birds are found here. The people in this region have gained from the growth in the tourism industry. The people here work as trekking guides and porters and also sell garments and carpets to add to their income.

Tarai:
The Tarai covers 17% of the total land area of Nepal. It provides excellent farming land and the average elevation of flatlands is 100 to 300 m above sea-level. In the Sub-tropical forest areas of Tarai are found, marshes and wildlife which include the Royal Bengal tiger, one horned rhino, and the gharial crocodile etc. After the eradication of malaria in the 1960s, many people migrated to the Tarai in search of farming land. Today, about 48% of the country's populations occupy this region. Flat farmlands and the region's flexible topography have given rise to many industries. The main industrial towns are Biratnagar, Butwal, Bhairahawa, Birgunj, and Janakpur. Calcutta, a metropolitan city in India is the closest sea-port. It lies 1,000 kilometers away from Birgunj.

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Flora and Fauna

Nepal is a land of geographical extremes, ranging from near sea-level elevations in the southern Terai to the world's highest mountains. The country contains a variety of ecosystems; treeless sub-alpine pastures and dense fir forests of the high valleys, oak and rhododendron woods of the middle hills, and tall sal forests of the south. Along the southern borders of Nepal are preserved much of the lowland jungles and grasslands that once covered this part of the sub-continent. Here one can see birds and mammals found nowhere else. Although animal habitat has been somewhat depleted as a result of agriculture, deforestation and other causes, through Nepal's extensive and effective park and reserve system, the country still has more varied flora and fauna than any other places in Asia.


Tropical Deciduous Monsoon Forest.
This includes the Tarai plains and the broad flat valleys or Duns found between hill ranges. The dominant tree species of this area are Sal (Shorea robusta), sometimes associated with Simal (Bombax malabricum), Asna (Terminalia termentosa), Dalbergia spp. and other species, and Pinus roxburghi occurring on the higher ridges of the Churia hills, which in places reach an altitude of 1,800 meters. Tall coarse two- meter-high elephant grass originally covered much of the Dun valleys but has now been largely replaced by agricultural settlement. This tropical zone is Nepal's richest area for wildlife, with gaurs, wild buffalo four species of deer, tiger, leopard and other animals, Rhinoceros, swamp deer and hog deer are found on the grasslands and two species of crocodile and the Gangetic dolphin inhabit the rivers.


Subtropical Mixed Evergreen Forest.
This includes the Mahabharata Lekh which rises to a height of about 2,400 meters and comprises the outer wall of the Himalayan range. Great rivers such as the Karnali, Narayani, and Sapta Koshi flow through this area into the plains of the Terai. This zone also includes the so called "middle hills", which extend northward in a somewhat confused maze of ridges and valleys to the foot of the great Himalaya. Among the tree species characteristic of this region are Castenopsis indicia in association with Schima wallichi, and other species such as Alnus nepalensis, Acer oblongum and various species of oak and rhododendron, which cover the higher slopes where deforestation has not yet taken place. This zone is generally poor in wildlife. The only mammals which are at all widely distributed are wild boar, barking deer, serow, ghoral and bear. Different varieties of birds are also found in this zone.


Temperate Evergreen Forest
Northward on the lower slopes and spurs of the Great Himalaya, oaks and pines are the dominant species up to an altitude of about 2,400 meters. Above these are found dense conifer forest of Picea, Tsuga, Larix and Betula spp. Abies and Betula are usually confined to higher elevations, with Betula typically marking the upper limit of the tree line. At about 3,600 to 3,900 meters rhododendron, bamboo and maples commonly mingle with the conifers. The composition of the forest varies considerably, with coniferous predominating in the west and eracaceous in the east. The wildlife of this region includes the Himalayan bear, serow, ghoral, barking deer and wild boar, with the Himalayan tahr sometimes being seen on steep rocky faces above 2,400 meters. The red panda is among the more interesting of the smaller mammals found in this zone; it appears to be fairly well distributed in suitable areas of the forest above 1,800 meters. The rich and varied avifauna of this region includes several spectacular and beautiful pheasants, including the Damphe pheasant, Nepal's national bird.


Subalpine and Alpine Zone.
Above the tree line, rhododendron, juniper scrub and other procumbent woody vegetation may extend to about 4,200 meters where they are then succeeded by a tundra-like association of short grasses, sedge mosses and alpine plants wherever there is sufficient soil. This continues up to the lower limit of perpetual snow and ice at about 5,100 meters. The mammalian fauna is sparse and unlikely to include any species other than the Himalayan marmot, mouse hare, tahr, musk deer, snow leopard and occasionally blue sheep. In former times, the wild yak and great Tibetan sheep could also be sighted in this region and it is possible that a few may still be surviving in areas such as Dolpa and Humla. The bird life at these altitudes includes several interesting species such as the lammergeyer, snowcock, snow partridge, chough and bunting, with redstarts and dippers often seen along the streams and rivulet.

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Religion
Religious practices are an important part of the lives of the Nepalese people. Mythologies of various Hindu gods and goddesses abound in this country and cultural values are based on the philosophies of holy books like the Gita, Ramayana, etc.

Women and children visit neighborhood shrines at dawn to offer worship to the gods. Holding plates of rice, flowers, and vermilion powder, they perform puja by lighting incense, ringing the temple bell, and applying ' tika', a red paste, on their foreheads. Passers-by stop at temples and show their reverence to the gods by spending a few minutes praying. Occasionally, groups of' men sit near temples playing music and singing hymns until late night.

In Nepal, Hinduism and Buddhism are the two main religions. The two have co-existed down the ages and many Hindu temples share the same complex as, Buddhist shrines. Hindu and Buddhist worshippers may regard the same god with different names while performing religious rites.

Though Nepal is the only Hindu Kingdom in the world, many other religions like Islam, Christianity, and Bon are practiced here. Some of the earliest inhabitants like the Kirats practice their own kind of religion based on ancestor worship and the Tharus practice animism. Over the years, Hinduism and Buddhism have been influenced by these practices which have been modified to form a synthesis of newer beliefs.

As a result, visitors to this country may often find the religious practices in Nepal difficult to follow and understand. But this does not prevent one from enjoying the -different traditional ceremonies and rituals of Nepalese culture. It is indeed a totally new experience of religious fervor.

Hinduism
Thousands of gods and goddesses make up the Hindu pantheon. Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are the three major Hindu gods who have their own characteristics and incarnations. Each god has his own steed which is often seen kneeling faithfully at the feet of the deity or sometimes outside that god's temple. Symbolic objects are carried by the multiple hands of each deity which empowers them to perform great feats.

Buddhism
Sakyamuni Buddha is the founder of Buddhism who lived and taught in this part of the world during the sixth century BC. The great stupas of Swayambhunath and Bouddhanath are among the oldest and most beautiful worship sites in the Kathmandu Valley.

The spinning of prayer wheels, prostrating pilgrims, collective chants and burning butter lamps are some Buddhist practices often encountered by tourists. A slip of paper bearing a mantra is kept inside the wheels so that prayers are sent to the gods when the wheel is spun. Scenes from the Buddha's life and Buddhist realms are depicted on thanka scroll paintings which are used during meditation and prayer ceremonies. Many Buddhist followers are seen performing these practices in Swayambhunath, Bouddhanath and at other Buddhist sites around the Valley.

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Economy
Nepal is a developing country with an agricultural economy. In recent years, the country's efforts to expand into manufacturing industries and other technological sectors have achieved much progress. Farming is the main economic activity followed by manufacturing, trade and tourism. The chief sources of foreign currency earnings are merchandise export, services, tourism and Gurkha remittances. The annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is about US$ 4.3 billion.

Agriculture
Eight out of 10 Nepalese are engaged in farming and it accounts for more than 40% of the GDP. Rolling fields and neat terraces can be seen hills all over the Tarai flatlands and the hills of Nepal. Even in the highly urbanized Kathmandu Valley, large tracts of land outside the city areas are devoted to farming. Rice is the staple diet in Nepal and around three million tons are produced annually. Other major crops are maize, wheat, millet and barley. Besides food grains, cash crops like sugarcane, oil seeds, tobacco, jute and tea are also cultivated in large quantities.

Manufacturing
Manufacturing is still at the developmental stage and it represents less than 10% of the GDP. Major industries are woolen carpets, garments, textiles, leather products, paper and cement. Other products made in Nepal are steel utensils, cigarettes, beverages and sugar. There are many modern large-scale factories but the majority are cottage or small-scale operations. Most of Nepal's industry is based in the Kathmandu Valley and a string of small towns in the southern Tarai plains.

Trade
Commerce has been a major occupation in Nepal since early times. Being situated at the crossroads of the ancient Trans-Himalayan trade route, trading is second nature to the Nepalese people. Foreign trade is characterized mainly by import of manufactured products and export of agricultural raw materials. Nepal imports manufactured goods and petroleum products worth about US$ 1 billion annually. The value of exports is about US$ 315 million. Wooden carpets are Nepal's largest export, earning the country over US$ 135 million per year. Garment exports account for more than US$ 74 million and handicraft goods bring in about US$ 1 million. Others important exports are pulses hide and skins, jute and medicinal herbs.

Tourism
In 1998, a total of 463, 684 tourists visited Nepal, making tourism one of the largest industries in the Kingdom. This sector has been expanding rapidly since its inception in the 1950s, thanks to Nepal's natural beauty, rich cultural heritage and the diversity of sightseeing and adventure opportunities available. At one time, tourism used to be the biggest foreign currency earner for the country. Nepal earned over US$ 152 million from tourism in 1998.

Places To Visit In Kathmandu And Pokhara

Kathmandu : Pashupatinath Temple, Dakshinkali and Chobhar (The temple of Dakshinkali is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali and is one of the most popular places of worship in Kathmandu. Located 22 km from the city center on the southern rim of the Valley), Changu Narayan Temple, Bouddhanath Stupa (Gumba), Budhanilkantha, Swayambhu Stupa, New Road, Hanuman Dhoka.

Pokhara : Mahendra Cave, David Fall, Shiva Cave, Lake Side (Enjoy Boatride), Setee River, Bouddhanath Stupa, Fish - tail, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Manokamna Temple (by cable Car).

Packages Tour

1. Exotic Kathmandu - 3 Nights/4 Days in Himalayan City

2. The Land Of Pokhara - 3 Nights/4 Days Package tour to Pokhara

3. Jungle Safari - 2 Nights/3 Days at Royal Chitwan National Park

4. Sunrise & Sunset From Nepal - Nagarkot, Dhulikhel and Jomsom

5. Overnight Packages - to Daman, Mugling, Kurintar and Godavari.

6. Mystical Himalayan Tour - 7 Nights/ 8 Days Package

7. The Bonanza Tour -  7 Nights/ 8 Days

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