ARTS AND CRAFTS

Art & Craft

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Nepalese art andcraft reflect the religiousthemes of Hinduism, Buddhism, and certain location specific depictions. The cultural history of Nepalese art are traditionally divided into five major periods:
Pre-Licchavi, Licchavi, transitional, early Malla (Newar), and late Malla (Newar) periods.

Most of the existing craftsmen areNewars.>

Folklores & folktales

Folklores and folktales have remained an integral part of Nepalese society, and they reveal different dimensions of social and cultural life of the people. Sometales tell of love and affection, others recounthatred andbattles, including some which describedemons,ghosts andcannibalism. Nepalese folklores and folktales have various regional and ethnic colors, and some of them are variations of such tales of other areas which have traveled to Nepal, and being retold with changednames andplaces. There are other tales which are purely of Nepalese origin. Thus, tales in the area ofBhaktapur, complete with princes and richmerchants, can be traced to historical events and sometimes may also be dated.

Like folklores and folktales across theworld, such tales from Nepal are also rooted in the ground reality of day-to-day life, these folklores and folktales reflect local lifestyles, activities, beliefs,emotions,feelings,customs,superstitions, andinhibitions. They also celebrate the basic goodness of human nature, and sometimes reveal a deep faith in the supernatural.

Languages & literatures

As per 2001 census, at least 92 different living languages are spoken in Nepal, though other studies list 123 living languageshttp://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=NP" href="http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=NP" rel="nofollow">[1]. Nepal’s linguistic heritage has evolved from three major language groups, namely,Indo-Aryan,Tibeto-Burman, andindigenous. The major languages of Nepal (percent spoken as mother tongue) areNepali (49%),Maithili (12%), Bhojpuri (8%), Tharu (6%),Tamang (5%),http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepal_Bhasa_(language)">Nepal Bhasa (4%), Magar (3%), Awadhi (2%),Bantawa (2%), Limbu (1%), andBajjika (1%). The remaining languages are each spoken as mother tongue by less than one percent of the population.Nepali, written inDevanagari script, is the official, national language and serves as lingua franca among Nepalese of different ethno linguistic groups. In the southernTerai Region (5 to 10 mile wide stretch of flat plains in the south which is a northern continuation of Gangetic plains of India),Hindi is also spoken.

Extinct languages of Nepal include Dura, Kusunda and Waling.

Among Nepalese writers isParijat.

Religions & philosophy

A Buddhist Monastery

The 2001census identified 80.6% of the population asHindu andBuddhism was practiced by about 11% of the population (although many people labelled Hindu or Buddhist often practice a syncretic blend of Hinduism, Buddhism and/or animist traditions). About 4.2% of the population isMuslim and 3.6% of the population follows the indigenousKirant religion.Christianity is practiced officially by less than 0.5% of the population.

Main article:Religion in Nepal

Hindu and Buddhist traditions in Nepal go back to more than two millennia. InLumbini, Buddha was born, andPashupatinath temple, Kathamandu, is an old and famousShiva temple. Nepal has several othertemples and Buddhist monasteries, and also places of worship of other religious groups.Tantric traditions are also deep rooted in Nepal, including the practice of animal sacrifices. Five type of animals, always male, are acceptable for sacrifice:buffaloes, goats,sheep,chickens, andducks.>

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