| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 3,214 [1] | |
| Languages | |
| Nepali Indian Languages | |
| Religion | |
| Jainism |
The followers of Jainism are a minority community in Nepal. According to the 2011 Nepalese census, there are 3,214 Jains in Nepal, down from 4,108 in 2001. [2] There is a Jain temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Bhadrabahu, the last Jain ascetic to have complete knowledge of Jain scriptures, was in Nepal for a 12-year penitential vow when the Pataliputra conference took place in 300 BCE to put together the Jain canon anew. [3]
The Jain society inaugurated the Lord Mahaveer Jain Niketan in 1979. The pratishtha for the Jain temple was performed in 1996.
Large number of Jains live in Morang (970 people), Kathmandu (829 people), Sunsari District (388 people), Jhapa (248 people) and Saptari (188 people).
Jains in Nepal practice Jain unity, akin to American Jain unity, Digambar or Svetambara, speaking any language could become a member and carry out Jain religious activities, keeping to fundamental principles of Jainism. The Jain temple consists of different floors for different sects. [4]
Kathmandu is the capital and largest city of Nepal, with a population of around 1 million. The city stands at an elevation of approximately 1,400 metres above sea level in the bowl-shaped Kathmandu Valley in central Nepal. The valley was historically called the "Nepal Mandala" and has been the home of the Newar people, a cosmopolitan urban civilization in the Himalayan foothills. The city was the royal capital of the Kingdom of Nepal and hosts palaces, mansions and gardens of the Nepalese aristocracy. It has been home to the headquarters of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) since 1985. Today, it is the seat of government of the Nepalese republic, established in 2008, and is part of the Bagmati Province.
The history of Nepal is intertwined with the history of the broader Indian subcontinent and the surrounding regions, comprising the areas of South Asia and East Asia.
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country located in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, bordering Tibet of China to the north, and India in the south, east, and west, while it is narrowly separated from Bangladesh by the Siliguri Corridor, and from Bhutan by the Indian state of Sikkim. Nepal has a diverse geography, including fertile plains, subalpine forested hills, and eight of the world's ten tallest mountains, including Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. Nepal is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural state, with Nepali as the official language. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and the largest city.
Newar or Newari, known officially in Nepal as Nepal Bhasa, is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal.
Newar or Nepami, are the historical inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley and its surrounding areas in Nepal and the creators of its historic heritage and civilisation. Newars form a linguistic and cultural community of primarily Indo-Aryan and Tibeto-Burman ethnicities following Hinduism and Buddhism with Nepalbhasa as their common language. Newars have developed a division of labour and a sophisticated urban civilisation not seen elsewhere in the Himalayan foothills. Newars have continued their age-old traditions and practices and pride themselves as the true custodians of the religion, culture and civilisation of Nepal. Newars are known for their contributions to culture, art and literature, trade, agriculture and cuisine. Today, they consistently rank as the most economically, politically and socially advanced community of Nepal, according to the annual Human Development Index published by UNDP. Nepal's 2011 census ranks them as the nation's sixth-largest ethnicity/community, with 1,321,933 Newars throughout the country.
Biratnagar is a metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Province No. 1. With a population of 242,548 as per the 2011 census, it is the largest city in the province and also the headquarters of Morang district. Biratnagar is located 399 km (248 mi) east of the capital, Kathmandu, and 6 km (3.7 mi) north of the bordering town of Jogbani in the Indian state of Bihar. The highest peak in the world, Mount Everest, is situated 174 km (108 mi) north of the city.
Hinduism is the main and largest religion of Nepal. The Constitution of Nepal has established a call for the protection of this age-old religion mostly referring to Indic religion throughout the country. In 2007, the country declares itself that it is a secular country, still some special privileges were also given to Hinduism. According to the 2011 census, the Hindu population in Nepal is estimated to be around 21,551,492, which accounts for at least 81.34% of the country's population, the highest percentage of Hindus of any country in the world. The national calendar of Nepal, Vikram Samvat, is a solar Hindu calendar essentially the same to that widespread in North India as a religious calendar, and is based on Hindu units of time. Nepal remained the last Hindu country in the world, till 2008 after the abolition of monarchy in the nation.
The culture of Nepal encompasses the various cultures belonging to the 125 distinct ethnic groups present in Nepal. The culture of Nepal is expressed through music and dance; art and craft; folklore; languages and literature; philosophy and religion; festivals and celebration; foods and drinks.
Kathmandu District is a district located in Kathmandu Valley, Bagmati Province of Nepal. It is one of the 77 districts of Nepal, covers an area of 413.69 km2 (159.73 sq mi), and is the most densely populated district of Nepal with 1,081,845 inhabitants in 2001 and 1,744,240 in 2011. The district's headquarter is Kathmandu Metropolitan City, also the capital of Nepal. It is also a famous tourist spot as there are many religious temples, attracting places.
Matsyendra, also known as Matsyendranātha, Macchindranāth, Mīnanātha and Minapa was a saint and yogi in a number of Buddhist and Hindu traditions. He is traditionally considered the revivalist of hatha yoga as well as the author of some of its earliest texts. He is also seen as the founder of the natha sampradaya, having received the teachings from Shiva. He is especially associated with kaula shaivism. He is also one of the eighty-four mahasiddhas and considered the guru of Gorakshanath, another important figure in early hatha yoga. He is revered by both Hindus and Buddhists and is sometimes regarded as an incarnation of Avalokiteśvara.
Jainism has been present in Maharashtra since ancient times. The famous Ellora Caves demonstrate that Jainism was part of a thriving religious culture in Maharashtra in premodern times.
Religion in Nepal encompasses a wide diversity of groups and beliefs. Nepal is a secular nation and Secularism in Nepal under interim constitution is define as 'religious, cultural freedom, along with the protection of religion, culture handed down from time immemorial (सनातन)' that is "the state government is bound for protecting and fostering Hindu religion" while maintaining "religious" and "cultural" freedom throughout the nation as fundamental rights. Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal's most popular practiced religions are Hinduism along with Buddhism which accounts for 81.3% & 9.04% of the overwhelming population of the nation as of 2011 respectively. According to a survey, Nepal is the most religious Hindu-majority country throughout the world, with most of the important Hindu pilgrimage centers concentrated in this country. Nepal is also the birthplace of Gautama Buddha because of which Buddhism has a very special place in the country and is often intertwined with Hinduism among some communities. It is a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religious nation through democracy. Shiva is widely regarded as the guardian deity of Nepal. Nepal is home to the world-famous Pashupatinath Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where Hindus throughout the world come for pilgrimage purposes. According to Hindu mythology, the goddess Sita of the epic Ramayana was born in the Mithila Kingdom of King Janaka Raja. The national animal of Nepal is the cow, which is considered a sacred animal in Hinduism. Because of this, the slaughter of cows is illegal in Nepal.
Nepal Sambat is the lunar calendar used by the people of Nepal. The Calendar era began on 20 October 879 AD, with 1141 in Nepal Sambat corresponding to the year 2020–2021 AD. Nepal Sambat appeared on coins, stone and copper plate inscriptions, royal decrees, chronicles, Hindu and Buddhist manuscripts, legal documents and correspondence. Though Nepal Sambat is declared a national calendar and is used widely in Nepal, it is mostly used by the Newar community whereas Bikram Sambat (B.S) remains the dominant calendar throughout the country. All the major festivals are based on Bikram Sambat along with official purposes.
Janakpurdham or Janakpur is a sub-metropolitan city in Dhanusa District, Province No. 2, Nepal. The city is a hub for religious and cultural tourism. It has been declared as the temporary capital for Province No. 2 until the Province Assembly votes for a permanent capital.
The credit for introducing Jainism to the West goes to a German scholar, Hermann Jacobi, who translated some Jain literature and published it in the series 'Sacred Books of East' in 1884. In Europe, the largest Jain populations are in Britain, with a population of about 25,000.
Balambu is a village and former Village Development Committee that is now part of Chandragiri Municipality in Kathmandu District in Province No. 3 of central Nepal. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census it had a population of 7,323 and had 1734 houses in it. Porters play a vital role in Nepal's tourism industry; every year they support thousands of tourists in tackling the iconic trails of the Everest region. Often climbing multiple time during the high season, the trekking industry provides an income that helps porters earn a living and support their families. However, they are also often the least valued on the mountain and because of the pressures to get an income can face exploitation and mistreatment from trekking operators. To address these issues, Kathmandu Environmental Education Program (KEEP) has created the Porter Awareness and Welfare training program. This provides porters with information about their work rights as well as health, hygiene and general First Aid skills. The program also offers guidance on appropriate trekking clothing and gear, and how to access KEEP's Porter Clothing Centre, which loans warm clothing and appropriate footwear to porters.
The Jains in Belgium are estimated to be around about 1,500 people.
The history of Jainism in Australia is relatively short when compared to the history of Christianity on the same continent. There are four Jain centres in Australia. The Jain population in Australia was counted in the 2016 census to be 4,047, of whom 38% lived in Greater Sydney, 31% in Greater Melbourne, and 15% in Greater Perth. The states and territories with the highest proportion of Jains are Western Australia (0.025%) and Victoria (0.022%), whereas those with the lowest are Queensland (0.006%) and Tasmania (0.001%).
Nepali is an Indo-Aryan language of the sub-branch of Eastern Pahari. It is the official language of Nepal and one of the 22 scheduled languages of India. Also known by the endonym Khas kura, the language is also called Nepalese, Gorkhali or Parbatiya in some contexts. It is spoken mainly in Nepal & by about a quarter of the population in Bhutan. In India, Nepali has official status in the state of Sikkim and in the Darjeeling District and Kalimpong district of West Bengal. It has a significant number of speakers in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Uttarakhand. It is also spoken in Myanmar and by the Nepali diaspora worldwide. Nepali developed in proximity to a number of Indo-Aryan languages, most notably the other Pahari languages and Maithili and shows Sanskrit influence. However, owing to Nepal's location, it has also been influenced by Tibeto-Burman languages. Nepali is mainly differentiated from Central Pahari, both in grammar and vocabulary, by Tibeto-Burman idioms owing to close contact with this language group.
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