| 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 neighbourhood 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 hyms 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 fervour.
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
thangka 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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