Portal:Nepal

Parent portals : Geography / Asia / Nepal

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स्वागतम् / Welcome to the Nepal Portal
Mount Everest,Koshi,Nepal

Budhanilkantha Temple in Budhanilkantha, Nepal

Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north, and India to 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 highest mountains, including Mount Everest, the highest point above mean sea level on Earth. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and its largest city. Nepal is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious, and multi-cultural state, with Nepali as the official language.

The name "Nepal" is first recorded in texts from the Vedic period of the Indian subcontinent, the era in ancient Nepal when Hinduism was founded, the predominant religion of the country. In the middle of the first millennium BC, Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born in Lumbini in southern Nepal. Parts of northern Nepal were intertwined with the culture of Tibet. The centrally located Kathmandu Valley is intertwined with the culture of Indo-Aryans, and was the seat of the prosperous Newar confederacy known as Nepal Mandala. The Himalayan branch of the ancient Silk Road was dominated by the valley's traders. The cosmopolitan region developed distinct traditional art and architecture. By the 18th century, the Gorkha Kingdom achieved the unification of Nepal. The Shah dynasty established the Kingdom of Nepal and later formed an alliance with the British Empire, under its Rana dynasty of premiers. The country was never colonised but served as a buffer state between Imperial China and British India. Parliamentary democracy was introduced in 1951 but was twice suspended by Nepalese monarchs, in 1960 and 2005. The Nepalese Civil War in the 1990s and early 2000s resulted in the establishment of a secular republic in 2008, ending the world's last Hindu monarchy. The Constitution of Nepal, adopted in 2015, affirms the country as a federal parliamentary republic divided into seven provinces. In September 2025, protests against a social media ban and economic inequality caused riots, resulting in casualties and resignation of the prime minister.

Nepal's foreign policy focuses on neutrality, sovereignty, and multilateral cooperation. Nepal was admitted to the United Nations in 1955, and friendship treaties were signed with India in 1950 and China in 1960. Nepal hosts the permanent secretariat of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), of which it is a founding member. Nepal is also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Bay of Bengal Initiative. Nepal's foreign relations also emphasise development assistance, trade partnerships, and promoting peace and stability in South Asia. (Full article...)

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... that white moths are suspected to cause seasonal hyperacute panuveitis in Nepal?
... that the Nepali term "sukumbasi" refers to squatters, who typically avoid using the word because of its negative connotations?
... that Anjali Lama, Nepal's first transgender model, worked with Calvin Klein in 2019?

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Lhasa Newar (or Lhasa Newah; Newar: ल्हासा नेवा) were the expatriate Newar traders and artisans who traveled between the Kathmandu Valley and Tibet from centuries ago. These Nepalese merchants conducted trade between Nepal, Tibet and Bengal, India over the Silk Road, and acted as a bridge for economic and cultural exchanges between South Asia and Central Asia.

Along with the merchants, there were colonies of artisans in various parts of Tibet who were engaged in creating Buddhist art. They were major players in the exchange of art styles across the Himalaya. (Full article...)

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This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

Aama (Nepali: आमा, lit. 'Mother') is a 1964 Nepali drama film directed by Hira Singh Khatri in his directorial debut. The film is written by Durga Shrestha and Chaitya Devi. Aama was produced by King Mahendra of Nepal under the banner of Information Department of Government of Nepal (formally Royal Nepal Film Corporation). The film stars Shiva Shankar Manandhar and Bhuwan Chand, with Basundhara Bhusal, Chitya Devi Singh, Hira Singh Khatri and Hari Prasad Rimal, in supporting roles. It follows a young man who returns home after serving in his country's army.

Hira Singh Khatri, was requested by Mahendra of Nepal to direct Aama. The film's post-production and indoor filming were mainly done in Kolkata, India. It was released on 7 October 1964. After the release, Aama became the first Nepalese film to be produced in Nepal. (Full article...)

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Kala Patthar with Pumori in the background

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Prithvi Narayan Shah, 18th century

Prithvi Narayan Shah (Nepali: श्री ५ बडामहाराजाधिराज पृथ्वीनारायण शाह देव, romanized: Shri Panch Badamaharajadhiraj Prithvi Narayan Shah Dev; 7 January 1723 – 11 January 1775) was the last king of the Gorkha Kingdom and the first monarch of the unified Kingdom of Nepal, also referred to as the Kingdom of Gorkha. He is credited with initiating the unification of Nepal and relocating the royal seat of power to Kathmandu. His reign marked the end of the medieval period and the beginning of the modern history of Nepal .

Prithvi Narayan Shah played a central role in the formation of modern Nepal through his campaigns of territorial consolidation. He is considered a prominent figure in Nepalese history, and his efforts at political unification and national identity continue to be recognized in contemporary narratives. (Full article...)

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Nepali cuisine comprises a variety of cuisines based upon ethnicity, alluvial soil and climate relating to cultural diversity and geography of Nepal and neighboring regions of Sikkim and Gorkhaland. Dal-bhat-tarkari (Nepali: दाल भात तरकारी) is eaten throughout Nepal. Dal is a soup made of lentils and spices, bhat — usually rice but sometimes another grain — and a vegetable curry, tarkari. Condiments are usually small amounts of spicy pickle (achaar, अचार) which can be fresh or fermented, mainly of dried mustard greens (called gundruk ko achar) and radish (mula ko achar) and of which there are many varieties. Other accompaniments may be sliced lemon (nibuwa) or lime (kagati) with fresh green chilli (hariyo khursani) and a fried papad and also Islamic food items such as rice pudding, sewai, and biryani. Dhindo (ढिंडो) is the national dish of Nepal, primarily made from flour of millet and is served with achar of gundruk 'dried spinach'. A typical example of Nepali cuisine is the Chaurasi Byanjan (Nepali: चौरासी व्यञ्जन) set where bhat (rice) is served in a giant leaf platter (patravali) along with 84 different Nepali dishes each served on small plates. It is mostly served during weddings and Pasni (rice feeding ceremony).

Momo is a Himalayan dumpling, filled with minced meat in a flour dough, given different shapes and then cooked by steaming. It is one of the most popular foods in Nepal and the regions of Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kalimpong in India where Nepali-speaking Indians have a presence. Momo were originally filled with buffalo meat but are now commonly filled with goat or chicken, as well as vegetarian preparations. Special foods such as sel roti, finni roti and patre are eaten during festivals such as Tihar. Sel roti is a traditional Nepali homemade ring-shaped rice bread which is sweet to taste. Other foods have hybrid Tibetan and Indian influence. (Full article...)

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Nepal has 8% of the total species of birds found in the world.
The highest lake on Earth, Tilicho, is in Nepal. It rests at 4800 meters.
Gautam Buddha was born in Nepal.

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Wiki Loves Nepal

The following pages at Wikimedia Commons contain a plethora of images taken in Nepal.

Wiki Loves Earth is an international photographic competition to promote natural heritage sites around the World through Wikimedia projects (mainly Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons).

Wiki Loves Earth 2019 in Nepal

2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • More information • Main category page

Wiki Loves Monuments is an international photographic competition to promote cultural monuments around the World through Wikimedia projects (mainly Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons.

Wiki Loves Monuments 2018 in Nepal

2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • More information • Main category page

Provinces

Below is a clickable map of Nepal's Provinces

NEPAL

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The following are images from various Nepal-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Costumed Hindu girls of Kathmandu during festival time in Nepal (from Culture of Nepal)
Image 2Procession of Nepali Hindu Wedding; Groom being carried by a bride brother or relatives (from Culture of Nepal)
Image 3Nepali Pahadi groom (from Culture of Nepal)
Image 4Mohar of king Prithvi Narayan Shah dated Saka Era 1685 (CE 1763) (from History of Nepal)
Image 5Bhakti Thapa leading Gorkha men at Anglo-Nepalese War (from History of Nepal)
Image 6Women in cultural costume at Ubhauli Kirati festival 2017 at Gough Whitlam Park, Earlwood (from Culture of Nepal)
Image 7Procession of Nepali Pahadi Hindu Wedding (from Culture of Nepal)
Image 8Nepali Pahadi Hindu marriage at Narayangadh, Chitawan (from Culture of Nepal)
Image 9Senior offering Dashain Tika to junior (from Culture of Nepal)
Image 10A Buddhist monastery in southern Nepal. (from Culture of Nepal)
Image 11Statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, gilded bronze, Nepal, 16th century CE (from Culture of Nepal)
Image 12A family in a Maoist-controlled valley, 2005 (from History of Nepal)
Image 13Nepali traditional Pahadi dress used for dance (from Culture of Nepal)
Image 14Senior offering Dashain Tika on great Nepali Hindu festival at a traditional home. (from Culture of Nepal)
Image 15Ascension of King Gyanendra, 2001 (from History of Nepal)
Image 16A 1905 painting of Nepalese woman (from Culture of Nepal)
Image 17The old king's palace on a hill in Gorkha (from History of Nepal)
Image 18"Nēpāla" in the late Brahmi script, in the Allahabad Pillar inscription of Samudragupta (350-375 CE). (from History of Nepal)
Image 19Procession of Nepali Hindu Wedding (from Culture of Nepal)

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