Nepal's religions
Nepal's Religions
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Grafik Nepal Religion
Nepal's Religions
Nepal's religions: Hinduism, Buddhism
Nepal's Muslims: Eid ul-Fitr
Nepal's Christians: Christmas Day
Grafik Nepal Religion
Kumari - The Living Goddess
Nepal's Festivals
Budhanilikantha

Hinduism and Buddhism constitutes two major religion of Nepal sharing between them some 87% and 8% of the total population. Both these co-religionists are bound together by a sense of fellow feeling and bonhomie particularly displayed in their worship of common deities and joint celebration of many festivals belonging to either religion culture. Kumari , the Virgin Hindu Goddess, for instance, is selected from a Buddhist clan. The Moslems form the third largest religion group with 3.5 percent.

Pashupatinath

Pashupatinath

The temples and stupas of Pashupatinath are rich repositories of wood carvings, metal works, terra-cotta and stone culptures.

RAOnline: Religion People's belief
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Kumari - the living Goddess
Kumari Kumari - the living Goddess
Every tourist in Kathmandu hopes to have a glimpse of her when she appears for a short moment in a window of the palace of Kumaru Bahal, where she lives. She's a beautiful little girl with black hair and dark eyes. She's the innocence of a child, but at the same time the sensuality of a woman with red painted lips and a Mona Lisa like smile. In her forehead she wears a large tika, which is more than a decoration. It symbolizes a third eye, with which she can see other dimensions.
The process of finding a Kumari is complicated. Little girls from a certain cast are being selected. Great demands are made to the girl. She must have the body of the Banyan tree, legs like a deer, neck like a conch and eyebrows like the cow.

She must never have lost a drop of blood. Before she is accepted she has to go through some awful situations, to test her nerves and courage. Kumari lives an isolated life in luxury. Her feet must not touch the ground, and the 4 or 5 times she appears outside the palace she is carried in a covered palanquin. The day when she has her first period, she must leave the palace and go back to her poor family, which is difficult after having lived in luxury. It's not easy to find a husband for her. Men are usually afraid of her, since she's been a goddess. The rumour says that a man who marries a Kumari will die young.

Kumari
Festivals
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