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The Glossary

chowk - "the main square with a market, the focal point of directions given by maps and locals"

From Nepal Glossary

The gateway to the Himalayas and to Mt. Everest is Nepal, the world's youngest republic divided between a highly urbanized south and a mountainous north, which contains eight of the planet's 10 tallest mountains. Even if it is 800 kilometers above the sea, this small country has dozens of ethnic groups that have been united by one monarchy and by one religion, Hinduism.

Almost all Nepalese are Hindus, which is why the country is regarded as the biggest Hindu country in the world. No other nation in the planet has a bigger Hindu population than Nepal has, and this makes Nepal the world's only Hindu monarchy. For some, this may come as a surprise since Nepal is the birthplace of Buddha.

Cuisines and architecture

Although predominantly Hindu, the Gurkha or the Nepalese observe a culture that is a montage of both Hindu and Buddhist. The locals follow their own calendar system, the Bikram Sambat. They celebrate New Year in mid-April. Their festivals are a celebration of Buddhist and Hindu cuisines and traditions like shamanism, yak herding, cow worship, and eating daal bhaat (lentils and rice).

The repository of Nepal's architectural and artistic heritage is Kathmandu Valley, consists of Patan, Bhaktapur, and Kathmandu, the nation's capital and largest city with pagoda Hindu temples, highly-structured palaces ,and Buddhist stupas that signify a taste of the medieval as well as the modern.

Adventure playground

Nepal might be one of the world's poorest countries, but it is among the most popular homes for trekkers. The Himalaya range has eight of the world's highest mountains, including the tallest one, Everest. Below the mountains are lakes and a variable terrain that set the stage for world-class kayaking, whitewater rafting, bungee-jumping, mountain biking, and other adrenaline-pumping pursuits.

Nepal's oldest and most-celebrated nature reserve, Chitwan National Park, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that enables visitors to track down rhinos and tigers on elephant back.

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