28 amazing things you should know about Nepal
- HB Thapa

A tiny nation of Nepal has many amazing facts to share with the outside world. Mt Everest is the prime source of income for Nepal besides famous trekking routes like Annapurna circuit trekking and expeditions. Nepal better known as a Himalayan country is popular among the tourists for various amazing facts which are enumerated as follows:
- Nepal’s Kathmandu valley was primordially ruled by 39 descendants of Kirantis in the 7th century BC, who represented Mongoloid racial stock. They were overthrown by Licchivasi in AD 300.
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Icon of the Bhaktapur, Nyatpola Temple The world-famous Pagoda architecture was first initiated by Arniko in Nepal which was introduced in China and other eastern Asian countries later. Arniko’s commemorative statue still stands in one of the crossroads of China today.
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Dancing Shamans nin Rolpa – File photo The culture of Shamanism still exists in Nepal in which the shamans can communicate with the spirits of the dead persons.
- Nepal’s capital city Kathmandu was once a lake and only the sparkling light of Swambhu was seen in the center of the lake from the distant bank of the lake. A Chinese mendicant Manjushree is said to have let the lake water flow out through Chobar by cutting its edge by his magical sword to let the human settlement thrive here.
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Annapurna – File photo Nepal is home to 8 highest mountains in the world above 8000 meters.
- Nepal is home to the world’s highest mountain peak –Mt Everest also is known as ‘Sagarmatha’ in Nepali and ‘Chomolungma’ in the Tibetan language.
- Nepal is also home to the abominable creature known as “Yeti”. It is believed the Yeti roams about in the icy regions of Himalaya.
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Pashupatinath – File photo Nepal is home to 4 UNESCO recognized world heritages including the Pashupatinath and Lumbini.
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Gurkhas Nepal is home to the world-famous mercenary soldiers –Gurkhas who always fought the wars in World War I& II and elsewhere with the motto, “Better to die than be a coward.” Even Hitler is said to have feared the attack of Gurkhas in World War II. You can see them on guard in the Indian Gurkha army, British Gurkha army, Singapore Army and even Brunei army. They have won scores of Victoria Cross during World War I when they were guarding the British regime in every front.
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Red Panda – File photo Nepal is also home to many endangered animals like red panda, one-horned Rhino, Snow leopard and Bengal tiger.
- Nepal has more than 800 species of birds to watch in the wild reserves.
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Maya Devi Temple at Lumbini – File photo Nepal is also the birthplace of Lord Buddha considered as the light of Asia and preacher of peace and compassion across the world.
- Nepal is sandwiched between two giant nations- China and India -yet it continues to carry on its non-aligned foreign policy with its neighbors.
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Dashain jamara – File photo Nepal is dominantly inhabited by the Hindu population although this legacy is gradually breaking.
- Nepal has the second deepest canyon in the world with the existence of Kali Gandaki canyon with 4375 meters.
- Nepal based Himalayas are the source of all three major river systems of the Asian continent such as Ganga-Brahmputra, Yangtze and Indus.
- Nepal has a recorded world’s third-largest depository of snow ice after two Polar Regions, with around 15,000 glaciers containing over 3,000 cubic miles of water.
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Tilicho Lake – File photo Nepal has Tilicho (48000 meters) lake as the highest lake in the world.
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Shey Phoksundo lake: – File photo Nepal also has Shey Phoksundo is the deepest lake on earth.
- Nepal is geologically alive as the Indo-Australian plate under Nepal is still active and moving with 1500 kilometers into Asia in the next 10 million years.
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Jungle Safari in Chitwan National park – File photo Nepal’s first national park –Chitwan is the world’s tallest grassland.
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Kali gandaki river – Photo: Vijay Katwal Kaligandaki River is older than the other Himalayas and is the major diving line between western and eastern Himalayas.
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Rhododendron Nepal has more than 5,980 blooming plant species including the world’s 2% orchids and 6% world’s rhododendron species.
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Machhapuchhare – File photo Nepal has more than 1000 mountains of which very few are opened for mountaineering while others remain virgins for the climbers.
- Nepal is also known as the Amazon of Asia for various reasons.
- Nepal was never colonized by any imperialist forces barring migration of people from lower Terai belt to higher and so on in course of time.
- Nepal is a good example of a melting pot of cultures where Indo-Aryan and Mongoloid including few numbers of Dravidians co-exist in good social harmony.
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Mustang Cave – File photo Nepal has more than 10,000 years of old caves in Mustang to explore for more archeological aspects.
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