Religion

Living Goddesses
In Nepal, religion permeates every facet of life with festivals, daily rituals, family celebrations and religious observances. At every step one can see temples and shrines, processions and devotional music. Although Nepal is famous as the world's only Hindu Kingdom, it is an intricate and beautiful tapestry woven of Hindusm, Buddhism and other faiths living together in tolerance and harmony.

Hinduism:

Hinduism is a complex religion with a variety of teachers, doctrines and, it is said, millions of gods and goddesses. Though Hinduism is frequently described in philosophical terms as a Trinity of three gods -- Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver and Shiva the Destroyer, in everyday religion numerous gods and goddesses are worshiped depending on the special day of observance, the affinity of the person or the family for a particular deity, and the purpose of the worship. Certain deities are particularly important in Nepal.

Shiva, the Destroyer, is historically the god most worshipped in the country. He may be worshipped as the holy ascetic, depicted with his consort Parvati and holding a trident and a small drum. or more often in the form of the Linga, an elongated stone representing his generative powers. The most important Linga is situated in the holy shrine of Pashupatinath to the west of Kathmandu. In front of Shiva temples one usually sees a statue of Nandi, the divine bull that serves as Shiva's vehicle. Another popular form of Shiva in Nepal is the terrifying Bhairav. Different aspects of Bhairav play major roles in many of the Valley's festivals.

Vishnu, whose primary duty is to assure the preservation of the world and all living forms, is believed to have visited the earth ten times, each time as a different incarnation or avatar. He is often depicted as a boar, a tortoise, a man-lion and a fish -- his four animal incarnations. Throughout South Asia he is most often worshipped in two well-known human forms: prince Ram, the hero of the epic Ramayana, and the pastoral god Krishna. In Nepal he is often worshipped in his omnipotent form of Narayan, and in some of his most lovely images is seen astride the man-bird Garuda, his vehicle.

The archetypal mother, or female, goddess is of particular importance in Nepal. She is worshipped in many aspects: as Durga, protectress and slayer of the buffalo demon, as Taleju, patron deity of the Valley rulers, and as the Kumari, the living virgin goddess. Other female goddesses include Laxmi, goddess of wealth, and Saraswati, goddess of learning and the arts.

Another widely venerated god is elephant-headed Ganesh, the remover of obstacles and the bringer of god fortune. Other deities, such as Red Machhendranath, are special to Nepal alone, and are celebrated with unique local festivals.

Buddhism:

There is a variety of Buddhist practices in Nepal: the Buddhism of the endemic Newari people, perhaps related to the ancient Buddhism that passed out of India one thousand years ago; the Buddhism of the Sherpa, Tamang and Tibetan peoples; and the relatively modern incursion of Theravadin or Southern Buddhism.

The central beliefs and practices date back to the time of its founder, Prince Siddhartha Gautam, who was born in Lumbini in the southern Terai in about 543 B.C. Until the age of 29, the young prince led a sheltered life in the royal palace of his father, completely unaware of the problems and suffering of the world outside his palace walls. One day he convinced his charioteer to take him outside the palace, where he was shocked at the sight of an old man, a sick man, a corpse and an ascetic. The realization of the true misery of the world persuaded the prince to abandon his luxurious life and go into the forests to seek enlightenment to end human suffering. For many years, Gautam practiced asceticism without success. One night beneath a pipal tree in the forest of Bodh Gaya he became enlightened. Henceforth known as Lord Buddha, the 'enlightened on', he travelled northern India and southern Nepal preaching the Middle Path to enlightenment. At the age of eight he passed into the final enlightenment, parinirvana.

His teachings spread throughout the world, changing and evolving as all religion do. The Southern School retained the basic teaching of the Buddha according to the Sutras, written down some years after his death. The Northern, or Mahayana, School emphasized the role of the Bodhisattva, the person who forgoes final and absolute enlightenment until he has guided all other being to enlightenment first. This school predominates in China and Japan. In India at the end of the first millennium A.D. the Vajrayana School arose.

Incorporating both Southern and Mahayana doctrines, it added new forms of meditation, elaborate rituals, new aspects of the Buddha in the form of Tantric gods and goddesses, and a philosophy that emphasized the use of all aspect of the human experience as material for enlightenment. While Buddhism declined in India with the Muslim invasions, it retained its vigor in nearby Nepal. Nepal served as a seed for the establishment of Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet.

In addition to Hinduism and Buddhism, a small minority of Nepalese adhere to Islam and Christianity. Muslims and Christians believe and practice in Nepal as they do throughout the world.