Historical information of Nepal

The first civilizations in Nepal, which flourished around the 6th century B.C., were confined to the fertile Kathmandu Valley where the present-day capital of the same name is located. It was in this region that Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born c. 563 B.C. Gautama achieved enlightenment as Buddha and spawned Buddhist belief.

Nepali rulers' early patronage of Buddhism largely gave way to Hinduism, reflecting the increased influence of India, around the 12th century. Though the successive dynasties of the Gopalas, the Kiratis, and the Licchavis expanded their rule, it was not until the reign of the Malla kings from 1200–1769 that Nepal assumed the approximate dimensions of the modern state.

The kingdom of Nepal was unified in 1768 by King Prithvi Narayan Shah, who had fled India following the Moghul conquests of the subcontinent. Under Shah and his successors Nepal's borders expanded as far west as Kashmir and as far east as Sikkim (now part of India). A commercial treaty was signed with Britain in 1792 and again in 1816 after more than a year of hostilities with the British East India Company.

In 1923, Britain recognized the absolute independence of Nepal. Between 1846 and 1951, the country was ruled by the Rana family, which always held the office of prime minister. In 1951, however, the king took over all power and proclaimed a constitutional monarchy. Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah became king in 1955. After Mahendra died of a heart attack in 1972, Prince Birendra, at 26, succeeded to the throne.

In 1990, a pro-democracy movement forced King Birendra to lift the ban on political parties. The first free election in three decades provided a victory for the liberal Nepali Congress Party in 1991, although the Communists made a strong showing. A small but growing Maoist guerrilla movement, seeking to overthrow the constitutional monarchy and install a Communist government, began operating in the countryside in 1996.

On June 1, 2001, King Birendra was shot and killed by his son, Crown Prince Dipendra. Angered by his family's disapproval of his choice of a bride, he also killed his mother and several other members of the royal family before shooting himself. Prince Gyanendra, the younger brother of King Birendra, was then crowned king.
King Gyanendra dismissed the government in October 2002, calling it corrupt and ineffective. He declared a state of emergency in November and ordered the army to crack down on the Maoist guerrillas. The rebels intensified their campaign, and the government responded with equal intensity, killing hundreds of Maoists, the largest toll since the insurgency began in 1996. In Aug. 2003, the Maoist rebels withdrew from peace talks with the government and ended a cease-fire that had been signed in Jan. 2003. The following August, the rebels blockaded Kathmandu for a week, cutting off shipments of food and fuel to the capital.

King Gyanendra fired the entire government in Feb. 2005 and assumed direct power. Many of the country's politicians were placed under house arrest, and severe restriction on civil liberties were instituted. In Sept. 2005, the Maoist rebels declared a unilateral cease-fire, which ended in Jan. 2006. In April, massive pro-democracy protests organized by seven opposition parties and supported by the Maoists took place. They rejected King Gyanendra's offer to hand over executive power to a prime minister, saying he failed to address their main demands: the restoration of parliament and a referendum to redraft the constitution. Days later, as pressure mounted and the protests intensified, King Gyanendra agreed to reinstate parliament. The new parliament quickly moved to diminish the king's powers. In May, it voted unanimously to declare Nepal a secular nation and strip the king of his authority over the military.

Janakpur Dham

Janakpur is the birthplace of Sita, the Hindu goddess and wife of Lord Rama. It is also the capital of ancient Mithila kingdom and is the home of the unique Mithila artifacts in Nepal. Janakpur, also called Janakpur Dham, is about 135 kilometers from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The main attraction of the city is its Janaki Temple. The Temple is dedicated to Goddess Sita who was married to Rama and was the central character of the Hindu epic, Ramayana. This temple was built in 1911 and is in many aspects reminiscent of Islamic architecture. Another landmark of Janakpur are the numerous sacred ponds for ritual baths that are scattered all over the city. The 2 most important ones are close to the Janaki temple and are known as Dhanush Sagar and Ganga Sagar. Nearby is another temple that is called 'Sita-Ram vivah mandir'. The temple is said to be built at the place where Lord Rama was married to Sita. Marriage anniversary of Ram and Sita is observed every year here through a festival that is also observed throughout Nepal. The place is very popular among the Hindus all over the world.This region is heavily influenced from the Mithila region of Bihar, a state in the eastern part of India. The place offers an excellent opportunity for visitors to learn about Mithila culture and its people. The city is famous for Mithila artifacts such as Mithila paintings and potteries. Most of these paintings have, the life history of Lord Buddha as their subject. A good Mithila painting is a must buy.

Lumbini

Lumbini lies in the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal. The site is a large garden with a grove of pipal trees. The area around Lumbini is entirely Hindu, but many Buddhist temples and shrines from various nations are scattered around the holy site itself.
The most important temple at Lumbini is the Maya Devi Temple, which enshrines the traditional site of the Buddha's birth. The current temple stands on the site of earlier temples and stupas, including the stupa built by Ashoka.
The modern temple consists mainly of simple white building that protects ancient ruins, with the exact spot of the Buddha's birth identified. The delicate sandstone sculptures discovered here are now in the National Musuem in Kathmandu.
Atop the temple is a small square tower of the type seen in Kathmandu, with Buddha eyes on each side and a golden pinnacle on top.
On the south side of the temple is a sacred pool (see top photo), where it is said Maya Devi bathed before giving birth, and where the newborn Buddha was washed by two dragons.
The Maha Devi temple is surrounded by the brick foundations of ancient temples and monasteries. All around Lumbini, long lines of colorful prayer flags are strung between trees. They carry prayers and mantras heavenward as they flap on the breeze.
The other main sight of interest at Lumbini is Ashoka's Pillar, near the temple. It is protected by a small fence, which is decorated with prayer flags and banners from the faithful. Around the courtyard containing the pillar are bowls for incense sticks, and there is room to sit in front of the pillar for contemplation.

Rara Lake

Rara lake is located at the Mugu district.Rara Lake lies at 2980 m., the greatest lake in Nepal and Rara National Park enhances the attraction of trekkers. The Rara National Park is known as the home of Himalayan black bear, Red panda, Ghorals. This trek is nature's paradise for botanists, naturalizes and birds watchers. The trek begins with flight to Jumla and exploring the Himalayan vegetation, different kinds of birds and wild animals.White Water rafting is a popular water adventure sport in Nepal, All major rivers created from the Himalayas and running down the mountains offers tremendous exciting experience of white Water rafting. A river journey is one of the most enjoyable and effective ways to experience the life of rural areas & spectacular scenery of nature's beauty. Manakamana River Adventure is a professional rafting company for the arrangement of thrilling white water rafting trips in Nepal with safety. Our top preference is to provide quality service with safety to every client. Our rafting guides inform all the aspects of rafting and river safety before starting of each journey. Safety Kayakers are always along on high water expeditions.Where as we can found ay types of climate.

Muktinath

Muktinath is the most famous religious place in hindu and buddhist. this area is a sacred place for both Hindus and Tibetan Buddhists at 3750 meters at the Annapurna Circuit in the Himalayas of Nepal. It is a great example of how two religions can share the same holy spot with mutual respect and support.There are 108 tap they are most important for Hindu people they believe if they bath in the tap they will be free from there false.another thing we can got the Shalagrama. This is the symbol of god.
It is difficult to understand the exact status of Muktinath-Chumig Gyatsa within Hinduism. There is no debate about the Gandaki River. However some Hindu schools have doubts regarding the status of Muktinath-Chumig Gyatsa as a Hindu pilgrimage site and have the opinion that the Celestial Abode of Vishnu connected to the Gandaki River is the source Shalagrama of the Gandaki or a cave near to it. One of the reasons for their opinion is that contradictory to other Hindu pilgrimages sites connected to a holy river, one has to walk away from the holy Gandaki River for several hours to reach the site. Another reason is that 'Muktinath' as such is not mentioned in Hindu scriptures like the Mahabharata and the Puranas. The name 'Muktikshetra' does appear in the Varahapurana but as the area near the Gandaki River and not as a spot in the mountains.Muktinath Lama pointed out the bottom line though, when he was asked what his opinion is in the very matter "Look at the many, many Hindu pilgrims visiting Muktinath; no doubt this is a pilgrimage place for Hindus."