Hinduism in Nepal - Religion of Nepal

Hinduism in Nepal Religion of Nepal

Hinduism in Nepal

Not much people know that the major religion in Nepal is Hinduism and according to the survey in the year 2001 almost 81% of population of Nepal acknowledged themselves as Hindu. About 9-10% of people in Nepal are Buddhists and the leftovers are the followers of other religions, along with Muslims and Christians. The Bikram Sampat, the national calendar of Nepal is actually a solar Hindu calendar and is extensively used in North India as a pious almanac.

Nepal is geographically distributed in such a way that it clearly divulges the prevalence of Hindus in Nepal. The Sunwars, Magars and the Rais are the most Hinduism influenced people in Nepal.

As per the holy books of Hinduism, Aryans were the first people to show up in the prehistoric Nepal. The basic values and beliefs of Aryans are compiled in the Vedas which is an anthology of over 1000 spiritual and sacred chants and hymns which are considered as the foundation of the Hinduism.

Hinduism actually is based on the trinity of three Hindu gods-

Lord Shiva the destroyer

Lord Vishnu the preserver and

Lord Brahma the creator

The Hindus of Nepal usually consider any ceremony incomplete without the worship of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. They considered the duty of Lord Brahma fulfilled, and so don’t generally include his veneration in their ritual ceremonies, though they revere Lord Brahma too.

The Nepali Hindus believe that Lord Vishnu visit the earth in different incarnations to preserve the earth from sins. Lord Rama, Varaha, Lord Krishna and Lord Gautam Buddha are considered as different incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

There are many temples of Lord Shiva in Nepal which symbolizes the pervasiveness of Hinduism in Nepal. They worship spiritually to the Lingam form of Lord Shiva and the most popular Lingam temple is located in the north-west of Kathmandu. The divine bull Nandi is also very sacred to the Hindus in Nepal. This divine bull is the vehicle of Lord Shiva according the Hindu mythology.

Another Hindu God that is venerated extensively in Nepal is Lord Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva. Lord Ganesha is admired as the god of divinity and wisdom. Actually, the Hindus in Nepal select one particular Lord as their desired idol to be worshipped every day.

The famous festivals of Nepal are dedicated to different deities and the entire populace of Hindus and Buddhists participate whole heartedly in those festivals.

All the Hindu temples in Nepal hold a pennant on the top, pennant is a sacred flag as per the Hindu tradition. Nepalese Hindus believe that Lord Vishnu had structured the Nepali community and endowed this divine flag to them, having an emblem of moon and sun on it. The Holy Hindu book “The Purana” has a clear mention about this divine flag that Lord Shiva passed it to Lord Vishnu who then passed on to Lord Indra to combat on demons.

The incarnations of Lord Vishnu have been viewed as the Nepalese monarchs and sovereigns for eternity.