People in Nepal

Nepal is a melting pot of many peoples. The population of approximately twenty two million is made up of a variety of races living by different means, wearing diverse costumes & speaking many languages & dialects. They live in widely varied environmental circumstances from the low, nearly sea level plains at the border of India, northward through the middle hills & valleys & up to the flanks of the great Himalayan range where there are settlements at altitudes up to 4800m. Agricultural practices are consequently wide ranging as is the approach & cultural conventions. Country offers such variety that the visitor may skill any lifestyle from the stone age.

The high Himalayan settlements of Tibetan speaking people are found hovering insecurely on mountain ledges and slopes. Existence here is a fragile equilibrium of solid work and community merrymaking, tempered by a society intensely steeped in ancient spiritual beliefs. The best known of the high mountain peoples are the Sherpas who populate the central and eastern regions of Nepal. The Sherpas have easy access to Bhot (Tibet) for business and social communication and consequently Tibetan authority on their culture and society remains distinct. The middle hills are settled by diverse Tibeto Burman and Indo-Aryan speaking hill and valley people, for example the Brahmins, Chettris, and Newars. While the Brahmins and Chettris are generally distributed through out the country, the Newars are mostly concentrated in the Katmandu Valley and other towns.

The Rais, Limbus, Tamangs, Magars, Sunwars, Jirels, Gurungs, Thakalis, and Chepangs are other Tibeto (Tibetan) people who live in the mountain areas of Nepal. Burman speaking Mongoloid people are establish in the middle hills. They each have their own separate community and cultural prototype. The Dun valleys and the lowland Terai are settled by people such as the Brahmins, Rajputs, Tharus, Danwars, Majhis, Darais, Rajbansis, Statars, dhimals and Dhangars. However Nepal is a complex assortment of ethnic groups held together by their faithfulness to ancient traditions and by their dreams of peaceful coexistent and spiritual tolerance in the nation of Nepal.