Nepal

Religion Joins Communities

Religion has played a significant role in the formation of Nepalese society. As well as being the geographical meeting point for Indian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions, Hinduism has a strong presence in Nepalese culture. While there is no official state religion in Nepal, over 80 percent of the population proclaim to be Hindu. Like India, Nepal's Hindu heritage established a feudal tradition that transpired into a hierarchical class structure with the priestly class of Brahmins dominating the caste-based social order. Historically, Nepal has remained a nation of religious harmony, with Buddhism the second-largest religion, followed by Tantrism, Islam, and Christianity. Despite Buddhism being a minority faith in the region, Nepal is thought to be the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama (the founder of Buddhism), rendering religion inseparable from the country's national identity.

Nepal's religious heritage is not merely symbolic, but also fuses communities through numerous rituals and festivals. The significance of festivals as a form of social networking in Nepalese society is attested by the prolific festivals in Nepal, which are greater in number than the days in a calendar year. The most important of these is Dasain, an auspicious 15-day festival rejoicing in the victory of the gods over evil, which is celebrated by all members of Nepalese society irrespective or class or creed. For the Nepalese, festivals are not merely spectacles but an integral part of their cultural heritage that binds people of diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds into a common collective.

Nepal's monarchy had a significant impact on the social structure of Nepalese society. After establishing independence in 1768, the Kingdom of Nepal was established when Prithvi Narayan Shah, the king of a small principality of Gurkha, successfully annexed several other eastern and western states, thereafter unifying Nepal. Since reaching independence, Nepal has retained sovereignty and remained ruled by the Shah dynasty, avoiding the threats of colonialism. Revealing the country's strong Vedic heritage, Nepal was officially a Hindu kingdom until pronounced a secular republic in 2006, with the king revered by the Nepalese as an incarnation of Hindu god Vishnu. The monarchy was [Page 586]both symbolically and literally regarded as a symbol of national unity that fused the nation, sustaining peace, amity, and cooperation under a common constitution. The monarchy's ability to transcend partisan politics helped to achieve a single national community free from sectarian violence and civil conflicts. As a corollary of the king's public favor, social relations were relatively stable in Nepal until 2001, when the Nepalese royal family was massacred by Crown Prince Dependra, shortly after which the monarchy was abolished and replaced by the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

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