7 Things You Can Do On Facebook That Will Make People Hate You Forever

Let’s admit it, we are all voyeurs. We love being clued in on other people’s lives, meals and problems but sometimes, people take it too far.

Social Media is a curious Tom’s delight and Facebook is the Holy Grail! Even though we love knowing what is happening in the lives of those we haven’t spoken to for over a decade, there are somethings noone wants to know or watch you do. Here are the 7 Most Annoying Things People Do On Facebook:

1. Stop Inspiring Me, I Want To Continue Living My Absolutely Awesome, Uninspired Life
Inspirational quotes, messages, photographs are annoying! There’s a reason we outgrew Moral Science classes. Quotes like “When there is no struggle, there is no strength” only makes people want to dream of strangling you while you struggle with your infinite strength.

 

 

 

 

 

2. Stop Inviting Me To Your Dumbass Facebook Game Before I Sh#t All Over Your Farm
If Mafia Wars was a real scenario, trust us when we tell you, we’d be on the opposing side shooting big a** bullets in to your game invite sending face! If Farmville were real, we’d be making a meal out of your precious pets!

 

3. Oh The Love! Excuse Me While I Go Roll My Eyes And Sigh Audibly
Okay so you’ve found love but can you not vomit that affection all over our facebook timeline? Hubby, Wifey, Baby, Lovely, Pinky, Jaanu updates are so nineties, probably that’s where you should be too.

 

4. Oh Oh Can You Try Being A Little More Vague
There’s a special place in hell reserved for those who put up updates like “sad”, “happy”, “excited”, “My life…Oh my life”,“Omg…I can’t believe that actually happened”…We can’t believe we haven’t smacked in you in the face yet!

 

5. Did You Write Those Lyrics? No? Then Shut That Face!
We all love a great song, we’d love listening to your favourite too but those random ass lyrics you just posted…that’s just dumb. Did you just think of typing, “We don’t need no education?”, we think you do!

 

6. Did You Really Think That Chain Letter/Urban Legend Was True? 
You actually thought that reposting a status update would secure your account from Facebook’s privacy policy or that tagging twenty friends in an update would give some destitute child a return ticket to Hawaii? Maybe you need to be unfriended afterall!

 

7. Mundane Mundane…So Mundane That I’m Already Tired Of Typing This
Updates like “Ate a banana”, “Kissed my dog’s left nut”, “Ran today”, “The sun is shining” make people hate you. Talking about the monumental shit you took this morning doesn’t make you special; it just makes you look like a turd!

 

 

Mount Everest is the Earth's highest mountain

• Mount Everest is the Earth's highest mountain, with a peak at 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) above sea level and the 5th tallest mountain measured from the centre of the Earth. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international border between China and Nepal runs across the precise summit point. Its massif includes neighboring peaks Lhotse, 8,516 m (27,940 ft); Nuptse, 7,855 m (25,771 ft) and Changtse, 7,580 m (24,870 ft).
• In 1856, the Great Trigonometric Survey of British India established the first published height of Everest, then known as Peak XV, at 29,002 ft (8,840 m). In 1865, Everest was given its official English name by the Royal Geographical Society upon a recommendation by Andrew Waugh, the British Surveyor General of India. Waugh named the mountain after his predecessor in the post, Sir George Everest. Although Tibetans had called Everest "Chomolungma" for centuries, Waugh was unaware of this because Tibet and Nepal were closed to foreigners.
• Mount Everest attracts many highly experienced mountaineers as well as capable climbers willing to hire professional guides. While not posing substantial technical climbing challenges on the standard route, Everest presents dangers such as altitude sickness, weather and wind.
• Discovery
• In 1802, the British began the Great Trigonometric Survey of India to determine the location and names of the world's highest mountains. Starting in southern India, the survey teams moved northward using giant theodolites, each weighing 500 kg (1,100 lb) and requiring 12 men to carry, to measure heights as accurately as possible. They reached the Himalayan foothills by the 1830s, but Nepal was unwilling to allow the British to enter the country because of suspicions of political aggression and possible annexation. Several requests by the surveyors to enter Nepal were turned down.
• The British were forced to continue their observations from Terai, a region south of Nepal which is parallel to the Himalayas. Conditions in Terai were difficult because of torrential rains and malaria. Three survey officers died from malaria while two others had to retire due to failing health.
• Nonetheless, in 1847, the British continued the Great Trigonometric survey and began detailed observations of the Himalayan peaks from observation stations up to 240 km (150 mi) away. Weather restricted work to the last three months of the year. In November 1847, Andrew Waugh, the British Surveyor General of India made several observations from the Sawajpore station located in the eastern end of the Himalayas. Kangchenjunga was then considered the highest peak in the world, and with interest he noted a peak beyond it, about 230 km (140 mi) away. John Armstrong, one of Waugh's officials, also saw the peak from a location farther west and called it peak "b". Waugh would later write that the observations indicated that peak "b" was higher than Kangchenjunga, but given the great distance of the observations, closer observations were required for verification. The following year, Waugh sent a survey official back to Terai to make closer observations of peak "b", but clouds thwarted all attempts.
• In 1849, Waugh dispatched James Nicolson to the area, who made two observations from Jirol, 190 km (120 mi) away. Nicolson then took the largest theodolite and headed east, obtaining over 30 observations from five different locations, with the closest being 174 km (108 mi) from the peak.
• Nicolson retreated to Patna on the Ganges to perform the necessary calculations based on his observations. His raw data gave an average height of 9,200 m (30,200 ft) for peak "b", but this did not consider light refraction, which distorts heights. However, the number clearly indicated, that peak "b" was higher than Kangchenjunga. Then, Nicolson contracted malaria and was forced to return home without finishing his calculations. Michael Hennessy, one of Waugh's assistants, had begun designating peaks based on roman numerals, with Kangchenjunga named Peak IX, while peak "b" now became known as Peak XV.
• In 1852, stationed at the survey headquarters in Dehradun, Radhanath Sikdar, an Indian mathematician and surveyor from Bengal, was the first to identify Everest as the world's highest peak, using trigonometric calculations based on Nicolson's measurements. An official announcement that Peak XV was the highest was delayed for several years as the calculations were repeatedly verified. Waugh began work on Nicolson's data in 1854, and along with his staff spent almost two years working on the calculations, having to deal with the problems of light refraction, barometric pressure, and temperature over the vast distances of the observations. Finally, in March 1856 he announced his findings in a letter to his deputy in Calcutta. Kangchenjunga was declared to be 28,156 ft (8,582 m), while Peak XV was given the height of 29,002 ft (8,840 m). Waugh concluded that Peak XV was "most probably the highest in the world". Peak XV (measured in feet) was calculated to be exactly 29,000 ft (8,839.2 m) high, but was publicly declared to be 29,002 ft (8,839.8 m) in order to avoid the impression that an exact height of 29,000 feet (8,839.2 m) was nothing more than a rounded estimate
• First successful ascent by Tenzing and Hillary
• In 1953, a ninth British expedition, led by John Hunt, returned to Nepal. Hunt selected two climbing
  pairs to attempt to reach the summit. The first pair (Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans) came within 100 m (330 ft) of the summit on 26 May 1953, but turned back after running into oxygen problems. As planned, their work in route finding and breaking trail and their caches of extra oxygen were of great aid to the following pair. Two days later, the expedition made its second and final assault on the summit with its second climbing pair, the New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, a Nepali sherpa climber from Darjeeling, India. They reached the summit at 11:30 am local time on 29 May 1953 via the South Col Route. At the time, both acknowledged it as a team effort by the whole expedition, but Tenzing revealed a few years later that Hillary had put his foot on the summit first. They paused at the summit to take photographs and buried a few sweets and a small cross in the snow before descending.
• News of the expedition's success reached London on the morning of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, 2 June. Returning to Kathmandu a few days later, Hunt (a Briton) and Hillary (a New Zealander) discovered that they had been promptly knighted in the Order of the British Empire, a KBE, for the ascent. Tenzing, a Nepali sherpa who was a citizen of India, was granted the George Medal by the UK. Hunt was ultimately made a life peer in Britain, while Hillary became a founding member of the Order of New Zealand. Hillary and Tenzing are also nationally recognized in Nepal, where annual ceremonies in schools and offices celebrate their accomplishment.

Taplejung

Taplejung is the headquarters of Taplejung District in the Mechi Zone of Nepal. It is located at 27°21'0N 87°40'0E with an altitude of 1441 metres (4730 feet).[1] The name Taplejung is derived from the words "Taple" and "jung". Taple was the medieval Limbu king who used to rule the area and "jung" in Limbu language means fort. Literally, Taplejung means Fort of King Taple.
Taplejung is in northeastern Nepal; the Tamur River flows through the district. The area is famous for its proximity to Kangchenjunga (8586 m), the third highest mountain in the world. Taplejung has an airstrip with commercial flights to Biratnagar and Kathmandu. A road connects the district headquarters with the Tarai plains. Most of the population are involved in agriculture, and the vegetation zones range from sub-tropical to temperate forests, alpine meadows, and snow, and ice.
Taplejung is one of the most beautiful areas in eastern Nepal, with a spectacular landscape, Himalayan peaks of heights above 7000 meters and a wide range of flora and fauna. Alpine grassland, rocky outcrops, dense temperate and subtropical forests, and no river valleys make up the region. Taplejung occupies an area ranging from 670 meters to 8586 meters (Mt. Kangchenjunga) above sea level. Kumbhakarna is an outlier of Kangchenjunga.
Offering some of the most spectacular Himalayan landscapes with 13 of the world’s highest mountain peaks rising above 7000 m, Taplejung plays host to the longest blue glacier in the world, the Yalung, and a high biodiversity rate. This area is home to a diverse range of ethnic groups like the Limbus, Tibetans, Sherpas, Rai, Gurung, Magars, Newars and Tamangs. The Kanchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA) in the eastern Himalaya boasts some of the most stunning scenery in all of Nepal. Traditional farming practices are a way of life here. There are rich forests with more than 250 species of bird and animal life. There are a number of high mountain lakes in Olangchung Gola.
The area is made up of alpine grass lands, rocky outcrops, dense temperate and sub-tropical forests, and low river valleys with the Kanchenjunga as its crown and is home to one of the original homelands of the indigenous Limbu people.
Culture
Residents practise integrated early animist religions. Agriculture, animal husbandry and tourism are the major means of livelihood for Limbu people. In the higher altitudes, one can find sherpa people where they arrived from Tibet more than 400 years ago. These sherpas have a distinct culture and tradition from those in Solukhumbu District in the Sagarmatha region. The icons of the cultural heritage are monasteries, chhortens, temples and prayer walls. And to add to the flavour, the festivals of all of these people living in harmony only serve to make the native culture livelier.
Pathibhara Devi Temple
One of the major attractions is the Pathibhara Devi Temple. This little-known region attracts tourists seeking spiritual fulfillment and blessings from the powerful Pathibhara Devi. Hindus and Buddhists reach the temple for celebrations during special occasions. The trek to Pathibhara Devi (3794 m) combined with the natural and cultural experiences of the region make the visit a unique exhilarating experience. It takes a day to reach the temple on foot from Taplejung Bazaar. On the way to the temple are many species of rhododendron.

Bagmati river

It may be unbelievable today but this is how the Bagmati river looked in late 70ies.

The building on the left side is Prashuti Griha ( Maternity Home) Hospital, Thapathali.

This photo was probably taken during the monsoon season from the Kupandol bridge

Photo by: Judith Conant Chase .The Chobar gorge cuts through the Mahabharat Range, also called the Lesser Himalaya. This 2,000 to 3,000 meter range is the southern limit of the "middle hills" across Nepal, an important cultural boundary between distinctive Nepali and more Indian cultures and languages, as well as a major geological feature.

The basin of the Bagmati River, including the Kathmandu Valley, lies between the much larger Gandaki basin to the West and the Kosi Basin to the east. These adjacent basins extend north of the main Himalayan range and cross it in tremendous gorges, in fact the Arun tributary of the Kosi extends far into Tibet. The smaller Bagmati rises some distance south of the Himalaya. Without glacial sources, its flow is more dependent on rainfall, becoming very low during the hot season (April to early June), then peaking during the monsoon season (mid-June to mid-August). In these respects the Bagmati system resembles the (West) Rapti system lying between the Gandaki basin and the Karnali basin in the far west of Nepal.In Kathmandu, the Bagmati River is destination of much untreated sewage, and large levels of pollution of the river exist due primarily to the region's large population. Many residents in Kathmandu empty personal garbage and waste into the river. In particular the Hanumante khola, Dhobi khola, Tukucha khola and Bishnumati khola are the most polluted.Attempts are being made to monitor the Bagmati River system and restore its cleanliness. These include "pollution loads modification, flow augmentation and placement of weirs at critical locations". The "Friends of the Bagmati" is an organisation set up in November 2000. According to its website, its aim is "to reverse the degradation of the Bagmati river."The Temple of Pashupatinath, dedicated to Shiva, stands on an outcrop above the river north of Kathmandu. It is considered to be one of the holy places of Hinduism.Before the Pashupatinath the river flows Gokarneswor Temple at Gokarna, located at the north of the Kathmandu Valley. This is, too, a holy temple where the people of Kathmandu valley go for worshiping for the eternal peace of Father viz at "Kushi Aausi".

Public baths have been built supplied by a small hot spring. Nearby are two small structures that over the last many centuries were shrines, first to Buddha and then to Hinduism. There a many sculptures along the walls. One sculpture fragment shows the remnant of a Buddha triptych, a Buddha flanked by two bodhisattvas.

Butwal

• Butwal  is a city in southern Nepal in Rupandehi District, in Lumbini Zone—of which it is the administrative center. It is located 240 kilometres west of Kathmandu and 22 kilometers north of Siddharthanagar, at the northern edge of the Terai plain below the Siwalik Hills. Its name is derived from Batauli Bazaar in the town's oldest district.
• Through highway and air links, Butwal connects western Nepal to the capital Kathmandu. It has highway connections to the Indian Border at Sunauli and to hill towns Tansen and Pokhara. Butwal is a major gateway to Nepal.
• History
• Fossils of ancient hominoids Ramapithecus were found near the Tinau River as early as 1932, including a 10.1 million year old tooth.
• Historically Butwal connected Nepali people with their Indian neighbors. As the British East India Company annexed Awadh from its hereditary rulers while the Shah Dynasty attempted to annex the Terai, Butwal became one of bones of contention leading to the Gurkha War 1814-16.
• When King Tribhuvan fled to India in 1950 during the revolt against the Rana dynasty he travelled through Butwal. Then it was little more than a village on the western bank of Tilottama River (also known as Tinau). With completion in 1968 of Siddhartha Highway from the border at Sunauli through Butwal to Pokhara and then in the 1990s Mahendra Highway across the full east-west expanse of Nepal's Terai, Butwal has developed rapidly.
• Economy
• The economy of Butwal centers around education, ment of Batauli Bazar at the edge of the hills in old Butwal. Presently the main trading centre are near Traffic Chok and Puspalal Park. Numerous shops sell Chinese and Indian goods. Butwal also has small and medium scale manufacturers of woodwork, ironsheet, metalware and aluminium sheet. There are rice mills including Siddhababa Rice mill, Aryal Rice Mill (Jharbaira-Murgiya) and Sita rice mill.Butwal leads the sale of marbles,tiles sanitary and hardwares in nepal ,we can find them at cheaper cost in comparision to other places nepal ,like usha marbles,narshang hardware etc, students from nearby hilly regions contributes to Butwal's economy. Additional income is remitted by expatriate Nepalis and from Gurkha Soldiers employed by the Indian and British Armies.
• Transport
• Buses are the dominant form of transportation. Private operators offer service to various destinations. Until 2003 most of the fleet was older large buses; since then operators have added newer minibuses popularly called micro. Older jeeps are used to take people to nearby hilly regions. Rickshaws are used for short-distance urban transport, however taxicabs are gaining popularity with increasing affluence. Motorcycles are a common means of personal transportation around town. The number registered has increased from 1,200 in 1999 to 80,000 in 2008. Nearly 100 buses depart to Kathmandu from Butwal daily, from 5am morning from Butwal, and at every 20-30 min bus will depart from Butwal to Pokhara, through Siddhartha highway. With the improvisation of the main road that runs on the mid of Butwal into 6 lanes and also due to the provision of second and third highways running along the inner areas, transportation has become more efficient, well-managed and accessible to the residents.

Chitwan District

• Chitwan District , is one of the seventy-five Districts of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia. The district is in the western part of Narayani Zone with Bharatpur, the Fifth largest city of Nepal, as its district headquarters. It covers an area of 2,218 km2 (856 sq mi), and in 2011 had a population of 579,984 people. Bharatpur is a commercial and service centre of central south Nepal and merger destination for higher education, health care and transportation of the region.
• The district takes its name from the Chitwan Valley, one of Nepal's Inner Terai valleys between the Mahabharat and Siwalik ranges, both considered foothills of the Himalayas.
• Bharatpur, on the bank of Narayani River, is the main town with numerous shopping zones where people come from all over the district and neighbouring districts.
• Now there are about 40 Village Development Committees (each of which has nine wards or villages) and one sub-Metropolitan city - Bharatpur and a municipality Ratnanagar each of which has more than nine wards or urban areas.
• Chitwan is one of the few remaining undisturbed vestiges of the Terai region, which formerly extended over the foothills of Nepal.
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• Agriculture and industry
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• The people inhabiting the Chitwan District are predominantly peasant farmers cultivating mainly food and cash crops such as rice, maize, wheat, beans, lentils, mustard and vegetables. The district is the major maize producing area in Nepal, with an area under maize cultivation of 27,170 ha (104.9 sq mi) in the year 2003-04. Maize is cultivated on irrigated /seasonal irrigated land in winter and spring, and on rain fed land in summer. Due to an easy road access, maize produced can be easily distributed to other parts of the country. The poultry industry in the district constitutes a significant proportion of the country's poultry industry.
• Chitwan is famous in Nepal for mustard growing and production of mustard oil. This popularity of the mustard in Chitwan is attributed to the predominant soil type silt, resulting from the flooding of the Narayani River and tributaries. Chitwan is also profusely spotted with clay lands, which are very good for growing rice, wheat and vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, radish, potato, broccoli, cucumbers, pumpkins, and carrot. Chitwan is also famous for floriculture, mushroom cultivation and bee keeping.
• At present Bharatpur's largest business area, Narayangadh, is less accessible due to the movement of the main bus terminal due to the previous king's son's anger with the politics of the citizens of the city. This bus terminal is however no longer in use following a successful people's movement in 2006. It is believed that Nepali leftist revolutionary leader Prachanda spent his childhood and youth in Chitwan. Chitwan is adapting the New Community Movement South Korean model of development.believed that Nepali leftist revolutionary leader Prachanda spent his childhood and youth in Chitwan. Chitwan is adapting the New Community Movement South Korean model of development.
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• Bharatpur Airport in the central part of the city offered four domestic airlines and one government airline with seven to 11 flights daily to Kathmandu. Mahendra East West Highway connects the city to various parts of the country, and another highway connects Bharatpur with Kathmandu to the north east and with Birgunj on the border of India to the south. Bus, micro bus and other land transportation are available to go out of the city, for internal transportation taxi, rickshaw and car/jeep hiring is available. Hakim Chowk and Chaubiskothi, Shaheed Chok, Pul Chowk, Bel Chowk and Lila Chowk are major centres at intersections of major roads.
• Four major local FM radio stations broadcast from Bharatpur. They are "Synergy FM", "Hamro FM", "Radio Triveni", "Radio Chitwan", "Radio Kotagiri", "Kalika music FM", "Kalika FM" and "Narayani FM". The city also has Beso Channel, "Aviyan Channel" and Unique Television.
• Land line telephone services and mobile telephone services are available to the majority of areas. There are multiple private Internet service providers.

Second largest population of One-horned Rhino is found in Nepal.

• In Nepal, the greater one-horned rhinoceros is starting to recover from poaching that occurred during the 1996-2006 civil war. A recent study found 534 rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis), 99 more than were found in 2008.
• Chitwan National Park is home to 503 rhinos, an increase of 95 from 2008 data. The number of rhinos in Bardia National Park is up by two from the 22 found in 2008. Seven of the rhinos were found in Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, up by two since 2008 as well.
• BLOG: Scientists Rush to Save World’s Smallest RhinoThe three week long study was carried out by Nepal’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation with the support of the World Wildlife Fund Nepal and the National Trust for Nature Conservation.
• Krishna Prasad Acharya, Director General of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation declared the rhino census a fine example of working together where all conservation partners and local communities are contributing to the conservation efforts of the Government of Nepal, in a WWF press release.
• BLOG: Risky Expedition Planned to Clean Up Everest“The government is encouraged by this positive result, although challenges remain in curbing poaching and protecting rhino habitat,” said Maheshwor Dhakal, ecologist with the government’s national parks department, in an interview with the AFP.
• Although trade in rhino horn is illegal under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora, the high black-market price for horns keeps poachers on the lookout for rhinos. A single horn can sell for thousands of dollars. The buyers are primarily Chinese and Southeast Asians who hold a belief in the horn’s medicinal properties.
• Another threat to rhino populations is the loss of habitat as human populations expand into the lands where rhinos roam.
• Still the rise in rhino population numbers is a victory. “We are much encouraged that increased WWF support to the anti-poaching efforts of the Government of Nepal has actually resulted in an increase in the Rhino population within three years,” says Dr. Christy Williams, WWF’s Asian Rhino and Elephant Action Strategy coordinator, in a WWF press release.

Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City is the second largest city of Nepal

Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City is the second largest city of Nepal with 264,991 inhabitants and is situated about 200 km west of the capital Kathmandu.It serves as the headquarters of Kaski District, Gandaki Zone and the Western Development Region. Pokhara is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nepal. Three out of the ten highest mountains in the world — Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I and Manaslu — are situated within 30 miles (linear distance) of the city, so that the northern skyline of the city offers a very close view of the Himalayas.Due to its proximity to the Annapurna mountain range, the city is also a base for trekkers undertaking the Annapurna Circuit through the ACAP region of the Annapurna ranges in the Himalayas.
Pokhara is situated in the northwestern corner of the Pokhara Valley,which is a widening of the Seti Gandaki valley that lies in the midland region (Pahad) of the Himalayas. In this region the mountains rise very quickly and within 30 km, the elevation rises from 1,000 m to over 7,500 m. As a result of this sharp rise in altitude the area of Pokhara has one of the highest precipitation rates in the country (3,350 mm/year or 131 inches/year in the valley to 5600 mm/year or 222 inches/year in Lumle). Even within the city there is a noticeable difference in rainfall between the south and the north of the city,
the northern part of the city situated at the foothills of the mountains experiences proportionally higher amount of precipitation. The Seti Gandaki is the main river flowing through the city. The Seti Gandaki (White River) and its tributaries have created several gorges and canyons in and around the whole city which gives intriguingly long sections of terrace features to the city and surrounding areas. These long sections of terraces are interrupted by gorges which are hundreds of meters deep. The Seti gorge runs through the whole city from north to south and then west to east and at places these gorges are only a few metres wide. In the north and south, the canyons are wider.
In the south the city borders on Phewa Tal (4.4 km2) at an elevation of about 827 m above sea level, and Lumle at 1,740 m in the north of the city touches the base of the Annapurna mountain range. 3 eight-thousand meter tall peaks (Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Manaslu) can be seen from the city. The Machhapuchhre (Fishtail) with an elevation of 6,993 m is the closest to the city. The porous underground of the Pokhara valley favours the formation of caves and several caves can be found within the city limits. In the south of the city, a tributary of the Seti flowing out of the Phewa Lake disappears at Patale Chhango (पाताले छाँगो, Nepali for Hell's Falls, also called Davis Falls, after someone who supposedly fell into the falls) into an underground gorge, to reappear 500 metres further south. To the south-east of Pokhara city is the municipality of Lekhnath, a recently established town in the Pokhara valley, home to Begnas Lake.
Pokhara lies on an important old trading route between China and India. In the 17th century it was part of the Kingdom of Kaski which was one of the Chaubise Rajya (24 Kingdoms of Nepal, चौबिसे राज्य) ruled by a branch of the Shah Dynasty. Many of the hills around Pokhara still have medieval ruins from this time. In 1786 Prithvi Narayan Shah added Pokhara into his kingdom. It had by then become an important trading place on the routes from Kathmandu to Jumla and from India to Tibet.
Pokhara was envisioned as a commercial center by the King of Kaski in the mid 18th century A.D. when Newars of Bhaktapur migrated to Pokhara, upon being invited by the king, and settled near main business locations such as Bindhyabasini temple, Nalakomukh and Bhairab Tole. Most of the Pokhara, at the time, was largely inhabited by Khas (Brahmin, Chhetri, Thakuri and Dalits), the major communities were located in Parsyang, Malepatan, Pardi and Harichowk areas of modern Pokhara and the Majhi community near the Phewa Lake. The establishment of a British recruitment camp brought larger Magar and Gurung communities to Pokhara. At present the Khas, Gurung (Tamu) and Magar form the dominant community of Pokhara. There is also a sizeable Newari population in the city. A small Muslim community is located on eastern fringes of Pokhara generally called Miya Patan. Batulechaur in the far north of Pokhara is home to the Gandharvas or Gaaineys (the tribe of the musicians).
The nearby hill villages around Pokhara are a mixed community of Khas and Gurung. Small Magar communities are also present mostly in the southern outlying hills. Newar community is almost non-existent in the villages of outlying hills outside the Pokhara city limits.
From 1959 to 1962 approximately 300,000 exiles entered Nepal from neighbouring Tibet following its annexation by China. Most of the Tibetan exiles then sought asylum in Dharamshala and other Tibetan exile communities in India. According to UNHCR, since 1989, approximately 2500 Tibetans cross the border into Nepal each year, many of whom arrive in Pokhara typically as a transit to Tibetan exile communities in India. About 50,000 - 60,000 Tibetan exiles reside in Nepal, and approximately 20,000 of the exiled Tibetans live in one of the 12 consolidated camps, 8 in Kathmandu and 4 in and around Pokhara. The four Tibetan settlements in Pokhara are Jampaling, Paljorling, Tashi Ling, and Tashi Palkhiel. These camps have evolved into well built settlements, each with a gompa (Buddhist monastery), chorten and its particular architecture, and Tibetans have become a visible minority in the city.
Until the end of the 1960s the town was only accessible by foot and it was considered even more a mystical place than Kathmandu. The first road was completed in 1968 (Siddhartha Highway)[ after which tourism set in and the city grew rapidly.The area along the Phewa lake, called Lake Side, has developed into one of the major tourism hubs of Nepal.

Annapurna Trek

The Annapurna Circuit is a popular name for a trek within the Annapurna mountain range of central Nepal. The total length of the route varies between 160–230 km (100-145 mi), depending on where the motor transportation is used and where the trek is ended. The trek rises to an altitude of 5,400m on the Thorung La pass, touching the edge of the Tibetan plateau. This trek crosses two different river valleys and encircles the Annapurna massif, crossing Thorung La (5416m), the highest pass on this trek. Practically all trekkers hike the route counter clockwise, as then the daily altitude gain is slower and crossing the high Thorong La pass is easier and safer.

The mountain scenery, seen at close quarters includes the Annapurna Massif (Annapurna I-IV), Dhaulagiri, Machhapuchhre, Manaslu, Gangapurna [7455m] and Tilicho Peak (7134m). Numerous peaks of 6000-8000m in elevation rise from the Annapurna range.The trek begins at Besisahar or Bhulbhule in the Marshyangdi river valley and concludes in the Kali Gandaki Gorge. Besisahar can be reached after a seven hour drive from Kathmandu. The trail passes along paddy fields and into subtropical forests, several waterfalls and gigantic cliffs, and various villages. Annapurna Circuit has often been voted as the best long distance trek in the world, as it combined, in its old full form, a wide variety of climate zones from tropics at 600 m asl to the arctic at 5416 m asl at the Thorong La pass and cultural variety from Hindu villages at the low foothills to the Tibetan culture of Manang Valley and lower Mustang. Continuing construction of a road has greatly shortened the trail and altered the feel of the villages, so the "best trek in the world" can not be said to hold true anymore.


Outline Itinerary
Day 1 - From Kathmandu, travel west to Besisahar[820m] via private vehicle or public bus, taking six to seven hours.
Day 2 - Trek to Khudi [790m]
Day 3 - Trek to Bahundanda [1310m]
Day 4 - Trek to Jagat [1290m]
Day 5 - Trek to Dharapani [1920m]
Day 6 - Trek to Chame [2630m]
Day 7 - Trek to Upper/Lower Pisang [3190m]
Day 8 - Trek to Manang [3520m]
Day 9 - Rest day in Manang [3520m]
Day 10 - Trek to Letdar [4250m]
Day 11 - Trek to Thorung Phedi [4500m]
Day 12 - Trek to Muktinath [3800m], crossing the Thorung La en route
Day 13 - Trek to Marpha [2665m]
Day 14 - Trek to Lete [2470m] (now often with car)
Day 15 - Trek to Tatopani [1160m] (now often with car, day 14)
Day 16 - Trek to Ghorepani [2775m]
Day 17 - Trek to Birethanti [1050m] and travel to Pokhara
Day 18 - Return to Kathmandu [1400m]

Depending on the speed of the trekkers, number and length of side trips and rest days taken, acclimatization, weather and where the trek is finished, hiking the Annapurna Circuit can take anything form 8 to 25 days. Many trekkers short on time choose to fly out form Jomsom airfield, which shortens the trek 6 days compared to the original AC.
It is also possible to continue from Ghorepani to Tadapani, Ghandruk, Landruk and then to Phedi, which follows the old Annapurna Circuit from the time when the road was not yet extended to Beni. This more faithful variation takes three days instead the shorter 1 day exit from Ghorepani to Pokhara outlined above. A popular addition to the AC is a visit to Annapurna Base Camp, ABC, (not to be confused with the Annapurna Sanctuary). This trail turns to the north from Tadapani and rejoins the old AC at either Ghandruk or Landruk. A visit to the ABC adds about 5 days to the duration of the Annapurna Circuit, slightly less than the normal trek duration to ABC, as trekkers coming form the AC are already acclimatized and "trail hardened".
It is recommended that trekkers take the high trail from Pisang via Ghyaru and Ngawal to Manang, as the views are spectacular and those two villages are the best preserved samples of Tibetan style villages still in the original state along the route. Sleeping in either of these villages helps acclimatization, as they are located already higher than Manang. Another side trip gaining popularity is the visit to Tilicho Tal (lake). There are now lodges along the trail and near the lake at so called Tilicho Base Camp, so tents are not needed anymore. If one wishes to cross to Jomsom via the Tilicho route, at least one tent camp is required and snow conditions might prevent the crossing or make it dangerous.

Pashupatinath Temple

Pashupatinath Temple is one of the most significant Hindu temples of Lord Shiva in the world, located on the banks of the Bagmati River in the eastern part of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The temple serves as the seat of the national deity, Lord Pashupatinath. The temple is listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.
The temple is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams (Holy Abodes of Shiva on the continent). Over the past times, only born Hindus were allowed to enter the temple. Others could look at it from other side of the river. However, the norms have been relaxed due to many incidents. If the individual is destined, he/she takes and completes the journey to reach these footsteps without any resistance or obstructions along the way, is believed to be under loving grace of Rudra. It is final stage of harsh penance. Thus, the slave (pasu - the human condition) becomes the master (pati - the divine condition).

It is regarded as the most sacred among the temples of Lord Shiva (Pashupati). Kotirudra Samhita, Chapter 11 on the Shivalingas of the North, in Shiva Purana mentions this Shivalinga as the bestower of all wishes.

History
The temple was erected a new in the 17th century by King Bhupendra Malla after the previous building had been consumed by termites. Countless further temples have been erected around this two -storied temple. These include the Vaishnav temple complex with a Ram temple from the 14th century and the Guhyeshwori temple mentioned in an 11th-century manuscript. The priests who perform the services at this temple have been Bhat-Brahmins from South India (Karnataka) origin since last 350 years. The priests of Pashupatinath are called Bhattas and the chief priest is called Mool Bhatt or Raval. The chief priest is answerable only to the King of Nepal and reports to him on temple matters on a periodic basis.
This tradition is reported to have started by the request of Adi Shankaracharya who sought to unify the different states of Bharatam (Unified India) by encouraging cultural exchange. The unique feature of this temple is that only 4 priests can touch the deity. This tradition is supposed to have started by Sage Shankaracharya in 8th century, ostensibly to stop human sacrifice which was prevalent in that temple. This procedure is also followed in other temples around India which were sanctified by Adi Shankaracharya. Malla kings honoured the request of Adi shankarachaya as latter being one of the greatest ever Hindu acharyas.
However,this tradition was broken after the historic political revolution in Nepal which demolished the monarchy and established a secular republic. The newly formed government allowed Nepalese priest to worship by discontinuing the centuries old tradition. There was a widespread protests as many thought this as an interference in their religious tradition.

Finding Shiva Lingam at Pashupatinath Temple
It is said that the wish-fulfilling cow Kamadhenu took shelter in a cave on the Chandravan mountain. Everyday Kamadhenu went down to the place the lingam was sunken into the soil and poured her milk on top of the soil. After ten thousand years some people saw Kamadhenu pouring milk on that same spot everyday, and started to wonder what that would be. So they removed the soil and found the beautiful shining lingam. After having a good look they disappeared into the lingam, freed from sin and rebirths. More and more people came to look and more people disappeared into the lingam. This was a big concern for Brahma.

What is a secular nation?

In a book published in 1865, When one travels, the French novelist and litterateur Théophile Gautier (1811-1872) speaks of his surprise at seeing a procession headed by a Catholic priest walking under a red canopy, a ciborium in his hands, followed by assistant priests, a church boy ringing a bell, with armed soldiers in tow. Along the procession route, people knelt down and recited prayers. This religious march was staged to deliver the last sacraments to a dying person. Gautier saw this ceremonial display in the streets of Caen, a town in Normandy, and he expressed his astonishment: in the mid-nineteenth century, such a spectacle, he remarked, was already a rare sight in the streets of the capital. He wrote: “In Paris, religion does not take the risk of leaving sanctuaries or churches. We have long been unaccustomed to seeing such external manifestations of ritual life.”

This remark illuminates the rapid (yet also chaotic) process of secularisation in the capital in nineteenth-century France, almost sixty years after the Revolution, and the persistent hostility of French Republican forces towards the Catholic religion. However, the comparison with Nepal is even more illuminating! Throughout Hindu and Buddhist Nepal, public space, whether urban or rural, has so far been widely used for religious processions. Cohorts of Nepalis march in ceremonial order, in line or in corteges, in the streets during funerals, weddings, bratabandhas, various vratas, and on so many other similar occasions. At festive times, people take part in the ritual march or watch the divine parade in the public space which is usually devoted to secular activities.

Interestingly, what can still be seen in Nepali cities (and in most Indian towns as well), was common in pre-revolutionary times in Catholic-dominated France and during the whole of the nineteenth century in its provinces and rural areas. These collective, processional performances in the public space have slowly declined in Europe over the ages. They have almost totally disappeared today, except in some Southern-European Catholic countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal), which are more resistant to the process of secularisation, and on some rare special occasions such as official visits by the Pope. Protestants in northern and central Europe were the first to put an end to these practices and to turn to an interiorised form of religion.

The process I would like to stress here is precisely the privatisation of religion. In North America and Western Europe, this phenomenon is recognised by sociologists as a central process to the development of modernity. In a word, religion in these countries has increasingly become a matter of individual choice rather than of social obligations. The situation is drastically different in South Asia. In Nepal, religion is still a public act performed in a public arena. Rituals and ceremonies are performed in view of everybody and of the gods whose abodes are scattered throughout the public space. Rituals are put on display; they are not only part of the family but of broader social life. There is no distinction between private and public affairs in these matters. In the whole of South Asia, including Nepal, religion is in fact still a holistic subject. Personal faith is still encompassed by widely shared communal values regarding morals and social status.

Making religion a private domain implies a separation of the transcendental realm from other spheres, related to the life of a country, including its politics. The streets belong to the citizens and their representative organisations, not to devotees and followers of such and such a religion. The same logic has recently led French authorities to ban ostensible religious signs expressing a person’s sense of belonging to a specific faith, such as the Islamic scarf (but also the Christian cross) in schools. In sociological terms, this privatisation of religion is closely associated with both secularisation, i.e. the process by which religious values are losing weight in society, and with modernisation. However, the term secularisation insists more on the decline of religious beliefs and practices, whereas privatisation refers more to a change in the way one expresses one’s beliefs and practices.

Secularism, a term coined in England in the nineteenth century, has yet another meaning. It involves two basic prescriptions. The first is the strict separation of the state from religious institutions (very few countries have achieved this goal). The second is that people of different religions and beliefs are equal before the law. Secularism is therefore more a political concept, such as democracy (to which it is closely related), related to the proper governance of a country. In Nepal today, it is associated more or less with minority rights. In contrast, secularisation is more a sociological word, focusing on the position of religion in society. All these terms need to be set apart to avoid confusion in debates and any misunderstandings.

Unfortunately, the common meanings of these words are not totally distinct. The connotation of the word secularism sometimes overlaps with what is meant by secularisation. Both terms ultimately lead to the withdrawal of religion from public life, even when seen through a South Asian lens. In Westerners’ eyes, Nepal is everything but a secular country. It is difficult to understand how a country where religion is still all-pervading and where the political realm is so overloaded with religious symbols can be called ‘secular’. Similarly, how secular can a country be where most offices remain closed for weeks during two major Hindu festivals, Dashain and Tihar, a period during which most people are busy making offerings to the gods. All in all, the proclamation of Nepal as a ‘secular state’ in 2006 has so far had no visible effects, save the abolition of kingship, and some changes in festive calendars as well as in some judicial matters. Religion, the opium of the masses for orthodox Marxists, remains a crucial element of Nepali self-identity and social life.

Toffin is Director of Research at the National Centre for Scientific Research, France 

The trail drive begins

The Dashain festival is here again. And as usual, people are preparing to have a good time with their family members. For many Nepalis, the annual festival is the time to cut goats and buffalos and gorge on meat curry and other preparations. People party for a week regardless of their economic background.  

There are no reliable statistics on the total meat consumption in the country, but animals are often slaughtered on a massive scale. Many people have been fattening goats at their homes to be sacrificed during Dashain.

“Nepal’s booming middle class is driving the demand for meat,” said Tulsi Ram Gautam, an expert in the field. With rising disposable incomes, meat consumption is increasing significantly. “Before meat would have been seen on special occasions only,” added Gautam. “The new generation is cool with eating meat.”

An Asian Development Bank report entitled The Rise of Asia’s Middle Class shows that 23 percent (6.1 million) of Nepal’s population belongs to the middle class. But Dashain is a festival when people from every class slaughter goats and buffalos which gives rise to demand for these animals. The UN Food and Agriculture Organi-zation (FAO) in 2000 put Nepal’s per capita intake at 10.1 kg from 6.1 kg in 1961. People in the developing world eat 32 kg of meat per year on average, compared to 80 kg per person in the industrial world.

As per the Ministry of Agriculture Develop-ment, meat production in the country reached 295,341 tonnes (excluding imports) in the last fiscal year, which translates into a per capita meat consumption of 11.14 kg.  Buffalo meat accounts for 59 percent of Nepal’s total meat production, with around 175,000 tonnes of buffalo meat sold annually. Goat and chicken meat follow with 18.81 percent (55,583 tonnes) and 14.59 percent (43,112 tonnes), respectively. Of the total demand, 6.33 percent (18,709 tonnes) is fulfilled by pork meat. Fish production increased by 3 percent to 57,515 tonnes, while egg production grew 4.69 percent to 8.38 million units in 2012-13.

In the last 10 years, the goat population in Nepal increased 40 percent to 9.186 million head. But production has not matched the growth in the goat-eating population. The result is evident when it comes to goat imports. The ministry’s figures show that meat production in the last fiscal year rose a mere 2.62 percent. Most of the country’s goat requirement is fulfilled by India. “More than 85 percent of the goat requirement is met by imports from India,” Gautam said, basing his assumption on his survey conducted three years ago. In 2011-12, Nepal imported 1.181 million head of goats worth Rs 991.53 million.

“A low productive capacity is the major reason why Nepal’s dependency is increasing on meat imports,” said Gautam. “Though goat meat is widely consumed during the Dashain festival, chicken is a favourite meat for many Nepalis,” said Deepak Thapa, president of the Nepal Livestock Traders Association. The rapid rise of the domestic poultry market is a good indication of changing diets.

Election to swell demand

While Dashain is an annual festival when a large number of animals are slaughtered, the Constituent Assembly (CA) election scheduled for Nov 19 could increase demand for meat notably.  Experts said the meat market would boom when poll fever intensifies across the country and cash in the millions starts flowing into the economy.  “The sale of animal meat has risen with the festival,” said Nepal Food Corporation Deputy General Manager Indra Prasad Sitaula.

State-owned NFC, which plans to supply 3,400 goats in the Kathmandu valley for the festival, said that goats were not easily available in many part of the country except in some towns like Nepalgunj and Lahan. In a number of districts, goat sales have been restricted.  “We don’t know why, but the district administration may be fearing a short supply of goats in those areas.”  

Traders said that the supply of goats in rural areas could rise immediately after the Dashain festival due to demand created by the election campaign. Volunteers and activists belonging to various political parties will need to be fed, and the requirement for goats and buffalos is going to jump.

“The Kathmandu valley has been receiving 8,000-9,000 live goats daily since Wednesday for Dashain,” added Thapa. Demand is expected to pick up from Sunday. “The election campaign will add pressure on goat suppliers in all parts of the country immediately after the end of the festival.”

Attractive offers greet festive shoppers

The onset of Dashain has signalled joyous times for the business sector of the country, with common Nepalese splurging heavily on celebrations.

The festive period that grips the country has a huge significance for the domestic business fraternity, and such is the charm that most retail firms admit that the sales within the month long period of Dashain and Tihar accounts for almost 30-35  percent of their annual turnaround.

To bank on this festive charm, corporate Nepal has introduced numerous schemes and plans to woo the buyers. From automobiles to apparels, electronics to essentials, customers are spoiled for choice.

Offers such as buy-one-get-one-free, discounts and lucky draw with millions of rupees on offer, corporate Nepal has it all for buyers. Likewise, major shopping malls and department stores are showering customers with gifts and freebies. Even banks get involved, with several commercial and development banks offering home and auto loan schemes.

Such is the magnitude of the schemes that a single corporate group can spend up to Rs 30 million during Dashain and Tihar, according to prominent advertisers.

The ever competitive business sector of the country has compelled business groups to increase the volume of investments every year.

Dipendra Tandon, director at renowned advertising agency Business Advantage, siad business groups invest Rs 6 million to Rs 15 million on an average for Dashain and Tihar schemes.

“The spending volume depends upon the market trend. If you look at this festive season, paint manufacturers and distributors are spending more, compared to others,” Tandon said.

Prominent industrialist Shekhar Golchha, also the executive director of the Golchha Organisation, feels that schemes are a good way to keep relationships with the customers intact, by offering something that makes them happy during the festive period. “This is why we come up with schemes and offers,” Golchha said.

Such has become the situation that products or services without any schemes and offers during the festive period hardly sell in the market. Traders say that this has been mainly due to the psyche of buyers that the festive period is synonymous with added benefits.

“This tendency of buyers has forced even traditional business groups to compete with schemes during special occasions. Schemes have emerged as something essential for the competitive corporate Nepal, especially during such occasions,” said Rupesh Sharma Bhatta, assistant general manager at the Laxmi Intercontinental, a subsidiary of the Laxmi Group which sells Hyundai vehicles in Nepal.  

Another reason why companies introduce schemes during the festive period is to motivate the general public into spending when their disposable income remains high. The government office, as well as private firms, offer allowances and bonuses to their staff during Dashain and Tihar. Likewise, the country witness’s a large number of migrant workers returning from foreign employment with cash in hand. Also, remittance increases heavily during this period, resulting in the purchasing power of general people being much higher.   

The government employees receive Rs 20 billion in additional salary and allowances before Dashain, and private sector employees also collect a higher salary for the festival. The influx of the remittance adds extra cash into the hands of people, which encourages people to increase purchases massively during the festival.

Making the corporate sector more aggressive during the festive period is the fact that the period of Dashain and Tihar is the only time when product sales witness a major boost from eastern Nepal to the far western part of the country.

Traders say that there are numerous occasions to cash in on the market in the Kathmandu valley and city areas. However, the Dashain and Tihar period is the only time when the market can be motivated in the rural parts of the country. “When companies start at Dashain, the scheme will go onto Tihar and to Chhat. That means the impact will be higher with a single scheme due to a longer run time in the market,” said Tandon.

Sandeep Hirachan, managing director at the United World Trade Centre (UWTC), says that the best part of Dashain schemes is that it entices low earning individuals into the market. “Budget shoppers are largely attracted by schemes, and they are the ones who contribute in the volume of sales,” Hirachan said.

Ganesh Dhungana, general manager at the KL Tower in Chabahil, said that the festive period, further accompanied by schemes, gives tremendous growth to the footfalls. While in a normal day, footfalls at the KL Tower reaches around 3,000, per day, the figure surges to around 8,000 - 10,000 a day during Dashain and Tihar according to Dhungana.

“The more the people in mall, the more the sales volume,” Dhungana said, adding that they are expecting a growth of over 50 percent in sales during this period.

Remittance makes happier Dashain

Dashain and Tihar are the times when people pull out all the stops and spend lavishly without a second thought. In recent years, rising remittance inflows have made the festival an even more joyous occasion.

According to the 2010-11 Nepal Living Standard Survey, 55.8 percent of Nepali households receive money from family members working abroad. They receive an average of Rs 80,436 per year, and this has helped to make Dashain extra special.

The number of households receiving remittance has been rising due to an increasing flow of migrant workers. Dashain is the time when migrant workers send the most remittance compared to other occasions.  

Rajendra Pandit, director at the foreign exchange department of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), said the increasing number of migrant workers had helped to increase the inflow of remittance significantly. “As money circulation also increases during Dashain, the country witnesses a major percentage of the remittance inflow during the festival,” he added.

As per official records, 7.30 percent of the total population is working in various countries, but the actual number is estimated to be much higher. A majority of these workers are between the ages of 20 and 23 while the major destination countries for foreign employment are Malaysia, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Japan and the US, among others. They have been a big source of money for the high expenditures during the Dashain festival.

Those dealing with remittance said that remittance inflows rise during the festive season. They said that a recent appreciation of the US dollar also encouraged migrant workers to send more money home. People spend a lot of money to eat sumptuous food and buy new clothes and luxury goods.

Chandra Tandan, managing director of City Express Money Transfer Agency, said that there had been a growth of 20-25 percent in remittance inflows before the Dashain festival. “Had the recent surge in the US dollar not slowed lately, there would have been a growth of at least 35 percent,” he said. City Express said it conducts annual transaction worth Rs 40 billion and holds a 10 percent market share in the remittance business.

Rajeev Upreti, in-charge of Western Union Business at Nabil Bank, said the festive time usually witnesses a 30-40 percent higher inflow of remittance compared to normal times. According to him, transactions during the festival account for about one-fifth of the annual transactions.

Nabil has been working as a principal banking agent of Western Union Money Transfer. Upreti said Nabil’s major business in this segment comes from remittance from the US and Europe. According to him, they have been providing remittance service from over 1,250 locations across the country.

Service providers said they see a larger volume of transactions targeting Dashain mainly in the first week of October. “As the time is the regular schedule for receiving salaries by most of the migrant workers in foreign countries, they mainly send remittance during the period,” said Munal Jung Karki, business development executive at Prabhu Remit. According to him, business during the period doubles compared to normal times.

Karki said they were receiving an increasing amount of remittance from the US and Japan in recent days. Prabhu has been offering the service from 3,500 agents throughout the country. According to Karki, they have made formal tie-ups with 22 domestic commercial banks and international companies like Express Money, Money Gram, EZ Remit and Transfast in order to enhance their service. Meanwhile, International Money Express (IME), which claims to hold 30-35 percent of the country’s remittance business, also said that the country received 20-30 percent of the total annual remittance during Dashain.

“With a rise in the dollar, a growing number of migrant workers and changing consumption habits of the people, we have expected remittance inflows to grow 25-30 percent this year compared to last year,” said IME’s chief executive officer Suman Pokharel.

Welcome aboard deluxe class

With the common complaints of Dashain travellers being that airfares are too expensive and normal bus services too erratic, the presence of a few hundred deluxe buses are filling the void for those wanting to make their journey both budget friendly and comfortable.

Although such bus services are not widely available, they are available on long travel routes, particularly to eastern Nepal. In just five years, such services give an alternative to the often erratic and uncomfortable bus services dominating the road transport sector.

The deluxe bus service has become the best road transport service for Priyanka Raut from Dharan, and Prajita Adhikari of Biratnagar, who have been in the capital for their nursing studies.  “Since it costs over Rs 6,000 for a Kathmandu-Biratnagar flight, the deluxe bus is the best service for customers like us,” said Raut, who was heading to Dharan for Dashain.

Her friend Adhikari agreed that the main attraction of the deluxe and air conditioned vehicles was the comfortable folding seats having enough leg space. “Some operators even offer you snacks besides water, and some provide facilities for mobile recharging.”

As per the criteria set by the government, a deluxe bus must contain facilities such as a fan, light, comfortable 2x2 folding seat, additional leg space, first aid kit, drinking water, newspapers and audio and video facilities for entertainment.

Some operators even claim to provide Wi-Fi service during the travel period. Based on the criteria and facilities they offer, the government has allowed deluxe bus operators to charge 20 percent extra on the fare set by it, according to the Department of Transport Management. Similarly, if the vehicle is air conditioned, transporters can charge up to an additional 40 percent per ticket. Normal buses have 40-42 seats, while deluxe buses accommodate only 31 seats.

Normally, there are two types of deluxe buses—one has a Nepal-made body and the other has an India-made body. It is estimated that a new deluxe bus made in India costs Rs 9-10 million, while those buses with the body made in Nepal after importing the chassis costs Rs 4-7 million, according to transport entrepreneurs. The transport department estimates that luxury public transport vehicles have investments of over Rs 3 billion from transport entrepreneurs.

“Demand for deluxe services is increasing, and so is the competition among transport entrepreneurs,” said Yogendra Karmacharya, president of the Federation of National Nepalese Transport Entrepreneurs Associations. He said that it would not be surprising if, in a few years, the deluxe service replaces normal transport on long routes. As per department officials, it has just been five years since the appeal of deluxe buses increased among travellers, which is an upgrade from the so called “video coach” that ultimately pushed transport entrepreneurs to invest in such vehicles.

So far, around 300 deluxe and air conditioned buses have received permits for day and night operation, with most of them serving routes from Kathmandu to the eastern part of Nepal. “Last year, 80 units of Euro III standard deluxe buses received our approval for operation on different routes,” said Mohan Bhattarai, mechanical engineer at the department. He added that with Dashain being the main business season, transport entrepreneurs add new buses to their fleets during this time each year.

Deluxe buses are in operation on routes from Kathmandu to Kakkarbhitta, Dharan, Biratnagar, Pashupatinagar, Rajbiraj, Itahari, Janakpur, Birgunj and Bhairahawa, to name a few. However, the deluxe service is yet to flourish on routes to the western part of the country. A majority of night buses that are currently in operation on routes from Kathmandu to the eastern part of the country are deluxe buses, according to transport entrepreneurs.

Companies like Meteri, Makalu, Agni, Sajilo, Metro, New Koshi Super Yatayat, Ugrachandi, Jwala and Indra Baraha are operating air conditioned and deluxe buses. Santosh Puri, ticketing in-charge of New Koshi Super Yatayat said that there was stiff competition among transporters to provide deluxe services, and that it was hard to find passengers in the off season.

“During the off season, transporters issue tickets below Rs 1,000 even if the government allows them to collect Rs 1,200 for the Kathmandu-Dharan route,” he added. The government fixed fare for the route is Rs 1,024.

As demand for deluxe services is growing, there is a trend of normal long route buses claiming to be “deluxe”, with customers complaining about transporters charging higher fares for non-deluxe buses under the name of a luxurious deluxe service. “The government must keep a close eye on such ill practices by transporters so that the credibility of deluxe and air conditioned bus services does not erode,” said traveller Adhikari.

Higher charges, less facilities than assured and no fixed terminal for catching the buses are some of the common problems. As it is the peak season for the transportation business, many luxury public vehicles are found picking up passengers and leaving for destinations from junctions such as New Bus Park, Koteshwor and Kalanki. 

Dashain makes cash registers jingle

The Nepali people go on a spending spree during Dashain as befits the country’s biggest and longest festival. The most popular purchases during the festive season are clothes, electronic appliances and automobiles.

According to the Department of Customs, imports of food, garments and vehicles have jumped 20 percent in the last two weeks. Similarly, shipments of other goods have risen more than 10 percent.

No wonder traditional shops in the bazaar and fancy department stores alike roll out the red carpet for customers during this time. Shopping complexes and large stores offer discount schemes and provide gifts to lure customers. This is the time consumption drives the economy.   

According to an estimate of economist Keshav Acharya, 25-30 percent of the expenditure on consumption takes places during this season. The total estimated household consumption in the last fiscal year was Rs 1,430 billion, according to the Economic Survey 2012-13.

This means Nepali consumers bought goods worth Rs 357 billion to Rs 429 billion, as per Acharya’s calculation. Remittance and Dashain bonuses received by public and private sector employees play a vital role in increasing consumption.

“Government employees and former employees earn around Rs 20 billion as double salary and pensions for Dashain,” said Ram Sharan Pudashaini, spokesperson at the Ministry of Finance. “Most of the money is spent on consumption.”

According to Nepal Rastra Bank spokesperson Bhaskarmani Gnawali, an additional Rs 10-15 billion is

withdrawn from the banking system during the festival season. The increased amount of cash in people’s pockets due to higher incomes and greater remittance flows has energized the market.  

Migrant workers not only send home money for their families to splurge during the festival, most of them return home with bulging pockets and spend lavishly amid the buoyant mood.

Moreover, the people’s purchasing power has been growing, the country’s poverty level has been decreasing and a growing number of people are climbing up to the status of the middle class. The markets, as a result, are in a frenzy with high spending throngs on the loose.

According to an Asian Development Bank study, Nepal has a middle class population of 6.1 million, which is 23 percent of the national population. The poverty level has declined to 23.8 percent as of the last fiscal year from 25 percent two years ago, according to the Central Bureau of Statistic.

However, remittance is the key factor that has increased the spending power of the people. Dashain is also the time when the country receives a higher amount of remittance inflows.

According to Chandra Tandan, managing director of City Express Money Transfer Agency, remittance during Dashain has grown 20-25 percent. If the recent appreciation of the US dollar had lasted longer, the growth rate would have been in the range of 35 percent, he said.

During the month prior to the Dashain festival, remittance inflows in the country reached Rs 32 billion. As the rising trend in remittance inflows is continuing, it is estimated that a greater amount was received before the festive season began.

Remittance has greatly contributed to lifting rural consumption patterns, and during Dashain, rural consumption soars higher.

Economist Acharya said that even though most of the expenditure takes place in urban areas, the consumption is destined for rural areas as the people return to their villages

to celebrate the Dashain festival.

Usually, urban people are tops in terms of spending, but during this season, rural people are at the forefront in spending.

For traders, the festive season is the best time of the year as it accounts for almost half of their annual business. Keshav Bahadur Rayamajhi, vice-president of the Nepal-Trans Himalayan Border Commerce Association, said 40-50 percent of their business takes place during the two months of the festive season.

Cheaper Chinese goods are the most popular purchases in the domestic market during the festive season. Most of the goods imported from China for the Dashain festival are garments, footwear and electronic appliances. Rayamajhi said that goods had become dearer by 30 percent this year due to a stronger US dollar.

Food items are mostly produced locally or imported from India. Automobiles are another large import from the southern neighbour. “Automobile sales rise 30-35 percent during Dashain,” said Shekhar Golchha, president of the Nepal Automobile Dealers’ Association (Nada). Annual auto sales in the country are estimated to be worth Rs 100 billion, according to Nada.

Meanwhile, excess liquidity in banks and financial institutions (BFIs) and lower interest rates on auto loans have pushed up sales of automobiles.

“We have received very good feedback this time,” said Golchha. “It is probably due to increased remittance and good liquidity position in the banking sector.”

Currently, banks are offering auto loans for as low as 10 percent. When demand for loans from other sectors has not been so good, auto loans have helped banks to increase their business, according to bankers.