In the ancient days, long before Nepal was mapped in the world, the Kathmandu Valley was known as Nepal Mandala. One of the verifications for this is a Gyaneshwar inscription that dates back to the reign of Jayadeva Malla in the 13th century that mentions the Kathmandu Valley as a mandala. It is also believed that the valley is in the form of Cakrasamvara–the most important Buddhist esoteric deity that is surrounded by the sites of eight Bodhisattvas.

Over time, the presence of mandalas in the Kathmandu Valley spread–especially in the Buddhist community. Even Pancha Buddha, the five celestial Buddhas which is represented widely in mandalas, are omnipresent in the valley. With changing times, mandalas have now morphed into commercial business products and its prints can be seen in paubhas, thangkas, even t-shirts. But, what is a mandala and what do they signify?

MORE

Foreigners are often puzzled why Nepalis never take to the streets despite the chronic failure of the government to provide basic services. It is true, Nepalis are a tolerant lot. But this week, something snapped.

Citizens have been gathering on the streets, braving water cannons and tear gas to oppose a bill in Parliament that would dismantle the centuries-old tradition of guthi community trusts to manage religious sites and festivals.

…continue reading…

Galbandi गलबन्दी | Prakash Saput & Shanti Shree Pariyar | Anjali Adhikari | Bola Maya | 5K

Pratima Sherpa’s drive from Santa Barbara to Beaumont, California, is about four hours, on highways and interstates, past strip malls and mountains, into the California desert.

Awaiting her is the unofficial start of her professional golfing career.

The 19-year-old amateur from Nepal was given a Symetra Tour sponsor’s exemption to this weekend’s IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa at the Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon.

…continue reading

Immigrants from 10 nations have temporary protected status in the US

…continue reading

Scroll through Samaira Mehta’s Instagram and you’ll see that she is a lot like other kids her age. She posts about having a lemonade stand, going swimming and doing the “In My Feelings” dance challenge.

But she also stands out from other 10-year-olds — Mehta is CEO, founder and inventor of CoderBunnyz, a board game that teaches players as young as 4 basic coding concepts. Players draw and move their bunny piece along the board with the goal of eating carrots and hopping to their final destination.

…continue reading

Tourist arrivals crossed the coveted one-million mark for the first time in 2018, with 1.17 million foreign visitors streaming into the country, but their spending plummeted to a seven-year low.

According to statistics from the Tourism Ministry, expected to be released next week, the average spending per tourist per day dropped to $44, the lowest in seven years. The average spending was $54 per day in 2017…continue reading