Editing Nepal (section)

== Culture ==
{{Main|Culture of Nepal}}

[[File:Magar Culture.jpg|alt=|thumb|A [[Magars|Magar]] couple]]

===Society===
Traditional Nepali society is sometimes defined by social hierarchy. The [[Caste system in Nepal|Nepali caste system]] embodies much of the social stratification and many of the social restrictions found in South Asia. Social classes are defined by more than a hundred [[endogamous]] hereditary groups, often termed as ''[[jāti]]s'', or "castes". Nepal declared [[untouchability]] to be illegal in 1963<ref>{{cite book |last=Bista|first=Dor Bahadur|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JzFROpFVYRAC|title=Fatalism and Development: Nepal's Struggle for Modernization|date=1991|publisher=[[Orient Blackswan]]|isbn=978-81-250-0188-1|language=en|page=44}}</ref> and has since enacted other anti-discriminatory laws and social welfare initiatives. At the workplace and educational institutions in urban Nepal, caste-related identification has pretty much lost its importance.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}

Family values are important in the Nepali tradition, and multi-generational patriarchal joint families have been the norm in Nepal, though nuclear families are becoming common in urban areas. An overwhelming majority of Nepalis, with or without their consent, have [[Arranged marriage in the Indian subcontinent|their marriages arranged]] by their parents or other family elders. Marriage is thought to be for life, and the divorce rate is extremely low, with less than one in a thousand marriages ending in divorce.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Bala Ram|last=Acharya|year=2005|title=Sociological Analysis of Divorce: A Case Study from Pokhara, Nepal|url=https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/DSAJ/article/view/284|journal=[[Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology]]|language=en|volume=1|pages=129–145|doi=10.3126/dsaj.v1i0.284|issn=1994-2672|doi-access=free|access-date=31 March 2020|archive-date=13 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813212247/https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/DSAJ/article/view/284|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Child marriage]]s are common, especially in rural areas; many women wed before reaching 18.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nepal.unfpa.org/en/node/15217|title=Child Marriage|date=30 December 2015|website=[[UNFPA]] Nepal|language=en|access-date=31 March 2020|archive-date=30 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830024316/https://nepal.unfpa.org/en/node/15217|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Teej.jpg|thumb|Women celebrating Haritalika [[Teej]] in Nepal]]
Many [[Public holidays in Nepal|Nepali festivals]] are religious in origin. The best known include: [[Gadhimai festival]], [[Dashain]], [[Tihar (festival)|Tihar]], [[Teej]], [[Chhath]], [[Maghi]], [[Sakela]], [[Holi]], and the [[Vaisakhi|Nepali new year]].

Gadhimai festival is a Hindu festival held every five years in Nepal at the [[Gadhimai Temple]] and has been described as ''the world's bloodiest festival''. The event involves large-scale slaughter of animals and birds, including buffaloes, goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, pigeons, pigs, rats and white mice, with the goal of pleasing goddess Gadhimai.<ref>{{Cite web|date=3 December 2019|title=World's 'largest animal sacrifice' begins in defiance of ban|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/gadhimai-hindu-festival-largest-animal-sacrifice-nepal-india-buffalo-a9230786.html|access-date=15 March 2021|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Bariyarpur|first=AFP in|date=3 December 2019|title=World's 'largest animal sacrifice' starts in Nepal after ban ignored|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/02/worlds-largest-ritual-animal-slaughter-goes-ahead-despite-ban|access-date=15 March 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Bhadra |date=6 December 2019 |title=Nepal's Animal-Sacrifice Festival Slays On. But Activists Are Having an Effect. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/06/world/asia/nepal-animal-sacrifice-gadhimai.html |access-date=24 July 2021 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Critics say the festival ritual is barbaric, unsanitary and wasteful, but Hindu devotees insist it has deep religious significance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/03/world/gallery/gadhimai-festival-intl-hnk-scli/index.html|title=Mass animal sacrifice begins despite outcry from activists|date=4 December 2019 |publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50644035|title=Gadhimai: Nepal's animal sacrifice festival goes ahead despite 'ban'|date=3 December 2019 |publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Power |first=Gabriel |title=What is Gadhimai festival and why is it so controversial? |url=https://www.theweek.co.uk/the-week-unwrapped/104702/what-is-the-gadhimai-festival-and-why-is-it-so-controversial |access-date=24 July 2021 |website=The Week UK |date=4 December 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

Dashain is a major Hindu religious festival in Nepal. Driven by the belief that offerings of fresh blood will appease goddess [[Durga]], thousands of buffaloes, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens and ducks are slaughtered during the festival. Numerous animal welfare activists have expressed their concerns over the issue of [[animal cruelty]] and mass slaughter. The Nepali government have tried to ban the filming of the animal sacrifices. An animal welfare group who witnessed the festival said "We have been violently and physically assaulted. Our equipment and cameras have been ripped from our hands and smashed into pieces." They also said they saw festival goers defecating in public and they had to walk among human faeces. In another case Nepali people carrying machetes chased animal welfare activists down the street.<ref>{{cite web |last=Criveller |first=Gianni |url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Buddhists-and-animal-rights-activists-against-animal-slaughter-for-Durga-32254.html |title=NEPAL Buddhists and animal rights activists against animal slaughter for Durga - Asia News |publisher=Asianews.it |access-date=11 November 2015 |archive-date=16 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116020839/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Buddhists-and-animal-rights-activists-against-animal-slaughter-for-Durga-32254.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Bibek Bhandari |url=http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1625292/animal-rights-activists-want-nepals-sacrifice-festival-stopped |title=Animal rights activists want Nepal's sacrifice festival stopped &#124; South China Morning Post |date=27 October 2014 |publisher=Scmp.com |access-date=11 November 2015 |archive-date=16 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116020838/http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1625292/animal-rights-activists-want-nepals-sacrifice-festival-stopped |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.myrepublica.com/news/27990/|title=NFC starts selling goats for Dashain|work=My Republica|access-date=24 September 2017|language=en|archive-date=23 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923194240/http://www.myrepublica.com/news/27990/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Witch-hunts in Nepal|Witch-hunts]] are still occurring in Nepal in the twenty-first century. The victims are usually poor elderly women, free-spirited young women, widows,<ref name=af>{{cite web|url=https://asiafoundation.org/2012/08/08/legislating-against-witchcraft-accusations-in-nepal/|title=Legislating Against Witchcraft Accusations in Nepal|last1 =Fernandez|first1=Diana|last2=Thapa|first2=Kirti|date=8 August 2012|publisher=[[The Asia Foundation]]|access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref><ref name=wn>{{cite web|url=https://www.womenepal.org/womens-and-childrens-issues/witch-hunting/|title=Witch hunting|publisher=The Women's Foundation Nepal|year=2019|access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref> women of [[Caste system in Nepal|lower castes]], or any possible combination of the above.<ref name=la/><ref name=tkp/> The perpetrators are usually neighbours or residents of the same village, and occasionally family or close relatives. Politicians, teachers, police officers, army officers and other respected members of the community have also been implicated in various incidents.<ref>{{cite conference|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Do1Kl2OyQdgC&pg=PA280|book-title=Proceedings of the Second International Conference of the South Asian Society of Criminology and Victimology (SASCV)|editor1-first=K.|editor1-last=Jaishankar|editor2-first=N.|editor2-last=Ronel|date=2013|publisher=SASCV & Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University|pages=280–283|title=Demonological theory of crime: A study of witch accusation in Nepal|first=Binita|last=Pandey|isbn=9788190668750|location=[[Tirunelveli]], [[India]]|via=Google Books|access-date= 10 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2018-11-19/woman-73-beaten-fed-feces-on-witchcraft-charges-in-dhading.html | title=Woman, 73, tortured over witchcraft allegation }}</ref> Execution may be carried out by [[Death by burning|burning alive]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2012/02/18/world/asia/nepal-witchcraft-burning/index.html|title=Nepalese woman accused of witchcraft and burned alive|first=Manesh|last=Shrestha|newspaper=[[CNN]]|date=18 February 2012|access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref> Many victims succumb to their injuries from torture and assault. Non-murderous witch-hunts usually include beating and feeding of excrement.<ref name=la>{{cite news|url=https://international.la-croix.com/news/nepalese-teen-accused-of-witchcraft-tortured-for-5-hours/7209#|url-access=limited|title=Nepalese teen accused of witchcraft tortured for 5 hours|newspaper=[[La Croix International]]|last=Shahi|first=Pragati|date=22 March 2018|access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref><ref name=tkp>{{cite news|url=https://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/printedition/news/2018-03-28/which-is-witch.html|title=Which is witch|newspaper=[[The Kathmandu Post]]|date= 28 March 2018|last=Rana|first=Purna Kumar|access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref>

===Symbols===
{{main article|National symbols of Nepal}}
{{Infobox place symbols
| title           = [[National symbols of Nepal|National symbols]]
| region_type     = National
| country         = Nepal
| image_flag      = Flag of Nepal.svg
| image_flag_size = 100px
| emblem          = [[Emblem of Nepal]]
| language        = [[Languages of Nepal|All mother-tongues of Nepal]]
| anthem          = [[Sayaun Thunga Phulka]]
| song            =
| currency        = [[Nepalese rupee]] (रू) (NPR)
| calendar        =
| dance           =
| instrument      =
| mammal          = [[Cow]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Cow-becomes-national-animal-of-Nepal/articleshow/49049371.cms|title=Cow becomes national animal of Nepal|date=21 September 2015|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|agency=[[Press Trust of India|PTI]]|language=en|access-date=3 April 2020|archive-date=8 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108121730/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Cow-becomes-national-animal-of-Nepal/articleshow/49049371.cms|url-status=live}}</ref>
| bird            = [[Himalayan monal]]
| flower          = [[Rhododendron arboreum]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/rhododendron-facing-existential-crisis-ilam-highlands/|title=Rhododendron facing existential crisis in Ilam highlands|date=18 March 2017|newspaper=[[The Himalayan Times]]|language=en-US|access-date=26 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826120952/https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/rhododendron-facing-existential-crisis-ilam-highlands/|archive-date=26 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
| river           =
| sport           = [[Volleyball]]<ref name=voll/>
| costume         =
| colour          = {{colour box|crimson}} [[Crimson]]
}}
The emblem of Nepal depicts the snowy Himalayas, the forested hills, and the fertile Terai, supported by a wreath of rhododendrons, with the national flag at the crest and in the foreground, a plain white map of Nepal below it, and a man's and woman's right hands joined to signify gender equality. At the bottom is the national motto, a Sanskrit quote of patriotism attributed in Nepali folklore to Lord [[Rama]], written in Devanagari script—"''Mother and motherland are greater than heaven''".{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}

[[Flag of Nepal|Nepal's flag]] is the only national flag in the world that is not rectangular in shape.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/flagtemplate_np.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110410060127/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/flagtemplate_np.html |archive-date=10 April 2011 |title=Flag Description}}</ref> The constitution contains instructions for a [[Geometric Construction]] of the double-pennant flag.<ref>compare [https://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/np01000_.html this copy of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501104849/https://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/np01000_.html |date=1 May 2016 }}</ref> According to its official description, the crimson in the flag stands for victory in war or courage, and is also the colour of the [[rhododendron]]. The flag's blue border signifies Nepali people's desire for peace. The moon on the flag is a symbol of the peaceful and calm nature of Nepalis, while the sun represents the aggressiveness of Nepali warriors.

The president is the symbol of national unity. The [[Martyrs of Nepal|martyrs]] are the symbols of patriotism. Commanders of the Anglo-Nepalese war, [[Amar Singh Thapa]], [[Bhakti Thapa]], and Balbhadra Kunwar are considered war heroes. A special designation of "National hero" has been conferred to 16 people from Nepal's history for their exceptional contributions to the prestige of Nepal. Prithvi Narayan Shah, the founder of modern Nepal, is held in high regard and considered "Father of the Nation" by many.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/nepali/news-42652772|title=११ वर्षपछि राष्ट्रिय एकता दिवस|date=11 January 2018|language=en-GB|access-date=4 December 2019|archive-date=12 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212221914/https://www.bbc.com/nepali/news-42652772|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Hutt1991/>

===Art and architecture===
{{main|Architecture of Nepal}}
{{multiple image
| perrow            = 2/1
| caption_align     = center
| align             = right
| image_style       = border:none;
| image3            = Shivas_Kinder - 0219.jpg
| width3            = 325
| image2            = Tusha_Hiti_step-well.jpg
| width2            = 150
| image1            = Nyatapola Temple.JPG
| width1            = 170
| footer            = Clockwise from top-left: (a) [[Nyatapola]], a five storied [[pagoda]] in Bhaktapur, bejewelled with characteristic stone, metal and wood craftsmanship, has survived at least four major earthquakes.<ref name="unesco">{{cite web |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001461/146117e.pdf |title=Science, Research and Technology in Nepal |year=2006 |publisher=[[UNESCO]] |pages=3–6 |author1=Dayananda Bajracharya |author1-link=Dayananda Bajracharya |author2=Dinesh Raj Bhuju |author3=Jiba Raj Pokhrel |access-date=18 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210819/https://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001461/146117e.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> Pagodas, now an indispensable part of East Asian architecture, are conjectured to have been transmitted to China from Nepal. (b) Nepali stonecraft in a royal water spout. (c) A traditional Newar "Ankhijhyal" window in the form of a peacock.
}}

The oldest known examples of architecture in Nepal are [[stupa]]s of early Buddhist constructions in and around [[Kapilvastu District|Kapilvastu]] in south-western Nepal, and those constructed by [[Ashoka]] in the [[Kathmandu Valley]] {{circa|250}} BC. The characteristic architecture associated exclusively with Nepal was developed and refined by Newa artisans of the Kathmandu Valley starting no later than the Lichchhavi period. A [[Tang dynasty]] Chinese travel book, probably based on records from {{Circa|650 AD}}, describes contemporary Nepali architecture, predominantly built with wood, as rich in artistry, as well as wood and metal sculpture. It describes a magnificent seven-storied pagoda in the middle of a palace, with copper-tiled roofs, its balustrade, grills, columns and beams set about with fine and precious stones, and four golden sculptures of [[Makara]]s in the four corners of the base spouting water from their mouths like a fountain, supplied by copper pipes connected to the runnels at the top of the tower. Later Chinese chronicles describe Nepal's king's palace as an immense structure with many roofs, suggesting that the Chinese were not yet familiar with the pagoda architecture, which has now become one of the chief characteristics of [[Chinese architecture]].

A typical pagoda temple is built with wood, every piece of it finely carved with geometrical patterns or images of gods, goddesses, mythical beings and beasts. The roofs usually tiled with clay, and sometimes gold plated, diminish in proportion successively until the topmost roof is reached which is itself ensigned by a golden finial. The base is usually composed of rectangular terraces of finely carved stone; the entrance is usually guarded by stone sculptures of conventional figures. Bronze and copper craftsmanship observable in the sculpture of deities and beasts, decorations of doors and windows and the finials of buildings, as well as items of everyday use is found to be of equal splendour. The most well-developed of Nepali painting traditions is the [[thanka]] or [[paubha]] painting tradition of [[Tibetan Buddhism]], practised in Nepal by the Buddhist monks and Newar artisans. [[Changu Narayan Temple]], built {{circa}} 4th century AD has probably the finest of Nepali woodcraft; the Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur Durbar Squares are the culmination of Nepali art and architecture, showcasing Nepali wood, metal and stone craftsmanship refined over two millennia.<ref name="landon2">{{Cite book|last=Landon Perceval|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.81837|title=Nepal Vol II|date=1928}}</ref>

The [[Newar window|"ankhijhyal" window]], that allow a one-way view of the outside world, is an example of unique Nepali woodcraft, found in building structures, domestic and public alike, ancient and modern. Many cultures paint the walls of their homes with regular patterns, figures of gods and beasts and religious symbols; others paint their walls plain, often with clay or [[chernozem]] contrasted with yellow soil or limestone. The roofs of religious as well as domestic structures project considerably, presumably to provide protection from the sun and the rain. The timber of domestic structures are finely carved as with their religious counterparts.<ref name=landon2/>

=== Looting of the cultural heritage of Nepal ===
Cultural looting is a crisis in Nepal despite efforts to combat it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bouledroua |first=Daoud |title=Cultural looting still a persistent crisis in South-East Asia |url=https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/cultural-looting-still-persistent-crisis-south-east-asia |website=unesco.org |access-date=8 November 2023 |archive-date=12 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240212063827/https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/cultural-looting-still-persistent-crisis-south-east-asia |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Smith |first=Emiline |date=2022 |title=The Ongoing Quest to Return Nepal's Looted Cultural Heritage |url=https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/290898/1/290898.pdf |journal=Georgetown Journal of International Affairs |volume=23 |issue=2 |pages=264–271 |doi=10.1353/gia.2022.0039 |s2cid=253371754 |issn=2471-8831 |access-date=25 December 2023 |archive-date=20 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020042918/https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/290898/1/290898.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dhakal |first=Ashish |date=2022-01-08 |title=Who looted Nepal's gods? |url=https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/who-looted-nepals-gods |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=nepalitimes.com |archive-date=8 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108062908/https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/who-looted-nepals-gods |url-status=live }}</ref> Volunteers working for the Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign have helped recover artifacts.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Small |first=Zachary |date=2021-10-29 |title=Citizen Activists Lead the Hunt for Antiquities Looted From Nepal |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/arts/nepal-looted-antiquities-citizens.html |access-date=2023-11-08 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=8 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108062908/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/arts/nepal-looted-antiquities-citizens.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2022 [[Barakat Gallery]]'s London branch relinquished 16th-century carved wooden Torana, a ceremonial gateway, and the 17th-century stone statue of a kneeling devotee, both taken from sacred sites near Kathmandu.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Solomon |first=Tessa |date=2022-03-21 |title=London Gallery Returns Two Artifacts Looted from Nepalese Temples |url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/london-gallery-returns-two-nepal-artifacts-1234622423/ |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=ARTnews.com |language=en-US |archive-date=8 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108062908/https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/london-gallery-returns-two-nepal-artifacts-1234622423/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2023 Nepalese artifacts suspected of having been looted were found in the [[Art Institute of Chicago]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cherney |first=Elyssa |title=She was the queen of Chicago's arts community. But her collection now means trouble for the Art Institute. |url=https://www.chicagobusiness.com/arts-entertainment/art-institute-chicago-nepal-looted-art-concerns |website=chicagobusiness.com |date=20 March 2023 |access-date=8 November 2023 |archive-date=7 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107192117/https://www.chicagobusiness.com/arts-entertainment/art-institute-chicago-nepal-looted-art-concerns |url-status=live }}</ref> the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-20 |title=More than 1000 artifacts in Metropolitan Museum of Art catalog linked to alleged looting and trafficking figures – ICIJ |url=https://www.icij.org/investigations/hidden-treasures/more-than-1000-artifacts-in-metropolitan-museum-of-art-catalog-linked-to-alleged-looting-and-trafficking-figures/ |access-date=2023-11-08 |language=en-US |archive-date=3 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103153127/https://www.icij.org/investigations/hidden-treasures/more-than-1000-artifacts-in-metropolitan-museum-of-art-catalog-linked-to-alleged-looting-and-trafficking-figures/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Choi |first=Christy |date=2023-10-25 |title=How an 11th-century monastery reclaimed artifacts from the US — and discovered a hoard of treasures in the process |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/nepal-itumbaha-monastery-treasures-repatriation-rubin-museum/index.html |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=8 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108062907/https://www.cnn.com/style/nepal-itumbaha-monastery-treasures-repatriation-rubin-museum/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> the [[Dallas Museum of Art]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Liscia |first=Valentina Di |date=2021-03-09 |title=How a Tweet Led to the FBI's Return of a Looted Nepalese Sculpture |url=http://hyperallergic.com/627854/return-of-looted-nepal-statue-dallas-museum/ |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=Hyperallergic |language=en-US |archive-date=28 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128130931/https://hyperallergic.com/627854/return-of-looted-nepal-statue-dallas-museum/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the [[Rubin Museum of Art|Rubin Museum]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dafoe |first=Taylor |date=2023-08-02 |title=Activists Call the Rubin Museum's Funding of a Nepalese Institution a Bid to 'Divert Attention' From Stolen Artifacts in Its Own Collection |url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/activists-protest-rubin-funded-itumbaha-museum-2344913 |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=Artnet News |language=en-US |archive-date=8 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108062907/https://news.artnet.com/art-world/activists-protest-rubin-funded-itumbaha-museum-2344913 |url-status=live }}</ref> and other museums, and turned up in auctions at [[Christie's]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-20 |title=Upcoming Christie's Sale Includes a Nepalese Sculpture Tied to Antiquity Looters |url=https://observer.com/2023/03/upcoming-christies-sale-includes-a-nepalese-sculpture-tied-to-antiquity-looters/ |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=Observer |language=en-US |archive-date=8 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108062908/https://observer.com/2023/03/upcoming-christies-sale-includes-a-nepalese-sculpture-tied-to-antiquity-looters/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Bonhams]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chaves |first=Alexandra |date=2021-06-06 |title=Nepalese figures withdrawn from Bonhams auction after identified as looted art |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art/nepalese-figures-withdrawn-from-bonhams-auction-after-identified-as-looted-art-1.1235491 |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=The National |language=en}}</ref> and other auction houses.

===Literature and the performing arts===
{{main|Nepalese literature|Music of Nepal|Cinema of Nepal}}
[[File:Bhanu Bhakta Acharya (1814-1869) author.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Bhanubhakta Acharya]], Nepali writer who translated the ancient Hindu epic ''[[Ramayana]]'' in the [[Nepali language]]]]
Nepal's literature was closely intertwined with that of the rest of South Asia until its unification into a modern kingdom. Literary works, which were written in Sanskrit by [[Brahmin]] priests educated and sometimes also based in [[Varanasi]], included religious texts and other fantasies involving kings, gods and demons.<ref name=bba/> The oldest extant Nepali language text is dated to the 13th century but except for the epigraphic material, Nepali language literature older than the 17th century have not been found. [[Newar literature]] dates back almost 500 years.<ref name=Hutt1991/> 

The modern history of [[Nepali literature]] begins with Bhanubhakta Acharya (1814–1868), who for the first time composed major and influential works in Nepali, the language accessible to the masses, most prominently, the [[Bhanubhakta Ramayana]], a translation of the ancient Hindu epic.<ref name=bba>{{Cite journal|last=Maitra|first=Kiran Shankar|year=1982|title=The First Poet of Nepali Literature|journal=Indian Literature|volume=25|issue=5|pages=63–71|issn=0019-5804|jstor=23331113}}</ref> By the end of the nineteenth century, [[Motiram Bhatta]] had published print editions of the works of Acharya, and through his efforts, single-handedly popularised and propelled Nepali language literature into modernity.<ref name=Hutt1991/> By the mid-twentieth century, Nepali literature was no longer limited to the Hindu literary traditions. Influenced by western literary traditions, writers in this period started producing literary works addressing the contemporary social problems,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sharma|first=V.|year=1992|journal=Journal of South Asian Literature|volume=27|issue=2|pages=209–218|issn=0091-5637|jstor=40874126|title=B. P. Koirala: A Major Figure in Modern Nepali Literature}}</ref> while many others continued to enrich Nepali poetic traditions with authentic Nepali poetry. Newar literature also emerged as a premier literary tradition. After the advent of democracy in 1951, Nepali literature flourished. Literary works in many other languages began to be produced. Nepali literature continued to modernise, and in recent years, has been strongly influenced by the post civil-war Nepali experience as well as global literary traditions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Nepali-literature|title=Nepali literature|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|language=en|access-date=11 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.therisingnepal.org.np/index/news/34119|title=Conflict-period Nepali literature holds importance for awareness|website=The Rising Nepal|access-date=11 December 2019|archive-date=11 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211155930/http://www.therisingnepal.org.np/index/news/34119|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Riccardi|first=Theodore|year=1993|title=Review of Himalayan Voices: An Introduction to Modern Nepali Literature|journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London|volume=56|issue=1|pages=157–158|issn=0041-977X|jstor=620321|doi=10.1017/S0041977X00002007|s2cid=162890099}}</ref><ref name=Hutt1991>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y6IwDwAAQBAJ|title=Himalayan Voices: An Introduction to Modern Nepali Literature|last=Hutt|first=Michael J.|date=29 July 1991|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-07048-6|language=en}}</ref>

[[Maruni]], [[Lakhey]], [[Sakela]], [[Kauda]] and [[Tamang Selo]] are some examples of the traditional Nepali music and dance in the hilly regions of Nepal.

Nepali film industry is known as "Kollywood".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kathmandupost.com/miscellaneous/2016/05/28/changing-winds-in-kollywood|title=Changing winds in Kollywood|website=Kathmandu Post |language=en|access-date=4 December 2019}}</ref>

[[Nepal Academy]] is the foremost institution for the promotion of arts and culture in Nepal, established in 1957.<ref name=Hutt1991/>

===Clothing===
[[File:Bhoto jatra.jpg|thumb|right|A Nepali man in Daura-Suruwal, coat and Dhaka topi, displays the bhoto during the [[Bhoto Jatra]] festival.]]
The most widely worn traditional dress in Nepal, for both women and men, from ancient times until the advent of modern times, was draped.<ref name="Tarlo1996-26">{{cite book |last=Tarlo|first=Emma|title=Clothing Matters: Dress and Identity in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ByoTXhXCuyAC&pg=PA26|year=1996|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]]|location=Chicago and London|isbn=978-0-226-78976-7|page=26}}</ref> For women, it eventually took the form of a [[sari]], a single long piece of cloth, famously six yards long, and of width spanning the lower body.<ref name="Tarlo1996-26"/> The sari is tied around the waist and knotted at one end, wrapped around the lower body, and then over the shoulder.<ref name="Tarlo1996-26"/> In its more modern form, it has been used to cover the head, and sometimes the face, as a veil,<ref name="Tarlo1996-26"/> particularly in the Terai. It has been combined with an underskirt, or the [[Petticoat#Asian petticoats|petticoat]], and tucked in the waistband for more secure fastening. It is worn with a [[blouse]], or [[choli|cholo]], which serves as the primary upper-body garment, the sari's end, passing over the shoulder, now serving to obscure the upper body's contours, and to cover the midriff.<ref name="Tarlo1996-26"/> Cholo-sari has become the attire of choice for formal occasions, official environs and festive gatherings. In its more traditional form, as part of traditional dresses and as worn in daily life while performing household chores or labour, it takes the form of a {{transliteration|ne|fariya}} or {{transliteration|ne|gunyu}}, usually shorter than a sari in length as well as breadth, and all of it wrapped around the lower body.

For men, a similar but shorter length of cloth, the [[dhoti]], has served as a lower-body garment.<ref name="Tarlo1996-26-28">{{cite book |last=Tarlo|first=Emma|title=Clothing Matters: Dress and Identity in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ByoTXhXCuyAC&pg=PA26|year=1996|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]]|location=Chicago and London|isbn=978-0-226-78976-7|pages=26–28}}</ref> It too is tied around the waist and wrapped.<ref name="Tarlo1996-26-28"/> Among the Aryans, it is also wrapped once around each leg before being brought up through the legs to be tucked in at the back. Dhoti or its variants, usually worn over a [[kaupinam|langauti]], constitute the lower-body garment in the traditional clothing of Tharus, Gurungs and Magars as well as the [[Madheshi people]], among others. Other forms of traditional apparel that involve no stitching or tailoring are [[patuka]]s (a length of cloth wrapped tightly over the waist by both sexes as a waistband, a part of most traditional Nepali costumes, usually with a khukuri tucked into it when worn by men), scarves like {{transliteration|ne|pachhyauras}} and {{transliteration|ne|majetros}} and shawls like the newar ''ga'' and Tibetan [[khata]], ghumtos (the wedding veils) and various kinds of [[turban]]s (scarves worn around the head as a part of a tradition, or to keep off the sun or the cold,<ref name="Tarlo1996-26-28"/> called a [[pheta]], pagri or sirpau).

Until the beginning of the first millennium AD, the ordinary dress of people in South Asia was entirely unstitched.<ref name="Rahman-Alkazi2002">{{cite book |last=Alkazi |first=Roshen |editor=Rahman, Abdur |title=India's Interaction with China, Central and West Asia |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NZvpAAAAMAAJ |year=2002 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-565789-0 |pages=464–484 |chapter=Evolution of Indian Costume as a result of the links between Central Asia and India in ancient and medieval times}}</ref> The arrival of the Kushans from [[Central Asia]], {{circa|48}} AD, popularised cut and sewn garments in the style of Central Asia.<ref name="Rahman-Alkazi2002"/> The simplest form of sewn clothing, Bhoto (a rudimentary vest), is a universal unisex clothing for children, and traditionally the only clothing children wear until they come of age and are given adult garb, sometimes in a ceremonial rite of passage, such as the gunyu-choli ceremony for Hindu girls. Men continue to wear bhoto through adulthood. Upper body garment for men is usually a vest such as the ''bhoto'', or a shirt similar to the ''[[kurta]]'', such as ''daura'', a closed-necked double-breasted long shirt with five pleats and eight strings that serve to tie it around the body. ''Suruwal'', simply translated as a pair of trousers, is an alternative to and, more recently, replacement for ''dhoti'', {{transliteration|ne|kachhad}} (Magars) or {{transliteration|ne|lungi}} (Tharus); it is traditionally much wider above the knees but tapers below, to fit tightly at the ankles, and is tied to the waist with a drawstring. Modern cholos worn with sarees are usually half-sleeved and single-breasted, and do not cover the midriff. The traditional one called the chaubandi cholo, like the daura, is full-sleeved, double-breasted with pleats and strings, and extends down to the patuka, covering the midriff.

[[Daura-Suruwal]] and Gunyu-Cholo were the national dresses for men and women respectively until 2011 when they were removed to eliminate favouritism.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://narimag.com.np/news/2019-05-21/20190521125417.html |script-title=ne:गुन्यू–चोलो तथा फरिया जोगाउने अभियान|website=narimag.com.np|language=ne|access-date=10 December 2019}}</ref> Traditional dresses of many pahari ethnic groups are Daura-Suruwal or similar, with patuka, a dhaka topi and a coat for men, and Gunyu-cholo or similar, with patuka and sometimes a scarf for women. For many other groups, men's traditional dresses consist of a shirt or a vest, paired with a ''dhoti'', {{transliteration|ne|kachhad}} or {{transliteration|ne|lungi}}. In the high Himalayas, the traditional dresses are largely influenced by [[Tibetan culture]]. Sherpa women wear the [[chuba]] with the [[pangi (apron)|pangi]] apron, while Sherpa men wear shirts with stiff high collar and long sleeves called tetung under the chuba. Tibetan Xamo Gyaise hats of the Sherpas, [[dhaka topi]] of pahari men and tamang round caps are among the more distinctive headwears.

Married Hindu women wear {{transliteration|ne|tika}}, {{transliteration|ne|sindur}}, {{transliteration|ne|pote}} and red bangles. Jewellery of gold and silver, and sometimes precious stones, are common. Gold jewellery includes {{transliteration|ne|mangalsutras}} and {{transliteration|ne|tilaharis}} worn with the {{transliteration|ne|pote}} by the Hindus, {{transliteration|ne|samyafung}} (a huge gold flower worn on the head) and Nessey (huge flattened gold earrings) worn by the Limbus, and {{transliteration|ne|sirphuli}}, {{transliteration|ne|sirbandhi}} and {{transliteration|ne|chandra}} worn by the Magars. Tharu women can wear as much as six kilograms of silver in jewellery, which includes {{transliteration|ne|mangiya}} worn on the head, {{transliteration|ne|tikuli}} the forehead, and {{transliteration|ne|kanseri}} and {{transliteration|ne|tikahamala}} around the neck.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/entertainment/last-of-tharu-jewellry/|title=Last of Tharu jewellry?|date=11 August 2006|website=The Himalayan Times|language=en-US|access-date=10 December 2019}}</ref>

In the last 50 years, fashions have changed a great deal in Nepal. Increasingly, in urban settings, the sari is no longer the apparel of everyday wear, transformed instead into one for formal occasions. The traditional kurta suruwal is rarely worn by younger women, who increasingly favour [[Jeans|jeans]]. The ''dhoti'' has largely been reduced to the [[liturgical]] [[vestment]] of shamans and Hindu priests.

=== Cuisine ===
{{Main|Nepalese cuisine}}
[[File:Nepali dal-bhat-tarkari.jpg|thumb|right|A dal-bhat thali with boiled rice, lentil soup, fried leafy greens, vegetable curry, yoghurt, papad and vegetable salad]]
Nepali cuisine consists of a wide variety of regional and traditional cuisines. With diversity in soil type, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially, using locally available spices, herbs, vegetables, and fruit.<ref name=tkpcrop>{{cite web|url=https://kathmandupost.com/opinion/2018/08/12/defining-our-food-culture|title=Defining our food culture|website=Kathmandu Post |language=en|access-date=11 December 2019}}</ref> The [[Columbian exchange]] brought potatoes, tomatoes, maize, peanuts, cashew nuts, pineapples, guavas, and most notably, [[chilli peppers]], to South Asia; all became staples.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.hindu.com/seta/2008/10/16/stories/2008101650731500.htm |work=[[The Hindu]] |title=Potato: historically important vegetable |date=16 October 2008 |author=D Balasubramanian | location=Chennai, India |access-date=26 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712125030/https://www.hindu.com/seta/2008/10/16/stories/2008101650731500.htm |archive-date=12 July 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Cereal]]s grown in Nepal, their times and regions of planting, correspond strongly to the timing of monsoons<ref name=sen-colleen-p13>{{cite book |last=Sen|first=Colleen Taylor|title=Feasts and Fasts: A History of Food in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VN_vCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA164|year=2014|publisher=[[Reaktion Books]]|isbn=978-1-78023-391-8|pages=164–165}}</ref> and variations in altitude. Rice and wheat are mostly cultivated in the terai plains and well-irrigated valleys; maize, millet, barley and buckwheat mostly in the less fertile and drier hills.<ref name=tkpcrop/><ref name=pathak>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BiOiK89C5jcC|title=Taste of Nepal|last=Pathak|first=Jyoti|date=2007|publisher=Hippocrene Books|isbn=978-0-7818-1121-7|language=en}}</ref>

A typical Nepali meal is a cereal cooked in plain fashion, complemented with flavourful, savoury dishes.<ref name="Davidson2014-p409">{{cite book |last=Davidson|first=Alan|title=The Oxford Companion to Food|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RL6LAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA409|year=2014|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-967733-7|page=409}}</ref> The latter include [[lentil]]s, [[pulses]] and vegetables, spiced commonly with [[ginger root|ginger]] and [[garlic]], and more discerningly with combinations of [[coriander]], [[cumin]], [[turmeric]], [[cinnamon]], [[cardamon]], [[jimbu]] and others.<ref name="Davidson2014-p409"/> This is typically on a platter, or [[thali]], with a central place for the cooked cereal and small bowls for the flavourful accompaniments. They are combined either by actual mixing—for example, rice and lentils—or in the folding of one—such as bread—around the other, such as cooked vegetables.<ref name="Davidson2014-p409"/> ''Dal-bhat'' centred around steamed rice is the most common example.<ref name=cnnfood/> as well as dairy and sometimes meat. Unleavened flat bread made from wheat flour called [[chapati]] occasionally replaces rice, particularly in the Terai, while [[Dhindo]], prepared by boiling corn, millet or buckwheat flour in water, continuously stirring and adding flour until thick, almost solid consistency is reached, is the main substitute in the hills and mountains. Tsampa, flour made from roasted barley or naked barley, is the main staple in the high himalayas. Throughout Nepal, fermented, then sun-dried, leafy greens called ''Gundruk'', are both a delicacy and a vital substitute for fresh vegetables in the winter.<ref name=pathak/>

[[File:Plateful of Momo in Nepal.jpg|thumb|Momo dumplings with chutney]]
A notable feature of Nepali food is the existence of a number of distinctive vegetarian cuisines, each a feature of the geographical and cultural histories of its adherents.<ref name="Davidson2014-p410">{{cite book |last=Davidson|first=Alan|title=The Oxford Companion to Food|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RL6LAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA410|year=2014|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-967733-7|page=410}}</ref> The appearance of ''[[ahimsa]]'', or the avoidance of violence toward all forms of life in many religious orders early in South Asian history, especially [[Upanishads|Upanishadic Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]] and [[Jainism]], is thought to have been a notable factor in the prevalence of vegetarianism among a segment of Nepal's Hindu and Buddhist populations, as well as among Jains.<ref name="Davidson2014-p410"/> Among these groups, strong discomfort is felt at thoughts of eating meat.<ref name="SahakianSaloma2016-50">{{cite book |last1=Sahakian|first1=Marlyne|last2=Saloma|first2=Czarina|last3=Erkman|first3=Suren|title=Food Consumption in the City: Practices and patterns in urban Asia and the Pacific|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TBIxDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT50|year=2016|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]|isbn=978-1-317-31050-1|page=50}}</ref> Though per capita meat consumption is low in Nepal, the proportion of vegetarianism is not high as in India, due to the prevalence of [[Shaktism]], of which animal sacrifice is a prominent feature.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Majupuria|first=Indra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tPAsvQEACAAJ|title=Joys of Nepalese Cooking: A Most Comprehensive and Practical Book on Nepalese Cookery : 371 Easy-to-make, Kitchen-tested Recipes|date=1990|publisher=S. Devi|language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Samaybaji.JPG|thumb|right|Samayabaji (Newar cuisine)]]
Nepali cuisines possess their own distinctive qualities to distinguish these hybrid cuisines from both their northern and southern neighbours.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/could-nepali-cuisine-go-global/|title=Could Nepali cuisine go global?|last=Heaton|first=Thomas|date=3 August 2018 |language=en-US|access-date=11 December 2019}}</ref><ref name=cnnfood>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/nepal-top-foods/index.html|title=Momos to Thali: What to eat in Kathmandu|last=marsh|first=jenni|date=16 December 2016|work=CNN Travel|language=en|access-date=11 December 2019}}</ref> Nepali cuisines, with generally tomato-based, leaner curries, are lighter than their cream-based Indian counterparts, and Nepali momo dumplings are heavily spiced compared to their northern counterparts.<ref name=cnnfood/> Newar cuisine, one of the richest and most influential in Nepal, is more elaborate and diverse than most, as Newar culture developed in the highly fertile and prosperous Kathmandu valley.<ref name=tkpcrop/> A typical Newar cuisine can comprise more than a dozen dishes of cereals, meat, vegetable curries, chutneys and pickles. [[Kwati (soup)|Kwanti]] (sprouted beans soup), chhwela (ground beef), [[Chatānmari|chatamari]] (rice flour crepe), bara (fried lentil cake), kachila (marinated raw minced beef), samaybaji (centred around flattened rice), {{transliteration|ne|lakhaamari}} and {{transliteration|ne|yomuri}} are among the more widely recognised.<ref name=cnnfood/><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Oq8AgAAQBAJ|title=Curry Cookbook – Nepal Cuisine|last=Rai|first=Jay|publisher=Springwood emedia|isbn=978-1-4760-4069-1|language=en}}</ref> Juju dhau, a sweet yoghurt originating in Bhaktapur, is also famous.<ref name=cnnfood/> Thakali cuisine is another well-known food tradition which seamlessly melds the Tibetan and the Indian with variety in ingredients, especially the herbs and spices.<ref name=tkpcrop/> In the Terai, [[Bagiya]] is a rice flour dumpling with sweets inside, popular among the Tharu and Maithil people. Various communities in the Terai make {{transliteration|ne|sidhara}} (sun-dried small fish mixed with [[taro]] leaves) and biriya (lentil paste mixed with taro leaves) to stock for the monsoon floods.<ref name=tkpcrop/> {{transliteration|ne|Selroti}}, {{transliteration|ne|kasaar}}, {{transliteration|ne|fini}} and {{transliteration|ne|chaku}} are among the sweet delicacies. Rice pulau or sweet rice porridge called {{transliteration|ne|kheer}} are usually the main dish in feasts.<ref name=pathak/> Tea and buttermilk (fermented milk leftover from churning butter from yoghurt) are common non-alcoholic drinks. Almost all janajati communities have their own traditional methods of brewing alcohol. [[Raksi]] (traditional distilled alcohol), jaand (rice beer), tongba (millet beer) and chyaang are the most well-known.

=== Sports and recreation ===
{{Main|Sports in Nepal}}[[Traditional games of Nepal|Nepali indigenous sports]], like [[dandi biyo]] and [[kabaddi]] which were considered the unofficial national sports until recently,<ref name= voll>{{cite news |url=https://english.onlinekhabar.com/its-official-volleyball-is-the-national-sport-of-nepal.html|title=It's official: Volleyball is the national sport of Nepal|newspaper=[[Online Khabar]]|access-date=29 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722085509/https://english.onlinekhabar.com/its-official-volleyball-is-the-national-sport-of-nepal.html|archive-date=22 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> are still popular in rural areas.<ref name="Himalayan Times More than child's play">{{cite news |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/lifestyle/people/more-than-just-childs-play/|title=More than just child's play|date=25 February 2018|newspaper=[[The Himalayan Times]]|language=en-US|access-date=21 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721224138/https://thehimalayantimes.com/lifestyle/people/more-than-just-childs-play/|archive-date=21 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite efforts, standardisation and development of dandi biyo has not been achieved,<ref name="Online Khabar national sport">{{cite news |url=https://english.onlinekhabar.com/nepals-national-sport-five-things-didnt-know-dandi-biyo.html|title=Nepal's' 'national sport' we never had: Five things you didn't know about dandi-biyo |newspaper=[[Online Khabar]]|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721224142/https://english.onlinekhabar.com/nepals-national-sport-five-things-didnt-know-dandi-biyo.html|archive-date=21 July 2019|url-status=live|access-date=21 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/57793/|title=Dandi Biyo Championship in Dhading|last=Republica|newspaper=[[Republica (newspaper)|Republica]]|language=en|access-date=21 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721224139/https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/57793/|archive-date=21 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> while Kabaddi, as a professional sport, is still in its infancy in Nepal.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/kabaddi/nepali-kabaddi-team-announces-12-member-men-s-squad-for-asian-games-2018|title=Nepal announces 12-member men's kabaddi squad for Asian Games 2018|date=6 August 2018|website=[[Sportskeeda]]|language=en|access-date=21 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721224141/https://www.sportskeeda.com/kabaddi/nepali-kabaddi-team-announces-12-member-men-s-squad-for-asian-games-2018|archive-date=21 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Bagh-chal]], an ancient [[board game]] that is thought to have originated in Nepal, can be played on chalk-drawn boards, with pebbles, and is still popular today.<ref>{{cite book |title=Games of No Chance |last1=Jin |first1=L.Y. |last2=Nievergelt |first2=J. |chapter=Tigers and Goats is a draw |editor2-first=Richard J |editor2-last=Nowakowski |editor1-first=Michael H |editor1-last=Albert |chapter-url=https://www.msri.org/people/staff/levy/files/Book56/22jin.pdf |publisher=[[MSRI Publications]] |volume=56 |year=2009 |pages=163–176 |doi=10.1017/CBO9780511807251.008 |isbn=9780511807251 |access-date=22 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721201337/https://www.msri.org/people/staff/levy/files/Book56/22jin.pdf |archive-date=21 July 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://ejournals.ukm.my/apjitm/article/view/26093|title=Analyzing Thousand Years Old Game Tigers and Goats is Still Alive|first1=Hiroyuki|last1=Iida|first2=Sakshi|last2=Agarwal|date=1 October 2018|journal=[[Asia-Pacific Journal of Information Technology and Multimedia]]|volume=7|issue=2|via=[[UKM e-Journal System]]|access-date=21 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721201347/https://ejournals.ukm.my/apjitm/article/view/26093|archive-date=21 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Ludo (board game)|Ludo]], [[snakes and ladders]] and [[carrom]] are popular pastimes.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2741570&language=en|title=KUNA : Carrom... Traditional game widely loved in Gulf region – Society – 16/08/2018|agency=[[Kuwait News Agency]]|access-date=21 July 2019}}</ref> [[Chess]] is also played.<ref name="Himalayan Times More than child's play"/> [[Volleyball]] was declared as the national sport of Nepal in 2017.<ref name=voll/> Popular children's games include versions of [[Tag (game)|tag]],<ref name="Himalayan Times More than child's play"/> [[knucklebones]],<ref name="Himalayan Times More than child's play"/> [[hopscotch]], [[Duck, duck, goose#Rumaal Chor|Duck, duck, goose]]<ref name="Himalayan Times More than child's play"/> and [[seven stones|lagori]], while [[marbles]],<ref name="Himalayan Times More than child's play"/> [[Spinning top|top]], [[hoop rolling]] and [[gully cricket]] are also popular among boys. [[Rubber band]]s, or [[ranger band]]s cut from tubes in [[Bicycle|bike]] tyres, make a multi-purpose sporting equipment for Nepali children, which may be bunched or chained together, and used to play [[dodgeball]], [[cat's cradle]], [[jianzi]]<ref name="Himalayan Times More than child's play"/> and a variety of [[skipping rope]] games.<ref name="Himalayan Times More than child's play"/>
[[File:Nepali_Fans.JPG|thumb|Nepali cricket fans are renowned for their exceptionally enthusiastic support of their national team.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/24222487/fans-frolic-frenzy-await-nepal-lord-visit|title=Fans, frolic, frenzy await Nepal's Lord's visit|date=29 July 2018|publisher=[[ESPNcricinfo]]|access-date=21 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721184833/https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/24222487/fans-frolic-frenzy-await-nepal-lord-visit|archive-date=21 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/nepal/content/story/728911.html|title=Cricket-mad Nepal faces infrastructure challenges|date=18 March 2014|work=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=21 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721184823/https://www.espncricinfo.com/nepal/content/story/728911.html|archive-date=21 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
[[Association football|Football]] and [[cricket]] are popular professional sports.<ref>{{cite web |title=Football at the heart of the Himalayas |url=https://www.fifa.com/theclub/news/newsid=93201/ |publisher=[[FIFA]] |date=5 March 2009 |access-date=17 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903141351/https://www.fifa.com/theclub/news/newsid=93201/ |archive-date=3 September 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Nepal is competitive in football in the South Asia region but has never won the [[SAFF|SAFF championships]], but has had some success in [[South Asian Games]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://kathmandupost.com/sports/2018/09/12/nepal-eye-historic-final|title=Saff Championship: Nepal eye historic final|newspaper=[[The Kathmandu Post]]|access-date=22 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722102020/https://kathmandupost.com/sports/2018/09/12/nepal-eye-historic-final|archive-date=22 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/nepal-crash-out-of-saff-cship-after-3-0-defeat-to-maldives/|title=Nepal crash out of SAFF C'ship after 3–0 defeat to Maldives|date=12 September 2018|newspaper=[[The Himalayan Times]]|access-date=22 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722102013/https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/nepal-crash-out-of-saff-cship-after-3-0-defeat-to-maldives/|archive-date=22 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> It usually ranks in the bottom quarter in the [[FIFA World Rankings]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/men|title=The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking – Ranking Table |publisher=[[FIFA]]|access-date=21 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907060006/https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/|archive-date=7 September 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Nepal has had some success in cricket and holds [[List of countries with ODI status|ODI status]],<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theweek.co.uk/cricket/92328/nepal-cricket-odi-status?amp|title=Nepal make cricket history after securing ODI status|newspaper=[[The Week|The Week (UK)]]|access-date=21 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627202049/https://www.theweek.co.uk/cricket/92328/nepal-cricket-odi-status?amp|archive-date=27 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/22777050/biggest-day-nepal-cricket-history-khadka |title='Biggest day in Nepal cricket history' – Khadka |date=15 March 2018 |publisher=[[ESPNcricinfo]] |access-date=16 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316024753/https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/22777050/biggest-day-nepal-cricket-history-khadka |archive-date=16 March 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> consistently ranking in the Top 20 in the [[International Cricket Council|ICC]] [[ICC ODI Championship|ODI]] and [[ICC T20I Championship|T20I rankings]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/rankings/mens/team-rankings/odi|title=ICC Ranking for ODI teams International Cricket Council|publisher=[[International Cricket Council|ICC]]|access-date=22 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190324175838/https://www.icc-cricket.com/rankings/mens/team-rankings/odi|archive-date=24 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/rankings/mens/team-rankings/t20i|title=ICC Ranking for T20 teams International Cricket Council|publisher=[[International Cricket Council|ICC]]|access-date=22 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190324175834/https://www.icc-cricket.com/rankings/mens/team-rankings/t20i|archive-date=24 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Nepal has had some success in [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]] and [[martial arts]], having won many medals at the [[South Asian Games]] and some at the [[Asian Games]].<ref name=trn>{{Cite news |url=https://therisingnepal.org.np/news/33198|title=Current priorities of sports: Hosting SAG, winning medals|newspaper=[[The Rising Nepal]]|access-date=22 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722085510/https://therisingnepal.org.np/news/33198|archive-date=22 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Nepal has never won an [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] medal.<ref name=gauri/> Sports like [[basketball]], volleyball, [[futsal]], [[wrestling]], competitive bodybuilding<ref name=gauri/><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/malik-overall-winner-afghanistan-bag-team-cship/|title=Malik overall winner, Afghanistan bag team c'ship|date=21 July 2019|newspaper=[[The Himalayan Times]]|access-date=22 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722085506/https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/malik-overall-winner-afghanistan-bag-team-cship/|archive-date=22 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[badminton]] are also gaining in popularity.<ref name="Himalayan Times More than child's play"/> Women in football, cricket, athletics, martial arts, badminton and swimming have found some success.<ref name=award>{{Cite news |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/cricket-football-dominate-nominations/|title=Cricket, football dominate nominations|date=26 June 2019|newspaper=[[The Himalayan Times]]|access-date=22 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722102011/https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/cricket-football-dominate-nominations/|archive-date=22 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=gauri>{{Cite news |url=https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/67830/|title=Will she quench Nepal's thirst for Olympic medals?|first=Rajan|last=Shah|newspaper=[[Republica (newspaper)|Republica]]|access-date=29 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722091043/https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/67830/|archive-date=22 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Nepal also fields players and national teams in several tournaments for [[Disability|disabled]] individuals, most notably in men's<ref name=menb>{{Cite news |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/blind-cricketers-horrible-journey-to-world-cup/|title=Blind cricketers' horrible journey to WC|date=22 January 2018|newspaper=[[The Himalayan Times]]|access-date=21 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721201344/https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/blind-cricketers-horrible-journey-to-world-cup/|archive-date=21 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as women's blind cricket.<ref name=wmenb>{{Cite news |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/nepal-defeat-pakistan-seal-womens-blind-cricket-series/|title=Nepal defeat Pakistan, seal women's blind cricket series|date=4 February 2019|newspaper=[[The Himalayan Times]]|access-date=21 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721201351/https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/nepal-defeat-pakistan-seal-womens-blind-cricket-series/|archive-date=21 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

The only international stadium in the country is the multi-purpose [[Dasharath Rangasala|Dasarath Stadium]] where the [[Nepal national football team|men]] and [[Nepal women's national football team|women national football teams]] play their home matches.<ref name=dash>{{Cite news |url=https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/27598/|title=Renovation of Dasharath Stadium takes forever, hurts nation's football|first=Prabin Bikram|last=Katwal|newspaper=[[Republica (newspaper)|Republica]]|access-date=29 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722085516/https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/27598/|archive-date=22 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Since the formation of the [[Nepal national cricket team|national team]], Nepal has played its home matches of cricket at [[Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground]].<ref name="cricktarchv">{{cite web |title=Grounds in Nepal |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/93/grounds_for_country_93.html |publisher=[[Cricket Archive]] |access-date=18 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116202325/https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/93/grounds_for_country_93.html |archive-date=16 January 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> Nepal police, Armed police force and Nepal army are the most prolific producers of national players, and aspiring players are known to join armed forces, for the better sporting opportunities they can provide.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/khawas-passes-second-lieutenant-test/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202013552/https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/khawas-passes-second-lieutenant-test/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 December 2024|title=Khawas passes second lieutenant test|first=Bipulendra|last=Adhikari|newspaper=[[Republica (newspaper)|Republica]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/nepal-apf-club-athletes-gopi-chandra-parki-kanchhi-maya-koju-win-5000m-races-seventh-national-games/|title=APF athletes Parki, Koju win 5,000m races|date=26 December 2016|newspaper=[[The Himalayan Times]]|access-date=22 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722094941/https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/nepal-apf-club-athletes-gopi-chandra-parki-kanchhi-maya-koju-win-5000m-races-seventh-national-games/|archive-date=22 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Nepali sports is hindered by a lack of infrastructure,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://kathmandupost.com/sports/2019/04/25/national-games-conclude-with-concerns-over-maintenance-and-upgradation-of-infrastructure|title=National Games conclude with concerns over maintenance and upgradation of infrastructure|newspaper=[[The Kathmandu Post]]|access-date=22 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722102021/https://kathmandupost.com/sports/2019/04/25/national-games-conclude-with-concerns-over-maintenance-and-upgradation-of-infrastructure|archive-date=22 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> funding,<ref name=menb/> corruption, nepotism and political interference.<ref name=trn/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/story/1003757.html|title=ICC suspends Cricket Association of Nepal|date=26 April 2016|publisher=[[ESPNcricinfo]]|access-date=22 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718083716/https://www.espncricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/story/1003757.html|archive-date=18 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/69986/|title=ICC's suspension of CAN continues|newspaper=[[Republica (newspaper)|Republica]]|access-date=29 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722100456/https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/69986/|archive-date=22 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Very few players are able to make a living as professional sportspeople.<ref name=dash/><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://kathmandupost.com/30/2020/02/22/athletes-spend-the-best-years-of-their-lives-playing-sports-but-are-often-left-with-little-to-retire-on|title=Athletes spend the best years of their lives playing sports, but are often left with little to retire on|newspaper=[[The Kathmandu Post]]|language=en|access-date=26 February 2020}}</ref>