Nepal Religions

Nepal is a multi religious country. Different religious aspects exist here and a strong tolerance between all of them. For instance, Hindu people are often seen praying at the Buddhist shrines as well as Buddhists at the Hindu temples. At one time, Nepal was worldwide known as the Hindu kingdom. Hindu religion is based around a trinity of three deities- Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Preserver) and Shiva (the Destroyer).  Although Hindus in Nepal may pay an equal respect to all of these three gods as part of their religion, some may profess to follow either Vishnu or Shiva. Nepal was a Hindu Kingdom until 2008 reflecting the predominant influence of Hinduism in Nepal. However, the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautam, was also born in Kapilvastu of Nepal – thus molding the culture of Nepal in its own unique Hindu-Buddhist blend. Muslims constitute the second largest population by faith. Then come the Christians and others like Sikhs, Roman Catholics, & the followers of new religions like Baha’i, etc. Thus, Nepal is a diverse country from religion’s point of view as well. The regions and monuments like the Durbar Squares of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, the Pashupatinath, & the Buddhist monasteries Swoyambhu & Bouddhanath of Kathmandu have also been declared world heritage sites by the UNESCO. Religion Quick Facts: Hindu   80.6%   Buddhist   10.7%   Muslim    4.2%   Kirat   4%   Christian   0.4%   Jains, Sikhs, Bahais   0.1%   Not related to religion   0.6%