INFORMATION ABOUT NEPAL, TIBET, SHERPAS...

NEPAL

It is hard to imagine more impressive scenery than Himalaya. Freud describes places in which you can even reject your personal identity and get dragged into ‘ocean of feelings similar to spiritual experience’. While watching clear morning skies of white Himalaya you simply feel such Freud’s place.

There are only several countries whose geography is as diversified as Nepal’s one. Within the same borders you can experience anything from tropical to moderate and from alp to artic climate. High summits scatter fog and rain clouds everywhere making each of many hundreds of valleys and gulches to have their own microclimates.

The jungle hides nearly 800 bird species which represent 10% of the planet’s bird’s diversity. The same place would let you meet Asian unicorn rhinoceros or hear the roar of Bengali tiger. As you get closer to the horizon, in the mountains, maybe a desert snow leopard is stalking towards a flock of blue eyed sheep.

Spectacular geography also hides one of the richest cultures ever seen.

Population of about 22 million contains many ethnic groups and subgroups that speak not less than 30 different languages and dialects. Nepal language «parabate» has its roots in French. Other languages belong to Indo-Europe and Tibeto-Burman language families.

Nepal is home to two religions that count the highest number of followers, Hinduism and Buddhism that come from early shaman religion. Today, these coexist in harmony. The most famous is Pashupatinat in Katmandu.

Some most respected Hindu holly places are here too. Nepal is also described in famous Hindu literature: Mahabharata and Ramayana.

Siddhartha Gautam «Buda» (enlightener) was born in Lumbin in south Nepal. It is believed that he moved to Katmandu valley later. Buddhism has its deep roots in northern Himalaya.

Meeting Nepal’s people is just one of so many pleasures. These people are friendly, tolerant and patient. Such tolerance comes from their faith, language and plural culture. They show patience even in the face of not so trivial but still usual everyday problems in Nepal. Deep roots of Hinduism and Buddhism helps Nepal people remain psychologically in balance.

Nepal is Heaven for visitors. Pick any side to look at and your eye will meet with the World’s highest summits. Go to the foothill or meet life in the mountains. While rafting down the rivers risen due to melting snow one cannot stop thinking and admiring such rich culture and artistic achievements. The eye search for rhinoceros while riding the elephant. Visit casino? All these are on offer during a single visit. Some come to Nepal and do not pay visit to Himalaya but rich culture still does not stop crying for the next visit.

Nepal, situated in the north of the Indian subcontinent, lays between two countries with the greatest population in the World – China and India. India’s land is 22 times greater than Nepal’s while China is three times greater than India. Nepal is the only Hindu kingdom in the World.

Its length from the East to the West is approximately 900km but South to North takes between 150 and 200km. Its land of 147.181km² could be somewhat misleading figure. If it was possible to ‘iron’ Nepal’s land surface the outcome could have been area even 20 times greater from the official one.

Nepal is situated between two Asian giants: China in the north and India in the east, south and west. Words of Nepal’s contemporary king Prithvi Narayan Shah best describe it: “Nepal represent a yam caught between two large rocks.” In spite of having both India and China trying to swallow tasty yam, Nepal remains an independent state that successfully balances its relationships with the neighborhood. 

General information about Kingdom of Nepal:

Land: 147.181km², similar to Austria and Switzerland together.

Population: approximately 25 million, 50% bellow the age of 21; annual population growth 2.7%.

Capital: Katmandu with 1,000,000 people and further 1,200,000 people in the Valley.

Religion: Official Hindu 80%, Buddhism 18%, Islam 2%.

Ethnic groups: More than 30 different such as Gurung, Magar, Tamang, Rai, Limu,

Newar, Sherpa, Loba, Walungwa, Tharu and Indo-Aryan cast Brahman and Chhetri.

Economy: 90% agriculture, average annual national income 200$ per person

Language: Formal Nepal 58%, Newari 3%, Tibeto-Burman 19%, Indian 20%. All 30 languages have many dialects.

Currency: Nepal Rupi.   1$= 76 Rupi

National flower: rhododendron

National bird: pheasant

National colour: purple red

Highest summit: Mt. Everest 8850m – The highest summit in the World

HIMALAYA

Himalaya form the border between northern parts subjected to monsoons and Tibetan-Himalayan desert. Most main rivers of the subcontinent as well as Chinese rivers originate in Tibet, cutting through mountains and forming plateaus with high moistures before leaving Himalaya.

The difference in altitude of the Himalayan zone ends is 3000m. This zone occupies ¼ of total Nepal territory. 10% of Nepal’s population continues to live in extreme climate from Alp to Arctic conditions. The quality of soil is poor. The population mainly depends on trading and agriculture. The main agricultures are potato, wheat and barley. Additionally, maple, pine trees, high mountain bushes and shrubs could also be met.

Depending on where people live, mountains represent some sort of ‘rain blockers’. Lumle, bellow Annapurn, gets some 565cm of rain annually. Managbhot, only 30km to the north and 1000m higher but the other side of Annapurn, gets only 38cm of rain. Farmers in Lumle Valley live decent while the population of Mamang mostly trade and travel to remote locations due to very poor quality of soil.

Vegetation in Himalayan zone, above the ‘three line’, is similar to vegetation in other mountain regions. Flora could be seen up to 5100m. Blooming takes place between April and October due to monsoons.

Wild animals live north of Himalaya in the region of ‘rain shadow’. A special type deer known for its scrotums is very much ‘appreciated’ in pharmaceutical industry and so protected by the low. Blue sheep has short legs, wide back and usually brown rather than blue colour. Wolves, brown bears and lynxes also live in these regions.

Natural inhabitant, Nepal’s national bird Daphne (pheasant) lives at altitudes of 2600m to 4575m. The beauty of its nine colours surprises all first time spectators.

SHERPAS

Sherpas is the most famous tribe in Nepal. Some 470 years ago, they came from pasture in the East of Tibet to the region in the south Himalaya. They never broke their links with the land of origin. Even these days Sherpas keep crossing ‘saddles’ of Nang-pa to trade with Tibet.

It is believed that Sherpas inhabited this region in early sixteen century by coming from the Chinese province of Sichuan. They were forced by Mongols to march for some 1300 miles. Some Tibet’s documents found in Sol confirm that a group of approximately 50 or more Sherpas crossed Nangpa La Passa and came secretly to uninhabited wild forests back in 1533. Here, Sherpas have been living peacefully for almost 500 years.

They picked their new land to be at high altitude where life is tough even during the short summer, let alone cold and windy winter and named it Solu Kumbu. Green and fertile valleys were in the south, at only two day walking distance. These could have been clearly seen from Solu Kumbu. And yet, Sherpas were not attractive to them.

While meeting people from the valley Sherpas would shortly answer that their name is Sher-pa which means people from the East.

By the beginning of 20th century some Sherpas would come to Dardziling in Sikima for trading. Englishman, planning to conquer Himalaya summits noticed them. Acclimatized to live at high altitudes during many generations Sherpas became summit climber-carriers without whom it would be hard to imagine any Himalayan expedition. Best among them were not carriers only but with Sahibs they would climb right to the top. When Everest was finally conquered, the whole World learned about Sherpas. Many good climbers came and still come from this tribe. Ang Rita,  Sherpa from  Khumba, climbed  an Everest 11 times which is an absolute World record.

EVEREST

The highest summit in the World is in the north of Indian subcontinent close to the border between Nepal, the only Hindu kingdom in the World and Buddhist Tibet which since 1950 belong to People’s Republic of China in form of autonomous province.

This undisputed fact wasn’t always known. Between 1745 and 1818 the highest summit was considered to be volcano Chimborazo, 6287m high, in Ands, in Ecuador. In the mid 19th century, British topographers measured India and Himalaya. Between 1818 and 1848 for the highest summit in the World picked Daulagiri in Nepal. Between 1848 and 1852 Kangchendzenga in Sikimu seem to be the one. Since, highest summits in Himalaya were unreachable, Indian topographers ˝Survey of India˝ noticed a very high summit in Himalaya from the level of Indian jungle and named it summit XV.

Finally in 1852, calculations and measurements showed that summit XV is the highest known (8840m). At this moment the highest summit had been discovered.

Nobody new the name of this summit. Devadunga and Gaurishankar names were suggested. Finally the summit was named ˝Mont Everest˝ after Ser George Everest, Head of the ˝Survey of India˝ between 1823 and 1843.

Many mountains’ bare illogical names. Needless to mention high summits that were named after powerful politicians such as Lenin or Stalin summit (later named ‘Communist summit’). Neither Lenin and Stalin nor Ser George Everest who died 01st December 1866 at the age of 76 in Wales, have ever seen ‘their’ summits.

Subsequent measurements determined height of 8888m. Since 1955 the height of 8848 is the official one. The most recent satellite measurements determined 8850m and the latest one is currently the official height since 1999. Nevertheless, Everest ‘grows’ some 6mm per year.

As mentioned earlier, British topographers could not learn the name of the summit but subsequently discovered Chinese maps from 1717 showed the name ˝Thoumou Lancma˝. Namely, in 1711, Chinese Lamas following instructions given by Jesuits in Peking produced another map. This map shows approximately 65km long mountain wreath, called ˝Thoumou Lancma˝. In 1733, French geographer D`Anville publishes his map of Tibet that was also based on lamas’ measurements.

In 1904, Waddell and Sarat Chandra Das learned that Tibetans call the summit Chomo Kankar. In 1920, Ser Charles Bell, British representative in Lassa gets the permission from Tibetan officials to carry out expedition on Everest. These documents say that Sahibs want to see the mountain ‘Chomolungma’ which means the ‘Mother Goddess of the Universe’. Recently, Nepal made the name ‘Sagarmata’ official, which translated means ‘Churning Stick of the Ocean of Existence’.

Call the summit peak XV, Chomolungma, Sagarmata  or Everest, it is 8850m high, the highest in the World and at the same time the border between Tibet in the north and Nepal in the south, 150km southeast from Katmandu, Nepal’s capital and 450km southwest form Lassa that used to be capital of Tibet. The border is situated along Western crest via summit and then via southeast crest. The mountain consists of West, Southeast and two roots of North crest where in between sit Northern, Eastern and Southwestern rock.

From the rocky and icy goliath four large icy rivers originate : In the North Main, the East glacier Rongbuk length 13 and 10km, glacier Kangchung (14km) in the east and glacier Kumbu (18km) in the southwest. Everest is surrounded by other giants, Lotse 3km south, Makalu 17km southeast and Cho-Oyu 28km northwest.

Approximate line of snow’s permanent existence is 5000m. In the bottom of the summit, where glacier Rongbuk ends at 5300m, there is a monastery with the same name. This is the highest altitude of a building in the World. Legend says that monastery Rongbuk (Chamalung, that in Tibetan language means Birds’ Sacred place) was built 2000 years ago and that it was the place in which it was to be decided about the faith in Tibet – old spiritual magic Bon with countless gods and demons versus Buddhism. Buddhist saint Phadma Shambavo flew over the Himalaya and suddenly appeared in Rongbuk. Bon priest didn’t like the new situation and proposed the competition – first to get to Chomolungma is the winner. While Buddhist was still asleep Bon follower set in his magic drum and set to the top. Phadma’s followers started panicking and woke up the Phadma who remained calm in spite of competitor’s advantage. He waited for the dawn sat on sun’s ray and got first to the top. Mad because he lost, Bon representative crushed into the mountain and lost his drum. The noise that comes from avalanche, Tibetans describe as evil spirits drumming. 

Nepal side, south from Everest, on the contrary has very rich flora and fauna. Forests rich even 4000m. High quality soil in southern valleys is ‘cut’ by fast rivers streaming from Himalaya. Many Himalayan villages that are active throughout the whole year also rich 4000m. This region is called Kumbu and its largest places are Kumdzung and Namche Bazar. Famous monastery that represents centre of gravity for Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal is located in Tjanboche.

Region around Everest is turned into a National Park that each year attracts more and more visitors from all over the World.

Geologists worked out that Everest and Himalaya are much younger than European Alps. Summits above 8000m used to grow right in front of still existing living species’ noses some 600,000 years ago. Some scientists believe that during this ice age ˝ Beijing man˝ used to live. Swedish geologist Andersen discovered “Beijing man’s” remains in some cave south of Beijing in 1921. These yellow, partly grey rocks, mixed with limestone and schist could be risky for climbers. Hence, the same year proved to be fatal for some mountaineers. 

The above text represents summary of the highest mountain in the World. A mountain that for the last 80 years represent a magnet to so many alpinists from all over the World. A mountain that delivered hours and hours of happiness but also disappointments, tragedies and deaths. 

Since mid 19th century when British colonialists started mountaineering in Himalaya, people have dreamt about climbing the highest summit in the World. One can freely say that those not having climbed the mountains will never be able to fully understand those who have. George Mallory was an alpinist who disappeared in clouds when he was close to Everest back in 1924. In order to make things clearer he wrote that there is something in people that enforces them to face the mountains, to get exposed to extreme struggle and to keep going forward. He claimed that those not able to understand this cannot envisage where climbers go. Mallory adds: “What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life."