Our Identities and National Pride

There are some typical features in our country that single us out among others. They make us distinctive and known to the world. These are our identities. Such identities make us feel pleased and satisfied. We feel proud of them. They are respected by all the people throughout the nation. They are the things of national pride. Here, we will discuss about some of our identities and things of national pride.

National Identity 

Nepal is a landlocked country located in South Asia. It is divided into three geographical regions: Mountain, Hilly and Terai. The  Mountain region has three distinct divisions : Outer Himalayas, Bhot basin and Main Himalayas. Hilly region also has three divisions : Chure range, Mid hills and  Mahabharat range. Similarly, the Terai region is divided into three parts : Terai, Bhavar, and Inner Terai. Mt. Everest , the highest peak of the world also lies in Nepal. There are more than 6000 rivers and rivulets in Nepal. Three rivers systems Koshi, Gandaki, and Karnali and some other independent watersheds have made Nepal rich in water resources. There is diversity in terms of ethnicity, religion, language, culture, etc. as well. According to the last census of 2068 BS, the people of 125 castes, 123 languages and 10 religions have been identified in Nepal. Thus, Nepal is known as multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-lingual, multi-cultural, and a country of a geographical diversity. Such diversities have made Nepal distinct in the world in spite of being small in area. This is our national identity.

Ethnic Identity

Unity in diversity is our identity. Nepal is a country of ethnic diversity. 125 ethnic group have  been identified according to the census of 2011 AD. There are 6 ethnic groups in Nepal having more than 1 million populations. It is our responsibility to maintain ethnic identity to build a unified and prosperous nation. It can be possible only when we preserve our script, language, culture of every ethnic group and maintain national unity among us.

Lingual Identity

There is lingual diversity in Nepal. Accordance to the census of 2011 AD, 123 languages have been identified as mother tongue. Nepali language is the official language of Nepal. The people speaking Nepali language as their mother tongue are more in number. According to the constitutional provision. Nepali language and other languages spoken in Nepal as mother tongue are considered the language of nation. Maithili, Bhojpuri, Tharu, Tamang, Newari, Magar, Awadhi, Gurung, Urdu, Sherpa, Limbu, Hindi, etc. are more significant among the other language of nation. Some of these languages are well developed. The languages spoken in Nepal belong to different language family.

Religious Identity

Nepal is a country of religious diversity. There is an excellent example of religious tolerance and unity among the people of different religions. The people following different religion live together with unity, participate in each other's religious and cultural activities and are positive to each other. Hinduism,. Buddhism, Islam, Kirant, Christianity, etc. are the religious classes having large population in Nepal. The population of remaining neutral in religious matter or not following any religion is also increasing day by day.

Gender Identity

Sex is a person's biological status and typically categorized as male, female or intersex whereas gender refers to attitudes, feelings, and behaviours that a given culture associates with a person's biological sex. Gender identity refers to a personal identification with a particular gender and gender role in society. Our culture and society behave differently with people on the basis of their gender which is also taken as gender identity. The third gender has also been recognized as gender identity nowadays. Both male and female are equally respected in our society. Our culture, religion and ideology have been giving equal priority to both male and female. Only a corrupt mind makes discrimination between them. Both gods and goddesses are equally worshiped and believed in the country. Gender equality has been our one of the identities.

Cultural Identity

Nepal is known as a country of cultural diversity. There are many ethnic groups and they have their own cultural identity and tradition. Besides that, a kind of common cultural tradition and identity has been developed by the people of different ethnic group living in the different geographical regions. Not only based on caste, various cultural tradition and identities have been developed in Nepal even on the basis of geographical regions. In different parts of Nepal, the people of various castes are living together by maintaining harmonious relation with each other. Newar culture of Kathmandu, khas culture of Karnali, Mithila culture of Middle Terai, Deuda culture of Far western province, etc. have spread even among the people of other caste. Due to growing urbanization, people of different community live together. Consequently, they have mixed up and adopted each other's cultural norms and values. Hence, starting trend of inter-caste family. Different cultural groups and regions have also been developed.

National Flag

The National Flag of any country represents their identity in the world. It is considered as the symbol of the country. In various programs, the distinguished guests show respect to their national flags. National flag is flown in the formal programs, school premises, government offices, during the motorcade of the VVIPS'/VIPS' etc. National Flag is the pride of the people of every nation. Our constitution has also described our  national flag. The national flag of Nepal is world's only non-quadrilateral national flag. It is made with the combination of two single pennons. The background of our national flag is crimson red and the border is dark blue. The crimson red is Nepal's national colour, and it indicates the brave spirits of the Nepalese people. It is considered as the symbol of victory. The blue border symbolizes peace and harmony. The two triangles symbolize the Himalayas. The moon and the sun represent the permanence and symbolize the hope that Nepal will last as long as the sun and the moon are there. Thus, our national flag is our national pride.

National Anthem

National anthem is the official national song. It is considered as the pride of the nation. National anthem highly reminds and praises the history, tradition and struggles of its people. It is used in a wide range of contexts. National anthem is played on national days, sporting events , at the morning assembly of school, in a theatre before a play, in the honouring programs, etc. National anthem of Nepal was changed along with the political change. National anthem shows the honour towards the nation. Everyone should stand while playing national anthem. National anthem makes everyone realize their duties and responsibilities. The lyrics of our national anthem  are composed by Pradeep Kumar Rai (Byakul Maila). The music is arranged by Ambar Gurung. The national anthem has been created viewing the inclusive issues of peoples' movement 2062/2063 BS. Though, Nepal is a country of geographical, religious, economic, cultural and ethnic diversity, the national anthem has played a role to maintain unity among the people. The words  used in the national anthem of Nepal are praising sovereignty, unity, pride, courage, scenic beauty, peace, progress, cultural and biological diversity, and respect. The national anthem is our national pride. 

Janaki Temple

Janaki Temple is a Hindu temple at Janakpur. It is dedicated to the Nepalese goddess Sita. It is the  biggest temple of Nepal. It is built in Mugal style and has covered an area of 4,860 sq ft. This temple is the best example of Rajasthani architecture. Images of two lions have been decorated above the north-eastern gate. These images built from the stone are the best examples of stone sculptures. Every year, thousands of pilgrims from Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and other countries visit Ram Janaki Temple to worship Lord Ram and Sita. During the festivals of Ram Nawami, Vivaha panchami, Dashain and Tihar , lots of people visit the temple to worship. The temple is popularly known as the 'Nau Lakha Mandir' since the cost for the construction of the temple was about nine lakh rupees. The janaki temple was built in 1910 AD by Queen Vrisha Bhanu Devi of Tikamgadh, India. The temple of Lord Ram is also situated nearby. Towards its north-east, there is a Laxman temple and a Mosque towards its south-west. As this mosque is located in the premises of Janaki temple, it has presented a unique example of religious tolerance. During the construction of Janaki temple by the Muslim architectures, the mosque was also built for their 'Namaj' (prayer). This is our national identity.

Pashupatinath Temple

Pashupatinath temple is famous, sacred Hindu temple. It is located on the banks of Bagmati River, Kathmandu. It covers temple premises along with Devpatan, Kutumbahal, Gaushala, Shlesmantak forest, etc. There are about 492 temples, 144 stupas and 1,000 Shiva Lingas. It is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu. Temple courtyard has 4 entrances in all directions. It was made by King Dharma Dutta. The queen of Shiva Singh Malla and Pratap Malla had renovated this temple. Its premises is included as one of the seven monument groups in UNESCO's designation of Kathmandu Valley as a cultural heritage site Since 1972AD.  Every year thousands of devotees visit here on the festivals of Maha Shivaratri, Bala Chaturdasi, Teej, etc. It is built in the Nepalese Pagoda style of architecture. The two levels of roofs are of copper with gold plate. It has four doors, all covered with silver sheets. This temple has a gold pinnacle. This is one of our national prides.

Mt. Everest 

Mount Everest also called as 'Sagarmatha' in Nepal, is the highest mountain peak in the world. It is located in the Mahalangur mountain range. Its height is 8,848 meters (29,029 ft ) above sea level. Among the fourteen mountain peaks above 8,000 meter in the world, 8 of them lie in Nepal. Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hllary made first official ascent on Everest in 2010BS (19 53 AD). The Royal Geographical Society officially adopted ' Mount Everest' as the name for the highest mountain in the world after the name of its surveyor Colonel Sir George Everest in 1865 AD. A famous historian of Nepal 'Itihas Siromani " Baburam Acharya named it as 'Sagarmatha' in 1956AD (2013 BS). Every year many tourists visit Nepal to visit or ascend Mount Everest. As a result, it has contributed largely in the economic development of Nepal. Thus, Mt. Everest is considered as our identity and pride. Michael Karz named  Sagarmatha the ' Third Pole' as it has similar difficult living condition as found in the North Pole and the South pole.