Buddha was born in Nepal

Buddha was born in Shakya (Sakya) Kingdom of Kapilvastu at around which lies in present day Rupandehi district, Lumbini zone of Nepal. It has not been possible to assign with certainty the year in which Prince Siddhartha (birth name of the Buddha) was born, it is usually placed at around 623 B.C. 10.74% of Nepal's population practice Buddhism, consisting mainly of Tibeto-Burman ethnicities.In Nepal's hill and mountain regions Hinduism has absorbed Buddhist tenets to such an extent that in many cases they have shared deities as well as temples. For instance, the Muktinath Temple is sacred and a common house of worship for both Hindus and Buddhists.In Nepal majority of people identify as Hindu, however, Buddhist influences are pervasive in most aspects of Nepali culture to an extent that Buddhist and Hindu temples are shared places of worship for peoples of both faith so that, unlike, in other countries, the distinction between Hinduism and Buddhism in Nepal is not always clear. During the reign of King Aṃśuvarman Nepalese princess Bhrikuti played a significant role in spreading and developing Buddhism in Tibet and the Far East. Tibetan Buddhist architecture has long been influenced by Nepalese artists and sculptors like Araniko. The sacred Buddhist texts in Mahayana Buddhism are mainly written in Ranjana script (the script of Newars) or scripts like Lantsa which are derived from Ranjana.

In traditional Nepalese Buddhism, there are nine special texts which are called the "Nine Dharma Jewels" (Navagrantha), and these are considered the nine books of Buddhism par excellence

Govt announces public holiday on Monday for Eid

KATHMANDU, OCT 04 - The government has announced public holiday on Monday on the occasion of Bakra Eid (Eid-al-Adha), one of the biggest Islamic festivals.

A notice issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday has mentioned that Monday will be observed as public holiday across the country for the Muslim festival.

Bakra Eid is celebrated by the Muslim people with joy and gaiety when they gather at Mosques for prayers together with meeting family members.

In the Capital, Muslims gather at Jamia and Kashmiri, two of the biggest shrines in Ghantaghar. Popularly known as Bakra Eid , the festival is also a celebration of love and generosity. Bakra Eid is the second biggest festival of Muslims after Eid-ul-Fitr.

Families also celebrate the festival inviting their relatives adding the pleasure of culinary delights like sewaii (sweet pudding) and grilled kebabs. The loved ones also exchange greetings of Eid Mubarak, as part of the celebration.

Bodies found on Japan volcano, raising toll to 48

OTAKI, JAPAN , OCT 01 - A dozen more bodies were found Wednesday near the ash-covered summit of a Japan ese volcano as searches resumed amid concern of toxic gasses and another eruption.

The death toll from last Saturday's surprise eruption at Mount Ontake stands at 48 after Wednesday's additions, Nagano prefectural police said.

Prefectural and police officials said most bodies were found around the summit, where many climbers were resting or having lunch.

The Ground Self-Defense Forces helicopters brought more than a dozen bodies to the foot of the mountain Wednesday.

Relatives and friends of those who are feared missing in the mountain waited for news in a municipal hall in a nearby town of Kiso.

Medical experts who have examined some of the nearly 70 injured told Japan ese media many of them had bruises, cuts and bone fractures on the back, an apparent sign they were hit by rocks flying out of the volcano. Some of them were badly coated with ash and had to be carefully washed to reach the skin surface.

The eruption caught hikers by surprise. Seismologists had detected signs of increased seismic activity at Mount Ontake, one of Japan 's 110 active volcanos, but nothing signaled a fatal eruption.

Hong Kong protesters try to win over tourists

HONG KONG, OCT 02 - The luxury boutiques of Hong Kong 's Tsim Shai Tsui district are so mobbed with vacationing Chinese customers that store owners have put up red velvet ropes to control the crowds. Pro-democracy protesters saw it as a perfect spot to spread the word to their mainland brethren.

But instead of support, many of the young demonstrators got an earful Wednesday from grumpy tourists who appeared more intent on shopping than talking about democracy. Some complained that Hong Kong already enjoys more freedom than the rest of the country.

"What you kids are doing is meaningless! You are too idealistic!" a woman in her late 50s shouted at the students who are conducting sit-ins in the tony neighborhood.

"What they're doing is quite selfish and doesn't make them look good," added Selena Lau, 45, who was visiting from Guangzhou.

The students have been boycotting classes since early last week, and more protesters of all ages have since joined huge street demonstrations calling for genuine democratic reforms in the semiautonomous enclave. Police tried to disperse them with tear gas Sunday, but they regrouped and spread to several other neighborhoods.

No images of the protests have been shown in China's state-run media on the mainland, where a 1989 pro-democracy movement was crushed in a brutal crackdown in Beijing's Tiananmen Square and has not been tolerated since.

The media blackout prompted some student demonstrators to spread their message in the Tsim Shau Tsui district Wednesday, the start of a seven-day holiday on the mainland.

The group was hoping to "get the attention of the mainland tourists ... who may not have heard anything about what is happening in Hong Kong ," said Serena Chan, a 17-year-old student at Hong Kong University.

About 200 people, mostly students, had gathered by afternoon, setting up a blue tarp and sitting cross-legged. Entrances to the district's boutiques offering brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci remained unobstructed.

"I do support democracy, but not when protesters are blocking the streets and inconveniencing everyone," Lau said. "The government has some responsibility, too. They should try to negotiate with the protesters and have some dialogue."

Lau noted that many parts of the world don't have democracy, and that Hong Kong has more liberty than the rest of China.

"People in Hong Kong are already so lucky, and they should just work hard to make better lives for themselves," she said. "That's what people in mainland China do. We just think that if we work hard, we fend for ourselves; we don't make demands of the government."

Hong Kong and the mainland have long had an uneasy relationship, with residents of the former British colony seeing themselves as urbane and cosmopolitan, while viewing mainlanders as uneducated and ill-mannered.

When China took over Hong Kong in 1997, it negotiated a "one country, two systems" arrangement that ensured the territory would retain its Western-style civil liberties, and promised eventual universal suffrage. Beijing's recent decision to impose a screening process for candidates in the territory's first direct election in 2017 was seen by many in Hong Kong as reneging on that promise, prompting the protests.

"Would Hong Kong people really prefer to be a colony of Britain than be a part of China?" asked a 45-year-old man from Heilongjiang province who gave only his surname, Chen.

He spoke initially with a reporter but gradually raised his voice to address his comments to the nearby protesters.

"People just need to have good livelihoods; the other things don't matter," Chen said.

Eric Tang, a 32-year-old protester, said tourists from other countries were more sympathetic to their cause.

"The Chinese people who come to this area tend to be the privileged and the wealthy who benefit from the undemocratic system in China," he said. "I don't think we're going to have much success trying to change their thinking."

Some people on the mainland, however, have shared information and expressed support for the protests by circumventing the tough censorship on social media, often via cellphone messaging services.

One visitor, Lam Hong from Shenzhen, said he was joining the pro-democracy rallies.

"I hadn't seen any news about protests in Hong Kong before arriving this morning to visit friends," said the 43-year-old small business owner. "I joined in because I support what Hong Kong ers are trying to do and why they're angry. There's supposed to be 'one country, two systems.'"

Lam added: "With police treating protesters like they did, it seems as if Hong Kong is already the same as China."

Hong Kong police arrest 19 in protest clash

HONG KONG, OCT 04 - Hong Kong arrested 19 people, some believed to have organized crime ties, during a night of running brawls stretching into Saturday as mobs tried to drive pro-democracy protesters from the streets where they've held a weeklong, largely peaceful demonstration.

At least 12 people and six officers were injured during the clashes, Senior Superintendent Patrick Kwok Pak-chung said. Protest leaders called off planned talks with the government on political reforms after the battles kicked off Friday afternoon in gritty, blue-collar Mong Kok, across Victoria Harbor from the activists' main protest camp.

Police struggled for hours to control the battles as attackers pushed, shoved and jeered the protesters. Those arrested face charges of unlawful assembly, fighting in public and assault, Kwok said, adding that eight men are believed to have backgrounds involving triads, or organized crime gangs.

The protesters urged residents to join their cause and demanded that police protect their encampments. The Hong Kong Federation of Students, one of the groups leading the demonstrations that drew tens of thousands of people earlier this week, said they saw no choice but to cancel the dialogue.

"The government is demanding the streets be cleared. We call upon all Hong Kong people to immediately come to protect our positions and fight to the end," the group said in a statement.

They demanded the government hold someone responsible for the scuffles, the worst disturbances since police used tear gas and pepper spray on protesters last weekend to try to disperse them.

"Of course I'm scared, but we have to stay and support everyone," said Michael Yipu, 28, who works in a bank.

The allegations that organized crime members were involved in the clashes fueled jitters Saturday at the movement's main camp, on a highway outside government headquarters. There were frequent calls for supporters to rush to barricades after sporadic rumors that people were coming to attack them.

"Many people are gathering here and they are very determined to unite against the triad members," said Amy Ho, 21, who was studying translation at university.

The standoff is the biggest challenge to Beijing's authority since it took over the former British colony in 1997. Earlier Friday, the students had agreed to talks with the government proposed by Hong Kong's leader, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. But his attempt to defuse tensions fell flat as many protesters were unhappy with his refusal to yield to their demands for his resignation.

The cancellation of the talks — prompted by clashes with men who tried to tear down the makeshift barricades and tents set up by the demonstrators — left the next steps in the crisis uncertain.

It was unclear if those scuffles were spontaneous or had been organized, although some of the attackers wore blue ribbons signaling support for the mainland Chinese government, while the protesters have yellow ribbons.

On social media, an image circulated purportedly calling on people in the "silent majority" to gather and agitate the protesters in Mong Kok for 300 Hong Kong dollars ($38), promising bonuses for extra destruction. The information could not be verified and calls to a mobile phone number listed on the notice did not go through. Protesters also accused police of working together with triads to use force to attack them, but police denied it.

At least some of those opposed to protesters were residents fed up with the inconvenience of blocked streets and closed shops.

"It's not about whether I support their cause or not. It's about whether what they are doing is legal or not," said Donald Chan, 45. "It is illegal. It has brought chaos to the city."

The chaos prompted calls from police and other top officials for everyone to avoid violence and go home.

"We should not use violence or disrupt social order in any situation," Leung said. "All people gathering in those areas should disperse as soon as possible and restore social order, so that daily lives will be restored to normal."

The protesters have been in the streets since Sept. 26, pledging to preserve Hong Kong's Western-style legal system and civil liberties. They want the Chinese government to reverse a decision requiring all candidates in the first election for Hong Kong's leader in 2017 to be approved by a mostly pro-Beijing committee. The demonstrators want open nominations.

Leung had appeared at a news conference late Thursday night where he refused to resign and said he had asked Hong Kong's top civil servant, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, to engage in talks with protest leaders. Before those talks were called off Friday by the students, Lam said she had begun organizing the discussions.

China's government has mostly kept quiet during the crisis, other than to call the protests illegal and support the Hong Kong government's efforts to disperse them. On Friday, the Communist Party newspaper People's Daily accused a small group of demonstrators of trying to "hijack the system" and said the protest effort was doomed to fail.

The front-page editorial said there is "no room for concessions" on the candidate screening issue, noting that Hong Kong "is directly under the jurisdiction of the central government; it is not a country or an independent political entity."

write on ekantipure