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My name is Manish Khatiwada.
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ButterFly

A butterfly

Many research and studies about the butterflies said that Nepal is tobe one of the best in the world for butterflies with over  600 species and 20 of which are on the endangered list. There are diffrent types of butterflies in different environment like hot and cold, dry and moist. Most butterfly species however are found in tropical ares, especially tropical rainforests, some found at sea level and high in the mountains too. Many of them, who visit to Nepal, many all of them don't know that Nepal is home to a massive variety of delicate and colorful butterfly species. 

Butterfly habitat shifts can also be early-warning signs of climate change. They lay eggs on the their food i.e. young leaves. 

Well the butterfly comes out of its cocoon and chrysalis when certain flowers are in bloom and upsetting this balance could not only affect the feeding of the caterpillars, but the pollination of the flowers. This beautiful colourful creature in Nepal has 651 species and which is 3.72% of the world’s butterflies. I love to take this beautiful pictures of butterfly on my camera which gives colour on my camera too

Pashupatinath temple. Nepal

  

                                                      Pashupatinath temple

The temple of Pashupatinath is one of the most sacred Hindu temples of Nepal and also considered the holiest place. It is located on the bank of the sacred Bagmati river which originates from Bagdwar in the Shivapuri National park (18 km north of Kathmandu valley). Pashupatinath is one among the eight world cultural heritage sites in Kathmandu valley as listed by the UNESCO. It is a temple dedicated to lord Shiva (the most powerful god among the trinity i.e. lord Brahma, Lord Bishnu and Lord Shiva) 

More then thousands of Hindu devotees from within and outside of the country come to pay homage at Pashupati yearly. Especially during Mondays  (which is the day dedicated in worship to lord shiva particularly) one can see a long queue of devotees in and around the premises of Pashupatinath.

The Bagmati river, which runs next to the Pashupatinath temple also has highly sacred properties. The water from the river is considered to be holy and thus the banks of Bagmati are lined with many Ghats where people bath and cremation of dead bodies are also performed by the Hindus here. 

                     Arya Ghat

Arya Ghat dating from the early 1900s, is of special importance because it is the only place where lustral water for Pashupatinath temple can be obtained and it is where members of the Royal family are cremated. The main cremation site is Bhasmeshar Ghat, which is the most used cremation site in the Kathmandu valley. The preferred bathing spot for women is the Gauri Ghats which lies in northern part.

      Monkey at Pashupatinath Temple

Since lord Shiva is considered the patron of animals and living organisms, monkeys wander all around the temple complex. There is a small forest named 'Mirgasthali' meaning place for deers, where many deers are also seen.

                         Sadhu 

It is also common to meet sadhus in Pashupatinath. Sadhus are wandering ascetic yogis, who are trying to acquire liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth by meditation. Sadhus are also worshipped and considered sacred people. They have very unique appearance with specific yellow painting on their bodies.

Poor kids playing..

 

A little girl on sack and a little boy pulling it.

There is indeed a great joyous feeling in being a child. Though we long to grow up as fast as possible to experience the adult life during childhood, once we become adults we start missing our childhood. We start missing the joys and pleasure of being a child, the carefree days, the plays and mischiefs, the love and the care from all, the innocence, all in all we start missing the child within us. 

However, every child's childhood is not fortunate or fulfilling. There is a wide gap between children made by the poverty and other social conditions . While the rich kids play with their extra ordinary mechanical toys there are also children whose parents cannot afford such luxuries for them. Some children have a hard time even to get educated properly due to family and financial problems. In an era of technological advancements where kids are becoming acquainted with latest modern ways of life, there are still a remarkable never of children in our country who are so very innocent and backward in every simple matters and advancements as Nepal is still one of the under developed nation among the South Asian countries.  According to statistics only 84% of Nepalese children attend schools and that too facing many hindrances. Many females are deprived of education because of the rural societies' concept that females are meant for household works only and also due to early marriage practice prevalent in many rural parts of Nepal. Poverty is another reason which deprives many children of their basic rights of education and health and many children are forced to drop out schools and engage in domestic works to support the family at an early age. They do not even have the facilities what should have been theirs by right. 

Nevertheless, in-spite  of the backwardness or even the incapability of affording those advancing pleasures, a child after all is a child- finding joys in small things in life, not wanting much from from life except happiness from whatever they do. And when I come across children enjoying their wonderful days, rejoicing in the small pleasures such as playing and quarrelling or going to schools with their lunch boxes  and living their their lives to the fullest, I miss my childhood days too. I miss the child within me and myself long to go back to those wonderful days. Then I realise  what lacks in the lives of an adult , I miss the joys of childhood.

This is the kids of poor family whose parents hardly can afford money for education. 

Bhai tika tihar celebration.

Tihar is a five days festival celebration on our life and also the bond between brothers and sisters. This is one of the great festival on which we can we everywhere light. It is also known as Dipawali or Laxmi puja or Bhai tika or as a festival of light. It's a five day festival which comes soon after Dashin. Tihar is all about worshiping of different animals such as cow,dog,crow and worshipping of Hindu goddess of fortune or wealth,goddess Laxmi.

Tihar start with crow puja the 1st day of tihar, early in the morning of this day family prepares a good meal and each member of the family takes the first portion of the meal outside on the platter. The large number of crow or few will come down and partake of the feast 

2nd day of tihar dog puja, this the the dogs are adorned with flower garland around their necks, red tika on their forehead, and are offered great meal and pray to protect or guard our home.

3rd day of tihar cow puja, this day we worship the mother of the universe (cow). According to Hinduism, the human infant is fed breast milk by its own human mother for under three years. As in Nepal we treat her like mother and we respect her as she give milk to us a child of her. Well the cow puja is performed by giving a tika to a cow on her forehead, and a flower garland on the neck and also put oil on her forehead, and offers good meals like roti,banana etc.

The same day we worship Laxmi at whole Nepal Kingdom we decorate our houses with different light and oil lamps. In this day the entire nation becomes an illumination of lights. Statue or pictures of Laxmi Devi are places and worshiped in a  puja room. Laxmi puja is done mostly by female in the family. She used red mud to make a symbolic foot-print on the floor entering the home and make a trail leading to puja room.

Laxmi also stand for property, business, money. So this day not only a house but they also do puja of their some amount of money. 

On the same day (bhailini) which is played by girls by a special song known as bhailo or bhailini that's played only on this day in the entire year. A group of girls get together and sing a song door to door and bless the house and family by collecting some home made dish and money.

4th day of tihar myself ( mahapuja) and also deusi song. This day male play and sing deusi or deusire and also different song and dance. The male group with different instrument play music door to door and bless the house by collection different homemade dish and money. It continues till late night visiting many houses. 

The 4th day is also about worshipping yourself. This puja or worshipping is known as Mahapuja. Well this is the first day of the special annual calendar of an ethnic group known as Newar residing in Nepal. It is also popular for Govardhan puja or Goru Tihar (oxen worshiping). Oxen are worshiped because we use them on field so for better crops to grow we worshiped oxen.

The 5th day of tihar bhai tika and final day. Sister put tika (7 coloured) on brothers forehead mala (a necklace of flowers) and bless him for long life. First doing puja of Kalas.

Puja involves following a traditional ritual in which sisters circle brothers three times dripping oil on the floor from a copper pitcher.

She put oil on each brothers and and give tika 

A man and Pani Gattha(water mills)

Water mill has been used in Nepal for centuries for food processing that grind cereal. 

Watermill is also known as pani ghatta has been used in Nepal for centuries for food processing that grind cereal, paddy and other many thing .These mills are run by the hydro power and can be used longer period in dry season and is of wooden blade. It is located at the bank of streams and river of the mid hills. It also created an opportunity to generate electricity for rural, however this depends upon the flow of water as Nepal is still developing so it is also one of the source to provide electricity. Water mills have been part of life in the centuries which is simple and easy and don't effect environment like engine machine which needs deseal. This is a use of nature in limit which wouldn't need any other things like deseal or other liquid. 

  The river flows and meet another... So slowly it reaches the place where water mills is... Then it start working 

A women smoking Hukka

An old woman with traditional Hukka is just as people smoke cigarette or bidi nowadays, people used to smoke using hukka in earlier days and now it's like one of the entertainment like alcohol,simply young people use it and there are many flavour available. It is still common in some villages especially among old people and they don't use modern hukka but traditional and old one and only one flavour i.e. Tobacco. Well I found her at village of Changu, smoking hukka..