South Asia: Pakistan and the Himalayan States - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 203

High mountains, “The Snows”

Middle mountains and valleys

CHINA (Tibet)

The T Terai

State or district headquarters

Everest
29,035'

Dhauligiri
26,810'

Annapurna
26,493' Kanchenjunga

28,146'

Makalu
27,790'

Pokhara

Kathmandu

R .

INDIA

0 50 100 mi

INDIA

50

0 100 km

Figure 7-14
Physical geography of Nepal. Nepal serves as a buffer state between India and China.

(Figure 7-15). About two-thirds of Nepal' s people live in
this hill region, terracing the slopes with rice and wheat.
Yields are generally poor. Below lies the marshy plain
known as the T Terai at 900 feet (270 m). In recent years
large numbers of migrants from the hills have descended
into T Terai to find jobs (Figure 7-16).
The T Terai is an extension of the Indo-Gangetic plain.
Approximately one-third of Nepal' s population lives
here. Many of these are high-caste Hindus of Rajput ex-
traction from India. The T Terai constitutes only 17 percent
of the land but generates 60 percent of Nepal' s GNP
from commercial agriculture and industrial concerns.
Competing for space is the Royal Chitwan National Park,
with its tropical monsoon forests, giant sal trees, 12-foot
(3.6 m) high elephant grass, and diminishing populations
of tigers, one-horned rhinos, sloth bears, and an arra of
other animals and birds. Here too flows the sacred Rapti
River, a tributary of the Ganges.
One of my most memorable journeys was in a
dugout canoe moving silently along a narrow channel of
the Rapti. Resting on the narrow banks, in the shadow of
the towering elephant grass, were mugger crocodiles. A
one-horned rhino stood belly deep in the water munch-
ing on river plants. As the sun rose higher, the muggers
slithered into the water, under my canoe! I was further

startled by a ruckus in the upper branches of the tall sal
trees that suddenly came alive with bird cries. Hundreds
of parakeets soared overhead, streaking the blue sky with
their brilliant green plumage.
Nepal, with its population of 27 million, is culturally
and socially diverse Figure 7-15. Nepali is an Indo-
European language related to Hindi but infused with
Tibeto-Burman. Another indicator of the crossroads
situation is religion. Although most people are Hindu,
Buddhism and Hinduism intermingle in practice. Life is
further complicated by the influence of the Hindu caste
system. Here people are differentiated not by occupation
but by group customs. The caste system affirms group
cohesion and its flexibility adds to the confusion.
Historically , the region was fragmented in competing
states. In the eighteenth century the western Gorkhas
defeated the ruling Newars of Kathmandu, and in 1790, the
country was unified. Border disputes with British India
led to the Anglo-Nepalese war of 1814-1816, a war that
was fought with the rhythm of the monsoon. In the end,
Nepal had to accept a British resident.
From 1816, Britain ruled Nepal as a buffer state.
Nepalese troops—the Gurkhas —fought for the British
against the Indian Mutiny of 1856 and made their way
into the annals of military history for their fighting ability