Nepal Glossary

A
Annapurna - goddess of the harvest, a manifestation of Lakshmi

B
bahal - Newari Buddhist monastery complex
beni - river's confluence
Bodhisattva - a near Buddha (Buddha-to-be) who renounces the opportunity to attain nirvana in order to aid humankind
Brahma - one of the three main Hindu gods, worshipped as the creator. Brahma's four heads represent his all-seeing presence
Buddha - an enlighted being; more particularly the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama

C
chapati - flat unleavened bread
chautara - rock wall built as a resting place for porters
Chomolungma - the Tibetan name for Mt. Everest. Literally, 'Mother Goddess of the world'
chorten - (Tib.) small stupa, sometimes with a passage through the middle so that people can walk through it
chowk - courtyard or marketplace

D
Dalai Lama - incarnation of a Bodhisattva who is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists
dal bhat - the national dish of Nepal: lentils (dal) and cooked rice (bhat), served with curried vegetables
danda - hill
dhoka - door or gate
doko - woven bamboo basket used for carrying loads
dudh - the Nepali word for milk
durbar - palace
dzo - male crossbreed between a yak and a cow

E
ek - Nepali number one; a symbol of the unity of all life

G
gandaki - river
Ganesh - elephant-headed god of luck, son of Shiva and Parvati
Ganga - goddess of the sacred river Ganges
Garuda - man-bird vehicle of Vishnu
gompa - Tibetan Buddhist monastery
Gurkha - Nepali mercenaries who have long formed a part of the British army; the name comes from the region of Gorkha

H
Hanuman - the Monkey King, a prominent figure in the Ramayana, worshipped as a protector
Hindu gods -There are three main gods: Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the preserver and Shiva the transformer and destroyer. All three gods are usually shown with four arms, Brahma has the added advantage of four heads. Each god has an associated animal known as the vehicle on which they ride as well as a consort with certain attributes and abilities. Generally each god also holds symbols.

K
kang - mountain
kata - white scarf presented as a sign of honour
kharka - commonly owned grazing land/pasture in the hills
khola - stream or river
kosi - river
Kumari - young virgin Buddhist girl worshipped as a manifestation of the Hindu goddess Durga

L
la - mountain pass
lama - Tibetan Buddhist monk or priest
lho - south

M
Malla - royal dynasty of the Kathmandu Valley
mandala - mystic diagram depicting the order of the universe
mani stone - stones engraved with mantras
mani wall - wall of stones carved with mantras and religious images, found in mountainous Buddhist regions
momos - small Tibetan meat/vegetable-stuffed dumplings

N
namaste - common Nepali greeting. Literally, 'I salute the god in you'. It's usually spoken with hands together as if praying. Probably the first Nepali word a first time visitor to Nepal will learn
nanglo - a tray fashioned of woven bamboo strips
Newars - people of the Kathmandu Valley
nup - west

O
om mani padme hum - sacred Buddhist mantra that roughly translates as 'hail to the jewel in the lotus', the jewel being the Buddha

P
Parvati - Shiva's consort and a goddess in her own right
phedi - literally, 'the place at the foot of the hill'
prayer flag - long strips of coloured cloth printed with Buddhist prayers that are 'said' whenever the flag flaps in the wind
prayer wheel - a cylindrical wheel inscribed with a Buddhist prayer formula such as om mani padme hum. The prayers are believed to be released by each clockwise spin of the wheel
puja - ritual offering and prayer

R
Rama - Vishnu's seventh incarnation, and hero of the Ramayana
Ramayana - Hindu epic which recounts the adventures of Rama, Sita, Hanuman and the demon king Rawana
rakshi - a potent alcoholic beverage distilled from grain (Tib. arak)
ri - peak or mountain (Tib.)

S
sadhus - Hindu ascetics or holy man who have given up everything to follow the trail to religious salvation
Sagarmatha - Nepali name for Mt. Everest
shar - east
Sherpa - Buddhist hill people who inhabit the Solu Khumbu region of Nepal. Literally, 'people from the east'. The most famous of Nepal's ethnic groups, even though they form only a tiny part of the total population. Since the first expedition to Mt. Everest in 1921, Sherpas have been employed on treks and numerous mountaineering expeditions.
Shiva - one of the three main Hindu gods, worshipped as the transformer and destroyer
sindhur - red powder used as religious offering
sirdar - leader on a trekking or climbing expedition, the role is traditionally filled by a Sherpa
Sita - Rama's wife in the Hindu epic Ramayana
Solu Khumbu - Everest region of eastern Nepal inhabited mostly by Sherpas
stupa - a hemispherical Buddhist monument that houses relicts

T
tal - lake
Taleju Bhawani - Nepali goddess, an aspect of Mahadevi and the family deity of the Malla kings of the Kathmandu Valley
thangka - Tibetan scroll painting depicting religious subjects
tsampa - roasted barley flour; a highland staple

V
vehicle - the animal which a Hindu god is associated with. Shiva's vehicle is a bull, Ganesh's is a mouse while Vishnu's is the man-bird Garuda
Vishnu - one of the three main Hindu gods, worshipped as the preserver and appearing in ten principal incarnations

Y
yak - form of a cattle; used to help carry loads in high altitude regions
yeti - the abominable snowman living amidst the Himalayas