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