h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Wasn't Nepal the only Hindu state in the world? Did this change when the government changed? Maybe worth an historical note.

Was it? There are an awful lot of Buddhists in Nepal, you wouldn't think of it as a one religion state...

I'll have to look it up.

sprout

Hinduism was the state religion when the monarchy existed. It was rather like how C of E is the state religion of the UK, as in it really didn't matter. Officially the country is now secular, as laid out in their interim constitution, but governance is rather a mess, so it could be anything, though probably nothing.

Apparently it was a Hindu State until 2006. Modern India has many religions but is a secular state (as is Nepal now). One article I read said that Nepalis don't make a strong distinction between Hinduism and Buddhism. I'm not sure about that, but I know in Sri Lanka Buddhist Temples often have Hindu figures in them and there is a certain blurring of the differences between the two religions.

That's what struck me in Nepal as well - syncretism, I think it's called?

sprout