Buddhism in Nepal

Buddhism in Nepal
Maya Devi Temple, Lumbini marking the Buddha's birthplace
Total population
c. 2.4 million (8.2%) in 2021 census[1][2][3]
Founder
The Buddha
Regions with significant populations
Throughout Nepal
Religions
Buddhism
Languages
Nepali and other languages
Part of a series on
Buddhism
History
Buddhist texts
Practices
Nirvāṇa
Traditions
Buddhism by country

Buddhism in Nepal started spreading since the reign of Ashoka through Indian and Tibetan missionaries. The Kiratas were the first people in Nepal who embraced the Buddha’s teachings, followed by the Licchavis and Newar people.[4] Buddhism is Nepal's second-largest religion, with 8.2% of the country's population, or approximately 2.4 million people, identifying as adherents of Buddhism in a 2021 census.[2]

Shakyamuni Buddha was born in Lumbini in the Shakya Kingdom. Besides Shakyamuni Buddha, there are many Buddha(s) before him who are worshipped in different parts of Nepal. Lumbini lies in present-day Rupandehi District, Lumbini zone of Nepal.[5][6] Buddhism is the second-largest religion in Nepal. According to 2001 census, 10.74% of Nepal's population practiced Buddhism, consisting mainly of Tibeto-Burman speaking ethnicities and the Newar.[7] However, in the 2011 census, Buddhists made up just 9% of the country's population.[8]

It has not been possible to assign the birth year of Prince Siddhartha, the birth name of the Buddha, with certainty; it is usually placed at around 563 BCE.[9] In Nepal's hill and mountain regions Hinduism has absorbed Buddhist tenets to such an extent that in many cases they have shared deities as well as temples. For instance, the Muktinath Temple is sacred and a common house of worship for both Hindus and Buddhists.[10]

Buddhism is currently experiencing a decline in Nepal with latest census showing 8.21% of Nepal's population professing Buddhism, a decline of 2.5% from 2001. A surge of Christianity among native population may be the cause of this decline. [11]

  1. ^ https://censusnepal.cbs.gov.np/results/files/caste/Religion_NPHC_2021.xlsx National Statistics Office.
  2. ^ a b National Statistics Office (2024). National Population and Housing Census 2021: Population Composition of Nepal (PDF). National Statistics Office, Nepal. p. 52. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  3. ^ Desk, NewsDrum. "Nepal's 81.19 per cent population is Hindu even as followers of Hinduism, Buddhism decline and Islam, Christians increase". www.newsdrum.in. Retrieved 2023-06-04. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ Dutt, N. (1966). "Buddhism in Nepal" (PDF). Bulletin of Tibetology. 3 (2): 27–45. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-12-09. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  5. ^ Smith, V. A. (1914). The Early History of India from 600 B.C. to the Muhammadan Conquest Including the Invasion of Alexander the Great (Third ed.). London: Oxford University Press. pp. 168–169. Archived from the original on 2023-01-15. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  6. ^ UNESCO (2012). "Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha". UNESCO: World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 2010-07-31. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
  7. ^ Dahal, D. R. (2003). "Social Composition of the Population: Caste/Ethnicity and Religion in Nepal" (PDF). Population Monograph of Nepal 2003. 1. Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Government of Nepal: 104–106. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 7, 2014.
  8. ^ "Population Monograph of Nepal 2014 Volume II (Social Demography)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-11-26. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
  9. ^ Thomas, E. J. (1927). "The Birth of Buddha". The Life of Buddha as Legend and History. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. pp. 27–37. ISBN 81-206-0979-4.
  10. ^ Shastri, G. C. (1968). "Hinduism and Buddhism in Nepal" (PDF). Ancient Nepal: Journal of the Department of Archaeology. 4: 48–51. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 6, 2012.
  11. ^ "Christian missionaries target the birthplace of Buddha in Nepal". BBC News. 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-04.