"the Newari people" Top 5 Page for this destination Kathmandu Favorite Tip by josephescu

Favorite thing: Out of the numerous ethnic groups in Nepal (Pahari, Sherpa, Tamang, Kiranti, Limbu, Gurung, etc), the Newari represent less than 5 %.
The term Newar applies roughly to the people who inhabited Kathmandu valley and its peripheries before the unification of Nepal and speaking Nepal Bhasa ("Newari" according to Statistics Nepal) or the languages progenitor of Nepal Bhasa.

The Newars form an urban society with highly developed craftsmanship and social structures, which reflected in the complexes around the Kathmandu valley and in other cities around Nepal (Tansen, Bandipur). It is the Newari temples and architecture which are the most impressive throughout all Nepal.
Newar practice both Buddhism (85%) and Hinduism.(15%) It is believed that the Newar were originally Buddhists but the long historical process of Sanskritization (adoption of Hindu rituals), led to the development of the Newar’s unique syncretic tradition.