NEPAL

Nepal is a small country on the southern side of the Himalayas between India and Tibet. Buddhism in Nepal is first mentioned in an inscription dated 464 CE, although it probably reached the region much earlier. The majority of Nepal's population are Hindus but small groups of peoples - Tamangs, Sherpas and the Newaris of the Kathmandu Valley - are mainly Mahāyāna or Vajrayāna Buddhists. Theravāda was introduced into the Kathmandu Valley in the 1940's and has gained considerable popularity since then. Buddhists make up about 12 % of Nepal's population.