Nepal's Karnali Zone

The Karnali zone is the largest and most isolated of Nepal’s fourteen zones; this administrative zone occupies about fifteen percent (about 5,000 square miles) of Nepal’s total area. The zone is northwest of the capital, Kathmandu. The town of Jumla is the administrative center of the entire zone and is only a short trek from the impressive Rara Lake, which was designated a National Park beginning in 1975. Like most of Nepal, the majority of the people practice Hinduism although Buddhism does have a following. It is easy to see how the location of Nepal between India and Tibet has had an effect on the religion and culture of the people.

Quick Map Reference:

Click Here - Karnali Is Zone Number Six

 Three fun facts:

• The Karnali River is the longest river in Nepal. Snow that melts from the Himalayas form its headwaters and once it runs into India it is named the Ghaghara River.
• The people of Karnali measure distance in silpas or pipes. It takes about forty-five minutes for a man to puff a pipeful of tobacco.
• Nepalese farm the highest rice paddies on Earth; paddies which are as high as 9,000 feet above sea level!

Here are two links of note:

• A Country Study: Nepal via The Library of Congress
• Adventure Karnali (Travel tours)

In approximately 1972 and 1973, Lisa and Barry Bishop (Geographers and Anthropologists) reported on the Karnali Zone for The National Geographic Society: School Bulletin. The team studied the close interaction between the people of Karnali and their environment. They witnessed the terraced fields of rice, barley, and various other crops that surrounded the town of Jumla. They reported on how the people of Karnali use the jhuma (a cross between a yak and cattle) to facilitate their trading after the harvest. Lila and Barry Bishop completed the first ethnography ever in Karnali.

Bishop, Lila and Barry Daily Life in Faraway Nepal National Geographic School Bulletin September 17, 1973, No. 3

*SPG originally wrote this article in 2006 at an ancient history forum/community.