.......PVAF HONOURS & APPRECIATES THE "BACK TO GREENING THE MOTHER EARTH" RECOGNITION BY THIS YEARS HUMANITY ON THIS PLANET EARTH WITH THIS DIWALI GREETINGS.... PVAF WISHES HAPPY DIWAALI CELEBRATIONS FROM OCTOBER 15, 2009 TO OCTOBER 18, 2009 & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR svNt 2066 ON OCTOBER 19, 2009 TO ALL ITS VOLUNETEERS, DONORS, VIDYAA-DAAN RECEIPIENTS, NEWS SUBSCRIBERS AND ONE AND ALL YOU WHO HAVE BENIFITED FROM YOUR PVAF WEB SITE VISITS AND PARTICIPATION IN PVAF PROGRAMS WHOSE PRIMARY MANDATE IS OF SHARING KNOWLEDGE TO MAKE YOUR TOMORROW HAPPIER THAN TODAY WITH REMOVAL OF ALL LIFE POVERTIES THROUGH KNOWLEDGE....   AND NOW A QUICK mHaat`m`y (vEDik JIST) OF Diwaali (shared below by Champaklal Dajibhai Mistry of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada from his continual svaaDH`yaay (daily study to understand vED sciences of life and creation and ways to live by these sciences to the tee...) simply for the purpose that your tomorrow will be more happier than his with the life knowledge use....)      Dipaavli or Diwaali, is the prime annual celebration at the end of vEDik lunar month of ASH`vin among vEDik lifestyle peoples in India and all  over the world outside India.      Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism also celebrate Diwaali. Thus many reasons are associated with Diwaali celebration.     Diwaali celebration also ushers in on the next day the new year according to the vEDik lunar year of vikRm svNt (calendar based on vikRm-raaja era). This new year will be 2066 vikRm svNt.     raamaayAN which is a corpus of entire vED knowledge has the legend of SHRii raam who was the 8th avtaar of viSHANu-DEv and is the main reason for Diwaali celebration.     Because vED corpus of sciences  is infinite life knowledge as stated above....there would be infinite number of vEDik reasons to celebrate Diwaali conforming on one's understanding of one's lifestyle in the  current vEDik time era called kli-yug and the cultural lifestyle in which one resides and one's purpose of life-travel.....     The most prominent reason for the Diwaali celebration  in this day of pRjaapti bRH`maa called kl`p of 4.32 billions years with 1000 cycles of chtuAR-yug is at least 869,000 years old. That point in time was the vEDik era called tETR-yug and SHRii raam lived towards the end of tETR-yug for 11,000 years. The average life span of humans in tETR-yug is ordained to be around 10,000 years. ( A chtuAR-yug is of 4.32 million span combo of 4-yug of st`v-yug of 1,728,000 year, teTR-yug of 129,600 years , Dvaapr-yug of 864,000 years and kli`yug of 432,000 years)     The DHARm-based reason for the coronation of of SHRii  raam as King of of AyoDHA`yaa was a homecoming after completing the 14-year exile in the forest imposed upon him by his co-mother kaikEyi-raaANi.     This  was  a boon cashed in from her husband Dshrth-raajaa as as one of the three boons she had as a rain-check from her saving her husband in a war in which she was the charioteer of her husband.        At the end of his exile SHRii raam killed King RaavAN of lNkaa for abducting SHRii raam's wife sitaa-DEvii  and refusing to let her go for a year despite repeated request not only from SHRii raam but also his own wife, his elders and kins and vEDik sages of renoun.      The killing of raavAN and destruction of his evil empire by SHRii raam also ended RaavaAN's reign of evil terror through his imposed practice of aDHARm lifestyle for thousands of years in 3-lok of paataal-lok, pRuthvi-lok and svARg-lok which he had conquered due to the the boon given to him by pRjaapti bRH`maa that he could not be killed by anybody except a human. (a lok is a domain of existence of a total of 176 lok in a bRHmaaND (universe). Each lok has its own characteristics of purpose, time rate and lifestyle and differs from other lok....)      Diwaali celebrates the coronation of SHRii raam as a symbol of victory of DHARmik lifestyle over aDHARmik lifestyle through festive fireworks, lights, flowers, sharing of sweets, and worship to live DHARm-based lifestyle.      While the story behind Dipaavli varies from region to region, the essence is the same - to rejoice in the aat`maa (soul) or the underlying reality of all things which is Creator bRH`m and both of them represent the belief in supremacy of DHARm-based lifestyle which is at the best very difficult to live by in kli-yug as per every puraaAN text.      kli-yug is ordained and designed to promote living a lifestyle of aDHARm with 75 percent of the humanity opting to live an aDHARmik lifestyle at the start of kli-yug some 5111 years ago.      As kli-yug progresses towards its end of 432,000 years duration, the percentage of humans living by DHARm will diminish continually with a very miniscule minority living by DHARm at the end of kli-yug which will result in  lifestyle based solely on Narcissism and Anarchy.  (You can enlighten yourself about both these lifestyles by clicking on the hilited names) (If YOU have any questions or wish to have stsNg on the above for whatever purpose in your life please share yourself on this news item by sharing yourself by clicking on the POST A COMMENT in the header of this news item and/or email your sharing to PVAF for any reason you may have by clicking here...)

.......MAIN BACKGROUNDERS ON DIWAALI CELEBRATIONS......

Hindus have several significant historical events associated with Diwaali:: Return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya: Diwali also celebrates the return of Lord Rama, King of Ayodhya, with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana to Ayodhya after a 14 year exile, and a war in which he killed the demon king Ravana. It is believed that the people of Ayodhya lit ghee lamps along the way to light their path in the darkness. Since Lord Rama traveled from South India to his kingdom in North India, he passed through the south earlier. This is the reason why the festival is celebrated a day earlier in South India.   The Killing of Narakasura: Celebrated as Naraka Chaturdasi, two days before Diwali day, it commemorates the killing of Narakasura, an evil demon who created havoc, by Lord Krishna's wife Satyabhama. This happened in the Dwapar Yuga during this time of Lord Krishna's avatar. In another version, the demon was killed by Lord Krishna (Lord krishna provokes his wife Satyabhama to kill Narakasura by pretending to be injured by the demon. Narakasura can only be killed by a woman) himself.[citation needed] Before Narakasura's death, he requested a boon from Satyabhama (believed to be an Avatar of Bhudevi), that everyone should celebrate his death with colorful light. Austerities of Shakti: According to the Skanda Purana, the goddess Shakti observed 21 days of austerity starting from ashtami of shukla paksha (eighth day of the waxing period of moon) to get half of the body of Lord Shiva. This vrata (austerity) is known as kedhara vrata. Deepavali is the completion day of this austerity. This is the day Lord Shiva accepted Shakti into the left half of the form and appeared as Ardhanarishvara. The ardent devotees observe this 21 days vrata by making a kalasha with 21 threads on it and 21 types of offerings for 35 days. The final day is celebrated as kedhara gauri vrata. Birth of Goddess Lakshmi: According to the Puranas, the goddess of Wealth, Prosperity and Luck Lakshmi was born from the churning of the Milk Ocean, along with other magical beings and objects including Amrit, Kamadhenu,Chintamani, Halahal aka Poison, etc. She was sought by both the Devas(Gods) and Danavas(Demons) but she chose Vishnu as her husband. Krishna defeating Indra: Govardhan Puja is celebrated the day after Diwali. It is the day Lord Krishna defeated Indra, the deity of thunder and rain. As per the story, Krishna saw huge preparations for the annual offering to Lord Indra and questions his father Nanda about it. He debated with the villagers about what their 'dharma' truly was. They were farmers, they should do their duty and concentrate on farming and protection of their cattle. He continued to say that all human beings should merely do their 'karma', to the best of their ability and not pray for natural phenomenon. The villagers were convinced by Krishna, and did not proceed with the special puja (prayer). Indra was then angered, and flooded the village. Krishna then lifted Mt Govardhan and held it up as protection to his people and cattle from the rain. Indra finally accepted defeat and recognized Krishna as supreme. This aspect of Krishna's life is mostly glossed over - but it actually set up the basis of the 'karma' philosophy later detailed in the Bhagavat Gita.

......The six days OF DIWALI CELEBRATION AS PER vEDik & laukik (TRADItiONs & customs) lifestyles .....

Diwali celebrations are spread over five days in India and all over the world. All the days except Diwali are named according to their designation in the Hindu calendar. Vasu Baras (27 Ashvin or 12 Krishna Paksha Ashvin): Baras means 12th day and vasu means cow. On this day cow and calf is worshipped. Since it is believed that cow is symbol of God, Diwali is begun by worshipping cow and calf. Dhanatrayodashi or Dhan teras (28 Ashvin or 13 Krishna Paksha Ashvin): Dhan means "wealth" and Trayodashi means "13th day". Thus, as the name implies, this day falls on the 13th day of the second half of the lunar month. It is an auspicious day for shopping of utensils and gold.This day is also regarded as the Jayanti of God Dhanvantri who came out during the churning of the great ocean by the gods and the demons. Dhanvantri Jayanti Naraka Chaturdashi (29 Ashvin or 14 Krishna Paksha Ashvin): Chaturdashi is the fourteenth day on which demon Narakasura was killed. It signifies the victory of good over evil and light over darkness (Gujarati: Kali Chaudas, Rajasthan : Roop Chaudas). In south India, this is the actual day of festivities. Hindus wake up way before dawn as early as 2:00 in the morning, have a fragrant oil bath and wear new clothes. They light small lamps all around the house and draw elaborate kolams /rangolis outside their homes. They perform a special puja with offerings to Lord Sri Krishna or Lord Sri Vishnu, as he liberated the world from the demon Narakasura on this day. It is believed that taking a bath before sunrise, when the stars are still visible in the sky is equivalent to taking a bath in the holy Ganges. Hence, when people greet each other in the morning, they ask "Have you performed your Ganga Snaanam?". After the puja, children burst firecrackers heralding the defeat of the demon. As this is a day of rejoicing, many will have very elaborate breakfasts and lunches and meet family and friends. In the evening, lamps are again lit and Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped and offered special dishes. This being a no moon day, many will offer special tarpana (offerings of water and sesame seeds) to their ancestors. This day is also called as Roop Chaturdashi Lakshmi Puja (30 Ashvin or 15 Krishna Paksha Ashvin): Lakshmi Puja marks the most important day of Diwali celebrations in North India. Hindu homes worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and Ganesh, the God of auspicious beginnings, and then light lamps all across the streets and homes to welcome prosperity and wellbeing. Govardhan Puja (1 Kartika or 1 Shukla Paksha Kartika) : Also called Annakut, is celebrated as the day Krishna defeated Indra. Lord Krishna taught people to worship nature, as mountains bring rains to earth. That was the reason to stop worshiping Indra. His was the message that we should take care of our nature. For Annakut a mountain of food is decorated symbolizing Govardhan mountain lifted by Lord Krishna. In Maharashtra it is celebrated as Padva or BaliPratipada. The day commemorates King Bali. Men present gifts to their wives on this day.In Gujarat, it is celebrated as New Year, as Vikram Samvat starts on this day. Bhaiduj (also Bhayyaduj, Bhaubeej or Bhayitika) (2 Kartikaor 2 Shukla Paksha Kartika): on this day, brothers and sisters meet to express their love and affection for each other (Gujarati: Bhai Bij, Bengali: Bhai Phota). Most Indian festivals bring together families, Bhaiduj brings together married sisters and brothers, and is a significant festive day for them. This festival is ancient, and pre-dates 'Raksha Bandhan' another brother-sister festival celebrated in the present day.

DIWAALI AMONG JAINS

Replica of Pava temple at Pansara. Mahavira attained Nirvana at Pava

Jainism marks Diwali as the nirvana of Lord Mahavira, which occurred on 15 October, 527 BCE. Diwali has a very special significance in Jainism, just like Buddha Purnima, the date of Buddha's Nirvana, is for Buddhists as Christmas is for Christians. Lord Mahavira, the last of the Jain Tirthankaras, attained Nirvana or Moksha on this day at Pavapuri on Oct. 15, 527 BCE, on Chaturdashi of Kartika, as Tilyapannatti of Yativrashaba from the sixth century states: Lord Mahavira is responsible for establishing the Dharma followed by Jains even today. According to tradition, the chief disciple of Mahavira, Ganadhara Gautam Swami also attained complete knowledge (Kevalgyana) on this day, thus making Diwali one of the most important Jain festivals. Lord ahavira attained his nirvana at the dawn of the amavasya (new moon). According to the Kalpasutra by Acharya Bhadrabahu, 3rd century BC, many gods were present there, illuminating the darkness The following night was pitch black without the light of the gods or the moon. To symbolically keep the light of their master's knowledge alive 116 Gana-kings, 9 Malla and 9 Lichchhavi, of Kasi and Kosal, illuminated their doors. They said: "Since the light of knowledge is gone, we will make light of ordinary matter" (English Trasliteration from sNskRUt : "gye se bhavujjoye, dvvujjoym krissmo" Deepavali was first mentioned in Jain/a> books as the date of the nirvana of Lord Mahavira. In fact, the oldest reference to Diwali is a related word, dipalikaya or deepalikaya, which occurs in Harivamsha-Purana, written by Acharya Jinasena [10]and composed in the Shaka Samvat era in the year 705. ((English transliteration of sNskRUt) tatastuh lokah prativarsham-aadarat prasiddha-deepalikaya-aatra bharate l samudyatah poojayitum jineshvaram jinendra-nirvana vibhuti-bhaktibhak ll 20 Translation: The gods illuminated avanagari by lamps to mark the occasion. Since that time, the people of Bharat celebrate the famous festival of "Dipalika" to worship the Jinendra (i.e. Lord Mahavira) on the occasion of his nirvana. Deepalikaya roughly translates as "light leaving the body". Dipalika, which can be roughly translated as "splenderous light of lamps", is used interchangeably with the word "Diwali". The way Jains celebrate Diwali is different in many respects. There is a note of asceticism in whatever the Jains do, and the celebration of Diwali is not an exception. The Jains celebrate Diwali during the month of Kartik for three days. During this period, among the Shvetambaras, devoted Jains observe fasting and chant the Uttaradhyayan Sutra, which contain the final pravachans of Lord Mahavira, and meditate upon him. Some Jains visit Pavapuri in Bihar where he attained Nirvan. In may temples special laddus are offered particularly on this day. Vira Nirvana Samvat: The Jain year starts with Pratipada following Diwali. Vira Nirvana Samvat 2534 starts with Diwali 2007. The Jain businesspeople traditionally started their accounting year from Diwali. The relationship between the Vir and Shaka era is given in Titthogali Painnaya and Dhavalaa by Acharya Virasena: : (English transliteration of sNskRUt) pNch y maasa pNch y vaas chhchchev honti vaassyaa l priANi vyuass arihito to uppnno sgo raayaa ll   Thus the Nirvana occurred 605 years and 5 months before the aka era. On 21 October 1974 the 2500th Nirvana hotsava was celebrated by all the Jain throughout India DIWAALI CELEBRATION BY SIKHS Shri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar being lit up for Diwali. The story of Diwali for the Sikhs is a story of the Sikh struggle for freedom. From the time of Guru Nanak (1469 – 1539), the founder of Sikhism, popular seasonal or folk festivals like the harvest festival of Baisakhi, or previously ancient Hindu festivals such as Holi and Diwali began to take on a new significance for the Guru’s students, the Sikhs. The Guru used these festivals and special days e.g. first day of each lunar month, as symbols or pegs for his teaching themes. The enlightened ideology of Guru Nanak gave new significance to ancient festivals like Diwali and Baisakhi Among the Sikhs, Diwali came to have special significance from the day the town of Amritsar was illuminated on the return to it of Guru Hargobind (1595-1644) who had been held captive in the Fort at Gwalior under the orders of the Mughal emperor, Jahangir (1570-1627). As the sixth Guru (teacher) of Sikhism, Guru Hargobind Ji, was freed from imprisonment - along with 53 Hindu Kings (who were held as political prisoners) whom the Guru had arranged to be released as well. After his release he went to the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) in the holy city of Amritsar, where he was welcomed in happiness by the people who lit candles and diyas to greet the Guru. BeBecause of this, Sikhs often refer to Diwali also as Bandi Chhorh Divas - “the day of release of detainees." Bandi Chhorh Divas For Sikhs, Diwali is particularly important because it celebrates the release from prison of the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind Ji, (hence also called "Bandi Chhorh Diwas" or "the day of release of detainees") and 52 other princes with him, from the Gwalior Fort in 1619. The Mughal Emperor Jahangir had imprisoned Guru Hargobind and 52 other rajas (princes). Emperor Jahangir had imprisoned the sixth Guru because he was afraid of the Guru's growing following and power. The Emperor was asked to release Guru Hargobind which he agreed to do. However, Guru Hargobind asked that the princes be released also. The Emperor agreed, but said only those who could hold onto his cloak tail would be allowed to leave the prison. This was in order to limit the number of prisoners who could leave. However, Guru Hargobind had made a large cloak with 52 pieces of string and so each prince was able to hold onto one string and leave prison. Sikhs celebrated the return of Guru Hargobind Ji by lighting the Golden Temple and this tradition continues today.  Martyrdom of Bhai Mani Singh Ji Another important Sikh event associated with Diwali is the martyrdom in 1734 of the elderly Sikh scholar and strategist Bhai Mani Singh, the Granthi (preacher) of Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple). He had refused to pay a jaziya - special tax imposed by the Muslim rulers - on a religious meeting of the Khalsa on the Diwali day. This and other Sikh martyrdoms gave further momentum to the Khalsa struggle for freedom and eventually success in establishing the Khalsa rule north of Delhi Bhai Mani Singh was a great scholar and he transcribed the final version of Guru Granth Sahib upon dictation from Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1704. He took charge of Harmandir Sahib's management on 1708. In 1737, he received permission from Mughal governor of Punjab, Zakarya Khan for celebrating Diwali at Golden Temple for a massive tax of Rs. 5,000 (some authors say it was Rs 10,000). Invitations were sent to the Sikhs all over India to join Bandi Chhorh Diwas celebrations at Harmandir Sahib. Bhai Mani Singh thought he would collect the tax-money from the Sikhs as subscriptions who would assemble for the purpose of Diwali Celebrations. But Bhai Mani Singh Ji later discovered the secret plan of Zakarya Khan to kill the Sikhs during the gathering. Bhai Mani Singh Ji immediately sent message to all the Sikhs not to turn up for celebrations. Bhai Mani Singh could not manage to arrange the money to be paid for tax. Zakariya Khan was not happy about the situation and he ordered Bhai Mani Singh's assassination at Lahore by ruthlessly cutting him limb-by-limb to death. Ever since, the great sacrifice & devotion of martyr Bhai Mani Singh Ji is remembered on the Bandi Chhorh Diwas (Diwali) celebration. Uprising against the Mughal Empire The festival of iwali became the second most important day after the Baisakhi, when Khalsa was formally established by the Tenth Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. The Sikh struggle for freedom from Muslim atrocities, which intensified in the 18th century, came to be centered around this day. After the execution of Banda Bahadur in 1716, who had led the agrarian uprising in Punjab, the Sikhs started the tradition of deciding matters concerning the community at the biennial meetings which took place at Amritsar on the first of Baisakh and at Diwali. These assemblies were known as the "Sarbat Khalsa" and a resolution passed by it became a "gurmata" (decree of the Guru).

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.........DIWAALI IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WORLD.......

Diwali is celebrated in various parts of the world, in countries such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Suriname, Canada, Guyana, Mauritius, Fiji, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago,Jamaica, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Australia, much of Africa, and the United States.[13] With more and more Indians and Sri Lankans now migrating to various parts of the world, the number of countries where Diwali is celebrated has been gradually increasing. While in some countries it is celebrated mainly by Indian expatriates, in others it has become part of the general local culture. In most of these countries Diwali is celebrated on the same lines as described in this article with some minor variations. Some important variations are worth mentioning.

DIWALI IN NEPAL

In Nepal, Diwali is known as "Tihar" or "Swanti". It is celebrated during the October/November period.  It is celebrated during the October/November period. Here the festival is celebrated for five days and the traditions vary from those followed in India. On the first day (Kaag tihar), crows are given offerings, considering them to be divine messengers. On the second day (Kukur tihar), dogs are worshipped for their honesty. On the third day, Laxmi puja and worship of cow is performed. This is the last day according to Nepal Sambat, so many of the businessmen clear their accounts on this day and on finishing it, worship goddess Laxmi, the goddess of wealth. The fourth day is celebrated as new year. Cultural processions and other celebrations are observed in this day. The Newars celebrate it as "Mha Puja", a special ritual in which the body is worshipped to keep it fit and healthy for the year ahead on this day. On the fifth and final day called "Bhai Tika", brothers and sisters meet and exchange pleasantries.

DIWALI IN SINGAPORE In Singapore, Diwali is marked by 2 kilometres of lights across the Little India area.

In Singapore, the festival is called "Deepavali", and is a gazetted public holiday. Observed primarily by the minority Indian community, it is typically marked by a light-up in the Little India district. The Hindu Endowment Board of Singapore along with Singapores' government organizes many cultural events around Deepavali time.

DIWALI IN SRI LANKA

In Sri Lanka, this festival is also called "Deepavali" and is celebrated by the Tamil community. On this day, it is traditional for people to wear new clothes and exchange pleasantries.

Diwali  in Coventry, United Kingdom

In Britain, Hindus and Sikhs celebrate Diwali with great enthusiasm and in most ways very similarly to as in India. People clean and decorate their homes with lamps and candles.A popular type of candle used to represent this holiday is a diya. People also give each other sweets such as laddoo and barfi, and the different communities may gather from around the country for a religious ceremony and get-together. It is also an important time to contact family in India and perhaps exchange gifts through the post. It is a greatly celebrated holiday and is a great way to connect with the culture and heritage of India. Diwali is becoming a well known festival in Britain and non-Indians also join in the festivities. Leicester plays hosts to some of the biggest celebrations outside of India itself. Diwali also coincides closely enough with the British Guy Fawkes (Bonfire Night) traditions on November the 5th that in many areas, such as the East End of London, a kind of joint festival has evolved where everyone celebrates and enjoys the same fire and fireworks for their own diverse reasons.

DIWALI IN NEWZEALAND

n New Zealand,, Diwali is celebrated publicly among many of the South Asian diaspora cultural groups. There are main public festivals in Auckland and Wellington, with other events around the country becoming more popular and visible. An official reception has been held at the New Zealand Parliament since 2003.

DIWALI IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO The Divali Nagar or "Diwali capital" in Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago

In Trinidad and Tobago, communities all over the islands get together and celebrate the festival. One major celebration that stands out is the Diwali Nagar, or Village of the Festival of Lights. It features stage performances by the east Indian cultural practitioners, a folk theatre featuring skits and plays, an exhibition on some aspect of Hinduism, displays by various Hindu religious sects and social organizations, nightly worship of Goddess Lakshmi, lighting of deeyas, performances by various schools related to Indian culture, and a food court with Indian and non-Indian vegetarian delicacies. The festival culminates with magnificent fireworks displays ushering in Diwali. Thousands of people participate in an atmosphere devoid of alcohol and in a true family environment.

DIWALI IN MALAYSIA

In Malaysia, Diwali is known as "Hari Deepavali," and is celebrated during the seventh month of the Hindu solar calendar. It is a federal public holiday throughout Malaysia. In many respects it resembles the traditions followed in the Indian subcontinent. 'Open houses' are held where Hindu Malaysians welcome fellow Malaysians of different races and religions to their house for a sumptious meal. 'Open house' or 'rumah terbuka' is a practice very much unique to Malaysia and shows the goodwill and friendly ties practised by all Malaysians during any festive occasion.

DIWALI AMONG NEWAR BUDHDHISTS IN NEPAL

The festival is also celebrated by Buddhists of Nepal, particularly the Newar Buddhists. Newar practice both Hinduism and Buddhism. According to the 2001 Nepal Census, 84.13% of Newars were Hindus and 15.31% were Buddhists. The Newa (Nepal Bhasa: Newa or Newah, Old Nepal Bhasa: Newar, Newal) are the indigenous people of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. Newars are a linguistic community with Tibeto-Burman ethnicity/race and faith, bound together by a common language The term Newar applies roughly to the descendants of citizens of Medieval Nepal (consisting of Kathmandu valley as the capital and the territory ever changing with farest extent being Gandaki river to west and Koshi river to the east, Tibet to north and Terai in south). Their common language being Nepal Bhasa ("Newari" according to Statistics Nepal) or the languages progenitor of Nepal Bhasa. According to Nepal's 2001 census, the 1,245,232 Newar in the country are the nation's sixth largest ethnic group, representing 5.48% of the population. Nepal Bhasa is of Tibeto-Burman origin (but heavily influenced by Indo-Aryan languages like Sanskrit, Pali, Bengali and Maithili). Nepal Bhasa also contains Austro-Asiatic words and phrases. In 2001 the language is spoken by 825,458 Nepalese as their mother tongue