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Item Ancient corridor of Pakistan linkages with rest of other world and its impact on trade culture and pilgrimages(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Aslam, N.Geographically in ancient times the term Pakistan applied to the North West region of Subcontinent. Owing to its peculiar geographical location ancient Pakistan had been closer contact with Afghanistan, China, Central Asian and West through Gandhara with many routes. The routes gradually converted into roads and highways. In ancient Pakistan many types of corridors developed such as king highway, caravan routes, pilgrims routes, trade routes and military routes. Grand Trunk road is the best example of king highway which was established by the Achaemenians dynasty. The Uttarapatha was the major rote of commercial and cultural exchange between the North-western borderlands of South Asia and Northern India. It was a Northern route started from Magadha through the Gangetic Basin and passes running through the region of Gandhara to far-away Western Asia as a royal trade route combined with a constant inflow of immigrants from highland Asia. The Silk road (modern Karakoram highway) was a historic road from Taxila to Kashghar via Thaha Kot,Chilas ,Gilgit and Hunza. The Silk route mainly a pilgrim route but provided an opportunity to discover the possibilities of trade. Khyber Pass route is the most famous route attracted migrants and armies. Migration of Aryans, Greeks, Scythian, Kushan and Huns developed a new political and cultural history of this region and served as an introduction pad for Buddhist spread across the Hindu Kush and Karakorum mountains. All routes from the highland of Afghanistan, China and Central Asia met at Taxila and it marked an important junction of routes to Kashmir and Chilas. The location of Taxila at the main gate to India has a network of routes connected to ancient Pakistan, Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan and China. It was mainly responsible for its development into a political economic and cultural Centre. Besides these, there were many routes and roads; between Sindh and Punjab, Gandhara and Northern India, plains of Punjab to Afghanistan and Central Asia and Gandhara to China. These main routes exercised for commercial and cultural exchange between the Northwestern and Northern India to Mathura, Taxila and Bactria in Northern Afghanistan and Western Central Asia and played a significant role in the development of culture and civilization in South Asia. The ancient routes of Pakistan provide different discoveries regarding many cultural values and its phases of expansion in south Asian region. This research paper highlights the different ancient routes of Pakistan linkages with Central Asia China Afghanistan and India. The cultural activities developed different periods linking with ancient route. In this regard ‘culture’ is concerned with the transaction of political social and economic values. Evidences of these exchanges are linked with the existence of coins and other trading commodities explored in this region. Commerce is the numbers of facilitating activities in exchange of commodities. Different culture systems and supporting activities found in the background of Pakistani culture are deeply analyzed and explored in regard to its related impact on the welfare and development of human wellbeing of these routes. The routes mainly discovered the Historical and cultural activities of different periods and linked with famous route of pilgrim. Pakistan served as a station between the east and west which received and transmitted cultural, artistic, political, commercial and religious currents in different directions. The political and cultural history of Pakistan frequently marks on numismatic evidence, art, architecture, and historical documents and inscriptions. This paper is focused on exploring different routes of Pakistan and culture activities and its development with its evidences in different historical period around theses route. Furthermore useful recommendations to link these ancient developments with current modern society are also extracted from this study. This research tells that how ancient culture and their values are having sound linkup with the ancient routes.Item Rituals followed by “Newaras” of Kathmandy Valley(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Malla, M.The “Newaras” are the indigenous people and the creators of the historical civilization of Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley. The Valley and surrounding territory have been known from ancient times as Nepal Mandala. “Newars” have lived in Nepal Mandala since very early times, and immigrants that arrived at different periods in its history eventually merged with the local population by adopting their language and customs. “Newars” are a linguistic and cultural community of mostly Tibeto-Burman and some Indo-Aryan ethnicities. Scholars have also described the “Newars” as a nation. Scholars in this field have consensus that prehistoric “Newars” were originally interconnected to the ancient “Kirat” people (Kiratis). Stone Age, prehistoric “Kirat” tools found by Anatoly Yakoblave Shetenko (Leningrad Institute of Archaeology) date back to 30,000 years ago, matching prehistoric tools unearthed in China’s Gobi Desert and Yunnan. According to Nepal’s 2001 census, the 1,245,232 “Newars” in the country are the nation’s sixth largest group, representing 5.48% of the population. “Newaras” practice Hinduism as well as Buddhism. They have their own culture and follow their own festivals that are unique in the world. “Newar” culture is very rich in pageantry and rituals throughout the year. Many festivals are tied to Hindu holidays, Buddha’s birth and the harvest cycle. The important “Newar” festivals are “Mha Puja”, celebrated in the occasion of the New Year as per local calendar (“Nepal Sambat”), and “Bisket Jatra” celebrated on the first of “Baisakh”. One of the important festivals celebrated by “Newar” people is “Gunhu Punhi”. During this nine-day festival, “Newar” men and women drink a bowl of sprouted mixed cereals and offer food to frogs in the farmers’ fields. On the second day, “Sa Paru” (“Gai Jatra”), people who have lost a family member in the past year dress up as cows or anything comical and parade through town, a ritual carried by a king to show his queen that not only his son died but other people die too. The last day of “Gunhu Punhi” is “Krishnastami”, birthday of lord Krishna, an incarnation of lord Vishnu. Many rituals are related to the stages of life from birth, first rice-feeding, childhood, puberty, marriage, seniority and death. The complexity and all-encompassing nature of these rituals cannot be exaggerated. For instance, “Newar” girls undergo a “Bahra” ceremony when they reach puberty. Because menstruation is considered ritually impure, girls undergo ritual confinement for 12 days. Girls are separated from all males and from sunlight for 12 days while they are doted upon by female relatives. On the 12th day the girl must pay homage to the sun. Should a “Newar” man or woman live long enough, there are five rituals, known as “janku,”—which can be confusing, as the first rice feeding ceremony of a child is referred to as “janku” as well— performed between the age of 77 and 106. These are carried out when the age is 77 years, 7 months, 7 days; 83 years, 4 months, 4 days (after one has seen 1000 full moons in one’s life); 88 years, 8 months, 8 days; 99 years, 9 months, 9 days; and, finally, at 105 years, 8 months, 8 days. After these rituals are performed, the person will be regarded as a god. Husband and wife will perform their rituals together, as the events occur for the husband.