Short answers, pulled from the story.
According to the 2021 census, 8.21 percent of Nepal's population identified as Buddhist, numbering approximately 2,394,549 people. This represents a decline of 2.5 percentage points from the 2001 figure of 10.74 percent.
Shakyamuni Buddha was born in Lumbini, in the Shakya Kingdom, which lies in present-day Rupandehi District in Nepal's Lumbini zone. Emperor Ashoka erected a pillar at Lumbini in the second century BCE to mark the site.
The Nine Dharma Jewels, called the Navagrantha, are nine texts considered the foundational books of traditional Nepalese Buddhism. They include the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra, Gandavyuha Sutra, Lotus Sutra, Lankavat-ara Sutra, Lalitavistara Sutra, Golden Light Sutra, Ten Stages Sutra, Samadhiraja Sutra, and the Tathagata-guhya Sutra.
Theravada Buddhist monks were banished from Nepal in 1926 and again in 1944 by the autocratic Rana regime, which sought to suppress the revival of Theravada Buddhism that had begun in the 1920s. The ban was lifted in 1946 after a Sri Lankan goodwill mission interceded on behalf of the exiled monks.
Newar Buddhism is a form of Vajrayana Buddhism practiced by the Newar people and is considered the oldest known form of the Vajrayana tradition. During the reign of Jayasthiti Malla, the implementation of the Manawa dharmasastra banned celibate monks from practicing in Nepal, transforming Newar Buddhism into a decelibate tradition led by married householders.
Buddhist-majority communities in Nepal's northern regions include the Sherpa, Lopa, Manangi, Thakali, Lhomi, Dolpa, and Nyimba peoples. In central Nepal, Buddhist practitioners include the Tamang, Gurung, Magar, Newar, Yakkha, Jirel, Thami, Chhantyal, and Chepang, along with the Kirati peoples such as the Limbu and Rai.