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Art of the Newars is essentially a religious art, ordained and consecrated to the service of the country's creeds. A brief description of these creeds is given in a previous chapter—the religious state of the country, with a special reference to its artistic aspect, being defined as a coalition of the two faiths of Brahmanism and Buddhism. To the student of theological systems, this definition of the religious conscience of Nepal may be open to objection, and Hodgson goes as far as to deny the possibility of an identity "between two creeds, the speculative tenets of which are as wide asunder as heaven and earth." The explanation of