Dal bhat (Nepali: दालभात) is a traditional Nepali or Indian staple food consisting of cooked or steamed rice or sometimes other cereal bhat and lentil soup Dal. It is generally eaten twice a day: mid-morning and early evening.

Bhat means boiled rice. At higher elevations where rice does not grow well, other grain such as makai (maize), fapar (buckwheat), jau (barley) or kodo (millet) may be substituted in a cooked preparation called atho or dhido. Bhat may be supplemented with roti or chapati (rounds of unleavened bread).

Dal may be cooked with tomatoes, onion, chili, tamarind, garlic and ginger in addition to lentils or beans. It always contains herbs and spices such as coriander, garam masala, cumin, and turmeric. Recipes vary by season, locality, ethnic group and family.

Dal bhat is often served with vegetable tarkari - a mix of available seasonal vegetables. It is also called Dal bhat tarkari (दाल भात तरकारी). There may also be yogurt or curry made of chicken, goat meat or fish. A small portion of chutney or pickle (called achar) is usually included.

Dal (also spelled Dahl or Daal, or Dhal) is a preparation of pulses (dried lentils, peas or beans) which have been stripped of their outer hulls and split. It also refers to the thick stew prepared from these pulses, an important part of Indian, Nepali, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, West Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine. It is regularly eaten with rice and vegetables in southern India, and with both rice and roti (wheat-based flat bread) throughout northern India and Pakistan. Dal is a ready source of proteins for a balanced diet containing little or no meat. Sri Lankan cooking of dal resembles that of southern Indian dishes.

The word dāl derives from the Sanskrit verbal root dal- 'to split'.

In South India, dal is often used to make sambar, a spicy soup of red lentils and vegetables cooked with tamarind, asafoetida and some vegetables. It is eaten with rice and rice dishes. In West India, dals are used to make curries to be eaten with rice. Dals are also used to make fermented preparations such as idli, dosa, in south and coastal India. In East India, rice is also the main accompaniment. In Sri Lanka, dal is most often consumed in a curry made with coconut milk.

Bhat (Marathi: भट, Kannada: ಭಟ್) meaning a priest or scribe in Sanskrit, is a surname common in most parts of Nepal. A predominantly Hindu last name, it is found most commonly in the states of coastal areas of Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh, is a common surname in the states of Maharashtra, India. This is a common surname among Kota Brahmin, Konkanastha, Malviya Brahmin Shree Goud Brahmin Goud Saraswat Brahmin, Shivalli Madhva Brahmin, Havyaka Brahmin and Daivajna community. Variations of the Bhat surname are found amongst Brahmins of Kerala and Tamil Nadu such as Pattar amongst Tamil and Kerala Iyers and Bhattathiripad amongst the Nambudiris.

The name is also in use among some Konkani Catholics who trace their ancestry to the Goud Saraswat Brahmins of Goa.

The term Bhat also refers to a community of bards and genealogists, found in North India.

Jammu & Kashmir: Bhat is a common surname of Saraswat Brahmin or Muslims.

Arun Thapa (1952, 1999) was a popular singer of Nepal. His songs like Ritu haruma timi hariyali basanta hau; रितुहरुमा तिमी हरियाली बसन्त हौ , Bhulu bhulu lagyo malai; भुलु भुलु लाग्यो मलाई have touched the heart of millions Nepali music lovers. His contributions in the Nepali music is remarkable and inspires many Nepalese singers in the field of music. His song Reetu haruma timi hariyali basant hau (You are the spring amongst the seasons) is on the number 7 lists of The Worlds Top Ten songs.

Arun Thapa was born in Calcutta, India in Jan 1952. His father was Ganju Prasad Thapa . His parents moved back to Nepal when Arun was 3 years old. He studied and grew up in Kathmandu, Nepal. He first studied in a school in Gana Bahal Tole then at JP School in Chettrapati. Later he studied in Turnbull High school in Darjeeling, coming back to complete his School Leaving Certificate(SLC) from Kathmandu in 1971. He later studied at Prithvi Narayan Campus, Pokhara for an Intermediate in Arts degree but soon dropped out to pursue a career in music. Family friends Narayan Gopal, Gopal Yonjon, Shankher Lamichhane, who all belonged to his father's generation influenced his music but he was never one to let those influences get in his way and he blazed a trail of his own, which has the unique Arun Thapa sound. Incidentally, he resided for a large part of his life at Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur ward number 2, where his father owned property. A statue dedicated to him stands at the corner of where his house once stood, to mark the appreciation of the folks who knew him when he grew up as a teenager.

Arjun Munda (born 5 January 1968 in Khrangajhar Jamshedpur) is an Indian politician, former Member of Parliament to the 15th Lok Sabha. He resigned the 15th Lok Sabha membership on 26 February 2011, and is currently Chief Minister of Jharkhand.

He is married to Meera Munda. On May 9th, 2012 a helicopter carrying Munda and his wife to Chaibasa crash landed at the Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi. Although the minister was reported to have been injured, both of them survived the accident.

His political career began in the 1980s as part of the Jharkhand movement, spearheaded by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. This movement sought to create a tribally-dominated state from the southern area of India's northern Bihar state. Munda's political clout grew due to his focus on helping tribals and other backwards. In 1995, he was elected to the Bihar state assembly, representing Kharswan. He retained that seat in 2000 and 2005 elections, but as of 2000, he was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

Jharkhand was formed in 2000, with the BJP forming the first government under Babulal Marandi. Arjun Munda served as the Social Welfare Minister in his cabinet. In 2003, as the non-BJP Legislators supporting the government called for Marandi's replacement, it was Munda, viewed as a strong tribal leader, who was considered the best alternative. Munda took the position of Chief Minister on 18 March 2003 and held it until his resignation on 2 March 2005, which occurred after inconclusive state elections and the intervention of the state's governor, Syed Sibtey Razi.