Religion in Nepal encompasses a wide diversity of groups and beliefs. Nepal is a secular nation and secularism in Nepal under the interim constitution (Part 1, Article 4) is defined as 'religious, cultural freedom, along with the protection of religion, culture handed down from time immemorial that is "the state government is bound for protecting and fostering Hindu religion" while maintaining "religious" and "cultural" freedom throughout the nation as fundamental rights. Nepal's most widely practiced religions are Hinduism and Buddhism, which (as of 2011) account for 81.3% and 9.04% of the national population respectively. According to a survey, Nepal is the most religious Hindu-majority country in the world, with most of the important Hindu pilgrimage centers concentrated in this country. Nepal is also the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha), because of which Buddhism has a very special place in the country and is often intertwined with Hinduism among some communities. Nepal is a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religious nation through democracy. Shiva is widely regarded as the guardian deity of Nepal. Nepal is home to the world-famous Pashupatinath Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where Hindus from around the world come for pilgrimage purposes. According to Hindu Itihasa, the goddess Sita of the epic Ramayana was born in the Mithila Kingdom of King Janaka Raja. The national animal of Nepal is the cow, which is considered a sacred animal in Hinduism. Because of this, the slaughter of cows is illegal in Nepal. Freedom of religion is also guaranteed by the Nepali constitution. Forced conversion from Hinduism to other religions is prohibited by law, especially when money is used as a direct or indirect inducement to convert, but anyone can convert from one religion to another as an exercise of their own volition. Nationalists have sometimes protested against secularism – they want Nepal to become a Hindu Democratic state. Prior to the movement for democracy in early 2006 and the sacking of King Gyanendra in 2008, the country was officially a Hindu kingdom, and the constitution still protects and fosters the Hindu religion. Recently, Nepal's senior minister have advocated for declaring Nepal a Hindu state constitutionally. Hinduism is the majority religion in Nepal, and profoundly influences its social structure and politics, while Buddhism (Tibetan Buddhism) is practiced by some ethnic groups (such as the Newar people) in forms which are strongly influenced by Hinduism. Kiratism is the indigenous religion of