Kathmandu - Women from a remote mountainous village in Nepal have taken off their clothes to dance naked - hoping to enliven their Hindu gods for rain in the drought-hit region. The group of about 100 women smeared their faces with black powder and danced naked at a local school in Darbang village, about 280km west of the capital, Kathmandu, Associated Press reported this week. "People in this area believe the (Hindu god) Mahadev will be happy and provide rain once women perform such a nude dance," AP quoted a local teacher as saying. Monsoon rain has been delayed in the region this year, according to weather forecasters. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2005/06/07/1074499-ap.html