Kathmandu, Aug. 30 -- Mithilesh Kumar Thakur's mother is a worried woman. With her son's wedding set for November, the per tola price of gold crossing a record Rs200,000 has turned what should have been a celebratory preparation into an uneasy financial burden.

"We are astounded by the gold price-bang on the eve of my son's wedding. We had planned on buying gold during Tihar, but now we do not know how high it can still go," said Jaya Devi Thakur, who lives with her family in Baneshwar.

The Thakurs had planned on buying six tolas of the yellow metal. But as prices climb almost daily, they now think they will have to make do with four. "We cannot imagine a wedding without gold. It is part of our culture, but these sky-high prices have fo...