Pahari people (Nepal)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Pahadi people/Parbatiya people
पहाडी/पर्वतिया
Total population
15,015
Nepalis[3][4]

The Pahadi people (

Himalayas. Most Indo-Aryan Paharis, however, identify as members of constituent subgroups and castes within the larger Pahari community such as Brahmin (Bahun in Nepal), Kshatriya (Chhetri in Nepal) and Dalits
.

The name Pahadi derives from pahad (पहाड), meaning "hill", and corresponds to the Himalayan

Magar, Tamang, Gurung, Kirat, among others. Pahari may also contrast geography alone.[5][6][4][7][8]

History

Main article: History of Nepal

The Paharis are historically ancient, having been mentioned by the authors Pliny and Herodotus and figuring in India's epic poem, the

Vaishnava people.[6][9]

Before Nepal was united as a nation under the

Himalayan region was Khas Desh. Most populous among the people of this mid-mountainous area were the Khas people, also mentioned in the histories of India and China. The Khas people, indigenous Indo-Aryan mountain dwellers, spread to dominate the hills of Central Himalaya and played important role in the history of the region, establishing many independent dynasties in early medieval times. The Khas people had an empire, the Kaśa Kingdom, whose territory extended to Kashmir, part of Tibet, and Western Nepal (Karnali Zone).[10][11][12]

In the early modern history of Nepal, Pahari Chhetris played a key role in the

democratic movement.[13][14][15][16]

During the

Mallah, and some of the hill Dalits. In particular the Musahars rarely get other work than hard farm labour. During and after the Nepalese Civil War, Paharis faced a violent backlash by the marginalized Madhesi community including ransoming, murder, and land dispossession by armed Maoist groups such as the Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM) seeking Madhesi independence.[citation needed][17][18][19][20][21]

Languages

Pahari, Tamang
(note that Kulu Rodu (Kulung) territories are mistakenly marked as Tamu/Gurung territories in this map)

The Pahari people speak Indo-Aryan languages like Nepali.[citation needed]

Religion and castes

Further information: Hinduism in Nepal
Narayangarh, Chitwan

Most Nepalese Paharis are Hindus, with the exception of the shamanistic and oracular Matwali ("drinking") Khasa Chhetris. Hindu Paharis are generally more conscious of their caste (Varna, Jāti) and status than their Tibetan neighbors, especially those Paharis living in rural Nepal. However, as a result of extensive historical contact with non-Hindu Nepalese, the Pahari caste structure is less orthodox and less complex than the traditional four-fold system in the plains to the south. The Pahari system is generally two-fold, consisting of the higher clean, Dvija castes and the lower unclean, Dalit castes. The Dvija (twice-born) include the Bahun (Brahmin) and Chhetri (Kshatriya) castes.[6][22]

Chhetris as a caste comprise many subgroups, including

Khas) and Thakuri (aristocratic clans). The Khas subgroups are aboriginal of Karnali Zone.[14][23]

Society

King of Nepal, Rana Bahadur Shah belonged to Pahari community

The most prominent features of Nepalese Pahari society have been the Chhetri Shah dynasty (1768–2008), the Rana Prime Ministers that marginalized the monarchy (1846–1953), and its upper-caste presence in the armed forces, police, and government of Nepal. The King of Nepal himself was a member of the Chhetri Thakuri subcaste. In traditional and administrative professions, upper-caste Paharis were given favourable treatment by the royal government.[3][14][15][23][24][25][26]

Historically, Hindu Paharis have practiced a spectrum of marital customs including

remarriage by widows is formally prohibited by social norms; however an institution called "Jari" ( Sanskrit "Jarah" debauchery, paramour) exists. In this practice among Pahari hill dwellers, a woman will take a paramour, leaving her first husband. The second husband must pay the first husband "Jar dine" for the loss of his wife. Among Pahari families, death is treated by both burial and cremation. Low status individuals, such as children and some women are buried. Also, indigenous healers known as "Jhankri" are buried with their fontanelle pierced to allow their spirit to rise to the spirit world. Others, high caste and wealthy, are cremated per classic Hindu tradition.[14][23]

Lifestyle

Major Hiranya Bista (seated) with Tibetan guards, a Pahari civil servant of Chhetri caste

The Paharis, like the

Madhesis are not an agricultural people although a majority also rely on other activities for supplementary income. Cultivating terraces on the hillsides, their chief crops are potatoes and rice. Other crops include wheat, barley, onions, tomatoes, tobacco, and other vegetables. Pahari farmers raise water buffalo, sheep, goats, and cattle.[6][4]

Most higher-caste Paharis are military men, farmers and civil servants, while lower-caste Paharis hold a variety of occupations including goldsmiths, leather workers, tailors, musicians, drummers, and sweepers. Most Paharis spin wool, however only lower-castes weave fabrics. Upper-caste Paharis, namely Chhetri and its

Shah Dynasty (1768–2008).[6][4]

See also

References

  1. ^ National Statistics Office (2021). National Population and Housing Census 2021, Caste/Ethnicity Report. Government of Nepal (Report).
  2. ^ Central Bureau of Statistics (2014). Population monograph of Nepal (PDF) (Report). Vol. II. Government of Nepal.
  3. ^ a b Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Andrea Matles Savada, ed. (1991). Nepal: A Country Study. Federal Research Division. Social Classes and Stratification.
  4. ^ a b c d Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Andrea Matles Savada, ed. (1991). Nepal: A Country Study. Federal Research Division. Ethnic Groups.
  5. Dallas, Texas: SIL International
    . Retrieved 2011-05-08.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Pahādī". Encyclopædia Britannica online. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  7. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Andrea Matles Savada, ed. (1991). Nepal: A Country Study. Federal Research Division. Language.
  8. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Andrea Matles Savada, ed. (1991). Nepal: A Country Study. Federal Research Division. The Hill Region.
  9. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Savada, Andrea Matles, ed. (1991). Nepal: A Country Study. Federal Research Division. Early Influences on Nepal.
  10. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Savada, Andrea Matles, ed. (1991). Nepal: A Country Study. Federal Research Division. The Three Kingdoms.
  11. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Savada, Andrea Matles, ed. (1991). Nepal: A Country Study. Federal Research Division. The Making of Modern Nepal.
  12. ISBN 81-85693-50-1
    .
  13. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Savada, Andrea Matles, ed. (1991). Nepal: A Country Study. Federal Research Division. Social Classes and Stratification.
  14. ^
    ISBN 9789993343509
    .
  15. ^ a b Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Savada, Andrea Matles, ed. (1991). Nepal: A Country Study. Federal Research Division. Recruitment, Training, and Morale.
  16. ISBN 87-91563-18-6
    .
  17. OCHA. April 2007. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2009-11-13. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  18. OCHA
    . July–August 2007. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  19. OCHA. June–July 2008. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2010-02-18. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  20. ^ Sharma, Hari (2010-11-18). "Body of murder victim found in Gulmi". Gulmi: The Himalayan Times online. Archived from the original on 2012-05-25. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  21. ^ Hatlebakk, Magnus (2007). "Economic and social structures that may explain the recent conflicts in the Terai of Nepal" (PDF). Kathmandu: Norwegian Embassy. Retrieved 2011-05-08.
  22. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Andrea Matles Savada, ed. (1991). Nepal: A Country Study. Federal Research Division. The Caste System.
  23. ^
    ISBN 978-1-84836-138-6
    .
  24. ISBN 0-7614-1476-2
    .
  25. ISBN 81-7041-840-2
    .
  26. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Savada, Andrea Matles, ed. (1991). Nepal: A Country Study. Federal Research Division. Society.
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