People of Nepal

Nepal is a meeting point between the Tibeto-Burmese people of the Himalayas and the Indo-Aryan people from the Indian plains. The people in different area are different. People can be divided to the people of the Terai, the hill areas or Pahar, and the Himalayas. Also these areas can be divided by west, east and the Kathmandu Valley. Each area has distinct ethnic groups that have attempted to the area where they live and the environment showing in the lifestyle and professions.

Kathmandu Valley
The Newars make up largest percentage of people and several towns are predominately Newars. People in the hills are Bahuns, Chhetris and Tamangs. Thousands of Tibetans have come to the valley since 1959. Many ethnic groups have come to the valley in search of jobs; so many different people are represented there, including Indian.

Terai Area
Before malaria was reduced in the 1950s the mainly the only people who lived in the Terai were Tharus. Most Tharus have Mongoloid features. Since the 1950s many other types of people have come to the Terai.

Depending on the area of the Terai, different types of people predominate. In the west there are Abadhi-speaking people, in the central Terai there are Bhaojpuri people, and in the east Mithila people are predominate. These people are mainly Hindus. Around Lumbini and Nepalganj there are a good amount of Muslims.

Hill Zone
In the central hill regions of the Kathmandu Valley there are mainly Newars, who follow a religion which is a synthesis of Hinduism and Buddhism. There are also Tamangs people, who make many of the Tibetan products seen in the valley.
In the western hilly areas there are mainly Khas, who are Indo-Aryan people. There are also Bahuns, who came from India.

In the central hilly area in the Kali Gandaki area there are two main types of people, the Gurungs and Magars. Both people speaking a Tibeto-Burmese language and are Mongoloid, which indicates they came from Tibet. The Magars mainly live at lower elevations and the Gurungs mainly stay at a slightly higher elevation south of the Annapurnas. The Magars are mainly Hindus. Until the 18th century, different Magars kingdoms controlled this area. The main kingdom was the Palpa, who capital was Tansen.

In the eastern hilly region there are mainly Kirati people, and there are two types of them which are Limbu and Rai. They are Mongoloid people and speak a Tibeto-Burmese languages.

Himalayas Zone
Most of the people in the Himalaya zone are Mongoloids from originating from Tibet. These people include the Thakalis from the Thak Khala or Kali Gandaki, the Manangpa on the Manang region north of the Annapurna area, the Lopas in the Mustang region, the Tamangs of the Langtang region, and the Sherpas of the Everest region. Most of these people follow the Tibetan cultures and are Buddhist.

Newars
Newars are found mainly in the Kathmandu Valley. There are around 1 millions Newars, and around 600,000 live in the Kathmandu Valley. They make up 6% of the population. Most Newars have Mongoloid features, but some don’t. They speak a unique language that is different from Nepali and Tibetan. The often carry loads on a pole on their shoulder.

They mainly follow Hinduism, which is sometimes influenced by Tibetan Buddhism, Tantric, and some local deities. There are over a hundred deities and different people worship different ones. Some are Buddhists. Many of the deities worshiped by the Newars are not found in either Hinduism or Buddhism.

The men wear a topi (Nepali cap), pants that are tight around the calf and baggy in the back (like jodhpurs), a double-breasted shirt, and a vest. Women usually wear saris. The Jyapu or farmer caste have a distinctive dress where the women wear black saris with a red border, and the men wear a long cotton cloth wrapped around their waist.

Newars built brick houses with tiled roofs, often up to five-storey high. Building would often have carved doorways, windows and statues. The ground floor would be used as a stable for animal and in the cities as a shop. Newars usually live in a communal situation often near a temple. They would build the community around a square or chowk, which would often contain a temple. They are usually businessmen and merchants.

Tamangs
Tamangs are the largest Tibeto-Burmese group in Nepal. They are predominant in the hills around the Kathmandu Valley and in the central Himalaya area in the Langtang area. Most Tamangs are farmers and laborers such as porters or rickshaw drivers. As a group they are poor. Most of the Tibetan items, such as the Tibetan carpets and thangka paintings found in the tourist areas are made by them.

Houses may be made of stone and brick, and may have a mud finish and a thatched roof. Tamangs were several metres of cloth that they wear around their waist. Men wear traditional Newari pants or loin-cloths, short-sleeved jackets and topis. Women wear brightly colored wraparound skirt, jacket, a scarf, and a blouse.

Their religion is closely related to Tibetan Buddhism. Some Tamangs follow the Bon, the religion that existed in Tibet before Buddhism. In Tamang area you will see chortens (Tibetan stupas) and mani walls.

Under the rule of the Shah in the 19th century were exploited and some of their land was given to hotter classes of people.

Magars
The Magars are a Tibeto-Burmese people who make up about 8% of the population of Nepal. Many of them are Hindus. They are found middle of the country in the west and central Nepal.
The Magars are mainly farmers and soldiers, and they make up the largest percentage of Gurkha soldiers. They fought for Prithvi Narayan Shah when he took over Nepal. They had their own kingdom based in Tansen until the 18th century.
Magars usually live in two storey red clay house with thatched roofs.

Gurungs
The Gurungs are Tibeto-Burmese people who live in the central midlands are of Gorkha and can be found in the Annapurna area. They are mainly farmers and also herd sheep. Many of them are Gurkha soldiers. They are similar to the Magar people.

Bahuns and Chhetris
Bahuns are the Brahmin (priests) and Chhetris are the Kshatriya (warriors) in Hinduism. They make up around 30% of the population. They are mainly from the Khas kingdom that was in the western part of Nepal before Nepal was united. The Khas kingdom people were mainly Indo-Aryan people, but some of the higher class hill people have also became Chhetris.

The Bahuns and Chhetris helped King Prithvi Narayan Shah unite Nepal and were awarded with high positions and land. They made up a good part of his court and leading soldiers. Even now they command a good percentage of the government of Nepal. Outside the Kathmandu Valley many of them are basic farmers. Many of them are moneylenders.

Bahuns and Chhetris are all Hindus and marriages are arranged within their caste. Men wear sacred threads (janai). Many Bahuns and Chhetris of them are vegetarians and don’t drink alcohol

Tibetans
People from Tibet have lived for thousands of years in Nepal. In 1950 the People Republic of China took control of Tibet. In March 1959 a Tibetan uprising was crushed, and the Dalia Lama, the leader of the Tibetans, went to India. Tibetans are Buddhist. They have established many Buddhist monasteries and are active in Bodhnath and Swayambhunath in Kathmandu Valley.
Of the approximate 120,000 around 12,000 are in Nepal. They are mainly found in Kathmandu and Pokhara and often run many of the handicrafts shops and often deal with Tourism. They make many of the Tibetan carpets sold in Nepal.

Sherpas
Sherpas are famous as trekking guides and mountaineers and are known to be hard workers, to be responsible and skilled. They mainly live in mountains in the eastern and central Nepal, especially around Solu Khumbu at the foot of Mt Everest. They can originally from Tibet. They are Buddhist and have established several monasteries.

Tharus
They are mainly Mongoloid people. Tharus are the originate people of the Terai. They have a unique religion that is influenced by Hinduism.

Thakalis
The Thakalis are a Tibeto-Burmese people were originately based from the Kali Gandaki Valley in central Nepal. They are mainly Hindus. They are mainly farmers. They run many of the small hotels in Nepal, including many of the hotels of the Annapurna treks.

Kirati
Kirati are made up of the Rai and Limbu people. They are a Tibeto-Burmese people who originally followed a religion distinct from Hinduism and Buddhism, but Hinduism has a lot of influence. They bury their dead. They are mainly farmers. They live mainly in the eastern midlands and Terai. They live in houses built from wood and bamboo.

Copyright ©2001 John Howley and Spiritual Guides