Brahman-Hill
Encyclopedia
The Brahman-Hill or Khas Bahun is the colloquial Nepali term for a member of the hill or mountain Brahmin
caste
, the traditional caste of educators, scholars and priests in Hinduism
. This ethnic group of Nepal
makes up 12.5% of the country's population.
The Brahmins were a powerful group in medieval and modern Nepal and India
until the 19th century. By tradition and even according to civil law until about 1960 it was the highest of four Hindu varna or castes. Nepal's present constitution rejects such hierarchical categorizations.
According to Nepal's foremost historian Baburam Acharya
and Professor Suryamani Adhikary of Tribhuvan University
almost all of the Bahun
s are Khas
descendents, i.e. a Nepalese Bahun's race is Khas
, and caste is Brahmin, other castes of Khas people being Chhettri
, Sanyasi and Dalit
.
Exclusive of the indigenous janajati ethnic groups of Newar
, Magar
, Gurung
, Tamang
, Rai
, Limbu
and others in the Middle Hills, Bahuns comprise about 31% of the Hindu population. The Chhetri or Kshatriya and Thakuri castes comprise 42%. Service castes like blacksmiths, goldsmiths, tailors, musicians, tanners and cobblers and sweepers make up only 27%. This distribution is far more biased towards upper castes than with Hindu populations in Nepal's Terai
and adjacent parts of India
.
The English word brahmin is an anglicised form of the Sanskrit word Brāhmaṇa, "having to do with Brahman (Sanskrit: ब्रह्म) or divine knowledge". Bahuns are also called Brahmins, Vipra "learned", or Dvija "twice-born".
In Buddhist sources written in Pali
and Prakrit
, including Ashoka
n inscriptions, they are also called Babhans, which is the Pali word for Bahuns.
The Brahman caste includes numerous family names such as:
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
, the traditional caste of educators, scholars and priests in Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
. This ethnic group of Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
makes up 12.5% of the country's population.
The Brahmins were a powerful group in medieval and modern Nepal and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
until the 19th century. By tradition and even according to civil law until about 1960 it was the highest of four Hindu varna or castes. Nepal's present constitution rejects such hierarchical categorizations.
According to Nepal's foremost historian Baburam Acharya
Baburam Acharya
Baburam Acharya was a Nepalese historian and literary scholar who coined the name Sagarmatha , for the mountain better known as Mount Everest or Chomolungma or Quomolungma ....
and Professor Suryamani Adhikary of Tribhuvan University
Tribhuvan University
Tribhuvan University [त्रिभुवन विश्वविध्यालय] is a public university located in Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal. Established in 1959, TU is the oldest of the five universities in Nepal...
almost all of the Bahun
Bahun
Bahun is a colloquial Nepali term for a member of the Pahari or "hill" Brahmin caste, who are traditionally educators, scholars and priests of Hinduism. They are also known as Barmu in Newari. By tradition—and by civil law until 1962—they represented the highest of the four Hindu...
s are Khas
Khas
Originally the Khas / Khasas or Khasiyas are the mountain dwellers living in the southern shadow of the Himalayan range from Kashmir to Bhutan, but mostly in Nepal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, North Bengal, Sikkim and Bhutan,...
descendents, i.e. a Nepalese Bahun's race is Khas
Khas
Originally the Khas / Khasas or Khasiyas are the mountain dwellers living in the southern shadow of the Himalayan range from Kashmir to Bhutan, but mostly in Nepal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, North Bengal, Sikkim and Bhutan,...
, and caste is Brahmin, other castes of Khas people being Chhettri
Chhettri
Chhetri or Chhettri , synonymous with Kshetri and Khatri are all derivatives of Kshatriya , the warrior and ruler caste group or varna of Hinduism. Chhetris speak Khasa Nepali, the national language, and are part of the dominant Khasa culture and the wider Pahari Indo-Nepali population...
, Sanyasi and Dalit
Dalit
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
.
Exclusive of the indigenous janajati ethnic groups of Newar
Newar
The Newa , Newār or Newāl) are the indigenous people and the creators of the historical civilization of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. The valley and surrounding territory have been known from ancient times as Nepal Mandala, its limits ever changing through history.Newas have lived in the Kathmandu...
, Magar
Magar
The Magars are an indigenous ethnic group of Nepal whose homeland extends from the western and southern edges of the Dhaulagiri section of the high Himalayas range south to the prominent Mahabharat foothill range and eastward into the Gandaki basin. In Nepal, there are a good number of people who...
, Gurung
Gurung
The Gurung people, also called Tamu, are an ethnic group that migrated from Mongolia in the 6th century to the central region of Nepal. Gurungs, like other east Asian featured peoples of Nepal such as Sherpa, Tamang, Thakali, Magar, Manaaggi, Mustaaggi, and Walunggi, are the indigenous people of...
, Tamang
Tamang
The Tamangs are the ancient and original inhabitants of the mountains and plains of the Himalayan regions of Nepal and India. Their ancient capital being Yambu - modern day Kathmandu. They have their own distinct culture, language and religion. Their ancestral domain is popularly known as...
, Rai
Rai (ethnic group)
The Rai are one of Nepal's most ancient indigenous ethnolinguistic groups. They were Raya meaning king. Once someone was recognized as a ruler then Hindus awarded the title Raja, Rai, Raya, Malla etc. When the king Pritivi Narayan Shah couldn't defeat Kirant king , he somehow took them in...
, Limbu
Limbu people
The Yakthung or Limbu tribes and clans belong to the Kirati nation or to the Kirat confederation.They are indigenous to the hill and mountainous regions of east Nepal between the Arun and Mechi rivers to as far as Southern Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim....
and others in the Middle Hills, Bahuns comprise about 31% of the Hindu population. The Chhetri or Kshatriya and Thakuri castes comprise 42%. Service castes like blacksmiths, goldsmiths, tailors, musicians, tanners and cobblers and sweepers make up only 27%. This distribution is far more biased towards upper castes than with Hindu populations in Nepal's Terai
Terai
The Terai is a belt of marshy grasslands, savannas, and forests located south of the outer foothills of the Himalaya, the Siwalik Hills, and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and their tributaries. The Terai belongs to the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion...
and adjacent parts of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
The English word brahmin is an anglicised form of the Sanskrit word Brāhmaṇa, "having to do with Brahman (Sanskrit: ब्रह्म) or divine knowledge". Bahuns are also called Brahmins, Vipra "learned", or Dvija "twice-born".
In Buddhist sources written in Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
and Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
, including Ashoka
Ashoka
Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...
n inscriptions, they are also called Babhans, which is the Pali word for Bahuns.
The Brahman caste includes numerous family names such as:
- Awasthi, Acharya, Adhikari, Aryal/Arjyal/Arjel
- Bastakoti, Bhattarai, Bastola, Bhurtel, Bhandari, Bhatta, Baral, Basyal,
- Chalise, Chaulagain, Chapagain
- Dahal, DhakalDhakalDhakal is one of the most common [Brahmin] castes found in Nepal. They are believed to the direct decedents of Rishi or sage Upamanyu , who is in turn believed to be descended from RishiVasishta. They are believed to be originated from a place called Dhaku in Gorkha district of western Nepal. Yaku...
, Dhungel, Devkota, Dhungana, Dallakoti, Dumre - Gajurel, Gautam, Gurangain, Ghimire
- Humagain
- JoshiJoshiJoshi is a family name common in India and Nepal. Whereas the Joshi's of India are of Brahmin origin, the Joshi's of Nepal are either Newars or Khas-Brahmin...
- Kafle, Kharel, Khatiwada, Koirala, Kandel, Kalakheti, Khanal, Kattuwal
- Lamichhane
- Mishra, Marasheni
- Nepal, Neupane, Nyaupane, Niraula
- Ojha
- Paudyal (पौड्याल), Pokhrel, PaudelPaudelPaudel is commonly South Asian surname, mainly used in the Nepal. Nevertheless, Paudel surname is being used interchangeably in all continent with Poudyal, Poudel, Paudyal, and some other variations regardless of its origination, religion, and race.Most people with this surname live in the Nepali...
, Pandey, Phuyal, Pudasiani, Pyakurel, Pant, Pathak, Pageni - Regmi
- Sharma, Subedi, Sapkota, Sangraula
- Tiwari, Timilsina, Tripathi
- Wagle
- Upadhyaya, Upreti, Uprety
External links
- The complete reference to Brahmins: Material from this site has been borrowed for this article with the permission form Dr. Vepachedu: Wikipedia:Successful requests for permission/The Vepachedu Educational Foundation
- A List of Brahmin Castes and Sub-castes