Chhettri
Encyclopedia
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
, the warrior and ruler 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...
group or varna of 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...
. Chhetris speak Khasa Nepali
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
, the national language, and are part of the dominant Khasa culture and the wider Pahari
Pahari people
The Pahari people, ; also called Pahadi, Parbati, Khāsā, or Chhetri, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group of the Himalaya living in Nepal, India, and Pakistan. In Nepal, the Pahari constituted the single largest ethnic group at about 20,000,000, or three-fifths of the Nepalese population through the 1990s...
Indo-Nepali population. Chhetri refers to Kshatriyas from the hills of Nepal but not from the Nepalese 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...
or India.
Chhetris are Nepal's largest caste group, 15.5% of the population. Chhetris are overwhelmingly Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
(99.48% according to the 2001 Census). In Nepal's hill districts their proportion of the population rises to 41% compared to 31% Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
and 27% other castes. This greatly exceeds the Kshatriya portion in most regions with predominantly Hindu populations.
History
The Himalaya were considered a sacred place for attaining liberation in Hindu mythologyHindu mythology
Hindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...
. References to Brahmins and Kshatriyas are found in Banawali
Banawali
Banawali is an archaeological site belonging to Indus Valley Civilization period in Hisar district, Haryana, about 120 km northeast of Kalibangan. Banawali is located 16 km from Fatehabad. This site was excavated by R.S. Bisht...
(Tantric
Tantra
Tantra , anglicised tantricism or tantrism or tantram, is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures ....
texts) on Nepal, in whose ancient setting the Kathmandu Valley
Kathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Valley , located in Nepal, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of Asia, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several places of pilgrimage for the Hindus and the Buddhists. There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites within this valley.-Etymology:The city of...
was still a lake. These texts also mention Lord Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
, considered a Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
prince who arrived with his cows and stayed in the valley. Kathmandu was ruled by cow herding Gopal Bamsa
Gopal (Krishna)
Gopala is the infant/child form of Lord Krishna, the Cowherd Boy who enchanted the Cowherd Maidens with the divine sound of his flute, attracting even Madana . Historically one of the earliest forms of worship in Krishnaism or Vaishnava dharma...
long before other castes settled the area. The four Narayan
Narayana
Narayana or Narayan or Naraina is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu, and in many contemporary vernaculars a common Indian name. Narayana is also identified as the original man, Purusha. The Puranas present divergent views on Narayana...
temples around the valley were established by these Vaishnava people.
Before the Shah dynasty
Shah dynasty
The Shah dynasty was the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Nepal.-The Rajput Lineage :The former royal family of Nepal claims descent from the Parmar Rajput dynasty of the Narsinghgarh state in Malwa . The famous kings of the Malwa region were Raja Bhrathari, Samrat Vikramaditya, and Raja Bhoj....
(1768–2008) united Nepal, kings of various ethnic and caste groups ruled about 50 small kingdoms. The ancient name of this Himalayan region was Khas-des. Khas peoples were the most populous and are mentioned in the histories of India and China. The Khas were Indo-European
Indo-European
Indo-European may refer to:* Indo-European languages** Aryan race, a 19th century and early 20th century term for those peoples who are the native speakers of Indo-European languages...
-speaking Aryan
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
mountain dwellers, spreading from west to east across the hills of the Central Himalaya. They established many independent dynasties in early medieval times. The Khas people had an empire, the Kaśa Kingdom
Khasas
The Khasas / Khas or Khasiyas are an ancient people, believed to be a section of the Indo-Iranians who originally belonged to Central Asia from where they had penetrated, in remote antiquity, the Himalayas through Kashgar and Kashmir and dominated the whole hilly region...
which included Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
, part of Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, and Western Nepal (Karnali Zone
Karnali Zone
Karnali Zone in the Mid-Western Development Region of Nepal. The headquarters is Jumla.Karnali Zone is one of the poorest and most remote regions of Nepal, not very accessible by road yet. There are airfields in all districts except Kalikot which is connected by seasonal roadways to Jumla...
).
Anthropologists believe that within the context of Indo-Aryan migration
Indo-Aryan migration
Models of the Indo-Aryan migration discuss scenarios of prehistoric migrations of the proto-Indo-Aryans to their historically attested areas of settlement in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent...
, the majority of Chhetris derive from unions between Khas and indigenous groups, as the Khas progressively encroached on indigenous homelands. Many Chhetris exhibit traits of mixed racial heritage, more so than Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
s (called 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...
in the Nepalese hills). There are several recognized ways to enter the Chhetri caste apart from Jharra(pure)Chettri or Khas :
- Having nothing but ancestors ultimately tracable to Kshatriyas in India.
- Being the scion of a Brahman father and any other "clean" caste including MagarMagarThe 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...
or other Tibeto-Burman "hill tribes". - The child of a Chhetri father and a woman from these lower but "clean" castes is still Chhetri.
- An arbitrary community can start following Chhetri caste rules (especially in diet), hiring Bahuns to conduct certain rituals and even to write dubious genealogy. Over generations, these claims of Chhetri affinity become plausible to broader audiences.
Despite racial admixture, Chhetris remain strongly indo-Nepalese in culture and language.
In the early modern history of Nepal, Chhetris played a key role in the unification of the country, providing the core of the Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
Gorkhali
Gurkha
Gurkha are people from Nepal who take their name from the Gorkha District. Gurkhas are best known for their history in the Indian Army's Gorkha regiments, the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas and the Nepalese Army. Gurkha units are closely associated with the kukri, a forward-curving Nepalese knife...
army of the mid-18th century. During the monarchy, Chhetris continued to dominate the ranks of the Nepalese Army, police, Nepalese government
Government of Nepal
The Government of Nepal, or Nepal Government, is the executive body and the Central government of Nepal. Prior to the abolition of Monarchy in Nepal, was officially known as His Majesty's Government....
administration, and even one regiment of the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
. Under the pre-democratic constitution and institutions of the state, Chhetri culture and language also dominated multiethnic Nepal to the disadvantage and exclusion of many minorities and indigenous peoples. The desire for increased self-determination among these minorities and indigenous peoples was a central issue in the Nepalese Civil War and subsequent democratic movement
2006 democracy movement in Nepal
The 2006 Democracy Movement is a name given to the political agitations against the direct and undemocratic rule of King Gyanendra of Nepal. The movement is also sometimes referred to as Jana Andolan-II , implying it being a continuation of the 1990 Jana Andolan.-Reinstitution of Parliament:In a...
.
Society
The most prominent features of Nepalese Chhetri society have been the ruling Shah dynastyShah dynasty
The Shah dynasty was the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Nepal.-The Rajput Lineage :The former royal family of Nepal claims descent from the Parmar Rajput dynasty of the Narsinghgarh state in Malwa . The famous kings of the Malwa region were Raja Bhrathari, Samrat Vikramaditya, and Raja Bhoj....
(1768–2008), the Rana Prime Ministers
Rana dynasty
The Rana dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1953, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making Prime Minister and other government positions hereditary...
(1846–1953) that marginalized the monarchy, and the Chhetri presence in the armed forces, police, and government of Nepal. The King of Nepal was a member of the Thakuri subcaste. In traditional and administrative professions, Chhetris were given favorable treatment by the royal government.
Chhetris comprise many subgroups, including Khasa (clans from Khas) and Thakuri (aristocratic clans). The Khasa subgroups are widespread in Karnali
Karnali Zone
Karnali Zone in the Mid-Western Development Region of Nepal. The headquarters is Jumla.Karnali Zone is one of the poorest and most remote regions of Nepal, not very accessible by road yet. There are airfields in all districts except Kalikot which is connected by seasonal roadways to Jumla...
. Members of certain Khasa subgroups are called pawai ("peripheral"), or matwali ("bacchanal") because of their use of alcohol. These populations are descendants of Khas people who did not convert to Hinduism, and who today do not don the janai
Upanayana
Upanayana is the initiation ritual by which initiates are invested with a sacred thread, to symbolize the transference of spiritual knowledge .- Significance of the sacred thread :...
(sacred thread).
Chhetris, like Bahuns, do not practice cross-cousin marriage
Cousin marriage
Cousin marriage is marriage between two cousins. In various jurisdictions and cultures, such marriages range from being considered ideal and actively encouraged, to being uncommon but still legal, to being seen as incest and legally prohibited....
, which distinguishes them from the Thakuri who marry maternal cross-cousins. Though marriage among Chhetris is usually monogamous
Monogamy
Monogamy /Gr. μονός+γάμος - one+marriage/ a form of marriage in which an individual has only one spouse at any one time. In current usage monogamy often refers to having one sexual partner irrespective of marriage or reproduction...
, some practice polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
. Girls are married at an early age, and remarriage by widows is prohibited by social norms. Chhetris practice cremation of the dead.
Religion
Khas religion began with shamanismShamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
and nature worship
Nature worship
Nature worship describes a variety of religious, spiritual and devotional practices that focus on natural phenomenon. A nature deity can be in charge of nature, the biosphere, the cosmos or the universe. Nature worship can be found in panentheism, pantheism, deism, polytheism, animism, totemism,...
. When the Khas Prince Siddartha Gautama
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
achieved Nirvana and started preaching Buddhism in the 5th century BCE, Khas largely converted to Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. The inhabitants of Khas later largely adopted Hinduism, however they revere and worship Buddha along with Hindu deities, and continue some shamanistic practices.
The religion followed by most Chhetri today is very much patterned after Hinduism. Like the Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
Bahuns, their caste is among the "twice-born
Dvija
Dvija is one of the members of the first three varnas in Hindu Dharma. Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas are included in Dvija.The first birth is physical. The second occurs when one uptakes fulfilling a role in society...
", so called because males are symbolically reborn at age thirteen, when they begin to wear the janai. Likewise, they share the same festivals as the Bahuns; the life cycle rites of birth, initiation, marriage, and death are celebrated with Brahmanic rites. This is especially true of the aristocratic Thakuri subcaste and members of Khas subcastes whose ancestors converted to Hinduism or who claim to be of pure Kshatriya blood.
Hindu Chhetris, like the Brahmin Bahuns, wear a sacred thread called a janai
Upanayana
Upanayana is the initiation ritual by which initiates are invested with a sacred thread, to symbolize the transference of spiritual knowledge .- Significance of the sacred thread :...
, which signifies their "twice-born
Dvija
Dvija is one of the members of the first three varnas in Hindu Dharma. Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas are included in Dvija.The first birth is physical. The second occurs when one uptakes fulfilling a role in society...
" status. They also abstain from alcohol. Among Chhetris, the menstruation
Menstruation
Menstruation is the shedding of the uterine lining . It occurs on a regular basis in sexually reproductive-age females of certain mammal species. This article focuses on human menstruation.-Overview:...
period is considered highly polluting.
Matwali Khasa religion
Many Khasa subgroups, collectively called Matwali ("alcohol drinking") Chhetris, retain faith in their traditional shamanisticShamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
and oracular
Oracle
In Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination....
religion. Their priests are called dhami, and all adherents are permitted to drink alcohol. However the Matwali do not wear the sacred thread typical of other Chhetris.
Principal Matwali deities are referred to collectively as masto, and also have individual names, such as Babiro or Tharpo. Each masto has a geographical domain in the Khas region. Other indigenous Khasa deities include the Mali-ka goddesses, associated in Hinduism with Bhagavathi
Bhagavathi
Bhagavathi or Bhagavati is the general way people refer to the Hindu goddesses in Kerala, Goa and Maharashtra states of India. It can be used to refer any of the Hindu goddesses like Durga, Kannaki, Parvati, Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Kali...
, whom the Matwali worship on certain full moon days on high ridges. Matwali and other Chhetris also have a tradition of worshiping their kul-deuta or kul-devata (ancestral deity
Veneration of the dead
Veneration of the dead is based on the belief that the deceased, often family members, have a continued existence and/or possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living...
) at annual lineage gatherings.
Chhetri surnames
The Chhetri are divided into many descent groups with names associated with place-names in the Karnali regionKarnali Zone
Karnali Zone in the Mid-Western Development Region of Nepal. The headquarters is Jumla.Karnali Zone is one of the poorest and most remote regions of Nepal, not very accessible by road yet. There are airfields in all districts except Kalikot which is connected by seasonal roadways to Jumla...
or representing occupations. Some of these names are shared among 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, indicating a common Khas origin among these higher castes. Examples of occupation-derived surnames are Adhikari ("official"), Khadka ("sword-bearer") and Kunwar ("prince"). One common honorific term used for the Chhetri is kaji
Kaji (Nepal)
Kaji is a respectful title given to certain castes in Nepal.-History:After Shri Paanch Bada Maharaj Dhiraj Prithvi Narayan Shah formedGreater Nepal,he honored five castes with the hereditary title of "Kaji". Initially, four castes Basnyat, "kunwar", Pandey" and Thapa...
("boss").
Certain Nepali surnames indicate a person belongs to the Chhetri caste. These names include:
- AdhikariAdhikariAdhikari originally referred to a village administrator in Nepal. It is used as a surname, and may refer to:*Shantidas Adhikari , Hindu preacher from Sylhet*Rajesh Singh Adhikari , Indian army officer...
(official) - Baniya
- BhandariBhandariFor other uses, see Bhandari .Bhandari caste is among the sea-faring warrior castes of ancient and medieval India. They migrated southward from Rajputana in early 1100 and subsequently spread over different parts of India...
(store-guardian) - Basnet
- BaruwalBaruwalBaruwal is a Khas Chhetri surname found in people from Nepal. Majority of Baruwal are found in Myagdi, Parbat and other Mid-Western dirstricts of Nepal...
- BishtBishtThe Bisht are a Rajput community living primarily in the Central Himmalayas, such as the Indian state of Uttarakhand.Bisht Rajputs refers to the title of Rajputs in Kumaon and Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand...
(baron/distinguished) - BogatiBogatiBogaţi is a commune in Argeş County, in southern central Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Bârloi, Bogaţi, Bujoi, Chiţeşti, Dumbrava, Glâmbocel, Glâmbocelu and Suseni....
(special kings messengers) - Bohora
- Budhathoki
- Chhetri (KshatriyaKshatriya*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
) - KajiKaji*Hajj*Kaji, Meaning fire in Japanese*Kaji , a caste title*Ryōji Kaji*Meiko Kaji, a enka singer and Japanese actress.See also:* Kaji, first daughter of Jiu from the Bajador Clan.*Hajj*Kaji, Meaning fire in Japanese...
- KarkiKarkiKarki may refer to: * Karki, Azerbaijan, a landlocked exclave of Azerbaijan* Karki , a surname originating from Nepal* Karki, Karnataka, a village in Uttara Kannada district of the Karnataka state in India...
(revenue officer) - Katowal
- KhadkaKhadkaIn response to the query on whereabouts of the Khadkas, historians around the Indian subcontinent say the Punwar Khadkas ancestors had arrived to Nepal from Dharanagar of Ujjain , where they ruled as the royalty....
(sword-bearer) - KhatriKhatriKhatri is a caste from the northern Indian subcontinent. Khatris in India are mostly from Punjab, region but later they migrated to regions like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu, Uttarkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber...
(KCKC-Places:* Karachay-Cherkessia, republic in Russia, ISO 3166-2:RU code* Kuçovë, district in Albania, ISO 3166-2:AL code* Kansas City, Missouri* KC Stadium, a football and rugby-league stadium in England* Kingsthorpe College, a secondary school in England-People:...
) - Kunwar (prince)
- Lamichhane
- MahatMahatMahat is ekthariya Chhetri surname of Nepal having Khasa root. Historically, one of the Jumli Malla king in medieval time made his younger brother Dharma Malla chief of army staffs entitling him as MAHAT . Afterwards, his descendants started writing Mahat as their surnames. Like other Khasa...
- RanaRanaRana may refer to:In education:* Rana Institute of Higher Education, AfghanistanIn entertainment and sports:* Rana , forthcoming Indian film* Moon , the moon Rána in Tolkien's Middle-earth...
- RawalRawalThe Rawal is Rajput clan . Rawal is also a last name for in state of Gujarat, India-History and origin:Bappa Rawal's, a legendary figure in Rajput history, warlike temperament commended him to the attention of Maan Mori, a local chieftain who belonged to the Parmara clan of Rajputs; Maan Mori is...
- Rawat
- Raut
- Rayamajhi
- ThapaThapaThapa is the surname of a large social group of people, both Chhettris and Magars, from Nepal. Over a period of time, this community has spread to other countries of the world, especially India....
(Officer) (TibetanTibetan languageThe Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
: man at the border
There is some confusion about the surname Rana
Rana (clan)
Rana is a family name, originally a Hindu ancestry now found in all religions such as Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism etc. Rana is a surname used by the Rajputs of India, Pakistan and Nepal...
. This was a self-designated surname of the former hereditary prime ministers of Nepal. The first autocratic Prime Minister of Nepal, Jang Bahadur Kunwar
Jang Bahadur
Maharaja Jung Bahadur Rana was a ruler of Nepal and founder of the Rana dynasty of Nepal...
, changed his surname to Rana to strengthen his claim and association with Rana
Rana (clan)
Rana is a family name, originally a Hindu ancestry now found in all religions such as Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism etc. Rana is a surname used by the Rajputs of India, Pakistan and Nepal...
kings in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, the claimed origin of his ancestors.