Nepalese caste system
{{merge|Ethnicity and caste in Nepal|date=February 2011}
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The Nepalese caste system, like the Indian caste system, is highly complex and continues the traditional system of social stratification of Nepal. The caste system defines social classes by a number of hierarchical endogamous groups often termed as Jāt. This custom is found in both the Hindu and Buddhist communities of Nepal; but not harsh in Buddhist communities. Nepal consist of four social classes or Varna (Hinduism): Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Sudra. There are some ethnic indigenous groups which do not belong to this class system.
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[edit] History of the caste system in Nepal
The Nepalese civil code Muluki Ain (1854) was written by Jang Bahadur Rana after his European tour. It codified social codes in practice for several centuries in Nepal that was rooted in Vyavahāra (traditional Hindu legal procedure), Prāyaścitta (avoidance and removal of sin) and Ācāra (the customary law of different castes and communities). These three are collectively called Dharmaśāstra. A traditional Hindu king was duty-bound to put these precepts into practice.
Muluki Ain divided Nepalese citizens into two castes "the caste whose water is allowed to remain pure" and "the caste whose water is defiled". Chiefs of the various castes were entrusted with sorting out issues related to their own castes.[1] The heads of Kamis (blacksmiths) and Sarkis (tanners and cobblers) were called Mijhars. Similarly the head of Damai (tailors and musicians) was called Nagarchi. Castes of the first (non-defiling) category also had their chiefs. In this way community members might not need to go to courts or government offices to settle minor legal matters. Mijhars and Nagarchis, however, added to injustice and exploitation meted out to their respective communities. They were obviously influenced by their masters' natures.[citation needed] Like their masters, they never hesitated to do injustice against their own communities. No appeal was heard against them.
From the medieval period onward, people could lose status through caste demotion. People considering themselves superior used caste as a pretext for exploitation. The lower castes were prevented from entering temples, receiving education, listening to high-caste people's teachings, worshipping, planting Bar or Pipal trees, digging ponds, and participating in fairs and festivals. They could be exiled from the country for looking at a high-caste woman. If they encountered someone of higher caste they would have to step aside. They had to pay jadau (obeisance) to any higher caste person. They could be put to death for rebelling against caste rules. If someone from higher caste married a woman from lower caste, he was not eligible for legal intercession against jarikhat (adultery). A sacred thread-wearing or even non-thread-wearing person would need to be ritually purified if they were touched by an 'untouchable'. Two-way conversation with upper castes was banned for them. These discriminatory provisions of the civil code were based on Hindu scriptures like Parskar Grihyasutra, Gautam Sutra, Manusmṛti and Shukra Niti.[2][3] There was no provision for lower-caste participation in the economic, social, cultural and administrative spheres. They had to survive on low-paid manual work such as playing indigenous musical instruments, leather-work, practicing music, art and dance, pottery, general labor, cleaning latrines, and washing clothes. This system prevailed till by law until Muluki Ain was revised in 1962.
The present caste system derives from Shah dynasty founder Prithvi Narayan's famous saying that Nepal was a garden of four varnas and 36 castes.[4] However this is only a rough estimate for the Hill region. The Newari community and the Terai community each has more than 36 castes.
[edit] Four Varnas in Nepal
[edit] Brahmin
The 1st varna includes Khas people from the Brahmin varna of the Hindu Varna System mainly comprising vedic priests, scholars and educators. Some of their surnames/family names are as follows:
- Acharya (are gurus for raja (non-vegetarians) and Brahmin caste (vegetarians))
- Chaulagain
- Humagain
- Guragain
- Bajagain
- Chapagain
- Chaugain
- Tulagain
- Lamichhane
- Dulal
- Banskota
- Baraili/Barali/Baral
- Bhatta
- Basel/Bashyal
- Bhattarai
- Bhusal
- Dahal
- Devkota/Debkota(are pandits,jyotish for raja and Brahmin caste)
- Dhakal
- Dumre
- Gaire
- Gajurel
- Gautam
- Ghimire
- Ghimire (Sijapati and Ghimire also called "Shobh")
- Giri
- Jaisi
- Khanal
- Koirala
- Poudel
- Nepal
- Neupane
- Niraula
- Panthi
- Parajuli
- Pathak
- Pokharel
- Rijal
- Risal
- Sapkota
- Sharma
- Timilsina
- Tiwari
- Upadhyaya
- Wagle
[edit] Kshatriya
The 2nd varna includes Khas people from the Kshatriya varna of the Hindu Varna System mainly comprising soldiers, governors and kings. Some of their surnames are as follows
- Ac
- Bashnet
- Bc
- Karki
- Kc
- Khadka
- Thapa Chhetri
[edit] Vaishya
The 3rd varna includes people from the Vaishya varna of the Hindu Varna System mainly comprising merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.
The caste engaged in sewing clothing is called Suchikar (सुचिकार)or Sujikar (सुजिकार). Those who play musical instruments like damau (damaha, दमाहा), hudko, and devbaja[5] -- particularly in wedding processions—are referred to as damai (दमाइ), dholi ढोली, hudke (हुड्के), nagarchi (नगर्ची) and nagdi. Originally they were called different names according to which instruments they played. Someone employed in sewing is now called darji (दर्जी), tailor, master, or tailor-master. Darji was once used only for tailors, but now it is used for all tailors as well as musicians. Similarly, damai or damahi has also undergone extension of its meaning. Initially it only meant someone who played the damaha. Now it is used for the entire caste.
Surnames Pariyar, Nepali, Rasaily Darji , Adhikari (some of them (educated) wanted to have rights for the administration jobs so that they nennt as adhikari but some of them claim for chhetri cast) and others have come in vogue recently. In western Nepal, Damai came to be used only lately. As damai is considered a derogatory word in the east, so is dholi in the west. This community is distributed all over Nepal. It has the following subcategories:
- Aauji
- Adhikari(some of them (educated) wanted to have rights for the administration jobs so that they nennt as adhikari but some of them claim for chhetri cast)
- Asasai
- Bagchan
- Bagdas
- Bahak
- Bardew
- Bhitrikoti
- Boodhaprithi
- Budhapothi
- Budhathoki
- Chahar
- Chhinal
- Chuhan
- Damai Parel
- Damai Pariyar
- Darnal
- Das
- Daunde
- Deukar
- Dewal
- Dholi (also used by those who forgot their sub-caste)
- Dhyaki
- Gautam (Gotame)
- Ghatani
- Guinde
- Hingmang
- Hudke
- Jairu
- Kalakhati
- Kandel
- Khadka
- Koirala
- Lamghate
- Luintel
- Mahara
- Mahate
- Male
- Nagarchi
- Nagwag
- Nagwan
- Naubag
- Negi
- Nepal
- Panchkoti/Panchakoti
- Pariyar
- Pokharel (Damai)
- puri
- Raigain
- Raika
- Ranpahenli
- Ranpal
- Ratna/Ratne
- Ratnapariyar
- Ryainjhyain
- Samudrasai
- Sasmundra
- Shahassamudra
- Shilal
- Shinal
- Shiwa/Siwa (Kukhure, Gotame, Bhede)
- Sooji
- Sudas
- Sunal
- Sunam
- Sunam
- Sunchyuri/Sunchiuri
- Thagunna
- Thatal
- Diswa
[edit] Sudra
The 4th varna includes people from the Sudra varna of the Hindu Varna System mainly laborers, artisans and service providers.
There are two levels of Sudra in western Nepal - with caste and without caste, which is called Bhool. It has the following subcategories:
- Achchhami/Achhami
- Bamrel
- thokan sarki
- Bastakoti
- Bayalkoti
- Bhangyal
- Bhul/Bheyanl
- Bhurtel
- Bisunkhe
- Chamar
- Chhamarki
- Chhatkuli
- Chudal
- Chuhan
- Dabe
- Dale
- Daulakoti/Dyaulakoti
- Dhamel
- Gaire
- Gairepipan
- Giri
- Gothe
- Hitang
- Kamar
- Khatiwada
- Koirala
- Lamjel
- Lamsal
- Majboti
- Malbok
- Malbule
- Mangrati/Magarati
- Mudel
- Naghali
- Pahenli (Panyeli)
- Purkoti
- Ramtel
- Roila
- Rokka
- Ruchal
- Sarmaute
- Sejwal
- SUnar
- Shrimati/Sirimal
- Siraute
- Surkheni
- Suyenl
- Thagunna
- Thak
- Thakursya
- Thararai
- Togi
- Uparkoti
- Magar
- Diswa
[edit] Community of Wandering Singers
There is a community known as Gaine (गाइने) or Gandharwa (गान्धर्व) who wander about Nepal singing ballads of historical bravery and gallantry, self-accompanied by a sarangi (सारङ्गी) -- a four-stringed violin-like instrument.
Gaine are also found settled in the Western and Mid-Western Regions, especially in Jumla, Kaski (Batulechaur), Syangja, Gorkha, Tanahu, Palpa, Gulmi, Rupandehi, Surkhet, Dailekh, Jajarkot, Rukum, Pyuthan, Dang and Salyan districts, as well as in Kathmandu Valley and Bhojpur in eastern Nepal.
Gaine are looked upon as untouchables, however Jhalak Man Gandarbha (1935–2003) rose to national prominence and performed regularly on Radio Nepal. Gaine sometimes use the surname Nepali. Only a limited number of other surnames sound original. Most are like surnames of Brahmins, Kshetris and Kamis, or are named after particular places. Gaine surnames are as follows:
- Baistha (Bistha)
- Baikar/Wagyakar
- Bhusalparbate
- Bishnupad
- Bishwakarma
- Bogate
- Budhathoki
- Gosai
- Hukchingrana
- Jogi
- Kala Poudel
- Kala Kaushik
- Kalichan
- Kami
- Maheshwar
- Meghnath
- Sai
- Samudri
- Setaparbate
- Setichan
- Sursaman
- Thakuri
- Turki
- gayak
[edit] Dalit community
[edit] Dhobis
[edit] Untouchables' initiatives for caste liberation
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ [1] Khatry, Prem (1995) "The Manjani system of the Danuwar state of the of the Kamala Valley: a brief study of an egalitarian judiciary", Contributions to Nepalese Studies, Vol 1, No. 1 (January, 1995), pp. 43-55.
- ^ Drekmeier, Charles (1962) Kingship and community in early India. (Stanford: Stanford University Press), pp. 223 ff.[2]
- ^ http://www.riiti.com/2008-05-best_of_shukra_niti_-_by_sage_shukracharya.html
- ^ Hachhethu, Krishna "Nepal: Confronting Hindu identity", South Asian Journal, 2(October–December 2003), pp. .[3]
- ^ http://www.spinybabbler.org/traditional_arts/music/instruments.php Damai instruments
