Perched on the southern slopes of the Himalayan
Mountains, the Kingdom of Nepal
is as ethnically diverse as its terrain of fertile
plains, broad valleys, and the highest mountain peaks
in the world. The Nepalese are descendants of three
major migrations from India, Tibet,
and Central
Asia.
Among
the earliest inhabitants were the Newar
of the Kathmandu Valley
and aboriginal Tharu
in the southern Terai region. The ancestors
of the Brahman
and Chetri
caste groups came from India, while other ethnic groups
trace their origins to Central Asia and Tibet, including
the Gurung
and Magar
in the west, Rai and Limbu in the east, and Sherpa
and Bhotia in the north.
In
the Terai, a part of the Ganges
Basin with 20% of the land, much of the population
is physically and culturally similar to the Indo-Aryan
people of northern India. People of Indo-Aryan and
Mongoloid stock live in the hill region. The mountainous
highlands are sparsely populated. Kathmandu Valley,
in the middle hill region, constitutes a small fraction
of the nation's area but is the most densely populated,
with almost 5% of the population.
Nepal
is a multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-ethnic
society. These data are largely derived from Nepal's
2001 census results published in the Nepal
Population Report 2002. [1]
The high Himalayan settlements of Tibetan
speaking people are found perched precariously on
mountain ledges and slopes. Life here is delicate
balance of hard work and social merrymaking, tempered
by a culture deeply steeped in ancient religious traditions.
The
best known of the high mountain peoples are the Sherpas
who inhabit the central and eastern regions of Nepal.
The Sherpas have easy access to Bhot (Tibet)
for trade and social intercourse and therefore Tibetan
influence on their culture and civilization remains
distinct. The midlands are inhabited by various Tibeto-Burman
and Indo-Aryan
speaking hill and valley people, for example the Brahmins,
Chettris, and Newars.
While
the Brahmins
and Chettris
are widely distributed through out the country, the
Newars are mainly concentrated in the Katmandu Valley
and other towns.
The
Rais, Limbus, Tamangs, Magars, Sunwars, Jirels, Gurungs,
Thakalis, and Chepangs are other Tibeto-Burman
speaking Mongoloid peole found living in the middle
hills. They each have their own distinct social and
cultural patterns. The Dun valleys and the lowland
Terai are inhabited by people such as the Brahmins,
Rajputs, Tharus, Danwars, Majhis, Darais, Rajbansis,
Statars, dhimals and Dhangars. Though Nepal is a veritable
mosaic of dozens of ethnic groups, they are bound
together by their loyalty to the institution of Monarchy,
and by the ideas of peaceful coexistence and religious
tolerance to form one unified nation.
Indo-Aryan
ancestry has been a source of prestige in Nepal
for centuries, and the ruling families have been of
Indo-Aryan and Hindu background. Most of the Tibeto-Nepalese
groups—the Tamang, Rai, Limbu, Bhutia (including
the Sherpa), and Sunwar live in the north and east,
while the Magar and Gurung inhabit west-central Nepal.
The bulk of the famous Gurkha contingents in the British
army have come from the Magar, Gurung, and Rai groups.
