Jharra Chhetri
| Jharrā | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Subcaste of Chhetri |
| Religions | Hinduism |
| Languages | Nepali, Sanskrit |
| Country | Nepal, India |
| Family names | Basnet/Basnyat, Bista/Bisht, Bohra, Budhathoki, Chauhan, Karki, Katuwal, Khadka, Kunwar, Mahara, Rawal, Raut, Thapa, Ranabhat |
| Feudal title | Kaji Sa'ab, Dewan sahib, Mukhtiyar, Chautariya (चौतरिया) etc. All the titles being different administrative posts. |
| Victory weapon | Khukuri |
| Notable members | Thapa (,Basnyat family, Kunwar family, Thapa dynasty, Family of Amar Singh Thapa |
| Subdivisions | Bahuthariya Ekthariya |
| Related groups | Thakuri, Bahun |
| Historical grouping | Tagadhari castes |
| Reservation (Education) | No (Forward Caste) |
| Reservation (Employment) | No |
| Reservation (Other) | No |
| Kingdom (original) | Khasa Kingdom |
| Kingdom (other) | Gorkha Kingdom, Jumla Kingdom |
Jharra Chhetri(/ˈʒərrɑː/) are the subgroup of the Chhetri/Kshatriya caste. Jharra Chhetri wear the six threaded Janai (sacred thread). They are historically Indo Aryan people. Communities of Jharras include Basnet/Basnyat, Thapa, Karki, Kunwar, Khadka, Katuwal, Rawat, and Bisht.
Etymology and background
[edit]"Chhetri" is a direct derivative[1] or a Nepalese vernacular of the Sanskrit word Kshatriya.[2]
Chhetris along with Brahmins are considered among the twice born castes called Tagadhari in Nepal and they wear the sacred thread called the Yagnopavita.[3] Chhetris are considered among the Pahadi caste groups and they speak Nepali language as their mother tongue which is highly influenced by Sanskrit.[3]
Culture and traditions
[edit]
The children born from the union of a Chhetri man and his married Chhetri wife, only accomplished by a proper Brahmā vivāha are considered "Jharrā" (meaning: 'pure') while those children born from the union of a Hill Brahmin man and a Chhetri woman are considered "Thimā" (meaning: 'hybrid').[4]
A Jharrā boy would be given a six threaded Janai (sacred thread) at his Hindu passage of rite Bartaman ceremony while a Thimā boy would be given only a three threaded Janai (sacred thread).[4] A Thimā son would inherit a sixth of the ancestral property compared to that of the Jharrā son.[4]
Notable People
[edit]- Bhimsen Thapa
- Abhiman Singh Basnet
- Dilli Jung Thapa
- Amar Singh Thapa
- Bhakti Thapa
- Bal Narsingh Kunwar
- Swarup Singh Karki
- Balbhadra Kunwar
- Queen Tripurasundari of Nepal
- Abhiman Singh Basnet
- Mathabarsingh Thapa
- Pyar Jung Thapa
- Purna Chandra Thapa
- Surya Bahadur Thapa
- Rookmangud Katawal
- Yogi Naraharinath
References
[edit]- ^ Burghart 1984, p. 119.
- ^ Gurung 1996, p. 31.
- ^ a b Adhikary 1997, p. 19.
- ^ a b c Bennett 1978, p. 135.
Books
[edit]- Adhikary, Surya Mani (1997). The Khasa Kingdom: A trans-Himalayan empire of the middle age. Nirala Publications. p. 210. ISBN 8185693501.
- Bennett, Lynn (1978). "Maiti-Ghar: The Dual Role of High Caste Women". In James F. Fisher (ed.). Himalayan Anthropology: The Indo-Tibetan Interface. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-90-279-7700-7.
- Bista, Dor Bahadur (1 January 1972). People of Nepal. Kathmandu: Ratna Pustak Bhandar.
- Burghart, Richard (1984). "The Formation of the Concept of Nation-State in Nepal". The Journal of Asian Studies. 44 (1): 101–125. doi:10.2307/2056748. JSTOR 2056748.
- Gurung, Harka B. (1996). Faces of Nepal. Himal Books. ISBN 9789993343509.
- Pahari, Anup (1995), The Origins, Growth and Dissolution of Feudalism in Nepal: A Contribution to the Debate on Feudalism in Non-European Societies, vol. 4, University of Wisconsin--Madison
- Sharma Upreti, Nayantara (1979). A Study of the Family Support System: Child Bearing and Child Rearing Rituals in Kathmandu, Nepal. University of Wisconsin--Madison. ISBN 9788173041143.
- Subba, Tanka Bahadur (1989). Dynamics of a hill society: Nepalis in Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas. Mittal Publications. ISBN 9788173041143.
- Iijima, Shigeru (1977). Changing Aspects of Modern Nepal: Relating to the Ecology, Agriculture, and Her People. Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa.