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| Khas Arya | |
|---|---|
| Group | Khas Arya |
Khas Arya The Khas Arya are an ethnolinguistic cluster historically associated with the Khasa Kingdom, Gorkha Kingdom, Nepal, Himalayas and adjacent regions, noted in sources ranging from Prithvi Narayan Shah's era to modern Constitution of Nepal debates. Their identification intersects with historical actors such as the Shah dynasty, Rana dynasty, Maoist insurgency, Nepali Congress politics and census instruments administered by the Central Bureau of Statistics (Nepal), producing contested classifications in contemporary legal and political forums.
The term derives from the medieval Khasa people and the Sanskritic term Arya as used in texts like the Vedas and regional chronicles such as the Gopal Raj Vamshavali, appearing in colonial records by officials of the British Raj and scholars like George Abraham Grierson and Ramesh Prasad Nanda. Linguists referencing the Indo-Aryan languages and philologists citing Sanskrit sources discuss etymology alongside ethnographic reports from travelers such as B. H. Hodgson and administrators of the East India Company.
Scholars link origins to the medieval Khasa Kingdom and migrations across the Koshi River, Karnali River valleys and trans-Himalayan routes used during the expansion of the Gorkha Kingdom under Prithvi Narayan Shah and the later consolidation under the Shah dynasty and Rana dynasty. Archaeologists reference sites in Mustang District, Mugu District and the Terai that reflect contacts with Tibetan Empire, Pala Empire, and trade routes to Lhasa, connecting to narratives studied by historians like Baburam Bhattarai and P. L. Nag.
Traditional caste-like stratification among groups historically labeled includes communities variously identified with surnames and lineages such as Brahmin-affiliated Brahmin (Nepal), Chhetri, and other lineage groups appearing in records alongside Thakuri and regional elites tied to the Gurkha regiments and aristocratic houses of the Khas Malla traditions. Ethnographers compare kinship systems with patterns documented in studies of Pahadi societies, landholding documents under the Birta and Jagir systems, and census categories used by the Central Bureau of Statistics (Nepal).
Cultural practices encompass ritual calendars linked to festivals such as Dashain, Tihar, and localized observances recorded in regional chronicles, with ritual specialists sometimes connected to Brahmin (Nepal) lineages and folk forms recorded in ballads concerning the Gorkha campaigns. The primary vernacular is varieties of the Nepali language (also historically called Khas Kura), linguistically situated in the Indo-Aryan languages and compared with Awadhi, Bhojpuri, and Maithili in contact zones; literary production includes works referencing the Nepali literature canon and authors such as Laxmi Prasad Devkota and historians like Dhanavajra Vajracharya.
The category has been central to legal debates over inclusion in the Constitution of Nepal (2015), affirmative action policies debated in the Supreme Court of Nepal and legislative forums including the House of Representatives (Nepal) and National Assembly (Nepal). Political parties from the Nepali Congress to the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) have engaged on recognition, while commissions such as the National Human Rights Commission (Nepal) and officials referencing international frameworks like the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights have been involved in adjudication and policy-making.
Census tabulations by the Central Bureau of Statistics (Nepal) show concentrations across provinces including Province No. 1, Gandaki Province, Karnali Province and the Sudurpashchim Province as well as diasporic communities in India, Bhutan, Tibet and migrant populations in United Kingdom, United States, Malaysia and Gulf Cooperation Council states. Demographers contrast rural distributions in districts such as Kaski District, Lamjung District, Syangja District with urban populations in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Nepalgunj.
Debates involve contestation over affirmative action, representation in bodies such as the Election Commission, Government of Nepal, legal suits in the Supreme Court of Nepal, and activism by organizations modeled after groups active in debates around the Interim Constitution of Nepal (2007), the 2006 Nepalese revolution and post-conflict arrangements. Discourses invoke scholars and politicians including Upendra Yadav, Madhav Kumar Nepal, Sher Bahadur Deuba and international observers such as the United Nations Mission in Nepal in discussions on identity, rights, and social policy, with implications for electoral politics, public administration and statutory recognition.
Category:Ethnic groups in Nepal