PEOPLE OF NEPAL
The citizens of Nepal are Nepalese. which means that a member of any ethnic group that lives in Nepal is Nepalese. The term Nepali generally refers to the dominant language of Nepal and to people who have historically been associated with the kingdom of Nepal. In many respects it has come to mean the Nepali-speaking Hindus of Nepal and doesn’t include members of other ethnic groups or people that speak a language other than Nepali as their first language. By this line of reasoning a Sherpa is Nepalese but not Nepali. Some people, however, use Nepalese and Nepali interchangeably. In some definitions Nepali is singular and Nepalese is plural and both Nepalese or Nepali can be adjectives and nouns.
There are approximately 30 million people in Nepal. The majority of Nepal’s population lives in the middle hills region or the Terai lowlands, not in the Himalayas. Only a small portion of the total population — 20 percent or so — lives in urban areas; most people live in small villages or on farms in the agricultural valleys or along the terraced mountain slopes. In the 1990s less than 10 percent of the population lived in urban areas. The largest city and capital is Kathmandu, with about one million people and 1.5 million people in ruralish Metro area. . Kathmandu Valley is the spiritual and cultural meeting point of Nepal.
Nepal's population is growing at an annual rate of 1.8 percent. This is less then before, it grew at around 2.5 percent for many years. By one breakdown about 49 percent of the population lives in the southern Terai region, 44 percent lives in the hills and seven in the mountains. . The Kathmandu Valley is growing rapidly and is the most densely populated area, accounting for about 10 percent of the total population (or 3 million) people.
The Terai is a part of the Ganges Basin and occupies about 20 percent of Nepal's land. It is the country's main agricultural area. Much of the population here is physically and culturally similar to the Indo-European (Indo-Aryan, Indo-Nepalese) people of northern India. People who live in the hills are a mix Indo-European, people of Tibetan stock and groups that originated from Central Asia. The mountainous highlands are sparsely populated.
Ethnic Groups in Nepal
A total of 125 ethnic and caste groups were reported in the 2011 national census. The largest ethnic groups are: Chhettri: 16.6 percent; Brahman-Hill: 12.2 percent; Magar: 7.1 percent; Tharu: 6.6 percent; Tamang: 5.8 percent; Newar: 5 percent; Kami: 4.8 percent; Muslim: 4.4 percent; Yadav: 4 percent; Rai: 2.3 percent; Gurung: 2 percent; Damai-Dholii 1.8 percent; Thakuri: 1.6 percent; Limbu: 1.5 percent; Sarki: 1.4 percent; Teli: 1.4 percent; Chamar(Harijan, Ram) 1.3 percent; Koiri/Kushwaha 1.2 percent; other 19 percent (2011 estimated) [Source: CIA World Factbook; 2020]
“At the 2001 census broke down Nepal’s population as follows: Chhettri: 15.5 percent; Brahmans: 12.5 percent; Magars: 7 percent; Tharus: 6.6 percent: Tamang: 5.5 percent: Newar: 5.4 percent; Muslims: 4.2 percent; Kami: 3.9 percent; and Yadav: 3.9 percent. [Source: “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations”, Thomson Gale, 2007]
The Nepalese are divided mainly into two distinct groups — the Indo-Aryans (similar to Indians) and to people similar to Tibetans. The Hindu Indo-Aryans make up about 70 percent of the population and have traditionally lived in the plains near India and the foot hills of the Himalayas while the Tibetan-like people have traditionally lived in the higher mountains and valleys near Tibet.
Nepal is home to 36 to 61 ethnic groups, depending on who is doing the counting. Each has its own customs and language. The three most well known groups to tourists are the Sherpas, Tibetans and Newars. The Sherpas are a Buddhist people, similar to Tibetans, who live in the Khumbu Valley near Mt. Everest. Numbering only 75,000 or so they are famous for their mountain climbing skills. A Sherpa by the name of Tenzing Norgay accompanied Sir Edmund Hillary on the first ascent of Everest in 1953. Most of the Tibetans living in Nepal arrived in the country after the Chinese invasion of Tibet in the late in 1950's. Many live in Tibetan communities near Pokhara and Kathmandu. There also a number a different groups that speak Nepalese The Newars, known for their artistic skill, are a Hindu people that live mostly in the Kathmandu Valley.
Within the different groups, people are further differentiated socially by caste or occupational group. Caste and ethnicity are often used interchangeably. The Brahman and Chhettri evolved from cast groups. In the Terai regions people have traditionally had the closest links to Indian culture, Hinduism and caste. The people in the hills are more mixed and have stronger Tibetan and Central Asian components. Many people are a mixture of Indo-Aryan, Tibetan and Central Asian.
History of the People of Nepal
Positioned on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, Nepal is as ethnically diverse as its terrain, which features fertile plains, broad valleys, and the highest mountains in the world. These diverse terrains is full of mountain and river barriers that have acted as divisions, keeping the population fragmented and diverse. There are settlements in the foothills of the Himalayas that date to fourth century B.C. and ethnic groups that live in this area today were mentioned in the early Sanskrit epic literature. [Source: “Countries of the World and Their Leaders” Yearbook, Gale, 2009; Alfred Pach III, “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 3: South Asia,” edited by Paul Hockings, 1992]
“The term "Nepala," referring to a frontier Himalayan kingdom, appeared on inscriptions in India dated to the fourth century. Nepal didn’t emerge as a unified nation-state until the 18th century under the Shah dynasty, , which ruled the Thakuri principality of Gorkha in west-central Nepal. The border of the country of Nepal were established In the early 19th century after conflicts with the British in India.
The Nepalese are descendants of three major migrations: 1) from India, 2) from Tibet, and 3) from Central Asia. Among the earliest inhabitants were the Newars of the Kathmandu Valley and aboriginal Tharus 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 Gurungs and Magars in the west, Rais and Limbus in the east, and Sherpas and Bhotias in the north. Many Tibetan people arrived from Tibet via Himalayan passes while some of those of Central Asian originated from the Muslim and Turkic invaded northern India from what is now Afghanistan and then migrated northward and eastward into Nepal.
According to the Columbia Encyclopedia: “The population of Nepal is the result of a long intermingling of Mongolians, who migrated from the north (especially Tibet), and peoples who came from the Ganges plain in the south. Several ethnic groups are classified together as Bhotias; among them are the Sherpas and the Gurkhas, a term sometimes loosely applied to the fighting castes, who achieved fame in the British Indian army and continue to serve as mercenaries in India's army and in the British overseas forces. [Source: The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed., The Columbia University Press]
Nepal was once a sanctuary for waves of migrants from north and south of its borders. The early migration from the north was largely of nomadic people from Tibet (the Bhote groups), followed by waves of Indo-Aryans from India. Some of the migrants from the south, especially the Brahmans and Rajputs, were fleeing the religious crusades of invading Mughals (or Indian Muslims) and their suppression of Hindus; others (especially those from Bihar and West Bengal), were lured by the possibilities of the Terai land. [Source: Andrea Matles Savada, Library of Congress, 1991 *]
Tibetan-affiliated groups migrated to Nepal via Tibet, Sikkim, Assam, and northern Bengal. Indian-related groups came from the Indian plains and from the sub-Himalayan hill areas to the west of Nepal. There are a few groups with links of Dravidian tribes. Dravidian people are associated with southern India today are believed to have inhabited India before the Indo-Aryans arrived. Bhotes, of Tibetan origin, are the primary group of northern Nepal. The Newars and Murmis dominate the central Kathmandu valley. Murmis have traditionally responsible for most of the agriculture and trade in the valley. The Gurungs and Magars live in west-central Nepal; the Kirantis and Rai reside in the east. The Tharus, one of the oldest indigenous groups, live in the southern Terai region.
Ethnic Relations in Nepal
The population of Nepal is often divided into three broad categories: 1) Indo-Nepalese (Indo-Aryan, Indo-European); 2) Tibeto-Nepalese; and 3) indigenous Nepalese. The Indo-Nepalese migrated from India over several centuries. They have more Caucasian features, practice Hinduism, and speak Indo-Aryan languages. They live mostly in the lower hills and river valleys and the Terai. The Tibeto-Nepalese have Tibetan, more Asian features and speak Tibeto-Burmese languages. These groups have settled higher valleys and mountainous areas and are associated most with the Himalayas. Different groups within this broad category practice Buddhism, animism, or Hinduism or a mixture of two or all three. [Source: “Countries and Their Cultures”, The Gale Group Inc., 2001]
The indigenous Nepalis are mostly tribal people that lived scattered communities. Their origins probably predate the arrival of Indo- and Tibeto-Nepalese peoples but they have links to these people and may have originated from the same root groups that produced them. Mountains groups include the Bara Gaunle, Byansi, Dolpo, Lhomi (Shingsawa) , Thakali, Bhutia, Lhopa, Thudam and Marphali Thakali. Among those associated with the Terai are the Dhanuk Meche, Dhimal, Rajbanshi (Koch), Gangai, Satar, Jhangad, and Tajpuria.
Tribal, religious and caste differences are still important. The royal family is Hindu. Until 2006, Nepal was officially a Hindu kingdom. The unfairness of caste system and rural poverty helped fuel the Maoist insurgency that began in the 1990s and eventually took power. The Dalit — members of the lowest caste and formerly known as "untouchables" — still suffer from discrimination and prejudice, particular in the rural areas of the west. The government laws prohibiting such discrimination are often ignored. [Source: “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations”, Thomson Gale, 2007]
Character and Happiness of the Nepalese
The Nepalese have a reputation for being frank. In many cases if the don’t like your clothes they will tell you so. The Nepalese are generally pretty mellow. When they see trekkers hurrying around, some Nepalese guides say, "Slowly, please, the mountain will wait."
In an a place where illiteracy is high and many people are uneducated, superstition and exaggeration run high. There are lots of rumors. Nepalese are regarded as deeply religious and conservative. One long time Kathmandu resident said, “It’s a very Hindu society, with intense observance of holy days. Their lives are hemmed in by the astrologer.”
Nepalese are generally very friendly with foreigners. Those outside the tourist industry are often very curious. The Nepalese until a few decades ago did not have much exposure to television and other media and generally relied on conversation, gossip and other forms of oral communication to entertain themselves.
World Happiness Report Score: 5.137 (compared to 7.5 in Denmark and 3.3 in Tanzania). Nepal ranked 92 out of 152 countries. The ranking is based on a Cantril ladder survey in which respondents in each economic are asked to think of a ladder, with the best possible life for them being a 10, and the worst possible life being a 0. They are then asked to rate their own current lives on that 0 to 10 scale. [Source: United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network and Wikipedia wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Happiness_Report
Happy Planet Index: 30.5, 42nd out of 140 countries. This index was compiled by the British think-tank New Economics Foundation, It measures people’s well-being and their impact on the environment through data on life satisfaction, life expectancy and the amount of land required to sustain the population and absorb its energy consumption.. happyplanetindex.org/countries]
See Society
World’s Shortest Man, from Nepal
Chandra Bahadur Dangi (1939 – 2015), a Nepali man, was the shortest man in recorded history. He was officially measured at 54.6 centimeters (21½ inches). The second shortest man ever was Gul Mohammed (1957–1997), from India, who was 57 centimeters (22.4 inches) tall. [Source: Wikipedia]
Dangi to world attention in 2012 when was 72 years old. At that he was claimed to be 56 centimeters (22 inches) tall, still making him the world’s shortest man. AFP reported at that time: “Guinness World Records experts confirmed they planned to travel to Dangi’s village in the impoverished southwestern valleys of Dang district to measure the pensioner, who says he weighs just 12 kilos. If his measurements prove correct, Dangi would also be the shortest human adult ever documented, taking the accolade from India’s Gul Mohammed, who was measured at 57 centimeters before he died in 1997 at the age of 40. [Source: AFP, February 10, 2012]
“The cause of Dangi’s stunted growth remains a mystery although many holders of the “world’s shortest man” crown have suffered from primordial dwarfism, a condition which begins to show signs in the womb. He was brought to world attention after Nepali researchers looking into the history of the Dangi people were introduced to him.“We walked for several hours and reached his home in Purandhara village. He was living with his 35-year-old nephew and his (nephew’s) family,” said Mohan Dangi, who led the expedition. “We invited him to take part in our week-long religious ceremony. To us, it occurred that he could be the world’s shortest man,” he added.
“Dangi scrapes a living weaving the “naamlo”, a traditional jute band used for carrying heavy weights. At the religious festival, he was smeared in vermilion powder — which can symbolize power, love or desire in Hindu culture — as fans queued to greet him, offer him flowers and have their pictures taken with him.
Hard Life of World’s Shortest Man
AFP reportedly that Dangi put up with a lot of abuse over the years. “Pilloried by neighbors, laughed at in freak shows and spurned by the women he admired from afar, Dangi has always seen his tiny stature as a curse. “But he is on the brink of life change as significant as a lottery win as experts prepare to test his claim to be the world’s shortest man in history. [Source: AFP, February 10, 2012]
“Dangi told Agence France-Presse that recognition at the end of his life would be some compensation for years of hardship he had had to endure. “I think things will be better now. I hope that I will be famous all over the world,” Dangi said at a religious festival in Surunga, 280 kilometers southeast of Kathmandu. “I want to visit foreign countries and meet people from around the world,” he added.
“The pensioner, who was orphaned at 12 and has five normal-sized brothers, said he had never experienced romance and is yet to find his soulmate. “I was short since my childhood. So, I couldn’t find a woman to marry when I was young. Then I just gave up on the idea of marriage. At this old age, I’m not interested in marriage anymore,” Dangi said. Dangi said relatives would parade him as a freak at fetes and festivals when he was younger, refusing to share with him any of the cash they earned. “They would treat me as a toy,” he said.
Another World’s Shortest Man from Nepal
Another Nepali, Khagendra Thapa Magar, held the record as the world’s shortest man for a year after being measured in 2010 at 67 centimeters (26.4 inches). He made television appearances in Europe and the United States and was the official face of Nepal’s tourism campaign, which featured him as the smallest man in a country that is home to the world’s highest peak, Mt. Everest. Magar reclaimed the world’s shortest man title again after Dangi died in 2015. He held the title until he died unexpectedly in 2020.
At the time of his death Guinness World Records (GWR) said: it “is sad to hear of the passing today of the world’s shortest man, Khagendra Thapa Magar. Khagendra, who was born on 14 October 1992, stood at 67.08 cm (2 ft 2.41 in) tall when measured at Fewa City Hospital in Pohkara, Nepal, on the advent of his 18th birthday in 2010.
“GWR recognises two categories for people of short stature – mobile and non-mobile – and Khagendra’s height made him the shortest living mobile man on the planet, just over 7 cm taller than Filipino Junrey Balawing, who measures 59.93 cm (1 ft 11.5 in) and who, owing to the medical condition osteogenesis imperfecta, is unable to walk or stand unaided. [Source: Guinness World Records, January 17, 2020
“Khagendra was born in the Baglung district of Nepal, the eldest son of Roop Bahadur and Dhan Maya. His father recalled, “He was so tiny when he was born that he could fit in the palm of your hand, and it was very hard to bathe him because he was so small.” He first came to the attention of Guinness World Records in early 2010, when he was measured by Records Manager Marco Frigatti on the GWR Italian TV show Lo Show dei Record and confirmed to be the shortest teenager (male) living.
“He made his first appearance in the GWR 2011 book, alongside Jyoti Amge, the shortest teenager (female) living. On reaching 18 years and qualifying for the adult record, Khagendra took the title from Edward “Niño” Hernandez of Colombia, a reggaeton DJ who stands 70.21 cm (2 ft 3.46 in). The measurements, made by a paediatric specialise in Nepal, were once again overseen by GWR’s Marco Frigatti.
“Khagendra quickly caught the public’s imagination, and in 2011, he was appointed as a Nepalese Goodwill Ambassador for Tourism. Guinness World Records last caught up with Khagendra in December 2018 to document a day in his life, including time spent at his family’s shop, leisure activities such as playing guitar and travelling around his home town on a motorbike with his brother.
“According to friends, Khagendra had been struggling recently with heart problems, asthma and pneumonia. He was admitted to the Manipal Hospital in Nepal. Craig Glenday, GWR Editor-in-Chief, who first met Khagendra during his visit to Italy in 2010, said: We’re terribly sad to hear the news from Nepal that Khagendra is no longer with us. His bright smile was so infectious that he melted the hearts of anyone who met him. As many people of short stature experience, life can be challenging when you weigh just 6 kg and you don’t fit into world built for the average person. But Khagendra certainly didn’t let his small size stop him from getting the most out of life. It’s been an honour to know him and his family, and a privilege to share his story with the world.
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, Nepal Tourism Board (ntb.gov.np), Nepal Government National Portal (nepal.gov.np), The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Wikipedia and various books, websites and other publications.
Last updated February 2022