Nepalese people of Indian ancestry

Nepalese people of Indian ancestry

Ram Baran Yadav · Yuyutsu Sharma
Total population
4,000,000 +
Regions with significant populations
Kathmandu · Birganj · Butwal · Janakpurdham
Languages
Nepali · Nepal Bhasa · Gurung · Limbu · Various Indian languages
Religion
Hinduism · Buddhism · Islam · Jainism
Related ethnic groups
Burmese Indians · Indians in China

There is a large number of Nepalese people of Indian ancestry, consisting of the descendants of early migrants from the India to Nepal. There are currently about 4 million people of Indian origin living in Nepal making it home to the largest Indian community outside of India.^[1]

History

Inside the Janaki Mandir, Janakpurdham - An example of 'Hindu-Rajput' architecture

Many Indo-Nepalese people are descendents of Indians, mostly families of Brahmin and Kshatriya status, who fled India and moved to the safe sanctuaries of the Nepal hills several hundred years ago, in the wake of the Muslim invasions of northern India. The hill group of Indian origin primarily was composed of descendants of high-caste Hindu families and they have spread through the whole of Nepal with the exception of the areas immediately adjacent to the northern border. They usually constitute a significant portion of the local elites and are frequently the largest landowners in an area. They usually constitute a significant portion of the local elites and are frequently the largest landowners in an area.^[2]

These north Indian antecedents of a number of caste groups in the hills, which, in the early 1990s, made up more than 50 percent of the total population, are evident in their language, religion, social organization, and physical appearance. These groups are generally classified as Pahari, or Parbate. However, in most parts of Nepal (except in the Terai), the term Pahari has only a limited use in that the Paharis generally are known by their individual caste names.

The second wave of Indian immigration occurred during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The government of Nepal or its agents encouraged many Indian migrants to move into the Terai for settlement. In the early 1990s, this group mostly consisted of landless tenants and peasants from northern India's border states of Bihar and Bengal. Some of these Indian migrants later became large landowners.

Most of the Indo-Nepalese peoples, both Paharis and Terai dwellers, were primarily agriculturalists, although a majority of them also relied on other activities to produce supplementary income. They generally raised some farm animals, particularly water buffalo, cows, goats, and sheep for domestic purposes. The Paharis traditionally have occupied the vast majority of civil service positions.

Religion & Caste System

The majority of the Indo-Nepalese are Hindus along with small numbers of Muslims, Buddhists and Jains. The Hinduism that is practiced by the Pahari has been influenced by Buddhism and indigenous folk belief. The Paharis' caste system was neither as elaborately graded nor as all embracing in its sanctions as that of the Indians. Their caste system include several castes of Brahmins, the high-ranking Thakuri and Chhetri castes and Dalit groups.

A majority of Nepalese Muslims are of Indian descent. Nearly 97 per cent of them reside in the Terai region.

Discrimination

Anti-India sentiment in Nepal is partly driven by history. The root of the problem lies in the settlement of Indians in the Terai region of Nepal. Indigenous Nepalese people residing mostly in the hill areas have resented their presence. They feel the Terai population exercises a disproportionate influence over Nepalese politics and economy.

In 2009, a group of Nepalese Maoists posing as devotees and armed with iron rods attacked Indian priests in the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, tore their clothes and cut their sacred threads. The issue of Indian priests officiating at the temple has been simmering for some time. This, along with the alleged corruption within temple had been an issue among Nepalese people.^[3]

Notable people

• Hum Jayega - Comedian
• Madhav Kumar Nepal - Prime Minister of Nepal
• Jamim Shah - Chairman of Channel Nepal Pvt. Ltd
• Yuyutsu Sharma - Writer
• Ram Baran Yadav - President of Nepal

See also

• Indo-Nepalese relations
• Nepali Indian
• 1950 Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship

References

1. ^ The Hindu - Where big can be bothersome
2. ^ Mongabay.com - Nepal-Caste and Ethnicity
3. ^ MajaSaja.com - Maoists Attack On Indians, Nepal Regreted