Newa Caste

Newar Caste refer to the various subdivision of Newars on the basis of designated occupation.

List of castes

(note: this list does not mention all the castes found in Newar society. until a detailed and accurate list is provided, use it only to get a general idea about the Newar caste system.)

In alphabetic order, they are:
* Bajracharya / Vajracharya (Buddhist priests, Gubhaju)
* Chyami (sweepers)
* Jati (music player)
* Joshi (astrologers)
* Kansakar / Kasaa (bronze craftsmen)
* Kulu (drum-makers)
* Maharjan / Dangol (Jyapu, farmers)
* Malla (Rulers)
* Sayami/Manandhar (oil pressers)
* Nakarmi (blacksmiths/people who makes machinery goods with iron or steel)
* Pradhan / Shrestha/Amatya (Administrators)
* Prajapati (Kumha) (Potters)
* Puun or Chitrakar (Artist/Painter)
* Rajkarnikar halwai (confectioners)
* Ranjitkar (dyers/dye related professionals)
* Sagajyu (Merchant)
* Sayajyu (Cleaner)
* Shahi/Khadgi (butchers, meat-sellers)
* Shilpakar (sikami)
* Shakya (Gurju, goldsmiths)
* Shrestha (shyosyo)
* Tamrakar (copper craftsmen)
* Tuladhar (weigher craftsmen)
* Tandukar
*

The Newar caste system: A summary

As does other South Asian regional versions of the Hindu caste system, the Newar system also varies from the ideal typical religious model in various aspects. Firstly, the buddhist priestly class has also been 'castified'. This has resulted in what has been called a 'double-headed' caste-system: the Hindu brahmins and the Buddhist bajracharyas at the top, each claiming a stature equal to that of the other in the hierarchy. Following them is the Newar nobility and vaishyas. The shudra grouping is the most differentiated with specialized castes for metiers needed in the daily lives and cultural/ritual needs of the Newars.

Another prominent feature of the system is the existence of caste blocks in the hierarchy. While the hierarchy of the blocks may not be disputed, the individual positions of the castes within each block is also disputed by the castes themselves. Since separate caste systems were in practice in the different Newar city states (and their provinces), some researchers look at the Newars as having several castes systems, instead of just one over-arching model.

The Newar caste system may be called kshetriya-centric because the entire system exists around the personage of the king. The brahmins are higher in caste status to the king not because they are more powerful but because of their superior ritual status. The brahmins are like all other specialized service providers, their only difference being, they are considered higher to others in ritual purity.

Unlike those extant in the rest of South Asia today, due to obvious political reasons, the Newar system still has the king featuring prominently in his ritual obligations in the various festivals and functions throughout the annual religious calendar. He still mediates between the gods and his subjects; in this respect, as the representative of divinity, he is considered divinity itself. In the context of the ongoing political process for ending the role of the monarch as the head of state of (the Gorkhali dominion of) Nepal, it will be interesting to see how the Newar politico-religious system adapts if/when such an attempted abolition does succeed.