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The Manandhars of Kathmandu: a Study on Continuity and Change in Marriage Practices

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THE MANANDHARS OF KATHMANDU: A STUDY ON CONTINUITY AND CHANGE IN MARRIAGE PRACTICES A Dissertation Submitted to The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for Master’s Degree in Sociology By Prabina Manandhar Central Department of Sociology and Anthropology Tribhuvan University Kirtipur 2008 1 TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES CENTRAL DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY/ANTHROPOLOGY KIRTIPUR, KATHMANDU LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION The study report entitled “Manandhars of Kathmandu: A Study on Continuity and Change in Marriage Practices”, submitted by Ms. Prabina Manandhar has been completed under my supervision and guidance. This is her independent work for the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Master‟s Degree in Sociology. I, therefore, recommend this dissertation for final approval. Date: _______________ _____________________ Dr. Ram B. Chhetri Central Department of Sociology and Anthropology Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Tribhuvan University Kirtipur 2 TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES CENTRAL DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY/ANTHROPOLOGY KIRTIPUR, KATHMANDU LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE The Evaluation Committee has approved this dissertation entitled "The Manandhars of Kathmandu: A Study on Continuity and Change in Marriage Practices" submitted by Ms. Prabina Manandhar for the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Master of Arts Degree in Sociology. Evaluation Committee Signature Dr. Ram B. Chhetri _________________ (Supervisor) Dr. Laya P. Upreti _________________ (External Examiner) Dr. Om Gurung __________________ Head of Department Date: __________________ 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study was possible because of the valuable assistance and cooperation of several people and institutions to whom I would like to express my gratitude. First of all, I thank Dr. Ram B. Chhetri for taking on the role of Supervisor on the formulation and production of this dissertation. I am immensely grateful to him for providing me the time, effort and support in completing this dissertation. I would also like to express my gratitude to Dr. Rajendra Pradhan for his guidance in initiating this dissertation. I would like to thank Dr. Laya P. Upreti, my External Advisor for giving me his valuable comments and constructive suggestions in completing this study. My special appreciation goes to Dr. Tri Ratna Manandhar, Professor of History for his valuable guidance in the initial stage of my thesis preparation. I also thank everyone at the Kendriya Manandhar Sangh (KMS), particularly Mr. Badri Narayan Manandhar, the Secretary and Ms. Sushila Manandhar, Executive Member of KMS for providing me the required documents and information available at KMS. I am indebted towards Ms. Sumita Manandhar and Ms. Trishna Manandhar for their help in data collection. Most of all, this thesis would not be possible without the cooperation and participation of all the respondents without whom there would be no outcome. Despite their hectic schedules, they were able to give me the time to answer my questions, for which I will be always grateful. I especially thank Mr. Kedar Manandhar of Dhalashikwo Tol and Mr. Ram Krishna Manandhar of Phalchasa Tol for their invaluable support during my field work. I thank my dearest friends Sirjana, Bidhya and Chetna for their help and support throughout the process of the production of this dissertation. Lastly, I immensely thank my father Mr. Prahlad Narayan Manandhar for his constant encouragement, support and assistance in every step of the process of producing this dissertation. Infinite gratitude goes to the rest of my family as well for bearing with me during this whole process. ________________ Prabina Manandhar 4 LIST OF TABLES Page No. Table 1.1: Population by Major Ten Caste/Ethnic Groups (in percent), 2001 2 Table 3.1: Distribution of Respondents for Sample Survey by Age and Sex 13 Table 4.1: Distribution of Households in the Study Area in Kathmandu 17 Table 5.1: The Newar Caste Hierarchy, 1987 23 Table 5.2: Newar Population by Caste and Religion, 2062 B.S. 24 Table 5.3: Distribution of the Manandhars of Kathmandu by Settlement and Sex, 2057 B.S. 43 Table 5.4: Distribution of Manandhar Population by Sex, Marital Status and Education, 2055 B.S. 45 Table 6.1: Household Size by Settlement 47 Table 6.2: Age and Sex Distribution of Population in the Settlements under Study 48 Table 6.3: Educational Status of Phalchasa by Age and Sex 50 Table 6.4: Educational Status of Dhalashikwo by Age and Sex 51 Table 6.5: Occupational Status of Phalchasa by Age and Sex 52 Table 6.6: Occupational Status of Dhalashikwo by Age and Sex 53 Table 6.7: Marital Status of Manandhars by Age, Sex and Settlement 54 Table 7.1: Distribution of MS Respondents as Percentage of Ever Married Population 56 Table 7.2: Age and Sex Distribution of MS Respondents 57 Table 7.3: Age at First Marriage by Current Age of Total Ever Married Population of Settlements under Study 58 Table 7.4: Spouse Selection for MS Respondents 60 Table 7.5: Kind of Marriage of MS Respondents 63 Table 7.6: Views of MS Respondents on Exogamy with Other Newar Castes 66 Table 7.7: Views of MS Respondents on Exogamy with Non-Newar Castes/Ethnic Groups 68 5 Table 7.8: Number of MS Respondents on their Knowledge of Brides from Exogamous Marriages Accepted and Not Accepted into the Deo Puja Guthi 71 Table 7.9: Number of Respondents on their Knowledge of the Ethnicity of the Brides from Exogamous Marriages Accepted and Not Accepted into the Deo Puja Guthi 72 Table 7.10: Distribution of MS Respondents on Their Views on Divorce (in percent) 73 Table 7.11: Respondents on their Views on Remarriage after Divorce 75 Table 7.12: Respondents on their Views on Remarriage after Widowhood 75 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: MS Respondents with Relatives in Inter-caste Marriages 70 MAPS Map 1: Location of Two Tols selected for Study 19 6 GLOSSARY Barah chwonegu: Puberty rite observed by Newar girls on the onset of their first menstrual period. Barah pikagu: The ritual of releasing a girl from her confinement during the barah tegu and barah chonegu ceremonies. Bel bibaha: (Nepali) Same as Ihi. Bhamcha dukaygu: The ritual of the bride crossing the threshold of the groom‟s home for the first time or ritually entering the bride into the home. Bhwe: Feast. Bya: The fruit of the Bel plant (Aegle marmelos), used during rituals of the Ihi ceremony. Barah tegu: Pre-puberty rite observed by Newar girls before their first menstrual periods. Dewali guthi: (Nepali) Same as digu dyah guthi. Digu dyah guthi or deo puja guthi: The institution or guthi which is responsible to maintain the cult of the ancestors by celebrating the festival of the lineage deity or digu dyah. Digu dyah: A form of the lineage deity. Guthi: A formal association formed for the management of various religious and social activities. Guthiar: A member who represents his household in the guthi committee. Gwe kyagu: The ritual of accepting betel nuts from the bride by her kin signifying her taking leave from her parent‟s house. Gwe: Betel nut. Hwongkegu: Marriage ritual performed at the groom‟s home. Ihi: A Newar girl‟s mock marriage ceremony. Jilaja dukagu: The ritual of receiving the groom at the bride‟s home, wherein he is introduced to her kin. Kaji: The administrative head of twa or tole of the Manandhars. Kanya dan: Ritual of offering a girl to God Narayan during the marriage ceremony (the Ihi ceremony in the case of Newar girls) Khala: Lineage group. Khwa swegu: The ritual of the bride‟s kin visiting the bride at the groom‟s home a few days after their marriage. The literal meaning is „seeing the face‟. Kul devata: (Nepali) Same as digu dyah. Lakha tegu: The custom of presenting lakha sweets to the bride‟s parents before marriage. Lakhamari: A traditional kind of sweet hard bread. 7 Lami: The person acting as mediator or go-between for both sides of the family in a marriage. Lun digu dyah: The deity or group of deities made of metal (usually gold) which is the counterpart of the lwon digu dyah and placed in the house of the thakali for worship. During the main puja of the dewali festival, this is placed alongside the lwon digu dyah. Lwon digu dyah: The lineage deity or digu dyah made of stone which is located in its original site. Lwon means stone. Par pachuke: The phrase used to denote divorce in Newari. Phuki: The group of patrilineally related households. Puja: Worship. Putu gwe: Betel nuts given by the bride to her parents before taking leave from their home. The betel nuts are woven inside a decorative cloth. Sabja nakegu: The ritual of the bride sharing the groom‟s food during the hwonkegu ceremony. Sah: Oil press. Sal: (Nepali) Same as sah. Si guthi: The institution or guthi responsible for carrying out death rituals and disposal of a corpse. Sisi tegu: The custom of delaying the bride‟s arrival into the groom‟s home by keeping her in another house for a night. Swayamvar: Hindu marriage ritual where bride and groom exchange garlands. Tha: che(n): A married woman‟s affinal household. Thakali: The chief among the members of a guthi, usually the eldest living member. Tol: (Nepali) A village-like special segment of a Newar town or city. Twa: (Newari) Same as tol. 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION i LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii LIST OF TABLES iv LIST OF FIGURES v MAPS v GLOSSARY vi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background of the Study 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem 4 1.3 Objectives of the Study 5 1.4 Rationale
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