HANDBOOKS FOR THE INDIAN ARMY GURKHAS. 1 Compiled under the orders of the Government of India BY Lffiyjf.--QQL.QNEL EDEN VANSITTART, ,2nd Bn. 10th Gurkha Rifles. REVISED BY MAJOR B. U. NICOLAY, 1st Bn, 4th GurJcha Rifles. ' in«iM - * B A LC U TT A SUFERIIVi, "Y : GOVERNMENT PRINTING, INDIA 1913 . {Reprint 19 IS.) * / /£>•/&, / su ) ^ „ PERSONAL LIBRARY OP PRO " SHFP SINGH "SHHW GURKHAS tw ^v* • ' * •- ' ^ ( \. <* » FBOFESSOR SHER SINGH AGENTS FOR THE SALE OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY THE Superintendent Government Printing, India, Calcutta, In Europe, Constable & Co., 10, Orange Street, Leicester W. Thacker & Co., 2, Creed Lane, London, Square, London, W. C. E.C. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., 68-74, T. Fisher Unwin, Ltd., 1, Adelphi Terrace, Carter Lane, E. C, and 2?, Museum Street, London, W. C. London, W. C. Wm. Wesley & Son, 28, Essex St., Strand, Bernard Quaritch, 11, Grafton Street, New London. Bond Street, London, W. B. H. Black well, SO & 51, Broad Street, P. S. 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V PERSONAL LfBRARY Of PROFESSOR SHBH SINGH "SHa% CALCUTTA SUPERINTENDENT GOVERNMENT PRINTING, INDIA 1915 (Reprint 1918.) * • InstitiH • Source. <..,••_(!>•• . #* tn#W^Rioe * • THIS BOOK *» •• IS DEDICATED BY KIND PERMISSION \ TO HIS EXCELLENCY GENERAL THE RIGHT HONOURABLH ox*txo ^txbtti §momt fUtchentt of iifwrtottm, G.C.B., O.M., G.C.M.G., R.E., COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF IN INDIA. PBEFACE. fTpHIS book is an enlarged edition of my i Notes on Gurkhas,' -*- written in 1890, and of my [ Notes on Nepal/ published in 1895. In compiling this book I have borrowed most freely from every authority I have knowledge of, who has written on Nepal or its inhabitants. As, probably, nearly one-half of this book consists of extracts from various authors strung together, often with alterations and additions of my own, I have been unable to put between inverted commas every borrowed paragraph; but, where feasible, I have generally done so, and have quoted the name o£ the author from whose book the extract has been taken. The ancient history of Nepal is mostly taken from, Wright, Bendall, and Pandit Bhagvvanlal Indvaji Das. • Prom Oldfield, Brian Hodgson, Wright, and Hamilton I have borrowed most heavily. It was only after much trouble that I was able to obtain a copy (and then only of a portion) of the Limbu Vancavali. I give a translation of the same as, in my opinion, it throws some interesting light on Eastern Nepal generally and on the Limbus especially. The classification of the various races of Nepal is almost • , - - L w^ A- L - A ^^ entirely my own. i The Magars, Gurungs, and Thakurs are, I believe, fairly complete and correct. The lists of Khas, Limbus, Eais, Sunwars, and Murmis are • • • undoubtedly incomplete, and perhaps in parts incorrect; but to give a full and true list of their tribes and sub-divisions, can only be done after years of incessantly putting down on paper, each fresh tribe and each fresh clan of the same, at such time as a mem­ ber of it presents himself for enlistment, and then by checking its accuracy over and over again. My classification of Gurkhas, viz., Magars, Gurungs, Thakars and Khas, will be found almost identically the same as Chanter 11 PREFACE. IV of the Blue Book on Nepal, of which chapter I am the author. The map attached to this book was obtained through Lieute­ nant-Colonel "W. Ravenshaw, Resident in Nepal, who induced the Nepalese Durbar to very kindly mark off thereon the various divisions of the country. Por easy reference, I have divided Nepal into five main di­ visions, viz.: The Terai—Eastern Nepai—Nepal Valley—Central Nepal—"Western Nepal. The further sub-divisions of the above.are taken from Lieute- nant-ColoneLH. Wylie'sListof Zillas and Tehsils, etc., dated 1895 1898, and from corrections thereto sent to me by Lieutenant- Colonel Ravenshaw. Revised from notes kindly supplied by the Resident in Nepal and information in the Recruiting office for Gurkhas. i List of some of the Principal Authorities consulted in the Prepa­ ration of this work. Colonel Kirkpatrick's Mission to Nepal, 1793. Doctor F. Hamilton's Account of Nepal, 1819. Captain T. Smith's Five Years' Residence in Nepal, from 1841 to 1845. Captain 0. Cavenagh's Account of the Kingdom of Nepal, 1851. Brian Hodgson's Essays on the Language, etc., of Nepal, 1874. Doctor Oldfield's Sketches of Nepal, 1880. Quartermaster-General's No. 18 of 1883. Confidential Report, 1884. Lieutenant- General R. Sale Hill's Notes, with Addenda of 1874, by General Sir C. Reid, K.C.B. Lieutenant-Colonel E. Molloy's Memorandum, dated Abbottabad, 1885. Doctor Wright's History of Nepal, 1887. Bendall's Catalogue, Buddhist and Sanskrit Manuscript?, 1883. Bendall's Journey in Nepal, 1886. Pandit Bhagwanlal Indraji Das's Inscription of Nepal, 1885. H. H. Risley's Tribes and Castes of Bengal, 1891. Sarat Chandra Dass's journey to Lhassa. Doctor Rudolph Hoernle's Inscribed Seal of Gupta, 1889. Lieutenant-Colonel Wylio's List of Zillas. Also vernacular papers from Nepal. *> I CONTENTS. PAGE CHAPTER I.—Geography and Races of Nopal .. 1 CHAPTER II.—History 11 CENTRAL NEPAL. CHAPTER III. —Religion, Customs, Festivals, and Characteristics of the Gurkhas . 46 CHAPTER IV.—Thakurs and Khas 62 CHAPTER V.—Gurungs ' 74 CHAPTER VI.—Magars ..." 81 CHAPTER VII.—Newars, Line-boys, Dhotials, Tharus, and Menial Classes . 90 EASTERN NEPIL. CHAPTER VIII.—The Kiranti Group : Divisions, History, and Religion ... 96 CHAPTER IX.—A Translation of Limbu History 103 CHAPTER X.—Lhnbus 106 CHAPTER XI.—Rais 124 CHAPTER XII.—Sunwars, or Sunpars, or Mukias and Murmis, or Lamas • \ • 136 CHAPTER XIII.—Notes on Gurkha Recruiting 144 CHAPTER XIV.—Gurkha Recruiting—a retrospect , APPENDIX A.—A Brief Account of Buddhism ,.,.,", ^ 179 APPENDIX B—List of Districts, Tehsils, and Zillas . ... 183 APPENDIX C—List of Villages ......... '^ 205 APPENDIX D.—Maharaja of Nepal's letter, dated 29th February 1904, referring to (1) Begari, (2) Thara, and (3) Beti 225 APPENDIX E.—Table of distances in Nepal .227 APPENDIX F.—List of Post offices and Postal Rules in Nepal , \ 230 ** MJ^ GURKHAS. CHAPTER I. Geography and Races of Nepal. The word ' Nepal '* is said to be derived from ( Ne/ * the name of a cer- tain ascetic, and ' pala/ cherished, and therefore means ' cherished by Ne/ Nepal, in a strict sense, ought to be applied to that country only which is in the vicinity of Katmandu, the capital; but at present it is usually given to the whole territory of the Gurkha King. To the present day even, Gurkhas when talking of ( Nepal' are generally, if not always, referring to Katmandu. In this book{ Nepal' will refer to the whole territory of the Gurkha King. Nepal is a narrow tract of country extending for about 520 miles along the southern slopes of the central portion of the Himalaya, General description. between the 80th and 88th degree of East Longitude. Its breadth nowhere exceeds 1-10 miles, and averages between 90 and 100 miles. Its general direction is from west to east, the most southern and eastern corner at the Michi river reaches as low as the 26th, whilst its most nor­ thern and western angle extends up to the 30th degree of North Latitude. It is bounded on the north by Tibet; on the east by Sikkim and the river Michi; on the south by Bengal and the United Provinces ; and on the west by Ivumaon and the river Kali (Sardi).