Source:
Newars, a Cultural Identity
-Pratibha Shrestha
I have respect for all religion, castes, races and each culture that is associated with them. Each one of them have their own physical features, specialty and importance. Each one of them is different, but not less or inferior than any other. Comparing one to the other would be only for the sake of finding out the differences, and not deciding on which is superior to the other. This should be clarified to everybody. As being born and raised in the environment that we were, each one of us are and should be proud to belong to a specific caste, race, religion, and as a whole, to a specific community. So, it is very important for us to keep in mind these points when we discuss further.
Having said this, let us move on to a briefly stated History of Newars.
Jyapus were the first settlers of Kathmandu valley. They were the descendants of the Gopal Vanshas / Krishna Vanshas. They have been important part of the Newari community, and in those days, they were represented as the farmers of high skill and physical strength. Originally,Jyapus were at first Aryans who came down to the valley. Out of 621 castes, 411 castes belong to this community. Kathmandu Valley witnessed its first King, Bhuktaman, from the descendants of the Gopal Vanshas. Later on, the Kirats invaded the valley and the reign of the Gopal Vanshaswas put to an end. After this invasion, the Kirats forced them to be involved only in agricultural works. This is how the Jyapu community first got linked with this occupation. The first traces ofNepal Bhasa is therefore linked the Gopal Vanshas, and also influenced by the Kirats, which is why some of the Kirats who speak or are familiar with this language are called Newar Kirats and they fall within the Newar community.
The Kirat dynasty also came to an end when the Lichhivis attacked in the valley. The Lichhivisalso learnt and accepted the local language. Then the Lichhivis again got invaded by the Baish Thakuris, from whom the Malla and Dev Kings reigned the valley. Some of the Kirats and theLichhivis were mixed with the descendants Gopal Vanshas which is why we can find that the people of the existing Jyapu community belong to both Aryans and Mongolians. This applies to some of the other castes and communities of the valley as well.
During the reign of Baish Thakuris, there consisted of two Rajbanshis, the Devs and the Mallas, who were also known as Thakku Mallas. Several Dev and Thakku Malla Kings ruled over the 3 kingdoms, and also learnt and accepted the slowly evolving Nepal Bhasa. From India entered theMallas, whose origin was of Rajputs, Chettris and Thakuris, who then took over the Baish Thakuris, and started ruling the valley. They accepted and to a great extent contributed to the Newari culture and language, and were thus known to be the Newar Rajputs, Chettris andThakuris, who contributed to the Newari civilization as the reknowned Malla kings.
In this way, we can find that the Newari culture is a contribution from various civilizations that were derived and developed not only from the differences that existed, but from the development of a common base and acceptance of those differences that took the shape of Unity in diversity.
The words 'Nepal' and 'Newar' are greatly interrelated. Either, 'Nepal' has been derived from 'Newar' or 'Newar' has been derived from 'Nepal', but it is speculated that both words have been derived from the word 'Nepar'. We can find various evidences from old times where the ancient Newari Kingdom was referred to as 'Nepal'. The references can be found in
1. the scripts written by Kautilya, who is famously known as Chanakya,
2. the script written in Magadi Bhasa (a Prakrit Bhasa) found in Pataliputra, Bihar, now known asPatna,
3. the great pillar constructed by Samundra Gupta in Ihlaahbad.
4. the coins issued during the time, ChandraGupta's reign in certain parts of India.(Chandra Gupta the Ist had married the Lichhivi Princess Kumar Devi, and Kumar Devi has been mentioned as the Princess of 'Nepal' on one side of these coin.)
So, as said by Historician Sleven Levi, the people living in the Kathmandu valley were therefore, known as the 'Newars', the whole valley was known as 'Nepal', and their language was thus known as Nepal Bhasa. They have their own calender Nepal Sambat. From the historical perspective, the newari community carries the historical identity of Nepal. Newars are therefore the original people of Kathmandu Valley- the then 'Nepal', and after the unification by King Prithivi Narayan Shah, the entire country was given the name 'Nepal' and Gorkhali language started to be known as the Nepali or, the national langauage since the name 'Nepal' had already established itself in the international community as well as the neighboring nations and had much more importance due to the rich history that this name was linked with (it maybe said as a type of recognition in Hinduaryavarta)
When we look over the history of Kathmandu valley, it is the history of Manjushree, the descendents of Lord Krishna, various Gods and Goddesses, Bihars, Bhichhus, Buddhism, Nag Devatas, Danasurs, and so on. It is a place of Lord Indra, Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwor, Sati Devi, Bikramajit (related story with Bajra Yogini), many Chettri Rajas, Brahmans, Kiratis, etc, and theirTantrik Vidhya, which some of their descendants have been following since the age of mythological periods of history, extending through the Sattya, Treta and Dwapar Yug or ages. It consists many curious legends regarding the temples, towns, and holy places of the country. It is the history of Gupta Dynasty by Nemuni, discovery of Pashupati Nath during Bhukta Mans' reign,Ahir Dynasty from Hindustan, Kirati Dynasty, Shakya Singha Buddha, Ashoka's visit in the valley as a sacred town, and his daughter Charumati getting married with a Rajbansi Chettri King Devpaal(Chabahil was named after Charumati; where Pashupati Nath temple lies in Devpattan,Chabahil and was famous earlier as Suwarnapuri, ie a Golden town). Bhrikuti, an Aryan Newar Princess, got married to the King of Tibet. Arniko, the famous sculptor who made the country proud in China, Suryavanshi Rajput Dynasty, overthrown of the Buddhist reign, Shankaracharya'svisit to Nepal, Vikramajit's successors who founded Patan or Lalitpur, the Legend of Machhindra Nath, revival of Hindu religion under a supposed incarnation of Shankaracharya, a RajputDynasty founding Kirtipur, Bhaktapur, Raja Nyandev from South Karnataka, Turja Devi, and so on are closely linked with the Newari history.
It is also speculated that the Newari language of Dolakha is the secret language that used to be spoken by the 5 Pandavas during their exile (Gupta Baas). It shows that the existence of Newars was pre-historically linked. It has recently been found in a Khas Brahman Basti, in the remote village of Dolakha that a more than sixty-year-old calendar of Nepal Sambat was found and it is said that before the entrance of the Khas Brahmans from the West, there were Newar Rajopadhyaya Brahmans residing in Dolkha. Similarly, it is also said that before the Bhatta Brahmans, the Newar Rajopadhyaya Brahmans were the Mul Pujaris of Pashupati Nath temple. In Tokha, we can find that Sati Kunda is the place of Dakshya Prajapati, where we can find the remains of the stone walls surrounding the courtyard of his palace. There still remains the stage where Mahadeva carried the burning body of Sati Devi in angst and an inhabitant of that locality who was a very old person, described that we could still find the ashes of Sati Devi below that stage. If we visit the locality of Tokha, all the inhabitants are Newars and some are the descendents of Dakshaya Prajapati. Budhanilkantha was established by the assistant KingBishnu Gupta during the time of Newar Lichhivi King, Bhimarjun Dev. In the same way,Changunarayan, established by Mandev is the Kul Devta of Amatya Banshas. Similarly,SwayambhuNath was also built during the reign of the Newari Kings. Swasthani Katha was also originated from the Newar Bhumi, Shankhu, which is recited in all Hindu community, including the Indians. Even today, a research done in the field of Nepal is incomplete without having the knowledge of Nepal Bhasa, as all the authentic Tamrapatra, Shilalekha that are written in Newari language. Newari language is registered as mother tongue of Nepal in the U.N.O and out of the 10 World heritages of Nepal, 7 were built during the reign of the Newar dynasty.
Saying that Newar means only descendants Gopal Vanshis, or saying that Newar means only descendants of the Mallas, or similar other narrowing of our origin is totally wrong. When theKhas community entered the valley, there have been incidences when some of them claimed thatSanskrit is the language of the Khas coming from the West, and some of Newars have even supported them saying that the Newars have preserved the Sanksrit of the Khas people. This is wrong because they are ignorant of the fact that the ancestors of the Newars themselves are closely related with Sankrit language.
Just like 'Nepali' means all caste, race and culture, so is applicable to all the people of the 'Newar' community. I accept that I am a Newar, with pride and respect for all the different castes and cultures that my community holds and embraces. The Khas community has only Brahmans, Chettris and Sudras. But in the Newari community, we can find people belonging to Brahman, Chettris, Baishyas, and Sudras, which is why the Newari community is a complete community that consists the characteristics and the qualities to be found in the diversity of an entire nation. Here, we can find the Aadibaasis of the Gopal Banshas, the Malla kaalin Bhaardaars likeShrestha, Amatya, Rajbhandari, Pradhan, etc, the Rajopadhyaya, Guruwacharya, Joshi, Acharyawho represent Gurutwa and Bhrahmatwa, Balaami, Duin, pahari, Putuwar, Chyame and Pode,whose conditions are still backward and need to be uplifted and given support from the entire Newari community as well as the Nepali government and must be given opportunities in education, preservation seats in the government sectors and so on.
Therefore, the identity of Newars should not be limited to any subcommunity, caste, dress or ritual. Also, comparing 'Brahmans' with 'Newars', or 'Chettris' with 'Newars' or comparing any other 'caste' with 'Newar' community is wrong. 'Newar' should not be misconceived as a caste. Saying that 'Newars' mean 'Baishyas' would therefore, be like saying 'Fruits' mean 'Oranges'. Yes, Orange is a Fruit, but do fruits denote only Oranges? This question must be sufficient to answer how diverse the Newari community is.
I am not a Brahmin, but I am proud and well aware of the fact that I have Brahmans in my own community, Brahmans who are our Purohits and guide us with the various rituals. I am proud of the fact that in our community, we have Brahmans who respect the rest of the castes within the Newars (unlike some of the Brahmans outside of our community, who do not perform any rituals but consider the rest of the castes as inferior). It is greatly misconceived that Newars do not haveBrahmans, and it is not only to blame the media but we Newars ourselves. We also not only have the Hindu community, but the Buddhist community as well, who are enriched with the philosophy of Buddhism. Our community is therefore one of the very few where we can find both religions and harmony since very ancient times. Similarly, I am not a Jyapu, but I am proud that Haku Patashi, is not only a part, but has become a symbol of the Newari community. This dress is worn with the golden Makasi, the thick silver chain and it is a true representation of the Jyapu samaj. This dress is perhaps linked with Lord Shiva, and connected or derived from the Vedic period. Along with this dress, why don't we show that we also wear 32 haat ko Chhit ko Saree, and Nepali Cholo, Damar Kumari Pachyaura, Dopatta Saree, Rato/Pahelo(Chir Bastra), and many more. We Nepalese are proud of the fact that the world knows Nepal to be the land of the Sherpas, but when they visit Nepal, or read further about Nepal, they come to know that is not just the Sherpas who live here, but within Nepal, there lies hundreds of other identities. Similarly, we Newars are proud of the fact that Haku Patashi is the symbolic dress of Newars, but when the rest of the other communities “visit” our community, we should be capable of telling them that, in here lies many other dresses, sub-cultures rituals and identities.
The purpose of this article is to make all the readers aware of the history that we belong to, because I believe history helps us to understand our origin and the state of our ancestors at old times. It clarifies the fact that the segregations in the society is made by man, and this has been done for whatever reasonable or unreasonable purpose seemed correct at those times. But as we move forward to a new era, only the trails of history remain in our mindsets, and we rarely get to the roots of it all. So, it will take much time and effort for everyone to understand the real meaning of equality, especially in the presence of such diverse culture.
Knowing little not only cripples us to answer who we are, but it also creates a path for many of us to have false perceptions about ourselves. History is authentic because it is made of facts, but as a certain age or civilization dawns upon us, the same History is then greatly manipulated and suppressed to glorify that particular civilization. A major part of our identity that has been lost over the years of civilization, such that we are familiar with only a certain aspect of our own history. But when we peep into our history, it leaves no space for anyone to look down upon our community because we have had great ancestors, who struggled with all their might to preserve our identity and our home.
Now in this age of information, we should realize that moving forward to development is not possible by forgetting or suppressing the past. We should be able to embrace our history and our roots, learn and apply the lessons they teach us, and pass them on to the next generations, so that they feel proud to be Newars and live with self respect and dignity. And we must accept the facts that newari history is nepal's history or nepal's history is newar's history till the onset of shah dynasty.
References:
Shrestha, Dr. Tulsi Narayan. Nepal ka Newarharu, Pahichaan ra Pristhabhumi.
Dhaubanjaar, Dr. Gopal. Kathmandu Upatyaka ka Bastiharu.
Wright, Daniel. History of Nepal(translated from Parbatiya).
Amatya, Tulsi Lal. Samsmaran ka Panaharu.
Posted 4th
January 2014 by Pratibha
Shrestha
