Bahun (Nepali: बाहुन), also known as Hill Brahmins,[3] are a Brahmin varna among the Khas of Nepal. They are Sub caste of the Kanyakubja Brahmin[4][5][6] while their origins are from Kannauj[7] and the Himalayan belt of South Asia. According to the 2011 Nepal census, Bahun is the second most populous group after Chhetri.[8]
Bahun | |
|---|---|
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Nepal | 3,292,373 (11.2% of Nepal's population) (2021)[1] |
| Languages | |
| Nepali (Khas-Kura) | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism 99.56% (2011), Christianity 0.31% (2011)[2] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Chhetri, Thakuri and other Khas people | |
According to 1854 Muluki Ain (Nepalese Legal Code), Bahuns were regarded as caste among sacred thread bearers (Tagadhari) and twice-born Hindus.[9]
Origin
Traditionally, Bahuns were members of the Khas community together Chhetris.[10] Possibly due to political power of the Khasa Malla kingdom, Khas Brahmins and Khas Kshatriyas[11] had high social status in the present-day western Nepal.[10] Bahuns, regarded as upper class Khas group together with Chhetris, were associated mostly with the Gorkha Kingdom and its expansion.[12][12][13]
Demography
According to the 2011 Nepal census, Bahuns (referred as Hill-Brahmin) are the second most populous group after Khas Chhetri with 12.2% of Nepal's population (or 3,226,903 people).[14] Bahun are the second largest Hindu group in Nepal with a population of 3,212,704 (99.6% of Bahuns).[14] Bahuns are the largest group in 15 districts in Nepal: Jhapa, Morang, Kathmandu, Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, Kaski, Syangja, Parbat, Gulmi and Arghakhanchi. Among these, Bahuns in Parbat (35.7%), Arghakhanchi (32.8%), Dhading (30.9%), Chitwan (28.6%), Kaski (27.8%) and Gulmi (25.2%) consist more than 25% of the district population. Kathmandu has largest Bahun population with 410,126 people (23.5%).[14]
Bahuns have the highest civil service representation with 39.2% of Nepal's bureaucracy while having only 12.1% of Nepal's total population. The civil service representation to population ratio is 3.2 times for Bahuns which is fourth in Nepal. khas/Chhetris represent 1.6 times in civil services to their percentage of population, which is the highest in Nepal.[15] As per the Public Service Commission, Brahmins (33.3%) and Chhetris (20.01%) were two largest caste group to obtain governmental jobs in F.Y. 2017-18 even though 45% governmental seats are reserved for women, indigenous and ethnic minorities, Madhesis, dalits, people with disability and those from the backward regions.[16] Similarly, in the fiscal 2018–19, Bahuns (24.87%) and Chhetris (9.63%) maintained 35% of their proportion in civil service as per Public Service Commission.[17]
Geographic distribution
According to the 2021 Nepal census, 3,292,373 people (11.29%) of the population of Nepal are Bahun (Hill Brahmins).[18] The frequency of Bahun (Hill Brahmins) by province was as follows:
- Gandaki Province (21.5%)
- Bagmati Province (18.3%)
- Sudurpashchim Province (13.0%)
- Lumbini Province (12.5%)
- Koshi Province (12.1%)
- Karnali Province (8.3%)
- Madhesh Province (2.3%)
The frequency of Bahun (Hill Brahmins) was higher than national average (12.2%) in the following districts:
- Parbat (35.8%)
- Arghakhanchi (32.8%)
- Syangja (30.9%)
- Chitwan (28.7%)
- Kaski (27.9%)
- Jhapa (23.8%)
- Nawalpur (23.8%)
- Kathmandu (23.7%)
- Kavrepalanchok (21.5%)
- Gulmi (21.3%)
- Baglung (19.5%)
- Nuwakot (19.0%)
- Baitadi (18.6%)
- Palpa (17.5%)
- Kalikot (17.1%)
- Darchula (16.7%)
- Kanchanpur (16.0%)
- Rupandehi (15.9%)
- Dadeldhura (15.8%)
- Gorkha (15.2%)
- Rasuwa (15.2%)
- Dhading (15.0%)
- Bhaktapur (14.2%)
- Makwanpur (14.1%)
- Ilam (13.9%)
- Terhathum (13.3%)
- Morang (13.1%)
- Lalitpur (13.0%)
- Lamjung (12.8%)
- Kailali (12.4%)
Notable people
Academics
- Surya Subedi, legal academic
Artists
- Ragini Upadhyaya, fine artist and lyricist
Athletes
Cricketers
Footballers
Swimmers
Other athletes
- Shyam Dhakal, alpine skier
Entertainment
Actors/Filmmakers
- Nabin k. Bhattarai
- Neeta Dhungana
- Aryan Sigdel
- Arunima Lamsal
- Sanchita Luitel
- Jeevan Luitel
- Sitaram Kattel(dhurmus)
- Kunjana Ghimire(suntali)
- Anup Baral
- Jeetu Nepal
- Kedar Ghimire
- Keki Adhikari
- Nisha Adhikari
- Bijay Baral
- Raj Ballav Koirala
- Khagendra Lamichhane
- Marishka Pokharel
- Sunil Pokharel
- Usha Poudel
- Deepika Prasain
- Hari Prasad Rimal
- Aanchal Sharma
- Anna Sharma
- Pooza Sharma
- Reecha Sharma
- Mithila Sharma
- Barsha Siwakoti
- Hari Bansha Acharya
- Dayaram Dahal
- Subash Gajurel
- Tulsi Ghimire
- Manisha Koirala
- Deepa Shree Niraula
Singers
- Tika Bhandari
- Ram Prasad Khanal
- Pramod Kharel
- Nabin K Bhattarai
- Bhakta Raj Acharya
- Sugam Pokharel
- Bednidhi Poudel
- Pranil L Timalsena
Other entertainers
- Atul Gautam, tabla player
- Hom Nath Upadhyaya, tabla player
Entrepreneurs
Humanitarians
- Durga Ghimire, founder of ABC Nepal, an anti-sex trafficking organisation
- Jagadish Ghimire, political analyst, founder of Tamakoshi Sewa Samiti community development organisation
- Anuradha Koirala, founder of Maiti Nepal, which supports victims of sex trafficking
Mountaineers
Politicians
- Madhav Prasad Devkota
- Ravi Lamichhane
- Chabilal Upadhyaya[19][circular reference]
- Ranga Nath Poudyal[20]
- Krishna Prasad Koirala and Koirala family[21]
- Matrika Prasad Koirala[21]
- Tanka Prasad Acharya[22]
- Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala[21]
- Girija Prasad Koirala[21]
- Krishna Prasad Bhattarai[23]
- Man Mohan Adhikari[24]
- KP Sharma Oli
- Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda)[25][26]
- Madhav Kumar Nepal[27]
- Baburam Bhattarai[28]
Scientists
- Bodhraj Acharya, biochemist
- Lujendra Ojha, planetary scientist
Writers
Poets
- Bhanubhakta Acharya
- Geeta Tripathee
- Gopal Prasad Rimal
- Ishwar Ballav Bhattarai
- Jagadish Ghimire
- Krishnahari Baral
- Kshetra Pratap Adhikary
- Laxmi Prasad Devkota
- Lekh Nath Paudel
- Mahananda Sapkota
- Motiram Bhatta
- Suman Pokhrel
Journalists
- Kanak Mani Dixit
- Narayan Wagle
- Naresh Bhattarai
- Prashant Aryal
- Rabi Lamichhane
- Rabindra Mishra
- Sudheer Sharma
- Vijay Kumar Pandey
Playwrights
- Abhi Subedi
- Krishna Dharabasi
- Bhim Nidhi Tiwari
- Gopal Prasad Rimal
- Guru Prasad Mainali
- Khagendra Lamichhane
- Laxmi Prasad Devkota
- Suman Pokhrel
Prose writers
Other notables
- Bhawana Ghimire, CEO of Cricket Association of Nepal from 2014 to 2016
See also
References
Bibliography
- Dor Bahadur Bista (1991). Fatalism and Development: Nepal's Struggle for Modernization. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 978-81-250-0188-1.
- Subba, Tanka Bahadur (1989). Dynamics of a hill society: Nepalis in Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas. Mittal Publications. ISBN 9788173041143.
- John T Hitchcock (1978). "An Additional Perspective on the Nepali Caste System". In James F. Fisher (ed.). Himalayan Anthropology: The Indo-Tibetan Interface. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-90-279-7700-7.
- Richard Burghart (1984). "The Formation of the Concept of Nation-State in Nepal". The Journal of Asian Studies. 44 (1): 101–125. doi:10.2307/2056748. JSTOR 2056748. S2CID 154584368.
- Whelpton, John (2005). A History of Nepal. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521804707.
- Sherchan, Sanjay (2001). Democracy, pluralism and Change: An Inquiry into Nepalese context. Chhye Pahhuppe. ISBN 9789993354390.
- Nepala Rajakiya Pragya Pratisthana (2001). Journal of Nepalese Literature, Art and Culture. Vol. 4. Nepal: Royal Nepal Academy.
- Witzel, Michael (1993). "Toward a History of the Brahmins". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 113 (2): 264–268. doi:10.2307/603031. ISSN 0003-0279. JSTOR 603031.