Newar people

The Newar people are a special and historic group who live mainly in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal and the areas around it. They helped shape the valley's rich history and culture.

Newars have their own language called Nepal Bhasa and mostly follow two religions: Newar Hinduism and Newar Buddhism. They are known for their unique traditions, art, and way of life, which are very different from other groups in the Himalayan foothills.

Newars have made important contributions to art, literature, trade, farming, and food. They take great pride in protecting Nepal's religious and cultural heritage. Today, they are often considered one of the most successful groups in Nepal in terms of education, health, and living standards. Their ancestors came from many different places and cultures, creating a rich and diverse community that has lasted for thousands of years.

Origin and etymology

The words "Nepāl", "Newār", "Newāl" and "Nepār" are different ways of saying the same name. They have been used at different times in history. "Nepal" is the formal literary form from Sanskrit, while "Newar" is the everyday spoken form from Prakrit. An old inscription from the year 512 in Tistung, west of Kathmandu, says "greetings to the Nepals". This shows that "Nepal" was used for both the land and its people.

The word "Newar" meaning "inhabitant of Nepal" first appears in an inscription from 1654 in Kathmandu. An Italian Jesuit named Ippolito Desideri, who visited Nepal in 1721, also used the term "Newars" for the local people. Scholars think "Nepal" might be a more formal version of "Newar", or that "Newar" developed later from "Nepal". Over time, the sounds changed. So today, people often say "Newā" instead of "Newār" and "Nepā" instead of "Nepāl" in daily conversations.

History

For over 2,000 years, the Newar people in Central Nepal kept parts of old Indian culture alive. Both Hindu and Buddhist traditions were important there. The Malla dynasty supported the Maithili language, letting it be used like the important language Sanskrit in their courts. Priests from Maithil came to live in Kathmandu, and many families from Tibet and Tirhut also moved there, shaping Newar traditions.

The Newar people share a common identity from living in the Kathmandu Valley. Before the valley was taken over by the Gorkha Kingdom in 1769, anyone living there was considered Newar. The valley’s early history mixes with stories, like one that says it was once a huge lake that a holy man named Manjusri helped drain. This explains why the soil there is so rich.

Economic History

The Newar people have always relied on trade, jobs, and farming. Different groups had special jobs, like making jewelry, weaving, farming, and creating art. Their traditions needed many different items, which also helped the economy grow. Each town or village made special things, and the land produced lots of food to sell.

For many years, Newar traders helped move goods between Tibet and India, and also sold things made locally in Tibet. Rice was a big product they sold. People and animals carried goods along old mountain paths. Since the 1700s, Newars have moved across Nepal and set up market towns in the hills. Today, they work in many modern jobs, like factories, businesses, and services.

Castes and Communities

Main article: Newa sub-communities

The Newar people are a special group in Nepal. They have their own language and culture. They have many different clans or groups, each with traditional jobs that families often keep.

These groups began a long time ago and changed over time.

Some Newars were farmers, like the Jyapu group. Others had special jobs such as being priests, artists, or craftsmen. There were also groups that worked with metals, made pottery, or took care of temples. Today, these traditional roles still affect the Newar community.

Culture

Language

Main article: Nepal Bhasa

Nepal Bhasa, also called Newar, is a language spoken by Newars in Nepal's Katmandu Valley. It belongs to the Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. Newars share a common language and culture. The government recognizes Nepal Bhasa by this name.

Nepal Bhasa was spoken during the Licchavi period and developed from the language of the Kirati period. Inscriptions in Nepal Bhasa date back to the 12th century, with the palm-leaf manuscript from Uku Bahah as the earliest example. It became the court and state language from the 14th to the late 18th centuries. It was used in inscriptions, manuscripts, documents, journals, and writing.

In 2011, about 846,000 people spoke Nepal Bhasa as their first language. Many Newar communities also speak their own dialects, such as the Dolakha Newar Language.

Literature

Main article: Nepal Bhasa literature

Newar Bhasa has an old literary tradition. Literature began with translations and commentaries in the 14th century AD. The oldest known document in Newar Bhasa is "The Palmleaf from Uku Bahal" from 1114 AD.

Classical Newar Bhasa literature includes prose, poetry, and drama. Most writings are prose, such as chronicles, stories, and scientific manuals. Poetry includes love songs, ballads, work songs, and religious poetry. Epic poetry about historical events and tragedies is very popular. Dramas are based on stories from epics and were mostly written in the 17th and 18th centuries. Nepal Bhasa literature flourished for five centuries until 1850. It declined after that. The period 1909–1941 is known as the Nepal Bhasa renaissance when writers created new works. Modern Nepal Bhasa literature began in the 1940s with new types of writing like short stories, poems, essays, novels, and plays.

Scripts

Main article: Nepal alphabets

Nepal Bhasa script comes from the Brahmi script and is used to write Nepal Bhasa. Ranjana Lipi is the most common script. It is also called Nepal Lipi or Nepal Akhala.

Nepal Bhasa scripts appeared in the 10th century. For a thousand years, they were used on stone and copper inscriptions, coins (Nepalese mohar), palm-leaf documents, and Buddhist manuscripts. Devanagari began to be used to write Nepal Bhasa in the early 20th century, and Nepal script is now used less.

Politics

Newa Autonomous State

Newa Autonomous State is a proposed federal state in Nepal for the Newa people. The historical homeland of Newars is called Nepal Mandala. It would include areas where Newars historically lived, such as Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, and towns like Dolakha, Nuwakot, Makwanpur, Ramechhap, Sindupalchok, and Kavre West.

Dance

Main article: Newa dance

See also: Kumha Pyakhan dance

Newar dance includes sacred masked dances, religious dances without masks called Dyah Pyakhan, ritual dances called Chachaa Pyakhan, and folk dances. There are also masked dance dramas called Daboo Pyakhan that tell religious stories with music.

Music

Main article: Newa music

Traditional Newa music includes sacred music, devotional songs, seasonal songs, ballads, and folk songs. Well-known seasonal songs include Sitala Maju and Silu. Another song, Ji Waya La Lachhi Maduni, is about a newly married couple. The ballad Rajamati about young lovers is very popular. In 1908, Seturam Shrestha recorded the first song on gramophone disc in Kolkata.

Common percussion instruments are dhimay, khin, naykhin, and dhaa. Wind instruments include bansuri (flute), payntah (long trumpet), mwahali (short trumpet), chhusya, bhusya, taa (cymbals), and gongs. String instruments are rare. Newa people call their music Dhime Baja.

Musical bands still play today during religious processions. Devotional songs are sung daily in community houses. Dapa songs are sung during special seasons at temples and sacred places.

Gunla Bajan bands parade through streets during Gunla, the 10th month of the Nepal Sambat calendar. Music starts with an overture to honor the gods.

Seasonal songs and ballads match certain seasons and festivals. Music is also played during weddings, life ceremonies, and funerals.

Popular traditional songs

• Ghātu (summer music for Pahan Charhe festival)
• Ji Wayā Lā Lachhi Maduni (story of a merchant)
• Mohani (festive joy for Mohani festival)
• Rājamati (about young lovers)
• Silu (about a couple separated during a pilgrimage)
• Sitālā Māju (lament for children from the Kathmandu Valley)
• Swey Dhaka Swaigu Makhu (love song)
• Holi ya Mela
• Wala Wala Pulu Kishi (sung in Indra jatra)
• Yo Sing Tyo
• Yomari Maku
• Dhanga maru ni bhamcha
• Sirsaya Hegu

Religious music

• Gunlā Bājan
• Malshree dhun
• Dapha Bhajan
• Mye kasa

Art

Main article: Newa art

Newars are known for their art and architecture in Nepal. Traditional Newar art is mostly religious. Newar painting, sculpture, and metal work are famous for their beauty. The oldest known painting is Vasudhara Mandala from 1365 AD (Nepal Sambat 485). Murals from the 15th century in Mustang show Newar art outside the Kathmandu Valley. Stone sculpture, wood carving, repoussé art, and metal statues of Buddhist and Hindu gods are examples of Newar skill. The Peacock Window of Bhaktapur and Desay Madu Jhya of Kathmandu are famous for wood carving.

Building elements like the carved Newar window, roof struts on temples, and the tympanum of temples show traditional creativity. Since the seventh century, Newar artists have influenced art in Tibet and China. Newars brought the lost-wax technique to Bhutan and painted murals in monasteries there. Sandpainting of mandala during festivals and rituals is another Newar specialty.

Newar artists also helped introduce Western art styles to Nepal. Raj Man Singh Chitrakar started watercolor painting in the country. Other artists like Bhaju Man Chitrakar, Tej Bahadur Chitrakar, and Chandra Man Singh Maskey brought modern styles with lighting and perspective.

Traditional painting

• Paubhā
• Thanka

Architecture

Main article: Newa architecture

There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 2,500 temples and shrines in the Kathmandu Valley showing Newar skill. Fine brickwork and woodcarving are marks of Newar architecture. Residential houses, monastic courtyards (baha and bahi), rest houses, temples, stupas, priest houses, and palaces are found in the valley. Most major monuments are in the Durbar Squares of Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur, old royal palace complexes from the 12th to 18th centuries.

Newa architecture includes pagoda, stupa, shikhara, chaitya, and other styles. The valley's symbol is the multiple-roofed pagoda, which may have spread to India, China, Indochina, and Japan. Arniko, a Newar who visited Kublai Khan in the 13th century, influenced architecture in China and Tibet. He built the white stupa at the Miaoying Temple in Beijing.

Settlements

Durbar squares, temple squares, sacred courtyards, stupas, open-air shrines, dance platforms, sunken water fountains, rest houses, markets, multi-story houses with carved windows, and compact streets are features of traditional planning. Historical cities like Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Madhyapur Thimi, Chovar, Bungamati, Thankot, and Kirtipur are in the Kathmandu Valley, where many Newars live.

Outside the valley, historical Newar settlements are Nuwakot, Nala, Banepa, Dhulikhel, Panauti, Dolakha, Chitlang, and Bhimphedi. The Newars of Kathmandu founded Pokhara in 1752. Newars have spread to other parts of Nepal, with large populations in Bandipur, Baglung, Silgadhi, and Tansen in western Nepal, and Chainpur and Bhojpur in eastern Nepal.

Newars also live outside Nepal, in Darjeeling and Kalimpong in India, Assam, Manipur, and Sikkim. In Sikkim, they helped set up a coinage system. In recent times, Newars have moved to Asia, Europe, and America.

Festivals

Newar religious culture has many festivals through the year. Many are tied to Hindu and Buddhist holidays and the harvest. Street celebrations include pageants, jatras or processions with cars or portable shrines, and sacred masked dances. Other festivals have family feasts and worship. The dates change with the lunar calendar.

Mohani is a major celebration with feasts, religious services, and processions lasting several days. During Swanti, Newars celebrate New Year's Day of Nepal Sambat with Mha Puja, a ritual to strengthen oneself spiritually.

Another big festival is Sā Pāru when people who lost a family member dress as cows and saints and parade through town. Participants receive money, food, and gifts.

In Kathmandu, the biggest street festival is Yenya (Indra Jatra) with three cars carrying the living goddess Kumari and other child gods, followed by masked dances. Pahan Charhe parades portable shrines of mother goddesses. Jana Baha Dyah Jatra in Kathmandu and Bunga Dyah Jatra in Lalitpur are also major events. Biska Jatra in Bhaktapur lasts nine days with chariot processions. Sithi Nakha is a festival for worship and cleaning water sources. Each Newar town and village has its own festival with processions.

Paanch Chare is a festival celebrated by Newars from the Kathmandu Valley on the Chaturdasi day in the month of Chaitra.

The longest jatra in Nepal, Rato Machindra Nath Janka, is mostly celebrated in Patan and lasts one month with many events.

Clothing

Main article: Traditional Newar clothing

In cities, people usually wear Western clothes. Traditionally, men wear a cap (tapuli), long shirt (tapālan), and trousers (suruwā), also called Daura-Suruwal. Women wear cheeparsi (sari) and gaa (long shawl), while younger girls wear ankle-length gowns (bhāntānlan). Ritual dresses include pleated gowns, coats, and headresses. Jyapu women wear a special sari called Hāku Patāsi, a black sari with a red border. Jyapu men have a special version of the tapālan suruwā. Shawls (gā) are worn by both men and women. Women traditionally wear red cloth shoes called Kapa lakaan, decorated with glitter and colorful beads (potya). Bracelets (chūra) and necklaces (mala) are important parts of Newar dress.

Cuisine

Main article: Newa Cuisine

Meals have three parts: the daily meal, afternoon snack, and festival food. The daily meal includes boiled rice, lentil soup, vegetable curry, relish, and meat. Snacks include beaten rice, roasted soybeans, curried potato, and roasted meat with spices.

Food is important in rituals and religion. Dishes for festivals and feasts have symbolic meaning. Ritual dishes are placed around Bawji (rice flakes) to honor different deities.

Popular festival foods include Kwāti (soup of beans), kachilā (spiced minced meat), chhoyalā (water buffalo meat grilled over wheat stalks), pukālā (fried meat), wo (lentil cake), paun kwā (sour soup), swan pukā (stuffed lungs), syen (fried liver), mye (boiled and fried tongue), sapu mhichā (stomach with bone marrow), sanyā khunā (jellied fish soup), and takhā (jellied meat). Desserts include dhau (yogurt), sisābusā (fruits), and mari (sweets). Thwon (rice beer) and aylā (local alcohol) are common home-made drinks.

Newars sit on long mats in rows during meals, festivals, and gatherings. The eldest sits at the top, and the youngest at the end. Newar cuisine uses mustard oil and spices like cumin, sesame seeds, turmeric, garlic, ginger, mint, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, chili, and mustard seeds. Food is served on laptya (plates of special leaves) and soups in botā (bowls of leaves). Drinks are served in Salinchā (clay bowls) and Kholchā (small metal bowls).

Newars are creative cooks, preparing many foods for festivals.

Life-cycle ceremonies

Newars have many ceremonies from birth to death. These rituals prepare for life after death. Both Hindus and Buddhists perform 10 sacred rites called "10 Karma Sanskar." These include important events like childbirth, naming, first rice feeding, first hair cutting, wedding, and more.

• Chudakarma ceremony

One important ceremony for boys is Chudākarma (loin-cloth and head-shaving) followed by Bratabandha or Kaeta Puja. For Buddhist Newars like Gubhāju-Baré (Bajracharya-Shakya), Urāy, Jyapu, and some artisans like Chitrakār, this includes a Pravrajyā ceremony where boys live like monks for three days in a Vihara, then return to family life.

Hindu Newars have Kaeta Puja, where boys renounce family life temporarily, shave their heads except a tuft, wear yellow/orange robes, beg for rice, and symbolically fulfill the ascetic ideal before returning to family life. Twice-born (Brahmin and Kshatriya) Newars like Rajopādhyāyas and Chatharīyas also perform Upanayana, receiving a sacred thread and Vedic mantras.

• Macha Janku

This is the rice feeding ceremony ("Annapraasan") at 6–8 months for boys and 5–7 months for girls.

• Ihi ceremony

For girls, Ihi (Ehee) is performed between ages five and nine. In this ceremony, girls are "married" to the bael fruit, symbolizing the god Shiva. It is believed that if a girl later becomes a widow, she is not considered one because she is married to Shiva.

• Bahra

Girls have the Bahra Chuyegu ceremony around puberty, usually at ages 7, 9, or 11. She is kept hidden for 12 days and ceremonially married to the sun god Surya.

• Jankwa

Jankwa or Janku is an old-age ceremony at 77 years, 7 months, 7 days, 7 hours, 7 minutes, 7 quarters. More ceremonies follow at ages 83, 88, and 99. The first is called "Bhimratharohan," the second "Chandraratharohan," the third "Devaratharohan," and the fourth "Divyaratharohan." After the second Jankwa, the person is treated like a deity.

• Vivaaha (Wedding)

Marriage is common for both men and women. The bride usually leaves her home to live with her husband’s family and take his name. Cross-cousin and parallel-cousin marriage are not allowed. Parents usually arrange marriages with a go-between (lamee). Elopement is common in some areas.

• The Sagan ceremony with auspicious foods is important in life-cycle rituals.
• Most Newars cremate their dead, except the Laakumi and Jogi caste, who bury their dead. Offerings are made to the spirit of the dead, and to the crow and dog, who represent ancestors and the god of death. Offerings and rituals happen on days 4, 7, 8, 13, and 45 after death, and monthly for a year, then annually.
• Buddhist Newars make a mandala (sand painting) of Buddha three days after death, kept for four days.

Newa Games

Newa games include Kana kana picha (blindfold game), Piyah (pushing stones within marked ground), Gatti (stone game by hand), and pasa.

The Kirantas settled in Nepal, especially the eastern Himalayas, in the seventh century B.C. They were brave and attacked Kathmandu during King Bhuwan Singh’s rule, founding the Kiranti rule. Yalambar was the first Kiranti king. Later kings like Jitedasit and Sthunko were famous. During Jitedasti’s rule, Gautam Buddha visited Nepal. During Sthunko’s rule, Indian Emperor Ashok visited Kathmandu.

About 32 Kiranti kings ruled the valley. Trade and industry grew. Wool, wood, and herbs were traded. Nepali blankets were famous in pataliputra. Laws were strict with justice courts. The Kirantas worshipped Mahadev, serpents, and trees. They built stupas and chaityas and had their own culture with settlements like matatirtha, Shankhmul, Thankot, Khopung, Kurpasi, Sanga, Tenkhu. These places still exist with name changes.

Lichchhavi kings came after the Kirantis. The Som dynasty ruled for five kings, ending with Bhaskerverma. Then the Lichchhavis from India began ruling Nepal.

Religion

See also: Newar Hinduism, Newar Buddhism, and Roman Catholic Diocese of Bettiah

The Newar people mainly follow either Hinduism or Buddhism. In the past, most were Hindu and some were Buddhist, with a small Christian group as well.

In the Kathmandu Valley, the city of Patan has many Buddhist sites, while Bhaktapur is mostly Hindu. Kathmandu has both. Both groups share many festivals and respect each other's traditions. Important places for worship include Swayambhunath for Buddhists and Pashupatinath for Hindus.

The Newars have practiced both forms of Buddhism and Hinduism for a very long time. They share many traditions, especially the worship of local gods like Ganesh. Some Newars became Christians many years ago when missionaries arrived, and some moved to India later.

Notable Newar people

The Newar people have had many important people in Nepal’s history. One example is Sankhadhar Sakhwa, a kind person from 879 AD who helped make the Nepal Sambat calendar. Another is Jogbir Sthapit, the architect who designed the Narayanhiti Royal Palace in the 1800s.

Other notable Newars include writers, poets, and leaders. They have helped shape Nepal’s culture, politics, and social life for many years.