Jharra Chhetri
Jharra Chhetri(/ˈʒərrɑː/) are the subgroup of the khas Chhetri caste who are socio-religiously considered the purest among all Chhetri subcastes. Jharra Chhetri wear the six threaded Janai (sacred thread). They are historically Indo Aryan people with concept of racial purity. Matwali Chhetri or Pawai Chhetri outnumber Jharras but notable people from Chhetri community are Jharras like Bogati, Basnet/Basnyat, Thapa, Karki, Kunwar, Khadka, Budathoki, Katuwal, Mahat.
| Jharrā | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Subcaste of Chhetri |
| Religions | Hinduism |
| Languages | Nepali, Sanskrit |
| Country | Nepal, India |
| Family names | Basnet/Basnyat, Bista/Bisht, Bohra, Budhathoki, Chauhan, Karki, Katuwal, Khadka, Kunwar, Mahat, Mahara Rawal, Rawat, Rayamajhi, Thapa |
| Feudal title | Kaji Sa'ab , Dewan sahib, Mukhtiyar |
| Victory weapon | Khukuri |
| Notable members | Basnyat family, Kunwar family, Thapa dynasty, Family of Amar Singh Thapa |
| Subdivisions | Bahuthariya Ekthariya |
| Related groups | Thakuri , Bahun |
| Historical grouping | Tagadhari castes |
| Reservation (Education) | No (Forward Caste) |
| Reservation (Employment) | No |
| Reservation (Other) | No |
| Kingdom (original) | Khasa Kingdom |
| Kingdom (other) | Gorkha Kingdom, Jumla Kingdom |
Jharra Chhetri are Kshatriya in Hindu Social status since 1910 bs (muluki ain by Janga bahadur Rana/. They follow Bratabandha ceremony and proclaim a caste-based supremacy over Thakuri and other Khatri Chhetri and Pawei Khasa Chhetri based on the socio-religious gradation of purity.They are historically indo aryan people with concept of racial purity Most of them were historically warriors, administrators, or government officials official as their surname suggest.
Chhetri with heterogenous surnames are also called as Bahuthariya, such as Thapa (Bagale/Lamichhane/Godar/Suyal/Puwar), Karki (Mudula/Lama/Sutar), Basnet (Khaptari/Shripali/Khulal), Khadka (Kalikote/Puwar/Khulal/Maharajhi) whereas those with homogenous are known as "Ekthariyas" like Rayamajhi, Katwal, Raut, Kunwar etc. They are mostly descendants of different rank holding Indo-Aryan people in different feudal kingdoms of Medieval Himalayas.
Jharra Chhetris are strict Tagadhari hindus to the extent that Jharras who consumed alcohol and pork were even degraded to Matwali Chhetri(liquor drinkers) and robbed from Jharra status.
Etymology and Background
The meaning of the terminology "Jharra" is 'pure'[1] and 'unpolluted'[2] while the terminology "Chhetri" is a direct derivative[3] or a Nepalese vernacular of the Sanskrit word Kshatriya.[4]
Chhetri Background
Chhetris along with Brahmins are considered among the twice born castes called Tagadhari in Nepal and they wear the sacred thread called the Yagnopavita.[5] Chhetris are considered among the Pahadi caste groups and they speak Nepali language as their mother tongue which is highly influenced by Sanskrit.[5] The term 'Chhetri' was introduced by Jang Bahadur Rana, because he felt that the previous term of Khas (which the warrior castes of the hill people - i.e. present day Chhetri were known by) was not grand sounding enough and would cause him to lose face in front of foreigners.
Culture and Traditions
Definition and distinction with Thima
Jharra Chhetri title applies to those who are hindus. Hypergamous marriages are traditionally considered acceptable among Chhetri . The children born from the union of a Chhetri man and his married Chhetri wife are considered "Jharrā" (meaning: 'pure') while those children born from the union of a Hill Bramin man and a Chhetri woman are considered "Thimā" (meaning: 'hybrid'). They are not accepted in the funerals of Pure Kshatriyas Lineage.[1][6] Jharrā children are traditionally assigned a higher ritual status above the Thimā children.[1]
A Jharra Chhetri would accept ritually relevant food items from only among respective Jharra Chhetri in terms of traditional touchability. They were demoted to Matwali Chhetri if they consumed foods like Pork, Alcohol in different places. [1] During the rituals of annual sacrifice to the clan deities, only Jharra Chhetri would be allowed to enter into the inner sphere of the shrine.[1][6]
A Jharrā boy would be given a six threaded Janai (sacred thread) at his Hindu passage of rite Bartaman ceremony while a Thimā boy would be given only a three threaded Janai (sacred thread).[1] A Thimā son would inherit a sixth of the ancestral property compared to that of the Jharrā son.[1]
Socio-religious standing
Jharra Chhetris claim the highest social ranking among all subgroups of Chhetris.[7] It is either "allegedly pure" Khas tribe origin or Rajput origin that is considered to have constituted the Jharra division.[7] Jharra Chhetris are ritually observed to be higher than other non Jharra Chhetris[8] based on the concept of purity of descent.[9] The concept of purity distinguishes Jharra Chhetris from the children of other inter-ethnic or inter-caste marriages.[4] Jharra Chhetris are considered to have maintained a caste based superiority over other Khatri and Matwali/pawai (both being Chhetri sub-castes) based on the gradation of purity.[10]
Most Jharra Chhetris were landlords' military man and farmers. From Unification of Nepal to King Mahendra's Panchayat rule they occupied majority of government posts. They also have Monopoly in and other major posts in Nepal Army including Army chief.
Touchability
On the basis of concept of Jharra caste purity, some Chhetri men traditionally do not consume food cooked by their lower caste wives.[4]
Notable People
References
- Bennett 1978, p. 135.
- Subba 1989, p. xvi.
- Burghart 1984, p. 119.
- Gurung 1996, p. 31.
- Adhikary 1997, p. 19.
- Bista 1972, p. 123.
- Pahari 1995, p. 186.
- Subba 1989, p. 63.
- Iijima 1977, p. 101.
- Sharma Upreti 1979, p. 37.
Books
- Adhikary, Surya Mani (1997). The Khasa Kingdom: A trans-Himalayan empire of the middle age. Nirala Publications. p. 210. ISBN 8185693501.
- Bennett, Lynn (1978). "Maiti-Ghar: The Dual Role of High Caste Women". In James F. Fisher (ed.). Himalayan Anthropology: The Indo-Tibetan Interface. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-90-279-7700-7.
- Bista, Dor Bahadur (1 January 1972). People of Nepal. Kathmandu: Ratna Pustak Bhandar.
- Burghart, Richard (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.
- Gurung, Harka B. (1996). Faces of Nepal. Himal Books. ISBN 9789993343509.
- Pahari, Anup (1995), The Origins, Growth and Dissolution of Feudalism in Nepal: A Contribution to the Debate on Feudalism in Non-European Societies, vol. 4, University of Wisconsin--Madison
- Sharma Upreti, Nayantara (1979). A Study of the Family Support System: Child Bearing and Child Rearing Rituals in Kathmandu, Nepal. University of Wisconsin--Madison. ISBN 9788173041143.
- Subba, Tanka Bahadur (1989). Dynamics of a hill society: Nepalis in Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas. Mittal Publications. ISBN 9788173041143.
- Iijima, Shigeru (1977). Changing Aspects of Modern Nepal: Relating to the Ecology, Agriculture, and Her People. Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa.