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53-520: Over the years, the festivals has become an identifying factor for the people of Sudurpashchim region. It is considered to be the one of the most important festival of the Khas community of Sudurpashchim and Karnali provinces of Nepal. The celebration of the festival has also spread to other parts of the country. In the Nepalese capital city of Kathmandu , people also gather at Tundikhel ground nowadays on

106-425: A bronze or brass vessel . The women fast for a whole day on this day. In the day after, known as Shashthi (sixth day according to lunar calendar), the soaked grains are taken to nearest pond, river and spring and then washed. On this day, the women gather in the washing spot and sing deuda songs and dance. The grains are then brought back to the house. On the day of Saptami (seventh day according to lunar calendar),

159-499: A festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa. Gaura Parva is a lunar festival. The date of the festival is calculated by the official astrological committee ( Panchang Samiti ) every year. The occurrence of festival usually falls in the month of either August or September according to Gregorian calendar and either Shrawan or Bhadra month according to Nepali calendar . In Nepal,

212-593: A later stage. In an attempt to disassociate himself with his Khas past, the Rana prime minister Jung Bahadur decreed that the term Gorkhali be used instead of Khas kurā to describe the language. Meanwhile, the British Indian administrators had started using the term Nepal (after Newar) to refer to the Gorkha kingdom. In the 1930s, the Gorkha government also adopted this term to describe their country. Subsequently,

265-475: A sub-clan of Aida, an "Aryas” clan that originated at Idavritt (modern day Kashmir to Nepal ). Khas were living in the Idavaritt in the 3rd millennium BCE. and the original meaning of the term Khas was Raja or Kshatriya (Yoddha). He further speculates that Kashmir has been named from its local residents Khas as Khasmir . In the 2nd millennium B.C.E., one group of Khas migrated towards Iran while

318-514: Is a Shaka legacy and perhaps the standing Surya images with long boots which was commonly found at the Khasha belt of Himalaya. Some examples of it are the Bara-Aditya at Katarmal and Surya images of Baijnath , Bageshwar and Dwarahat . Khasas are believed to have arrived in the western reaches of Nepal at the beginning of first-millennium B.C. or middle of first-millennium A.D. from

371-652: Is almost obsolete, and people resent being addressed as Khas because of the negative stereotypes associated with this term. Furthermore, the Kanets of Kangra and Garhwal , Khasa of Jaunsar-Bawar and the bulk population of Garhwal and Kumaon (referred as "Khasia") are descended from the Khasas . Generally, the Khas people are referred as Rajputs or Kanets in the Himachal Pradesh . According to E.T. Atkinson,

424-469: Is called as Trilochan (त्रिलोचन) literally means to Shiva, three-eyed, that is, indication of the present, past and future. Bhairava Ashtami or Kalabhairava Ashtami commemorating the day Kal Bhairav , a fierce manifestation of Shiva , appeared on earth, is celebrated on Krishna paksha Ashtami of the Margashirsha month with a day special prayers and rituals. Sheetala Ashtami is dedicated to

477-648: Is observed on the Ashtami tithi, the eighth day of the dark half or Krishna Paksha of the month of Bhaadra in the Hindu calendar, when the Rohini Nakshatra is ascendant. Rasa lila or dramatic enactments of the life of Krishna are a special feature in regions of Mathura , and Vrindavan , Nalbari and regions following Vaishnavism in Manipur. Radhashtami or Radha Jayanti is the Hindu festival celebrating

530-402: Is started few days earlier. The place where the idol of Gaura is to be established, needs to be painted with red clay. The clay is collected on the day of Janai Purnima (or Kushe Aunsi , for Adheri Gaura). On the next day ( Pratiprada ), a specific place in the house,where rituals are to be carried out, is cleaned and then painted with clay. On the third and fourth day ( Dwitiya and Tritiya ),

583-611: The Bahun (Brahmin) priests to initiate them into the high-caste Chhetri order and adopted high-caste manners. Other Khas families who could not afford to (or did not care to) pay the Bahun priests also attempted to assume the Chhetri status but were not recognized as such by others. They are now called Matwali (alcohol-drinker Khas) Chhetris. Because of the adoption of the Chhetri identity,

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636-501: The Biruda is taken to nearest temple. The women pluck plants of five different grains from a specified field and take it to the village elder's house. The house where the plants are taken is known as Gaura Ghar . In absence of village elder, the celebration could be carried out in any specified house. An idol of goddess Gaura is made using the grasses. The grasses are kept in a bamboo basket and covered with red cloth. The women performing

689-615: The Gorkhali warriors. Historian-linguist E.T. Atkinson in his 1886 CE Kumaon gazetteer, mentions that there are 250 'septs among Khasiya Brahmins' and 280 'septs among Khasiya Rajputs' who represent the Khasa tribe. He states that the 90% of the Brahmins of Kumaon belong to the Khas tribe. The Khasiya Brahmins are mentioned to have been chiefly cultivators and agriculturalists and most of them worship chiefly Bhairava , Shiva , Vishnu ,

742-533: The Heheya dynasty kings, killed Brahmins of the line of Bhrigu while demanding the return of his wealth. The grieving widowed wives of the Brahmins fasted and prayed to the goddess Gauri, to protect their integrity. One of the Brahmin woman then gave birth to a skillful son who went to blind the king Sahastrarjuna. The king then apologised to the women for his crime. In honour of the benevolence and omnipotence of

795-622: The Himachal Pradesh . The Khasas of Jaunsar-Bawar who are represented by the Jaunsari Rajputs and Brahmins ) practiced polyandrous marriages. Irish Linguist George Abraham Grierson in his Linguistic Survey of India stated that the Khas tribe were the earliest recorded speakers of the Western Pahari languages . He further asserted that the Khas people made the bulk population of the Indo-Aryan speakers throughout

848-653: The Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent , in what is now the South Asian country of Nepal , as well as the Indian states of Uttarakhand , Himachal Pradesh , West Bengal , Assam and Sikkim . Khas consists of many subtribes like Kshetri , Thakuri , Bahun , khas dalit and Sanyasis and all spread across the Himalayas . Historically, Khas were the speakers of an ancient Khas language from

901-426: The Himalayas , the people of hilly and mountainous region of western Nepal and Uttarakhand considered the goddess as their kin. In Kumaon region of Uttarakhand state of India, the festival is known as Saton–Athon or Satu–Athu, translating to seventh and eight. The festival is called so because the main celebration of the festival takes place on the seventh and eight day of the festival. There are many tales regarding

954-712: The Indo-Aryan language family and the earliest recorded speakers of the Western Pahari languages . The large portion of the Indo-Aryan speakers throughout lower Himalayas were the Masto people. An intrusion of this tribe from the Western and Northwestern Himalayas into Central Himalayas is substantiated by the early linguistic evidences related to the Nepali language . They were also known as Parbatiyas/Parbates and are currently known as Paharis/Pahadis. (literally, "from

1007-494: The Jaunsar-Bawar is the representative Khasiya tract and it "..forms a very important links between the almost Hinduized Khasiyas of Kumaon and their brethren converts to Islam on the ethnical frontier of the mountains of Hindu Kush and apparently gives customs and practices of Khasiya race in full force at the present day which distinguished them thousands of years ago." Historian Sir Marc Aurel Stein identified

1060-513: The Khasas mentioned in the ancient Hindu literature. Irish linguist Sir G.A. Grierson asserted that "..the great mass of the Aryan speaking population of the lower Himalaya from Kashmir to Darjeeling is inhabited by tribes descended from the ancient Khasas of Mahabharata ." Historian Bal Krishna Sharma and Dor Bahadur Bista speculates that the Khas people were of Indo-European origin . Historian Baburam Acharya speculates that Khas are

1113-581: The Shaka tribe and further identifies Khashas and Shakas to have been two different waves of the same race. The Shakas were in Indian subcontinent before the first century BCE while the Khashas spread over the Himalayas and extensively populated the mountainous regions of Uttarakhand and the later waves of Shakas got diffused into them. Historian Omchand Handa contends that the "sun worship" among Khashas

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1166-556: The Western Himalayan region . Masto is worshipped in Uttarakhand , Himachal Pradesh , and Jammu and Kashmir regions of India as Mahasu , Mahesh , and Mahashiv . Ashtami Ashtami (अष्टमी aṣṭamī ) is the eighth day ( Tithi ) of Hindu lunar calendar. Krishna Janmashtami or Gokul Ashtami is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna , an avatar of Hindu deity Vishnu . Krishna Janmashtami

1219-498: The sovereignty over other Gram Rajyas of the entire territory. The Katyuris ruled from Joshimath in the Alaknanda Valley and later they shifted their capital to Baijnath . They have also been connected to the medieval Khasa Malla kingdom . The Khasa kings of West Nepal-Uttarakhand formed the famous Malla Kingdom, which ruled Humla from the eleventh century before collapsing and splintering into local chiefdoms during

1272-629: The Gorkha Kingdom, as well as the succeeding Rana dynasty , spoke the Khas language (now called the Nepali language). However, they claimed to be Rajputs of western Indian origin, rather than the native Khas Kshatriyas. Since outside Nepal, the Khas social status was seen as inferior to that of the Rajputs, the rulers started describing themselves as natives of the Hill country, rather than that of

1325-481: The Khas country. Most people, however, considered the terms Khas and Parbatiya ( Pahari/Pahadi or Hill people) as synonymous. Jung Bahadur also re-labeled the Khas jāt as Chhetri in present-day Nepal. Originally, the Brahmin immigrants from the plains considered the Khas as low-caste because of the latter's neglect of high-caste taboos (such as alcohol abstinence). The upper-class Khas people commissioned

1378-510: The Khas language also came to be known as Nepali language . It has become a national language of Nepal and lingua franca among the majority of population of Northern region of West Bengal , Sikkim and Bhutan . Historian Balkrishna Pokhrel contends that the Khas language of Nepal belonged to neither the Iranian language family, nor the Indian languages , but to the mid Indo-Iranian languages . Deuda song and folk dance performed on

1431-467: The Khasas were one of the warrior "Kshatriya tribe of Aryan origin" with linguistic connections to both Sanskrit and Iranian languages , who lost claim to Vedichood due to non-observance of Vedic rules. Roman geographer Pliny The Elder described the ancient Khasas/Khasiras (referred as 'Casiri') as one of the Indian ethnicity. Historian Rahul Sankrityayan proposes the origin of the Khasha tribe from

1484-444: The Khasas". The Khasa chiefs of Rajapuri freely intermarried with Kshatriya rulers of Kashmir while the Khasa chief of Lohara, Simharaja, married a daughter of Shahi Kings of Kabul . The descendants of the royal family of Rajauri later became Muslim Rajput chiefs and they retained the rulership of the territory till 19th century. The inhabitants of Karnah region in northwestern Kashmir, were Khasas and they were represented by

1537-451: The afternoon, married women who had soak Biruda and completed the rituals, offer blessings to their relatives for good health and prosperity. An idol of Shiva is made using stones or wood. The wedding ceremony of goddess Gaura and Shiva is performed using those idols. The women carry the idols on their head and dance singing folk religious songs. The soaked biruda is offered as prasada to people on this day. The idol are then dispersed on

1590-410: The alcohol drinker Khas group, i.e. Thakuri and Chhetri, but in other contexts may also include the low status (occupational Khas groups such as Kāmi (blacksmiths), Damāi (tailors), and Sārki (shoemakers and leather workers). Khas people are addressed with the term Khayan or Parbatiya or Partyā , Parbaté meaning hill-dweller by Newars . The hill Khas tribe are in large part associated with

1643-579: The appearance day of Goddess Radha , avatar of Lakshmi . The festival is celebrated annually on the eighth day of Bhadra month of bright moon. On this day, devotees keep fast, sing glories, dance and enact the divine pastimes of Goddess Radha. Trilochana Ashtami or Trilochanashtami (त्रिलोचन अष्टमी), is a Hindu auspicious day dedicated to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati celebrated in Odisha and different parts of India. Tri (त्रि) means Three and lochan (लोचन) means Eye. Hence one who having three eyes

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1696-495: The celebrants clean their house and gather items required for the celebration. On the fourth day ( Chaturthi ), the seeds that are to be soaked on the day after, are collected and cleaned. The festival officially begins on the day of Biruda Panchami (fifth day of the fortnight according to Hindu calendar). On this day, the married women soak five types of seeds ( wheat , horse gram , pea , rhododendron and black gram ), also known as Pancha Biruda following specified rituals, in

1749-497: The celebration of Gaura Parva begins at Bhadra māsa śukla pakṣa panchami tithi and ends on the day of Bhadra masa śukla paksha ashtami tithi. However, on the year while the rise of Agastya constellation (Canopus) is prior to Bhadra śukla ashtami, the festival is celebrated 15 days later during the dark phase of the month ( kṛṣṇa pakṣa ). And during Adheri Gaura , the celebration of Gaura Parva usually begins at Bhadra māsa kṛṣṇa pakṣa panchami tithi and ends on

1802-502: The celebration period of Gaura Parva could either fall in the bright lunar phase of Bhadra month (Bhadra śukla pakṣa ) or in the dark lunar phase of the Bhadra month (Bhadra kṛṣṇa pakṣa ), which is determined according to astrological calculations. The Gaura which falls on Krishna Paksha (dark lunar phase) is known as Adheri Gaura and which falls on Shukla Paksha (bright lunar phase) is known as Ujeli Gaura . During Ujeli Gaura ,

1855-401: The day of Bhadra masa kṛṣṇa paksha ashtami tithi. In India, the festival is celebrated from the day of Bhadra māsa śukla pakṣa panchami tithi to day of Bhadra masa śukla paksha ashtami tithi. The major celebration of the festival lasts for four days. The festival officially begins on the day of Biruda Panchami and ends on Gaurashtami, however the preparation for the celebration

1908-452: The final day of the festival and perform deuda dance. In India, the festival is celebrated in the regions around Pithoragarh district of Kumaon division of Uttarakhand state. The name of the festival is derived from the local name of the goddess Gauri . Gauri is the consort of the Shiva, one of the principal deities of Hinduism . Since Gauri is the daughter of Himavan , the embodiment of

1961-404: The fourteenth century. In the initial phase, majority of Khas people became Brahmins and others became Kshatriyas. The ruling Lohara dynasty (1003-1320 CE) of Kashmir were from the Khas tribe as per the 12th century text Rajatarangini written by the local Kashmiri Pandit historian Kalhana . Furthermore, Rajatarangini describes the rulers of Rajapuri (modern Rajauri ) as the "lord of

2014-431: The goddess Gauri, this festival is said to be celebrated. The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: māsa (lunar month), pakṣa (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day). Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz. amānta / pūrṇimānta . If

2067-693: The hills"). They were also referred to as Yartse in Tibet and are also known as Khasan by Bhotia people. The term Khas has now become obsolete, as the Khas people have adopted communal identities because of the negative stereotypes associated with the term Khas . In Nepal the native speaker of Nepali language are known as Khas people. According to the Constitution of Nepal , Bahun Nepali Dalit , Kshetris , Thakuris , and Sanyasis (Dashnami) who are citizens of Nepal should be considered as "Khas Arya" for electoral purposes. They have been connected to

2120-436: The inner Himalayan belt up to Nepal. Previously, Khashas had strongly established themselves from Afghanistan to Nepal from ancient period and as per internal evidences, they managed the village level theocratic republics like Gram-Rajya and Mandals under various local clans and identities. The ruling Katyuri dynasty (700-1065 CE) of Kumaon who were of Khas origin, was one of the ruling houses of Joshimath that claimed

2173-402: The lower Himalaya from Kashmir to Darjeeling . The Khas people of Nepal originally referred to their language as Khas kurā (Khas speech), which was also known as Parbatiya (the language of the hill country). The Newar people used the term Khayan Bhaya , Parbatiya and Gorkhali as a name for this language, Gorkhalis themselves started using this term to refer to their language at

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2226-513: The modern Bomba (tribe) who independently ruled the northwestern Kashmir till the Sikh conquest of Kashmir . There was also an independent Khasa lord at the castle located in the foot of Banahal Pass in the territory of Visalata and Dengapala ("Thakkura Dengapala" ) was a Khasa chief at the banks of Chandrabhaga (modern Chenab river ). Until the 19th century, the Gorkhali referred to their country as Khas Desh (Khas country). As they annexed

2279-619: The modern Khakha Rajputs of Azad Kashmir as the descendants of Khasas mentioned in the Rajatarangini . The Khasa tribe in Karnah region in northwestern Kashmir were represented by the modern Bomba (tribe) . Historian Balkrishna Pokhrel writes the communities or caste in Khas group were hill Bahun , Chhetri , Thakuri , Gharti , Damai , Kami , Sarki , Hudka, Tamote, Gaine and Sunar , badi , luhar , parki etc . The tribal designation Khas refers to in some contexts only to

2332-637: The more common forms of the Shakti and village deities. Most of them derive their surnames from their village of origin. The Khasiyas of Uttarakhand never attempted to connect themselves with plain regions until recently they found that such connections increases personal dignity. Khas people of the Western Himalayas are considered similar to the Khas people of the Garhwal , Kumaon and Nepal. They are generally referred as Rajputs or Kanets in

2385-536: The nearest river after five to eleven days and the festival concludes. The deuda dance is major part of this festival in which participants hold hands and form a circle as they stepped to traditional music. Apart from the many ceremonies that happen during this festival, it is the occasion for married women to put on the sacred thread. Khas people Khas peoples or Khas Tribes , ( English: / k ɑː s / ; Nepali : खस ) popularly known as Khashya are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to

2438-517: The north-west. The earliest linguistic evidences related to Nepali language also substantiates the linguistic intrusion of an Indo-Aryan speaking Khasa tribe from the West or Northwest Himalayas into Central Himalayas at the present day regions of Western Nepal. It is likely that they absorbed people from different ethnic groups during this immigration. They had extensively populated the mountainous regions of Uttarakhand and they had entirely dominated

2491-487: The occasion of various festivals in the Sudurpashchim and Karnali provinces of Nepal . The majority of Khas profess Hinduism ; some of them also follow Buddhism and some were also converted to Christianity . The Khas people also had their own sect of Shaivism known as Masto religion where 12 Masto gods were worshipped. These gods were said to be sons of Shiva . Masto worship was prevalent throughout all of

2544-482: The origin of the Gaura. On this occasion, women worship goddess Gauri, the wife of Shiva for their husbands' health and long age. The loving bond of Shiva (Maheshvara) and Parvati (Gaura) is celebrated during the festival. Gauri is believed to have undergone a rigorous penance in order to obtain Shiva as her husband. The penance of the goddess is venerated in this festival. According to another tale, Sahastrarjuna , one of

2597-547: The other group migrated east of Sutlej river settling only in the hill regions up to Bheri River . Historian Balkrishna Pokhrel contends that Khas were not the Vedic Aryans but Aryans of the latter periods like the Gurjara , Darada , Shaka , and Pallava . He further asserts that post-Vedic Aryans were akin to Vedic Aryans in terms of language and culture. Irish linguist Sir George Abraham Grierson asserted that

2650-476: The ritual fast for the whole day and wear a holy thread made of dubo grass on their neck. In the evening the idol is worshipped and different garment and cosmetic items are offered to the goddess. The next day of Ashtami (eighth day according to lunar calendar, also known as Athebali and Gaurashtami) is the most important day of festival. On this day, the women gather at a place known as Gaura khalo and fast and sing prayers dedicated to Gauri and Maheshwar . In

2703-511: The term Khas is rapidly becoming obsolete. According to Dor Bahadur Bista (1991), "the Khas have vanished from the ethnographic map of Nepal". Modern-day Khas people are referred to as Hill Brahmin ( Bahun ), Hill Kshatriya ( Thakuri / Chhetri ) and Hill Dalit. Further, historian Pokharel adds the Gharti , Damai , Kami , Sarki , Hudka, Tamote, Gaine and Badi to the Khas communities. In modern times, Khas people are popularly referred by

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2756-674: The term "Khas Arya". In Kumaon and Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand in India, too, the term Khas has become obsolete. The Khas people of Kumaon termed as Kumaoni khash jimdar, after being elevated to the Rajput status by the Chand kings . During Chand rule in Kumaon, Khas and Rajput were differentiated by their sacred thread, Khas were allowed to wear only 3 thread (3 palli)sacred thread whereas Rajput used to wear 6 palli sacred thread.The term Khas

2809-585: The various neighboring countries (such as Nepal or Newa of the Newar people ) to the Gorkha kingdom, the terms such as Khas and Newar ceased to be used as the names of countries. The 1854 legal code ( Muluki Ain ), promulgated by the Nepali Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana , himself a Khas, no longer referred to Khas as a country, rather as a jāt (species or community) within the Gorkha kingdom. The Shah dynasty of

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