HISTORY OF MAGARS IN NEPAL (with first boxer of nepal Dal Bahadur Rana from Arkhale, Gulmi)
-Mahesh Thapa Magar(avi)
Origin
Genetically and physically, Magar people are Mongoloid/east Asian. They
are believed to have migrated from Tibet like the Gurungs and other
prominent ethnic groups, however, there is an interesting mythical story
describing Magar's origins and versions of three different language groups are
presented.
The Magar of the Bara Magaranth (a group of twelve Magar kingdoms east of
the Gandaki River) are said to have originated in the land of Seem. Two
brothers, See Magar and Chintoo Magar, fought, and one remained in Seem, while
the other left, ending up in Kangwachen in southern Sikkim. The Bhutia people
lived at the northern end of this region. Over time, the Magars became very
powerful and made the northern Bhutia their vassals. Sintoo Sati Sheng
ruled in a very despotic manner, and the Bhutia conspired to assassinate him.
Sheng's queen took revenge and poisoned 1,000 Bhutia people at a place now
called Tong Song Fong, meaning "where a thousand were murdered". The
Bhutia later drove the Magar out, forcing them to again migrate further south.
As part of this migration, one group migrated to Simrongadh, one group moved
towards the Okhaldhunga region, and another group seems to have returned to the
east. No dates are given.
A second Magar federation called Ather Magarat (18 Magar Kingdoms) was
situated west of the Gandaki River, inhabited by Kham Magar. The
origin legend of this group is that four brothers got lost while hunting. They
camped overnight and from the distribution of chores rose the various jats or
tribes. The first tribe was the Bahun Magar (the eldest brother's tribe), then
came the Thakuri Magar (the second eldest brother), then the Khas Magar (the
third brother), and lastly the Kami Magar (the youngest brother).
The Tarali Magar are said to have originated from a woman who fled the
region of Jumla during a war between Kalyal kings. It is not known who her
spouse, was but she arrived at Tarakot on the verge of giving birth to a son.
One day the boy saw a strange phenomenon in the jungle lake where he went with
his cattle. Lhe lake is said to have filled with milk, and seven shining
creatures, like fairies, were bathing in the waters of the lake. He was
enthralled and came to observe them daily. One day he told his mother about
this strange sight, and she advised him to touch the youngest of these angels;
this would cause her to become human so he could marry her, and he brought the
beautiful damsel to his mother. When they asked her who she was she replied in
an unknown tongue which was incomprehensible for them. The devi was offered
some bread, and she uttered the words, "Tai khe nan." Slowly they
began to learn the language of this woman, and Kaike was spread among
themselves. The language was called "Kaike", meaning "language of
the Gods".
History
The group was first mentioned in AD 1100, when the Magar King of Palpa
and Butwal, Mukunda Sen, invaded and conquered the Nepal (Kathmandu)
valley. It is always understood, however, that they have resided around
Palpa from time immemorial and that they were probably the earliest settlers
from the north. This part of the country was formerly divided into twelve
districts, each under its own ruler, being known as the Barah, or
twelve Magarant or twelve Thams, the members of
each supposedly being of common extraction in the male line. Some records show
these twelve areas as being Argha, Gulmi, Isma, Musikot, Khanchi,
Ghiring, Rising, Bhirkot, Payung, Garhung, Dhor and Satung. However, it is
probable that some of the latter places should have been excluded in favour of Palpa, Galkot,
Dhurkot, Char Hajar, Parbat, and even Piuthan and Salyan.
The Magars of middle and western Nepal played a role in Nepal's formative
history. Their kingdom was one of the strongest of west Nepal in and around
Palpa District during the time of the 22 and 24 rajya principalities
(17th and early 18th centuries). Hamilton, during his research in Nepal in
1802, came to a conclusion that all the kings of 24 principalities, including
Sen King of Palpa in western Nepal, were Magars.Magars believe that they and
the Thakuris have the same origins. Many of the Magar aristocracy
joined the Thakuri caste and status. In recent years, many scholars and
historians have claimed that Nepal's former Shah rulers were the descendants of
Magar kings of the Barah Magarath/Kali Gandaki region. The 18th-century
king, Prithvi Narayan Shah, the founder of the modern Kingdom of Nepal
announced himself a Magar king. According to Hamilton, Mincha and Khancha Khan,
the forefathers of former Shah kings of Nepal, were of Magar descent Baburam
Acharya, a prominent historian of Nepal, also confirmed that Nepal's former
Shah kings were the descendents of Magar kings
Many prominent historians of Nepal have claimed that Aramudi, an eighth
century ruler of the Kali Gandaki region, was a Magar
King. "Aramudi" derives from the word for 'river' in theMagar
language 'Ari'-'Source of Water' + 'Modi'-'River'='Arimodi' or 'Aramudi',
thus the literal meaning of Aramudi is 'source of river'. Jayapida [782-813
AD] also called Vinayaditta, a king of Kashmir, invaded Kali Gandaki
Region, a traditional homeland of the Magars of Nepal. Aramudi resisted the
invasion. After capture by Aramudi, Vinayaditta was taken to the right banks of
the Kali Gandaki river, in a strongly built fort, where
Aramudi imprisoned him. Jayapida was a powerful king of Kashmir who ruled
for 31 years and defeated the kings ofKanyakubja(Kannauj), and Prayag/Allahabad in Utter
Pradesh, India. He was in a conquering expedition to the valley of the Ganges.
Subdivisions
The tribes are structured with septs followed by
the sub-septs and the next smallest groups are the gotras.
The Magar people are divided into three sub-tribes by linguistic
classification, as there are three languages among the Magar people:
Language
|
Septs
|
Magarkura speakers
|
Rana, Ale, Thapa, Singjali, most
of Magars
|
Khamkura/Magar Pang speakers
|
Budha, Gharti, Roka, Pun,
Jhankri
|
Kaike speakers
|
Tarali Magar of Dolpa/Budha,
Gharti, Rokaya, Jhankri
|
Language
Of the 1,622,421 Magar people in Nepal, nearly 770,100 speak a Magar
language as their mother tongue. The Kham Magar of Rapti Zone
speak Kham language. In Dolpa District, the Magar speak Tarali or Kaike
language. The Magar languages are rooted in the Bodic branch of the
Tibetan family. Magarkura speakers are Ale, Thapa, Singjapati and Rana.
Similarly Khamkura speakers are Budha, Gharti, Roka, Pun, Shrees, Jhankri, and
Kaike speakers are Tarali Magar of Dolpa, Budha, Gharti, Roka,
Jhankri. Language expert Madhav Pokhrel says that there is 16%similarity
between Magar Language and Hungary's Magyar Language. The 1971 census
put the total population of those who spoke the Magar language at 288,383, i.e.
2.49 percent of the total population of Nepal, of which more than half lived in
the Western hills of Nepal.Influence on Nepali
The Khas language, originating in Jumla and the Sinja
Valley, influenced Nepali language which incorporated words
from Sanskrit and Magar language. Many Magar words are used even
today, especially as location names. Magar toponyms in Nepali
include: Tilaurakot ("place selling sesame seed"), Kanchanjunga ("clear
peak"), and * Tansen("straight wood" )Some scholars opine
that the amount of Magar words in Nepali indicates that Magarat (historic
Magar lands) were larger than generally believed, extending from Dhading to Doti. They
note that the place suffix -Kotindicates a place from which Magar
kings formerly ruled.
Religion
The original religions or beliefs of Magar people are Shamanism and Tengriism and
the northern Magar practice Tibetan Buddhism, in which their priest is
known as bhusal.
The majority of Magars are Hindu, although Buddhism is common in the
Magar area, though are less evident in Kham hinterlands, particularly in the
ranges along the boundary between Rukum and Pyuthan-Rolpa districts. These
hinterlands are geographically, and therefore culturally, isolated from the
beaten tracks of transhimalayan trade routes and from rice-growing lowlands
(Hitchcock, 1966:25-34).
Animists and shamanism form part of the local belief system; their dhami
(the faithhealer or a kind of shaman) is called Dangar and their jhankri
(another kind of faithhealer or shaman) is called Rama. Bhusal was the
traditional spiritual and social leader of the Magars. Magars have an informal
cultural institution, called Bheja, who performs religious activities,
organizes social and agriculture-related festivities, brings about reforms in
traditions and customs, strengthens social and production system, manages
resources, settles cases and disputes and systematizes activities for
recreation and social solidarity. Some educated and prosperous Magars are
shifting closer to traditional Hinduism in recent years.
Dress and ornaments
The Magar of the low hills wear the ordinary kachhad or
wrap-on-loincloth, a bhoto or a shirt of vest, and the usual Nepali
topi. The women wear the pariya or sari or lunghi,
chaubandhi cholo or a closed blouse and the heavy patuka or waistband
and the mujetro or shawl-like garment on the head. The
higher-altitude Magars wear an additional bhangra, and the ones
living in the Tarakot area even wear the Tibetan chhuba. The
ornaments are the madwari on the ears, bulaki on
the nose and the phuli on the left nostril, the silver coin
necklace and the pote (green beads) with the tilharigold
cylinder and kuntha. Magar males do not wear many ornaments, but
some are seen to have silver or gold earrings, hanging from their earlobes,
called "gokkul". The magar girls wear the amulet or
locket necklace, and women of the lower hills and the high-altitude ones wear
these made of silver with muga stones imbedded in them and kantha.
The bangles of gold and glass are also worn on their hands along with the sirbandhi, sirphuli and chandra on
their heads. These are large pieces of gold beaten in elongated and circular
shapes.
Occupations
Agriculture and the military are the primary sources of income. Magars
constitute the largest number of Gurkha soldiers outside
Nepal. Prime Minister Bhimsen Thapa was the descendant of a Magar
Thapa, as was General Amar Singh Thapa. Sarbajit Rana Magar became
the head of government during the regency of Queen Rajendra Laxmi. Biraj
Thapa, General Abhiman Singh Rana Magar and Sarbajit Rana Magar headed the
Nepal army. Biraj Thapa Magar was the very first army chief in Nepal Army's
history. Magars are famous as gallant warriors wherever they served in the
past. The Magars are well represented in Nepal's military, as well as in the
Singapore Police Force, the British and Indian Gurkha regiments, and
they are also employed as professionals in the fields of medicine, education,
government service, law, journalism, development, aviation and in business in
Nepal and other countries.
Dor Bahadur Bista's observation of Magar's occupation during the 1960s
was:
Some of the northernmost Magars have become quite prosperous by engaging
in long-range trading that takes them from near the northern border to the
Terai, and even beyond to Darjeeling and Calcutta. Were it not for their role
in the Gurkha regiments of the Indian and British armies, their
self-sufficiency might be endangered.
Toni Hagen, who did his field research in Nepal during the 1950s,
observed:
Magars possess considerable skill as craftsmen: they are the bridge
builders and blacksmiths among the Nepalese, and the primitive mining is
largely in their hands. On the lower courses of the Bheri & Karnali rivers,
a great number of Magars annually migrate to the Terai & there manufacture
bamboo panniers, baskets, and mats for sale in the bazaars along the borders.
In their most northerly settlement, on the other hand, the important trading
centre of Tarakot on the Barbung river, they have largely adopted their way of
life, their clothes, and their religion to that of the Tibetans; like the
latter, they also live by the salt trade. As regard race, the Magars have
almond-shaped eyes or even open eyes, whereas Mongoloid eyes are very rare.
Mountaineering
Magars, often those serving in the British Indian Army in the 19th
century, were skilled mountaineers. Subedar Karbir Budhathoki from 5th Gorkha
Rifles (GR) scaled Mount Trishul (23,400 feet or 7,130 metres) in the Garhwal
Hills, Uttarakhand, India. Parbir Thapa, Amarsingh Thapa, Karbir Budhathoki and
Harkabir Thapa, all from 5th GR accompanied mountaineering expeditions in the
Alps on three occasions between 1891 and 1899. Dr Harka Gurung confirmed
that Karbir Budhathoki and Amarsingh Thapa were pioneers of mountaineering
expeditions in Nepal's history. They climbed 39 high-altitude passes and 21
mountain peaks in 86 days in the Karakoram mountain range. Corporal
Tejbir Budha from 3rd Gorkha Rifles stayed at Chomolongma/Mt Everest at
7,772 metres (25,499 ft) for two nights in 1922. He was awarded an Olympic
Medal by the French president for his courage in 1927
Sergeant Till Bikram Budhathoki (Gulmi) from 1/1 GR scaled Mt Everest on
23 May 2001, as a team member of the Indian Army Everest Expedition 2001.
During the Mt. Everest Golden Jubilee Celebration, three Magars from the
Nepalese Army scaled Mt. Everest as team members of the Indo Nepal Army Everest
Massif Expedition. Sergeant Lok Bahadur Magar from Okhaldhunga and Corporal
Dutta Bahadur Budha from Gulmi scaled Mt Everest on 22 May 2003 and Gunner Kul
Bahadur Ale Magar from Lamjung scaled on 26 May 2003.
Military service
A number of Magar have distinguished themselves in military service under
the British military. In total, 5 Victoria Crosses (out of 13 VCs awarded to
Gurkhas) were awarded to the Magars:
· First World War:
· Rifleman Kulbir
Thapa, the very first Gurkha to win VC in recognition of his valor and bravery.
He was from Palpa. He served in 2/3 Gurkha Regiment (GR). He received VC
in France in 1915.
· Rifleman Karanbahadur
Rana, Gulmi, was from 2/3 GR. He received VC in Egypt in 1918.
· Second World War:
· Subedar Lalbahadur
Thapa, Nepal Tara was from 2nd GR. He received VC in Tunisia in 1943.
· Rifleman Tul
Bahadur Pun,(born 23 March 1923) was from Myagdi. He served 6 GR. He
received VC in Burma in 1944. He is a living recipient of the VC. He later
achieved the rank of Honorary Lieutenant. In addition to the VC, Pun has been
awarded 10 other medals, including the Burma Star.
· Subedar Netrabahadur
Thapa, was from 5th GR. He received VC in Burma in 1944.
In the modern era, Sergeant Deep Prasad Pun Magar was decorated
with the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC), Britain's 2nd highest
medal for bravery. He was born in Bima Village Development Committee, Myagdi
district, West Nepal, and joined British Gurkha Army in January 2000.
Politics
Under the leadership of minister Giri Prasad Burathoki, a first ever
Magar Convention was held in Bharse of Gulmi District, one of the 12 Magarats
in 1957. The objective of the conference was to sensitize the Magars to come
forward in the national spectrum.
Later Magar political and social organisations included Nepal
Langhali Pariwar (1972), Nepal Langhali Pariwar Sang, and Langhali
Pariwar Sangh.
Notables
· Lakhan Thapa (1835–1877),
The first martyr of Nepal.
· Harsha Bahadur
Budha Magar, first PHD degree holder from Magar community,
· Master Mitrasen
Thapa, folk singer
· Sher Jung Thapa,
Mahavir Chakra (MVC), Indian Army
· Dal Bahadur Rana,
famous boxer of Nepal.(Gulmi)
· Dhan Singh Thapa,
Paramvir Chakra (PVC), Indian Army
· Arun Thapa,
popular Nepali singer,
· Khadga Jeet Baral
Magar, former IGP of Nepal Police, ambassador of Nepal to Burma/Myanmar etc.
· Giri Prasad
Burathoki, Defence Minister
· Balaram Gharti
Magar, former Cabinet minister, 11 times minister, and a famous politician.
· Mahabir Pun,
recipient of Magsaysay Award, considered Asia's Nobel prize.
· Khagendra Thapa
Magar, the shortest man of the world.
· Narayan Singh Pun,
founder President of Nepal Samata Party.
Kings
· Shintoo Sati Sheng,
Kangwachan, Sikkim and Nepal, before Lichhabi Rule in Nepal.
· Aramudi, Nepaladesyasya
Raja, Kali Gandaki Region, 8th century.
· Jeetu Magar,
Chha-Bisa Kot, Rolpa, donated present-day Dang district to his
son-in-law.
· Bali Hang Rana
Magar, Baldeng Gadhi extended from Pokhara to Gorakhpur, 12th century, of
Palpa.
· Mukunda Sen, Tansen-Palpa and Butwal,
11th century
· Gajalaxman Singh,
Makawanpur Gadhi
· Micha Khan,
Nuwakot-Syangja
· Khancha, Dhor
· Dalsur Ghale Magar,
Lig Lig Kot (Gorkha) 1548-1559
· Mansingh Khadka
Magar, Gorkha, until 1559
· TuluPaija Magar,
Pakhapani