Dhakal ( ne, ढकाल ) is a

Bahun Bahun ( ne, बाहुन) or Khas Brahmin ( ne, खस ब्राह्मण) is a caste ( ''Varna'') among Khas people of Nepal. Their origins are from the Indo-Aryan Khasa tribe of Nepal and South Asia. According to the 2011 Nepa ...

(बाहुन)/Kshetri(क्षेत्री) surname found in Nepal and in some parts of India (Uttarakhand, Sikkim). They are pahari people and of Indo-Aryan origin. The Dhakals are believed to be the direct descendants of Rishi or

sage Sage or SAGE may refer to: Plants * ''Salvia officinalis'', common sage, a small evergreen subshrub used as a culinary herb ** Lamiaceae, a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint or deadnettle or sage family ** ''Salvia'', a large ...

Upamanyu, who is in turn believed to be descended from Rishi

Vasishta Vasishtha ( sa, वसिष्ठ, IAST: ') is one of the oldest and most revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis). Vashistha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the ''Rigveda''. Vashishtha an ...

. They are believed to have originated from a place called Dhapuk in the

Achham District Achham ( ne, अछाम जिल्ला ) is a district located in Sudurpashchim province of Nepal. It is one of the nine districts of the province. The district, with Mangalsen as its district headquarters, covers an area of 1,692 km ...

s and

Gorkha District Gorkha District ( ne, गोरखा जिल्ला ), a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the 77 districts of Nepal, which is the fourth largest district (by area) of Nepal and connected historically with the creation of the modern Nep ...

s. The Sikkimese Dhakals were settled in terai parts of kingdom of Sikkim and later migrated to the hills for the purpose of rearing cattle. Dhakals from mid-western Nepal migrated towards the east including Syanja, Gorkha, and all the way to eastern Nepal. Dhakals were engaged in priestly and astrological works done by

priests in the

Kingdom of Gorkha Gorkha Kingdom ( ne, गोरखा राज्य) was a member of the Chaubisi rajya, a confederation of 24 states on the Indian subcontinent ruled by Khas people. In 1743 CE, the kingdom began a campaign of military expansion, annexing se ...

. Astrologer Kulananda Dhakal used to counsel King

Prithvi Narayan Shah Maharajadhiraj Prithvi Narayan Shah (1723–1775) ( ne, श्री ५ बडामहाराजाधिराज पृथ्वीनारायण शाह देव) was the last ruler of the Gorkha Kingdom and first monarch of the ...

before war. Yaku is known as the Birta of Dhakal; Syanja, Gorkha, Terathum, Bhojpur and Gorkha are famous places from which many Dhakals have emerged.

Culture

The culture is a part the traditional Nepali-Hinduism

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...

Notable people

* Baburam Dhakal (born 1979), Nepalese film director * Biswas Dhakal (born 1981), Nepalese entrepreneur *

Ek Nath Dhakal Ek Nath Dhakal (Nepali: एकनाथ ढकाल) (born 13 August 1974) is a Nepalese politician, belonging to the Nepal Pariwar Dal, and served as Minister for the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction of the Government of Nepal. He is the hea ...

(born 1974), politician * Hari Dhakal, (born 1981) member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

2022 * Janardan Dhakal, from

Rasuwa Rasuwa District ( ne, रसुवा जिल्ला is one of 13 districts of Bagmati Province and one of seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Dhunche as its district headquarters, covers an area of and has a population (2 ...

, Nepalese politician * Kulananda Dhakal, chief priest and astrologer of the 18th-century ruler

* Ram Krishna Dhakal (born 1974), singer * Ramnath Dhakal (1962-2015), Nepalese politician * Rishi Dhakal, US based Nepalese businessman, honorary Consul General California United States of America *

Sagar Dhakal Sagar Dhakal (born 14 December 2001) is a Nepalese cricketer. In February 2022, he was named in Nepal's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for the 2021–22 Oman Quadrangular Series. Dhakal made his T20I debut on 11 February 2022, against Oman. ...

, Nepalese cricketer * Shobhakar Dhakal, Head of Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Change at AIT, Thailand * Shyam Dhakal, (born 1981) alpine skier from Nepal.

References

{{Chhetri communities Surnames of Nepalese origin Brahmin communities Nepali-language surnames Khas surnames