Thakuri ( ne, ठकुरी) is a sub-caste of

Khasas Khasas (Devanāgarī: खश; ') were an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe and a late Janapada kingdom from Himalayan regions of northern Indian subcontinent mentioned in the various historical Indian inscriptions and ancient Indian Hindu and Tibetan lite ...

tribes in

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

. It consists of the historical ruling class, and is made up of the descendants of the Great Khasa Malla kingdom rulers of the Baisi and Chaubisi principalities. The former royal family of Nepal also belong to this Khas sub-tribe.

Etymology

Nepali sociologist Harka Bahadur Gurung noted that the ''Thakuri'' is the Nepalese version of the

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

word '' Thakur'' which means 'master of the estate'. Thakuris of Nepal are also associated with some territory inherited from the days of Baisi and Chaubisi principalities and the term ''Thakurai'' actually refers to 'fiefdom'.

Origins

Thakuris traditionally constituted the ruling and warrior classes, and claimed the

Kshatriya Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city in Bulgaria **Varna Province **Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna **Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis *Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy *Varniai, a city in Lithuania * Varna (Šaba ...

. Thakuris are a high socio-political group considered to have arisen from intermarriage between

Khas Khas people (; ne, खस) popularly known as Khas Arya are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Himalayan region of South Asia, what is now present-day Nepal, Indian states of Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Sikkim. Historical ...

Magars The Magar, also spelled as Mangar, and Mongar, are the third largest ethnolinguistic groups of Nepal, indigenous to Western Nepal and representing 7.1% of Nepal's total population according to the 2011 Nepal census. The original home of the Magar ...

, and perhaps Indian

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

immigrants. The 1854 Muluki Ain (Legal Code) refers Thakuris by the term ''

Rajputs Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

'' despite being descended from the local Nepalese tribes. Many historians contended that the theory of

descent was used for political purposes by the various ruling families of Nepal. The Thakuri

Shah dynasty The Shah dynasty ( ne, शाह वंश), also known as the Shahs of Gorkha or the Royal House of Gorkha, was the ruling Chaubise Thakuri dynasty ; and the founder of Gorkha Kingdom from 1559 to 1768 and later the unified Kingdom of Nepal ...

Gorkha Kingdom 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 ...

and later

Kingdom of Nepal The Kingdom of Nepal ( ne, नेपाल अधिराज्य), also known as the Gorkha Empire ( ne, गोरखा अधिराज्य) or Asal Hindustan ( ne, असल हिन्दुस्तान)(), was a Hindu king ...

, descended from the Magar tribe despite their claim of descent from

Chittor Chittorgarh (also Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in Rajasthan state of western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgarh District. It was a major stronghold ...

s as per Scottish contemporary historian

Francis Buchanan-Hamilton Francis Buchanan (15 February 1762 – 15 June 1829), later known as Francis Hamilton but often referred to as Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, was a Scottish physician who made significant contributions as a geographer, zoologist, and botanist whil ...

. Historian Hamilton further states the origins from Rajputs of Chittor is "a mere fable." Historian Mahesh Chandra Regmi contends that "Each ruling dynasty in Nepal has tried to connect its lineage with well known dynasties of India." One of the Thakuri Shah ruler of Gorkha, King

Ram Shah Ram Shah ( ne, राम शाह; reign before 16061636) was the king of the Gorkha Kingdom (present-day Gorkha District, Nepal). He was the son of King of Gorkha Purna Shah and brother of Chatra Shah. He acceded in the throne in c. 1606 after ...

, also attempted to forge recognition of kinship relations from the Ranas of Udaypur.

Society

Thakuris constitute the aristocracy and possess the high social, ritual and political status. Thakuris are politically and socially ahead of others. Traditionally, the Thakuris' main occupations involved government, agriculture and military. Thakuri traditionally constituted the ruling and warrior classes. Most of the Thakuris are agriculturalists in Western Nepal except few aristrocratic families in the capital city. The children born from a

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' ( sa, ब्रह्मन्) connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part X ...

father and a Thakuri mother is categorized into a new caste called "Hamal". The Thakuris of Palpa speak

Magar language Magar Dhut ( ne, मगर ढुट, ) is a Sino-Tibetan Language spoken mainly in Nepal, Southern Bhutan, and in Darjeeling and Sikkim, India, by the Magar people. It is divided into two groups (Eastern and Western) and further dialect divisi ...

more fluently than

Nepali language Nepali (; , ) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Himalayas region of South Asia. It is the official, and most widely spoken, language of Nepal, where it also serves as a '' lingua franca''. Nepali has official status in the Indian st ...

and the local Thakuris generally drink chyang in the evenings with Magars. In the Jhirubas village of Palpa,

have married Thakuris and vice versa.

Thakuri family and dynasties

The ruling

and later

are ranked among Thakuris. The Pal Thakuri the

Katyuri kings The Katyuri kings were a medieval Hindu Rajput's ruling clan of Khasha origin from Joshimath that ruled over the regions in present day regions of Kumaon, Uttarakhand in India and parts of Doti/ Sudurpashchim Province in Nepal from 700 to 1 ...

Darchula Khalanga (also called Darchula) is a town and the district headquarters of the Darchula District in the Sudurpashchim Province of Nepal. It is part of the Mahakali Municipality in the Mahakali Zone. The town is located on the bank of Mahakali ...

(

Dethala Dethala is a village development committee in Darchula District in the Mahakali Zone of western Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 3155 people living in 507 individual households. Dethala is a small Himalayan to ...

Uku, Nepal Uku is a village development committee in Darchula District in the Mahakali Zone of western Nepal right bank of Kali river. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Centr ...

village ) and

Doti Doti ( ne, डोटी), also known as Doti region, Dotigarh (डोटीगढ़) as used in the Jagar (folk tales; जागर), in the Farwestern region of Nepal (Sudurpashchim Province), is a region situated between River Kali bordering ...

districts of

Far-Western Development Region, Nepal The Far-Western Development Region (Nepali: सुदुर पश्चिमाञ्चल विकास क्षेत्र, ''Sudur Pashchimānchal Bikās Kshetra'') was one of Nepal's five development regions. It was located at the w ...

Notable Thakuri surnames

In alphabetical order, the commonly known Thakuri surnames are: * Bam * Chand * Khand *

Malla Malla may refer to: Places ;Bolivia *Malla, Bolivia, a locality * Malla Jawira, a river * Malla Jaqhi, a mountain * Malla Municipality * Malla Qullu, a mountain ;India * Mallapuram, Tamil Nadu *Malla (tribe), an ancient republic, one of the s ...

* Pal *

Deuba Sher Bahadur Deuba ( ne, शेरबहादुर देउवा, ; born 13 June 1946) is a Nepali politician and former prime minister of Nepal. He has also been serving as the president of the Nepali Congress since 2016. Deuba has served ...

*Uchai * Sen *

Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

(not to be confused with Sah of Terai, Shah caste in Kumaon region in Uttarakhand State of India) * Shahi *

Singh Singh (IPA: ) is a title, middle name or surname that means " lion" in various South Asian and Southeast Asian communities. Traditionally used by the Hindu Kshatriya community, it eventually became a common surname adopted by different comm ...

Simha
Of these, Chand, Bam, Malla, and Pal are also associated with Kumaon/Kuramanchal kingdom.

Unproven Thakuri Claimants

The following surnames have claim Thakuri status but are not corroborated by Some Thakuri groups: *

Kunwar Kunwar (also spelt Kanwar or Kaur or Kuar) is an Indian title denoting a prince. It is derived from the Sanskrit term Kumar. It was traditionally associated with the feudal Rajputs such as the son of a Rana or Thakur The following are notable ...

* Thagunna * Thakurathi * Deuba/Deuja *

Rana Rana may refer to: Astronomy * Rana (crater), a crater on Mars * Delta Eridani or Rana, a star People, groups and titles * Rana (name), a given name and surname (including a list of people and characters with the name) * Rana (title), a histori ...

/Jabara / Jang Bahadur Rana / JBR * Rawal * Bogati

References

Books

* * * * * * Ethnic groups in Nepal Castes {{Nepal-stub