Urāy ( ne, उरे) (alternative names: Udaaya, Udās) is a Newar Buddhist merchant caste of

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

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 ma ...

. They are a prominent community in the business and cultural life of Kathmandu. Urays have played key roles in the development of trade, industry, art, architecture, literature and

Buddhism in Nepal Buddhism in Nepal started spreading since the reign of Ashoka through Indian and Tibetan missionaries. The Kiratas were the first people in Nepal who embraced Gautama Buddha’s teachings, followed by the Licchavis and Newar people. Buddha was b ...

and the Himalayan region. The name Uray is said to have been derived from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

term " upāsaka" which means "devout layman". The Uray follow Newar Buddhism and speak the

Newar language Newar (), or Newari and known officially in Nepal as Nepal Bhasa, is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nep ...

as their mother tongue. They are believers in non-violence in personal relations and ritual practices.

History

An early reference to the Uray is contained in a 17th-century journal kept at the Buddhist monastic courtyard of Jana Baha, Kathmandu. Dated

Nepal Sambat Nepal Sambat, also spelled as Nepala Sambata, (Nepal Bhasa: , Nepali: ) is the lunisolar calendar used by the Newari people of Nepal. The Calendar era began on 20 October 879 AD, with 1142 in Nepal Sambat corresponding to the year 2021–2022 A ...

763 (1643 AD), the journal entry states that King Laxmi Narsingh Malla has asked all the Urays to attend a religious service at

Asan Asan () is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It borders the Seoul Capital Area to the north. Asan has a population of approximately 300,000. Asan is known for its many hot springs and is a city of spas. Asan has grown int ...

. Urays are also known for their history as traders on the

Silk Road The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and rel ...

. Operating out of business houses in

Lhasa Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in Southwest China. The inner urban area of Lhasa ...

, Tibet and

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

, India, they were key players in the traditional

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

trade for centuries. These merchants were known as the

Lhasa Newar Lhasa Newar (alternate name: Lhasa Newah) () refers to the expatriate Newar traders and artisans who traveled between the Kathmandu Valley and Tibet from centuries ago. These Nepalese merchants conducted trade between Nepal, Tibet and Bengal, I ...

Subcastes

The Uray are divided into nine subcastes who use the following surnames. Each group is associated with a traditional occupation according to the division of labor instituted in the past. * Tuladhar (merchant) * Shilpakar ( carpenter, woodwork) * Sthapit (engineer) *

Tamrakar Tāmrakār (Devanagari: ताम्रकार) is a caste of coppersmiths and other metal casters found in Nepal and India. In Nepal, the Tamrakars are found among the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley. Etymology and names The name Tam ...

(worker in copper, gold, silver and brass) * Kansakar (worker in bronze, brass and copper) * Sikhrākār (roofer) * Bania (herbalist) * Sindurākār (wood carver) * Shilākār (stone carver) * Selālik (confectioner)

Cultural life

Samyak is the greatest Newar Buddhist festival. The ceremony in Kathmandu is held once every 12 years and is spread cver three days. On the occasion, large images of

Dīpankara Buddha Dipankara (Pali: ''Dīpaṅkara''; Sanskrit: ', "Lamp bearer") or Dipankara Buddha is one of the Buddhas of the past. He is said to have lived on Earth four asankheyyas and one hundred thousand kappas ago. According to some Buddhist or folk t ...

are exhibited at

Kathmandu Durbar Square Kathmandu Durbar Square (''Basantapur Durbar Kshetra'') is located in front of the old royal palace of the former Kathmandu Kingdom and is one of three Durbar (royal palace) Squares in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, all of which are UNESC ...

and

Swayambhu Swayambhu ( sa, स्वयंभू) is a Sanskrit word that means "self-manifested", "self-existing", or "that is created by its own accord". Often, the word swayambhu is used to describe a self-manifested image of a deity, which was not made ...

. Alms are distributed to priests during the ceremony which is attended by the king. During Samyak, each Uray group performs a task that has been assigned by tradition. The Tuladhars of Asan sew and distribute leaf plates, Tuladhars of Nyata cook and serve rice, Sthapits build the wooden viewing stand, Tamrakars play the trumpet, Kansakars prepare and serve five types of foods, Sikhrakars supply clay pots (discontinued since 1980), Banias serve a sweet drink and Selaliks serve confections. Gunlā Bājan is Buddhist devotional music played during the month of Gunlā which is considered holy by Newar Buddhists. Gunla is the 10th month in the

Nepal Era Nepal Sambat, also spelled as Nepala Sambata, (Nepal Bhasa: , Nepali: ) is the lunisolar calendar used by the Newari people of Nepal. The Calendar era began on 20 October 879 AD, with 1142 in Nepal Sambat corresponding to the year 2021–2022 ...

calendar and corresponds to August. All Uray groups have a Gunla Bajan band which makes a daily pilgrimage to

during the sacred month.

Social life

Each Uray group has its own lineage deity known as Digu Dyah (दिगु द्यः). Every year, members gather at the shrine, which is usually located on an open field on the outskirts of the city, and make offerings to the deity. The ritual is known as Depujā. Urays have two types of funeral societies, Sī Guthi (सी गुथि) and Sanān Guthi (सनां गुथि). The Si Guthi performs the cremation too while the Sanan Guthi only takes part in the funeral procession, and the work of cremation is outsourced to another society.

Udaaya Museum

The Udaaya Museum containing miniature

diorama A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies such as military vehicle mode ...

s illustrating the traditional occupations and cultural performances of the nine subcastes has opened. It also contains historical and contemporary photographs and tools used by the artisans. The museum is located in a traditional house at

Asan, Kathmandu Asan ( new, असं, ne, असन) (alternative names: Asan Tol असन टोल, Asan Twāh असं त्वाः) is a ceremonial, market and residential square in central Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. It is one of the most wel ...

Honors

The Postal Services Department of the Nepal government has honored five Urays by issuing commemorative postage stamps for their contribution to national development—poet

Chittadhar Hridaya Chittadhar Hridaya ( ne, चित्तधर हृदय; born Chittadhar Tuladhar; 19 May 1906 – 9 June 1982) was a Nepalese poet. He is regarded as one of the greatest literary figures from Nepal in the 20th century. The title of Kavi Kes ...

(formerly Chittadhar Tuladhar) in 1992, Buddhist monk and patriarch of Nepal

Pragyananda Mahasthavir Pragyananda Mahasthavir ( ne, प्रज्ञानन्द महास्थविर) (born Kul Man Singh Tuladhar) (2 May 1900 – 11 March 1993) was a Nepalese Buddhist monk who was one of the leaders of the revival of Theravada Buddhis ...

(formerly Kul Man Singh Tuladhar) in 2001, social worker Daya Bir Singh Kansakar in 2002 and transportation pioneers

Karuna Ratna Tuladhar Karuna Ratna Tuladhar ( ne, करुणारत्न तुलाधर) (23 October 1920 – 19 July 2008) was a pioneer of Nepalese public transport. He was proprietor of Nepal Transport Service which he and his brother Lupau Ratna Tuladhar ...

and

Lupau Ratna Tuladhar Lupau Ratna Tuladhar ( ne, लुपौरत्न तुलाधर) (22 June 1918 – 2 June 1993) was a Nepalese trader and transport pioneer. He and his brother Karuna Ratna Tuladhar established Nepal Transport Service in 1959 and operate ...

in 2012.

References

{{Authority control People from Kathmandu Newar Newar caste system