Note 115 — G (continued 2)

Gurkha, Gorkha (gâu-raksha, “keepers of cows”).—The name for an aggregate of various races who inhabit the numerous valleys interspersed through the mountains of Nepâl. “The aboriginal inhabitants appear from their physiognomy to be of Tartar or Chinese origin, bearing no resemblance to the Hindu either in features, religion, or manners. The period when the mountainous regions were first invaded by the Hindus is uncertain; but according to the most authentic traditions, the date is supposed to have been about the 14th century. In the eastern part of the country the aboriginal tribes still remain; and, until the predominance of the Gurkhas, they enjoyed unmolested their customs and religion. But west of the Kâli river the case is different, almost all the inhabitants claiming a descent from Hindu colonists. They accordingly consist chiefly of the two superior classes of Hindus, Brâhmans, and Kshatriyas, with their various sub-divisions. East of the Kâli the tribes which possessed the country were chiefly (1) Magars, who occupied the lower hills in the western parts, and are at present enlisted by the Gurkha sovereigns, composing a great majority of their troops; (2) the Gurungs, a pastoral tribe; (3) the Newârs, an industrious people, following agriculture and commerce, and more advanced in the mechanical arts than the other mountain tribes; (4) the Dhenwârs and Mânjhis, the husbandmen and fishers of the western districts; (5) the Bhotiyas; (6) the Bhanras, a sept which branched off from the Newârs; (7) the Jariyas.”115