Its all about the cultural practice of newar community

2. Prepared by:
Prabita Shrestha
Shradha Shrestha
Sunita Maharjan
*

3. *
The Newar people or Newars are the indigenous people
of the Kathmandu Valley and its surrounding areas
in Nepal and the creators of its historic civilization.
The valley and surrounding territories constituted the
former Newar kingdom of Nepal Mandala. Newars have
lived in Nepal Mandala since prehistoric times. Immigrants
that arrived at different periods in its history eventually
merged with the local population by adopting their
language and customs. Newar rule in Nepal Mandala ended
with its conquest by the Gorkha Kingdom in 1768.

4. Newar are a linguistic and cultural community of Indo-
Aryan and Tibeto-Burman ethnicities following Hindu
and Buddhist religions.
Scholars have also described the Newars as
a nation. They developed a division of labour and a
sophisticated urban civilization not seen elsewhere in
the Himalayan foothills.
They are known for their contributions to
art, sculpture, architecture, culture, literature, music,
industry, trade, agriculture and cuisine, and left their
mark on the art of Central Asia.
*

5. *
 The term "Newar" referring to "inhabitant of Nepal" appeared
for the first time in an inscription dated 1654 AD in
Kathmandu. Italian Jesuit priest Ippolito Desideri (1684–1733)
who travelled to Nepal in 1721 has written that the natives of
Nepal are called Newars.
 It has been suggested that "Nepal" may be a sanskritization of
"Newar", or "Newar" may be a later form of "Nepal". According
to another explanation, the words "Newar" and "Newari" are
vulgarisms arising from the mutation of P to V, and L to R.
 As a result of the phonological process of dropping the last
consonant and lengthening the vowel, "Newā" for Newār or
Newāl, and "Nepā" for Nepāl are used in ordinary speech.

6. *
Total population 1,245,232 (2001
census)
Regions with significant
populations
Nepal, India, Bhutan
Languages
Nepal Bhasa
Religion
Hinduism and Buddhism

7. *
*Trade, industry and agriculture have been the mainstay of
the economy of the Newars.
*They are made up of social groups associated with
hereditary professions that provide ritual and economic
services.
*Merchants, craftsmen, artists, potters, weavers, dyers,
farmers and other castes all played their part in creating
a flourishing economic system.
*Towns and villages in the Kathmandu Valley specialized in
producing particular products, and rich agriculture
produced a surplus for export.

8. *
*For centuries, Newar merchants have handled trade
between Tibet and India besides exporting locally
manufactured products to Tibet.
*Rice was another major export.
*Porters and pack mules transported merchandise over
mountain tracks that formed the old trade routes.
*Since the 18th century, Newars have spread out across
Nepal and established trading towns dotting the midhills.
*They are known as jewelry makers and shopkeepers.
*Today, they are engaged in modern industry, business and
service sectors.

9. *Caste / clans:
*During Malla Period, the Newars were divided into
hierarchical clan groups by occupational caste, readily
identified by surnames.
*In the past, the upper caste people used to look down
upon the lower caste.
*Such a division of people created a rift in the society
which has rendered the mention of caste as a taboo.
*Below is the list of Newar castes, their traditional
occupations, with the most common surnames and their
respective hierarchical positions during Malla period.

10. Caste
Traditional
Occupation
Personal Surname/(Thars)
Brahman Hindu Priests
Rajopadhyaya, Sharma - Referred to as "Deo
Bhaju/Deva Brahman", *Purohit for all Hindu
Newars Jha, Mishra, Bhatta - Referred to as
"Maithili Tirhute Brahman", Temple
priests, *not accepted as Newars by some.
Karmacharya, Gurubacharya - Referred to as
Acharya, "Achaju",*Kshatriya/Chhathariya-
status Tantric priests. (Intermarry between
Rajopadhyaya and Chhathariya)
Chhathariya
Srēṣṭha
(Shivamargi)
Royal Family,
Nobles and
Courtiers
Joshi - Astrologers and assistant priests.
Malla, Pradhananga - Descendants of Malla royal
family
Pradhan, Rajbhandari, Amatya - Nobles and
royal descendants, Military advisors and
ministers
Vaidya-Traditional Ayurveda doctor/physician
Maskey, Kayastha, Rajbanshi, Patrabansh,
Lakhey, Dhaubhadel, various other thars -
Nobles, courtiers and administrators

11. Pāñcthariya
Srēṣṭha
(Shivamargi)
Administrators,
Traders and
Merchants
Shrestha - Mixed offsprings
of Chhathariand Panchthari -
Administrators, Traders and merchants
Mulmi, Nyachhyon, Madhikarmi (Halwai),
Bhaju, Kacchipati, Sivacharya, etc. -
Traders and merchants
Thimi Shresthas, Dhulikhel Shresthas,
outside Valley 'Shrestha' - Traders and
merchants
various other thars.
Bare / Banra Buddhist Priests
Vajracharya - Referred to as
'Gubhaju'.Priests (Purohit) for all Buddhist
Newars Shakya - Referred to as
'Bare'. Temple priests and traditionally gold
and silver smiths

12. Uray/Udaya
(Buddhamargi)
Traders and
merchants,
Craftsmen
Tuladhar - Merchants Bania - Herbalists
Sikarmi (Sthapit), Awa - Wood worker,
carpenter, mason
Tamrakar - Copper-smiths
Kansakar - Bronze-smiths
Sikhrākār - Roofer
Sindurākār - Wood-carvers
Rajkarnikar, Halwai - Confectioners
Shilākār - Stone-carvers
Jyapu Farmers
Maharjan, Dangol - Majority population
inLalitpur, Bungamati, Kirtipur Suwal -
Bhaktapur Hindu Jyapu
Awale - Bricklayers and makers
Shilpakar - Woodsmiths
Pahari - Farmers from valley outskirts, *not
accepted as Jyapu by some
Kumhal/Prajapati - Potters, Kumah, *not
accepted as Jyapu by some
various other thars.

13. Sayami Oilpressers Manandhar, Sayami
Khusa
Palanquin
bearers
Khusa, Tandukar
Nau Barbers
Napit (They provide purification rituals to Deo
Brahman - Jyapu jats)
Kau Blacksmiths Naka:mi
Bha Funeral Duties Karanjit, Bha
Gathu Gardeners
Bammala, Mali, Malakar - Providers of flowers
for worship
Tepe Cultivators Byanjankara, Tepe
Pun Painters
Chitrakar - Painters of various deities, houses
and temples
Duhim Carriers Putwar, Dali
Balami Fieldworkers Balami
Pulu
Funeral torch
bearers
Pulu

14. Cipa Dyers Ranjitkar, Ranjit
Jogi Musicians and tailors Darshandhari, Kusle, Kapali
Naye
Butchers and
musicians
Khadgi, Shahi (They provide
purification rituals to Sayami -
Halahulu jats)
Kulu
Drum-makers and
cobblers
Kulu
Pode
Fishermen, sweepers,
traditional
executioners
Pode, Deola, Pujari
Chama:khala Sweepers Chyame, Chamkhalak
Halahulu Sweepers Halahulu

15. *
*Meals can be classified into three main categories: the daily
meal, the afternoon snack and festival food.
*The daily meal consists of boiled rice, lentil soup, vegetable
curry and relish. Meat is also served.
*The snack generally consists of rice flakes, roasted and curried
soybeans, curried potato and roasted meat mixed with spices.
*Food is also an important part of the ritual and religious life of
the Newars, and the dishes served during festivals and feasts
have symbolic significance.
*Different sets of ritual dishes are placed in a circle around the
staple rice flakes to represent and honor different sets of deities
depending on the festival or life-cycle ceremony.

16. *Kwāti (क्वाति soup of different beans)
*kachilā (कचिला spiced minced meat)
*chhoylā (छोयला water buffalo meat marinated in spices and grilled
over the flames of dried wheat stalks), pukālā (पुकाला fried meat),
wo (वः lentil cake), paun kwā (पाउँक्वा sour soup), swan pukā (स्वँपुका
stuffed lungs), syen (स्येँ fried liver), mye (म्ये boiled and fried
tongue), sapu mhichā (सःपू म्म्ििा leaf tripe stuffed with bone
marrow) and sanyā khunā (सन्या खुना jellied fish soup) are some of
the popular festival foods. Dessert consists of dhau (धौ yogurt),
sisābusā (सससाबुसा fruits) and mari (मरि sweets). Thwon (थ्वँ rice
beer) and aylā (अयला local alcohol) are the common alcoholic liquors
that Newars make at home.

18. *
*At meals, festivals and gatherings, Newars sit on long mats in
rows.
*Typically, the sitting arrangement is hierarchical with the eldest
sitting at the top and the youngest at the end.
*Newar food makes use of mustard oil and a host of spices such as
cumin, sesame seeds, turmeric, garlic, ginger, mint, bay leaves,
cloves, cinnamon, pepper, chili and mustard seeds.

19. *
Newar religious culture is rich in ceremony and is marked by
frequent festivals throughout the year .
Street celebrations include pageants, jatras or processions in
which a car or portable shrine is paraded through the streets and
sacred masked dances.
Other festivals are marked by family feasts and worship. The
celebrations are held according to the lunar calendar, so the
dates are changeable.
Mohani (Dasain) is one of the greatest annual celebrations which
is observed for several days with feasts, religious services and
processions.
During Swanti (Tihar), Newars celebrate New Year's Day of Nepal
Sambat by doing purifies and strengthens one spiritually for the
Mha Puja, a ritual in which a mandala is worshipped, that Ming
year.

20. *

21. *

22. *

24. *

25. *

26. Sā Pāru (Gai Jatra) when people who have lost a family
member in the past year dress up as cows and parade
through town.
Yenya (Indra Jatra) when three cars bearing the living
goddess Kumari and two other child deities are pulled
through the streets and masked dance performances are
held.
Pahan Charhe when portable shrines bearing images of
mother goddesses are paraded through Kathmandu.
Jana Baha Dyah Jatra, a temple car with an image of
Karunamaya is drawn through central Kathmandu for three
days.
A similar procession is held in Lalitpur known as Bunga
Dyah Jatra which continues for a month and climaxes with
Bhoto Jatra, the display of the sacred vest.

27. The biggest outdoor celebration in Bhaktapur is Biska
Jatra which is marked by chariot processions and lasts
for nine days.
Sithi Nakha is another big festival when worship is
offered and natural water sources are cleaned.
In addition, all Newar towns and villages have their
particular festival which is celebrated by holding a
chariot or palanquin procession.

28. *
• Western wear is the normal
as in urban areas in the rest
of the country.
• Traditional costumes consist
of trousers (suruwā) and
long shirts (tappālan) for
men, blouse (misālan)
and saris (parsi) for women
and ankle-length gowns
(bhāntānlan) i.e. haku patasi
for girls.
• Ritual dresses consist of
pleated gowns, coats and a
variety of headdresses.

29. *
*Newars are bound together by a common language and
culture.
*Their common language is Nepal Bhasa or the linguistic
progenitor of that language.
*However, despite a government directive that the name
Nepal Bhasa should be used, the Central Bureau of Statistics
has not been doing so.
*Nepal Bhasa already existed as a spoken language during
the Licchavi period.
*Inscriptions in Nepal Bhasa emerged from the 12th century,
thepalm-leaf manuscript from Uku Bahah being the first
example.
*Nepal Bhasa developed from the 14th to the late 18th
centuries as the court and state language.

30. *
*It was used universally in stone and copper inscriptions, sacred
manuscripts, official documents, journals, title deeds,
correspondence and creative writing.
*In 2011, there were approximately 846,000 native speakers of
Nepal Bhasa.
*Many Newar communities within Nepal also speak their own
dialects of Nepal Bhasa, such as the Dolakha Newar Language.
*Nepal Bhasa is of Tibeto-Burman origin but has been heavily
influenced by Indo-Aryan language like Sanskrit, Pali, Bengali
and Maithili.

31. *
*Elaborate ceremonies chronicle the life cycle of a Newar
from birth till death:
*Hindu Newars consider life-cycle rituals as a preparation
for death and the life after it.
*Macha Janku, the rice feeding ceremony, is performed at
the age of six or eight months for boys and at the age of
five or seven months for girls.
*As a male child approaches puberty, the Kayta Puja, a rite
of initiation, is performed.
*Shakyas and Bajracharyas perform Bare Chhuyegu which is
initiation into the monkhood. The boy disrobes and goes
back to being a layman after four days.

32. *For a female child, Ihi (also called Bel Bibaha) is
performed between the ages of five to nine.
*The next ceremony is Baray when a girl approaches
puberty. She is kept in a room for 12 days hidden from the
sun and generally taught domestic sciences. At the end of
the retreat, a service is held.
*

33. *

34. *

35. *
*The next ceremony is marriage.
*Janku is an old-age ceremony which is conducted when a
person reaches the age of 77 years, seven months and
seven days.
*Further Janku ceremonies are performed at similar
auspicious milestones after which the person is accorded
deified status.
*The Sagan ceremony where auspicious food items are
presented is an important part of life-cycle rituals.

36. *
*All Newars, except the Laakumi and Jogi caste, cremate their
dead.
*The Jogis bury their dead.
*As part of the funeral, offerings are made to the spirit of the
deceased, the crow and the dog.
*The crow and the dog represent ancestors and the god of
death.
*Subsequently, offerings and rituals are conducted four, seven,
eight, 13 and 45 days following death and monthly for a year
and then annually.
*Buddhist Newars also make a mandala (sand painting) depicting
the Buddha on the third day after death which is preserved for
four days.

37. *
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newar_people
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Nepal
*http://web.comhem.se/~u18515267/CHAPTERII.htm
*http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/jns/p
df/JNS_06.pdf