CORNELL QNIVERSITY Cornell University Library DS 485.N4V27 Notes on Goorkhas :being a short accoun 3 1924 024 153 623 The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924024153623 NOTES ON GOORKHAS; A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THEIR COUNTRY, HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS, CLANS, &c. BY Captain EDEN VANSITTART, STH GOORtrSAS. CALCUTTA : PRINTED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT OF GOVERNMENT PRINTING, INDIA. 1890. Price One Rupee. T^HIS book is inscribed by permission to His Excel- lency Sir Frederick Sleigh Roberts, Bart., V.C., G.C.B., G.C.I. E., R.A., Commander-in-Chief in India, as a small token of gratitude for the great interest invari- ably shown by him in all Goorkha Regiments. EDEN VANSITTART, Cavt., Sth Goorkhas. Simla, and September 1889. PREFACE. TV /r Y object in writing this book has been two-fold. isL — I have endeavoured to gather, from all autho- rities on Nepdl and its history, such points as I hope may prove interesting. 2ndly. — I have tried to lay down, as accurately as pos- sible, the tribes, clans, &c., of the fighting classes of Nepal, together with their customs and characteristics. In obtaining the first object, I have been much as, sisted by information given to me in Nepal itself, and by borrowing, whenever I considered it necessary, from the following authors : — Colonel Kirkpatrick's Mission to Nepdl, 1793. Doctor F. Hamilton's account of Nepal, 18 19. Captain T. Smith's Five Years' Residence in Ndpdl, from 1 84 1 to 1845. Captain O. Cavenagh's Account of the Kingdom of N^pil, 1851. Brian Hodgson's Essays of the Language, &c., of N^pdl, &c., 1874. Doctor Oldfield's Sketches of N^pal, 1880. Quarter Master General's No. 18 of 1883. Confidential Report, 1884. In my second object I have been much assisted by ii Preface. vernacular papers sent to me from Nepal, and by the following authorities : — Brian Hodgson's book. Lieutenant-General R. Sale Hill's Notes, with addenda by General Sir C. Reid, K.C.B., dated 1874. Lieutenant-Colonel E. Molloy's Memorandum dated Abbott- abad, 1885. I have also gathered much information from many sources whilst on recruiting duty at Gorakhpur, and have been greatly assisted especially by Subadar Jagbir Rana of the 2 -4th Goorkhas, and Subadaf-Major Parbal Gurungand Subadar Kulbir Thapa of the i-5th Goor- khas. EDEN VANSITTART, Capt., 5th Goorkhas, UNITED SERVICE CLUB, Simla ; 2nd September r88g. THE GOORKHAS. Part I. GEOGRAPHY. NEPAL. HTHE word "N^pitr' is derived from " Nai," the name of a certain god, and "pdl5," cherished, and therefore means " cherished by Nai." NepAl is a narrow tract of country extending for about 520 miles along the southern slopes of the cen- tral portion of the Himalayas, between the 8oth and 88th degree of East Longitude. Its breadth nowhere exceeds 140 miles, and averages between 90 and 100 miles. Its general direction is from west to east, the most south- ern and eastern corner at the Michi River reaches as low as the 26th, whilst its most northern and western angle extends up to the 30th degree of North Latitude. It is bounded on the north by Thibet ; on the east by Sikhim and the River Michi ; on the south by Bengal and the North- West Provinces; and on the west by Kumdon and the River Kili (Sdrdar). Previous to 1815 the kingdom of Nepdl was much more ex- tensive, and included Kumion and the hill country up to the River Satlej. This territory was ceded to the British by the treaty of Segowli. The country consists of four distinct zones running east Character of country. and west : (i) The Terdt. — A belt of grass or sil jungle, varying in breadth from 10 to 30 miles, and skirting the British frontier from the Siirdah to the Michi. (2) DhUns or Maris. — Beyond the s41 forest and separating it from the second zone, viz., the Dhuns, is the sandstone range. B The Goorkhas. This range runs in a more or less pronounced form along the whole frontier, and does not rise more than from 300 to 600 feet above its immediate base, and is from 2,000 to 3,000 feet above the level of the sea. The " Dhuns " or " Miris " are valleys lying behind and below the sandstone ridge, generally at about 2,500 feet above the sea, and between the sandstone and the second range of hills. Dehra Dhiin was one of the Dhuns. (3) Hill country. — From the northern extremity of the " Dhuns," the main range of the Himalayas rises to the north; hill succeeding hill until they culminate in the snowy range. This hill region up to an elevation of 10,000 feet may be taken as the third zone. (4) The fourth zone is formed by the Alpine region above that altitude. The territory of Nepil, within the hills, from Kum^on in the , . west to Sikhim on the east, is divided in- River basins. j. ii. 1 ^ i i- • . , , to three large natural divisions, by four very lofty and massive ridges, which respectively are given off from the high peaks of Nunda Devi (25,700'), Dewalgiri (26,826'), Gosainthan (26,305'), and Kinchinjanga (28,156'). (Mount Everest lies about midway between the two last, and is 29,000 feet, but throws off no main ridges.) These four enormous ridges stand out at right angles from the central axis of the Himalayas, and run parallel to each other nearly due south towards the plains. Each of these three natural divisions into which Nepdl is divided by these lofty ridges is walled in on all four sides by mountain barriers — on the north by the snowy range, on the south by the chain of sand- stone hills, and on the east and west by one of the above ridges. Each of these districts thus walled in forms a large moun- tain basin, sloping gradually to the south, and furrowed by nu- merous mountain streams which rise in the surrounding amphi- theatre of mountains. All these flow towards the plains, and all converge towards each other in their course through the hills, so decidedly, that they unite into one large river in two out of three districts, before they reach even the sandstone range o( hills. Geography. Each of these three mountain basins derives its name from the river by which it is drained. Thus : — 1st. — Western division, or mountain basin of the Karnali or Gogra. 2nd^ — Central division, or mountain basin of the Gandak. 3rd. — Eastern division, or mountain basin of the Kosi. Besides these three grand geographical divisions, there are a fourth and fifth, vis. — ^M.— The N6p41 Valley. ^th. — The Terdi. The NepAl Valley is formed by the bifurcation of the ridge running south from Gosainthan, thus forming an isolated tri- angle ; it is watered by the Bh^gmati, which drains the whole of this district. The valleys formed by the numerous streams running down from the snowy watershed, are, in the lower portion, thickly in- habited and well cultivated. The most populous valleys are at an elevation of about 4,000 feet, but cultivation is carried on in the interior up to 13,000 feet. The principal rivers of Nepil from west to east come as follows : — The K^li (or Sirdah), the KarnSli, the Rapti, the Gandak, the Bhagmati, the Kosi, and the Michi. As already explained, Nepil is divided into five divisions, viz. — 4. The N^pal Valley. 5. The Terdi. 1. The Western. 2. The Central. 3. The Eastern. The Western division is inhabited by Doti and other non- Goorkhl tribes. The Eastern by Limbus and Rais. The Teriii by a race called Tirus, a puny, ill-made race, and chiefly employed as mahouts, d4k-runners, &c. The Central division has been called from time immemorial, by the N^palese, the Siipt Gandaki, or " country of the seven Gandaks," and lies among the seven main streams which uniting form the Gandak River; by these the whole hill country be- tween Dewalgiri and Gosainthan is drained. B 3 The Goorkkds. These seven rivers, known collectively as Sip| Gandaki, are, taking them successively from west to east, — (i) The Barijai ; (2) the Narayani ; (3) the Sweti Ganda- ki ; (4) the Marsiangdi ; (5) the Daramdi ; (6) the Gandi ; and (7) the Trisul ganga. The central division is the home of the Magars and Gurungsi and it is practically from this portion of N6pdl that all recruits for the British service are enlisted. Towards the close of the last century the central division included in its limits, besides the kingdom of Goorkhi proper, 24 other independent principalities, collectively called the Chawbisi Rij, or country of the 24 kings. These principalities were called — LSmziSng Rising Botwdl Mijsikot Tanhdng Ghiring GiSImi Argha Galkot Dhoar Nayakot Pyfing Mahbam Pilp^ Khdchi Latahfing Sathdng Pokra Isma Kaikho Garhung Bhirkot Dharkot Piuthan. These petty states were all overrun by the Goorkhas, shortly after their conquest of the N^pdl Valley, and by them divided in- to five provinces, called (i) Malibam, (2) Kh^chi, (3) Pdlpi, (4) Goorkha, (5) Pokra. The valley of Nepil, or Nepil proper, is completely surround- ed by mountains which vary in altitude from 5,000 to 8,000 feet above the level of the sea. It is of an oval shape, with an average length of 15 miles, with an average breadth of 13 miles. The area is about 250 square miles. The British Residency is 4,700 feet above the sea. The Ndp^l Valley is densely populated and is supposed to contain nearly 300,000 souls, most of whom are Newirs and Murmis. It is well supplied with water by numberless streams, which all converge towards the central long axis and join the Bhdg- matti river. ^ Katmandu, the capital of N^pal, is an immense city, and here hve in different palaces the king, the prime minister, and all great officials. It is impossible to calculate with any accuracy the area of Area. Nepil, but it is supposed to be about 54,000 square miles. Geography. The population of N^pAl is estimated by the NdpAlese at , . from 5,200,000 to 5,600,000, and by most Population. -i. \. u i. L • • -ui writers at about 4,000,000. It is impossible to form any correct estimate of the population, but the best au- thority calculates it at not more than 2,000,000. The revenue of N^pdl is supposed to be about ten lakhs Reve e °^ rupees, but the writer thinks it must be nearer 20 lakhs. The grains produced in the lowlands of Nepdl are Indian- „ , . , corn, rice, wheat, barley, millet, pulses Crops and minerals. , . , . , , of various kinds, and an enormous amount of red pepper. Of fruits the chief are the pine-apple, orange, guava, plan- tain, and pomegranate. Of vegetables the principal are garlic, cabbages, peas, turnips, ginger, and sugarcane. In the mountain regions the peach, apricot, walnut, raspberry, and wild strawberry are found. These parts also are rich in mines of iron, lead, and copper, and it is said that gold mines also exist. There are some coal-mines not far from Botwcil, and also close to Tribeni, as the writer of this obtained some specimen bits, through some recruiters, in 1889. He submitted the same for examination to the Chief Agent of the Bengal and North- western Railway, who pronounced them to be very good coal. An enormous amount of Sell wood is annually cut in the Te- r£i, and this forms one of the principal sources of income to the N6p41 Government. The Thibetans bring down for sale in NepAl blankets of va- rious kinds, and other woollen manufactures; '* *■ also ponies, watch-dogs, — large hairy beasts, about the size of an ordinary Newfoundland dog— goats, sheep, agate, turquoise, ydk-tails, gold-dust, gold and silver ore, and quantities of rock-salt. The salt is packed in bags forming loads of about 15IB. each, which are brought across the snows fastened to the backs of sheep. All mines in N^pil are worked by the Agrdi tribe, who must find it a paying business, as a proverb exists in N^pdl which says, Kariput o Rdniput (a miner's son and a prince's son). The Goorkhds. Part II. HISTORY. The aboriginal stock of N6pcil is most undoubtedly Turanian. Aboriginal inhabit- This fact is inscribed in very plain charac- ants of Nepdl. tej-g in their faces, forms, and languages. Amongst the aborigines of N6p^l must be counted the Newdrs, Magars, Gurungs, Kircints or Rais, Limbus, and Lep- chas : these are all Turanians. The Magars have for many centuries more or less admitted the supremacy of the doctrines of the BrAhmans, and conse- quently they have adopted many Rcijput customs, ceremonies, and names. The Gurungs also, but to a very much lesser degree, have borrowed from the Rajputs, but this does not give either of these two tribes any claim to any other descent than Turanian. The New^rs inhabited the "Valley of N^pdl " or "N6p41 Habitat of aborigines, ^'''^^l:' Their early history, like that of most Eastern nations, is buried in a mass of fables. The inhabitants exhibit a list of princes for several thousand years back, which is given in Colonel Kirkpatrick's work, but without much evidence of its authenticity. The Gurungs inhabited the country about Liimzung, Ghind- rung, and Siklis. The Magars were south of the Gurungs, and about Gulmi, Arghi, Kichi, and P^lpd, and the Rais and Limbus inhabited the whole of the country to the nOrth and to the east of the N^p^l Valley. The Lepchas are the inhabitants of Sikhim. About the ancient history of these tribes nothing is known. We know, however, that Nepal never was subjected by the Delhi emperors or by any other of the great Asiatic conquerors. It is stated by Colonel Todd that the Goorkhd dynasty was Advent of R^jpdts. ^°""'^^*^ tov^^rA^ the end of the 12th cen- tury by the third son of the Rijput Rdjdh Samarsi, Ruler of Chitor,* who settled in Pilp^i. A Ndpdlese tradition exists which says that the Rijdh of NdpSlese tradition. ^deipur, probably Hari Sing, was besieged b y the Mahomedans in his capital. He • This would account for the numerous Chitorlah clans. History. ^ made a long and gallant defence, but at last food and water began to fail him, and foreseeing the horrors of famine, he de- stroyed all the women and children within the city, to the number of 70,000, set fire to the town, and with his garrison at- tacked and cut his way through the Mahomedan hosts, and took refuge in the hills of Nepal to the west of the Gandak river, where he was hospitably received by the aborigines. Whatever truth there may be in the above traditions, there can be no doubt tliat the large numbers of Rdjputs and Brdhmans did make their appearance in Western Nepdl about the twelfth century, and it can easily be understood how in time, from their superior intelligence and civilization, they obtained positions of influence and importance amongst the barbarians who inhabited the land. In time it would appear that a number of. the Magar moun- taineer princes were persuaded to follow Converts. , , . r ., t-. >i 1 r the doctrmes of the Brahmans, and many of the subjects and clans of these princes were induced to follow the example set them, but a large number also refused to be converted. To the former the Brdhmans granted the sacred thread, whilst they denied it to the latter, and hence have sprung up tribes called Th^pds, Ghartis, Rdnis, &c., &c., some of whom wear the thread and are called Khas, whilst the others do not wear the thread and remain merely Magars. The Brihmans, to completely reconcile their most important converts, worked out marvellous pedigrees for them, and gave them the right to claim descent from various famous origins, such as "Surja Bansi," "born of the sun," "born of the moon," " born of a king," &c., &c. The progeny of the women of the country by Brahmans were as a term of reproach called " Khas," or the " fallen," from " Khasna," " to fall," but the Brdhmans invested this progeny with the sacred thread also, and thereby gave them a higher social standing than the Magars and Gurungs. But this is most clearly and graphically described by Brian Hodgson. After describing how the Mahomedan conquest and bigotry continued to drive multitudes of Brahmans from the plains of 8 The Goorkh&s. Hindustan to the proximate hills, which now form the western territories of N6p£l, Brian Hodgson says — " The Brahmans found the natives illiterate, and without Converts to Hin- faith, but fierce and proud. They saw that •J""""- the barbarians had vacant minds, ready to receive their doctrines, but spirits not apt to stoop to degrada- tion, and they acted accordingly. To the earliest and most distinguished of their converts they communicated, in defiance of the creed, they taught, the lofty rank and honours of the Ksha- triya order. " But the Brihmans had sensual passions to gratify, as well , as ambition. They found the native females A new race arises. -' _ _ — even of the most distinguished — nothing loth, but still of a temper, like that of the males, prompt to resent indignities." These females would indeed welcome the polished Brihmans to their embraces, but their offspring must not be stigmatized as the infamous progeny of a Brihman and a M16chha. To this progeny also, then the Brahmans, in still greater defiance of their creed communicated the rank of the second order of Hinduism ; and from these two roots (converts and illegitimate progeny), mainly, spring the now numerous, predominant, and extensively ramified, tribe of Khas, originally the name of a small clan of creedless barbarians, now the proud title of Ksha- triya, or military order of the Kingdom of Nep^l. The off- spring of the original Khas females and of Brithmans, with the honours and rank of the second order of Hinduism, got the patro- nymic titles of the first order ; and hence the key to the anoma- lous nomenclature of so many stirpes of the military tribes of Nepil is to be sought in the nomenclature of the sacred order. It may be added, as remarkably illustrative of the lofty spirit of the parbattias (Highlanders), that, in spite of the yearly in- creasing sway of Hinduism in N^pdl, and the various at- tempts of the Brdhmans in high office to procure the abolition of a custom so radically opposed to the creed both parties now profess, the Khas still insist that the fruit of commerce (marriage is out of the question) between their females and males of the sacred order shall be ranked as Kshatriya, wear the thread, and assume the patronymic title. History. 9 The famous Prime Minister Bhim Sen was the descendant of a Magar Th^pi, as Was also General Amar Sing. Now, as has been shown, from the advent of these thousands A new language ari- of foreigners and their numerous progeny s^s- sprang up a new race, called Khas, and with this new race also came a new language, a kind of Hindi patois, which was called the language of the Khas, or Khas- Khura, which is nowadays the " lingua franca" of N^pAl, Doctor F. Hamilton, in his book published in 1819, says that the Magars who resided in the hills to the west of the Gandak river seem to have received the Rdjput princes with much cor- diality. They have submitted to the guidance of the Br^hmans, but formerly had priests of their own, and seemed to have wor- shipped chiefly ghosts. Near the Magars was settled a numerous tribe named Gurungs, whose manners are in most re- urung ri e. spects nearly the same with those of the Magars. This tribe was very much addicted to arms. It would appear that a Gurung chief, who was Rdj^h of KAski, settled in Ghindrung, where the Gurungs were most pre- dominant. These people were strongly attached to his descend- ants, by whom they were not disturbed in their religious opi- nions or customs, and in their own homes they practically still continue to follow the doctrines of Sakia as explained to them by Ldmas of their own tribe. No Gurungs have as yet ever been admitted to the dignity of Khas, but with their constant intercourse with the Khas, who are Hindus, their original faith is getting weaker and in time will disappear. It may here be pointed out that none of the high-sounding titles which are to be found amongst the Magars, and which were evidently brought in by the Br^hmans from Hindustan, are to be found amongst the Gurungs. Amongst the thousands of Goorkhds the writer has seen, he has never met a Surja Bansi Gurung, and he doubts the exist- ence of any. '0 The Goorkhas. The district of Goorkh^ is situated in the nprth-east portion of _ , , , the basin of the Gandak, occup5'ing the Goorkhi. , „ . ' j ii country between the Tnsulganga and the Sweti Gandak. The chief town is called Goorkha, and is about 55 miles to the west of Katmandu. This town, and eventually the district, is said to have ob- tained its name from a very famous saint called Gorkhdn^t, or Gor^khin^t, who resided in a cave, which still exists, in the hill in which the city of Gorkhcl is built. The ancestors of the present race of Goorkhis derived their Definition of the national name of Goorkhi from this district, termGoorkhd. jn which they first established themselves as an independent power. The term Goorkha is not limited to any particular class or clan ; it is applied to all those whose an- cestors inhabited the country of Goorkha, and who from it, sub- sequently, extended their conquests far and wide over the east- ern and western hills. The men of Doti, Jumla, and other western portions of Nepdl and the Kumdon hills, are parbattias (Highlanders), but they are not Goorkhds, and never were so, whilst Damiis and S^rkhis are recognized as " Gorkh^lis," notwithstanding their very low social standing, from the mere fact of their ancestors having resided in the Goorkha district. In 1802 Docter F. Hamilton writes : "The first persons of the GoorkhA family of whom I have heard were two brothers, named Khancha* and Mincha, words altogether barbarous, de- noting their descent from a Magar family, and not from the Pamars, as they pretend." Khancha was the founder of the imperial branch of the family, viz., they remained Magars. Mincha was the chief of Nayakot and adopted the Hindu rules of purity, and his descendants in- termarried with the best families, although not without creating disgust. The Khancha family possessed Bhirkot, Gharhung, and Dhor. Bhirkot seems to have been the head of the whole, as its chief was at the head of a league containing Nayakot. * "Khancha" is the Khus Khdra for " younger brother. History. 1 1 Mincha, the Rajdh of Nayakot, and the chiefs of this place, although they lived pure, continued to the last to follow in war the impure representatives of Khancha. A branch of the Mincha family ruled at Kciski. The Chief of LcLmzung was descended from a younger son of the Kiski ruler, and in time became very powerful, and he was followed in war not only by his kinsn^an, the Chief of Kdski, but by the Rajah of Tanahung. One of the Limzung RdjAhs had a younger brother, Darbha Sahi, who rebelled and took to himself Goorkhd, which then formed the southern part of the principality. The capital Goorkhi is situated on a very high hill and contains the temple of Gordkh^lndt. From this we may infer that the proper name of the place is GoorakhA, and that previous to having ad- opted the doctrines of the Brahmans, this family had received the " jogis," or priest, of Gordkh^ndt as their spiritual guides. The first chief of Goorkhil was Darbha Sihi, and his de- scendants were as follows : i, R^im^ Siihi ; 3, Puran S4hi ; 3, Chatra Sahi ; 4, Dambar SAhi ; 5, Birbhadra S^hi ; 6, Prithwi Pati Sdhi ; 7, Nribhupal Sdhi. These chiefs entered into none of the leagues formed by their neighbour, but trusted entirely to their own vigour. Nribhupal S^lhi procured in marriage, first, a daughter of the Pdlpd family, and secondly, a daughter of the chief of Malibam. His eldest son, Prithwi Narain Sahi, was a person of insati- Prithwi Narain .King able ambition, sound judgment, great cour- o£ Goorkhl ^gg^ ^jjj unceasing activity. He is practi- cally the great founder of the house of GoorkhA. It would appear that in the earlier days of Prithwi Narain's reign, the inhabitants of the district of Goorkh£ were almost entirely Magars, Gurungs, Thakhurs, and Khas, with a sprinkling of the menial classes. In the year 1749 one of the princes in Nepdl proper, who was King of Bhatgion, was ill-advised enough to apply for as- sistance to Prithwi Narain against his enemies, rival princes, who were pressing him hard. Prithwi Narain had been extending his own dominions on all sides, and was only too glad to have an opportunity of establish- ing a secure footing in N6pal, and he therefore advanced at 12 The Goorkhds. once from Goorkha with an army of Magars, Gurungs, Khas, and Thdkdrs. Ranjit Mai soon found out his mistake, and was obliged to come to terms with the neighbouring kings, with a view to resist the encroachments of the Goorkhas. Prithwi Narain, however, had occupied the hills round the valley, and established a series of small forts on them, the ruins of which exist to this day. Finding himself not strong enough to seize the valley, he „, ,^ ,,^ blockaded it, and at length, in 1769 A.D., Defeat of Goorkhas. j j • . .^ 1 , \ j^-t 1 descended into the level country and attack- ed Kirtapur, a town belonging to the Petan R4jAh. Aided by the King of Katmandu, the inhabitants defeated the Goorkhds, killing a brother of Prithwi Narain. Shortly afterwards the Goorkhd King made another attack Second defeat. ,„ Kirtapur, but was again defeated. After subduing some neighbouring petty states, he again besieged Kirtapur, and obtained entrance Kirtapur captured. , ^t . , . 1 to the town by treachery. After taking Kirtapur he proceeded to attack Petan, but was obliged to raise the siege in order to oppose Major Kinloch, to whom the NepAlese applied for assistance. Major Kinloch's force being inadequate for the purpose, and Major Kinloch's force being still further weakened by sickness, repulsed. ^as repulsed by the Goorkhds, who then returned and attacked Katmandu. Prithvi Narain obtained possession of Katmandu by trea- Conquest of " N^pdl chery, and then successively of Bhatgaon Proper." and Petan, thus completing the conquest of N^pdl in 1769 A.D. Prithwi Narain died in 1771 and left two sons, Sing Pertab and Bahidar Sah, the former of whom succeeded his father. Sing Pertab died in 1775, leaving one legitimate son, Ran Bahddar Sah, who at the time of his father's death was but an infant. On the death of Sing Pertab, his broher Bahddar Sah became regent. The mother of the infant king opposed him, and after a struggle of some years Bahddar Sah had to fly to BettiAh, where I f History. 13 he remained until 1795, when the Rani died and he again be- came Regent. First war with Thibet. In 1790 the Goorkhis invaded Thibet and pillaged Lhdsa. In 1792 a Chinese army of 70,000 men invaded N^pAl by the .,, „, . Kirong route, and after some desperate War with China. n y , , ■k.t r „ , ,. hghts, overcame the Nepalese, and dictated terms to the Goorkhi King at Nayakot, some 25 miles from Kat- mandu. Treaty with the In March 1 792 Lord Cornwallis entered ^"^^^^- into a commercial treaty with the Goorkh^s. In consequence of this, a mission under Colonel Kirkpatrick was despatched to N6pdl the same year. In 1793 Colonel Kirk- patrick quitted N6pal, as he found the N6pilese determined to avoid a closer alliance. Kumion* conquered. In 1 793 the Goorkhis under Jagajit con- quered Kumion. In 1794 the Goorkhas under Amar Sing conquered and an- Gharwil conquered. nexed Gharwcil. They next fought the Gharwalis in the Dun near Giirudhana, utterly defeated them, killed their Rijah, and annexed the Dun, which had belonged to the Gharwilis. By this time the Goorkh^ territories extended from Bhutin to Kashmir, and from the borders of Thibet to the British provinces. In 1795 Ran Bah^dar Sah removed his uncle from the regency and assumed the reins of government : two years subse- quently he put him to death. From this time till 1800 N6pil was the scene of most bar- barous outrages perpetrated by the King. In 1800 Ran Bahadar Sah was expelled from the country and obliged to abdicate in favour of his illegitimate son, who was still an infant. In October 1801 a treaty was signed by the British and First British Resident Nepalese authorities, and in consequence of N^pil. Captain W. D. Knox was appointed Resi- dent at the Court of Nepil, and he reached the capital in April 1802. * Kurmdon and Gharwal remained subject to the GoorkhSs until 1816, when they were ceded to the British by the treaty of Segowli. 14 The Goorkhds. Becoming dissatisfied with the political conduct of the N^p^lese, who evaded the fulfilment of their engagements, he withdrew in March 1803. In January 1804 Lord Wellesley formally dissolved alliance with the Durbar. From this time until 1814, the Nep^lese carried on a system of outrage and encroachment on the British frontier. On the ist November 1814, Lord Hastings declared war against N6p£l, on account of these conti- War with N^pdl. ^ , ^ . r, ^ . • , nual outrages and encroachments, which culminated in the treacherous attack and murder of all our police in the Botwil district. The Goorkhd army consisted of 12,000 men, equipped and disciplined in imitation of the Company's sepoys. When war was determined on, 30,000 British troops with 60 guns were told off in four divisions. The war, though ultimately brought to a successful termina- tion by the brilliant operations of Ochterlony, was one very dis- creditable to the military abilities of our Generals ; yet it reflect- ed the highest credit to the troops employed, being perhaps the most arduous campaign in which the Company's army had ever been engaged in India. Throughout the war the Goorkhis displayed the most con- spicuous gallantry. Major-General Gillespie, advancing from Meerut, seized the Operations o£ General Keeri pass over the Sewaliks and occupied Gillespie's Division. Dehra without opposition. Five miles from Dehra is a hill 500 to 600 feet high, surmounted with a fort called Ndlapdni or Kalunga, of no great size or strength. The defence of this post against General Gillespie was most creditable to the Goorkhis, though exhibit- Kalanga. . , , , . , ing extreme rashness on his part, as he had been directed to avoid strong works which required to be reduced by artillery. In this defence Balbhadar and *6oo Goorkhds repulsed two assaults, inflicting on the British division a loss of 31 officers and 750 men killed and wounded, including General Gillespie, who was killed when leading the first assault; and when ultimately * Tliese 600 men belonged mostly to the regiment known as the Purina Gorakh, which consists entirely of Magars. History. 15 three days' incessant shelling compelled them to abandon the place, Balbhadar and the survivors, reduced to go in number, cut their way through our postSj and escaped. The defence of this fort retarded a whole division for over one month. On the fall of the fort it was at once occupied by the British troops, and there indeed the desperate courage and bloody re- sistance the Goorkh^s had opposed to means so overwhelming were mournfully and horribly apparent. The whole area of the fort was a slaughter-house strewed with the bodies of the dead and wounded. The determined resolution of the little party that held this Gallantry of the de- small post must surely claim universal ad- f«"'J^'^^- miration. The men of Nilipcini (or Kalinga) will for ever be marked for their unsubdued courage, and the generous spirit of courtesy with which they treated their enemy. They fought us in fair conflict like men, and in the intervals of actual combat showed us a liberal courtesy worthy of a more enlightened people ; so far from insulting the bodies of the dead and wounded, they permitted them to remain untouched till carried away, and none were stripped even. The following story illustrates their confidence in British officers. One day 4 , whilst the batteries were playing, a man was perceived on the breach advancing and waving his hand. The guns ceased for a while, and a man came> who proved to be a Goorkhi, whose lower jaw had been shattered by a round shot and who came thus frankly to solicit assistance from his enemy. It is unnecessary to add that it was instantly afforded. He recovered, and when discharged from the hospital, signified his desire to return to his corps to fight us again, ex- hibiting thus through the whole a strong sense of the value of generosity and courtesy in warfare, and also of his duty to his country, separating completely in his own mind private and national feeling from each other. During the assaults on the fort, women were seen hurling stones, and undauntedly exposing them- Bravery of women. ggiyes ; and several of their dead bodies, 1 6 The Goorkhas. and one wounded, were subsequently found amidst the ruins of the fort. Balbhadar with the survivors retreated to a hill a few miles distant, and was there joined by 300 fresh Goorkhds, and sub- sequently he formed a part of the garrison of Jythak. On General Gillespie's death, General Martindell was given the command of the division. He left a detachment in the Dun, and entered the valley General Martindell ^elow Ndhan by the KoWpari pass on 19th advanes-D December 1814. Nahan was found evacuated and was thereupon occupied by the British. Colonel Kesar Sing, who had been in Nelhan with 2,300 of the 61ite of the Goorkh£ army, had retired to Jythak, in accordance with General Amar Sing's orders. General Martindell sent two detachments, one o£ 738 men under Major Richards, and the other of ^ * ■ 1,000 men under Major Ludlow, to occupy two ridges on the flanks of the enemy's main position. The detachment under Major Ludlow attacked the enemy and drove them off with some loss ; but being flushed with suc- cess he pursued too far, and on seeing a stockade in front of him, he attempted to seize the same and failed. This stockade was afterwards always known as the second stockade. The officer commanding the stockade seeing the disordered Defeat of Major Lud- state of our troops, and how few of them low's detachment. there were together, sallied out with no great number of men, bore down the leading troops, and put the rest to flight. Reinforced by fresh troops, the enemy followed up the charge, and our men, out of breath and panic- struck, could not be rallied. Major Ludlow and other officers three times attempted to rally the troops at favourable points, but as often the Goorkh^s charged and dispersed them, and followed, cutting them up with their Kukries. In the meanwhile the other detachment under Major Success of Major f^i^hards made good its object, but owing Richards, but subse- to the failure of Major Ludlow's column, quently retreats. ^j^^y ^^^^ ordered to retreat. Lieutenant Thakery, with a company of the 26th Native In- fantry, made a gallant charge to cover the retreat; but the enemy breaking their way in on all sides, and using their Kukries, com- History. 1 7 mitted terrible havoc. The British loss was 12 officers aiid 450 men killed and wounded. In February 1815 Ranjin Sing with 200 Goorkhds attacked and defeated 2,000 irregulars under Lieutenant Young, The fall of Jythak was only brought about by the successes of General Ochterlony and the surrender of Amar Sing, General T. Wood, who commanded a division at Gorakhpur, Operations under having heard that the enemy under Colonel General T. S. Wood. Wajir Sing held a stockade called Jitghar, close to Botwil, determined to attack the same. He advanced for this purpose on the 3rd of January 181 5. The route led for the last seven miles through FUghar stockade. ^^j f^^^^^g General Wood had been told to expect an open space in front of the stockade, but whilst still in the thick of the forest, he suddenly found himself in front of the stockade, and within 50 yards of it. A destructive fire was opened on the British troops. The stockade was merely a hollow one, and a position was gained round the left flank completely commanding the stockade : the carrying of the work was certain and the enemy were already retreating from it, when General Wood ordered the retreat to be sounded! The British lost 5 officers and 128 men killed and wounded. General Wood did nothing from this date until 17th of April, when he made a useless demonstration against Botwil, with no results. General Marley was expected to attempt the Bichiakoh and , Hetounda pass, and, if successful, from Operations under f ' ' General Marley. thence straight on to Katmandu. He oc- cupied several posts in the Terai and kept his main army at Parsa. One post, held by Captain Sibley, was 20 miles to the left of Parsa, and another under Captain Blackney at Summar- pur, about as far to the right. The main army of the Goorkhds was at Makwanpur under „.., , Colonel Randhar Sing, who gave orders Ca'^pu^n BlaSneT bTth that both these posts should be attacked surprised. on the 1st January 18 15. Captain piackney was completely surprised, and he and Lieutenant Duncan were killed, and in ten minutes his sepoys broke and fled in every direction. Captain Sibley was more on 1 8 The Goorkhds. his guard, and made a good fight of it, but was surrounded and overpowered. Our loss out of 500 men, was 123 killed, 187 wounded, and 73 missing. General Marley was superseded for incompetence, and Lieutenant Pickersgill General George Wood took command in^ surprises the enemy. his stead. The very day before assuming command. Lieutenant Pickersgill, with a body of cavalry, sur- prised a body of 500 Goorkhis and cut nearly all up. General George Wood had a fine army of 13,400 men, but being of opinion that the fever season had commenced, he refused to risk penetrating the forest, and accordingly he did nothing. In December 18 14 Lord Hastings, considering that a diver- Operations in Ku- sion from Kumdon might have a good effect, '"^°°- gave orders to Colonel Gardner and Major Hearsey to raise two levies composed of Rohillas. Colonel Gardner advanced on the nth February from Kashi- Success of Colonel pur in the Moradabad district, and after Gardner. some skirmishing established himself on 20th February 18 15 on a ridge immediately facing Almorah. About the same time Major Hearsey advanced through Pili. Defeat of Major bhit and moved on towards Almorah, with Hearsey. ^j^g intention of co-operating with Colonel Gardner, but on 31st March he was defeated in an engagement and he himself was wounded and taken prisoner. Towards the end of March, Colonel Jasper Nichols was sent Success of Colonel with 2,500 infantry and lo guns to support '^''^''°'^- Colonel Gardner. After the junction was effected a good deal of fighting took place round Almorah. By 25th April guns had been put up in a position within 70 yards of the fort. The Governor of the province thereupon proposed an armistice. On ihe 27th a formal convention was signed, in which the whole Kumdon province was surrended, and Major Hearsey was released. General Ochterlony, who took the field in the middle of Oc- Operations under tober, had 7,000 troops under him, and was General Ochterlony. opposed by General Amar Sing, who never had more than from 2,800 to 3,000 Goorkhds under him. General Ochterlony determined to act with the utmost cau- History. , 19 tioti, and by his perseverance and skilful operations, he was en- abled to outmancEUvre Amar Sing from position to position. Up till the middle of February nothing of much importance was done. Between this and the 14th April, a number of small forts were Success at Deothal. reduced. On the 1 5th April, after some very hard fighting, the British troops seized a peak called Deothal, in the very heart of the enemy's positioni and therein placed two whole battalions with two field pieces, and threw up earth-works all round the same. Amar Sing seeing the absolute necessity of dislodging the Bhagti ThApi's attack British from Deothal, attacked the same on on British. ^^^ jg^^ ^j^jj ^^qoo Goorkhis, led by Bhagti ThapA. The attack took place from all sides with furious intrepidity, but the enemy were repulsed with a loss of 500 men, Bhagti Thdpi being killed. The British lost 7 officers and 347 men killed and wounded. The Goorkhds now concentrated round MaUon, but news of the fall of Almorah having arrived, Amar Sing's sirdars urged him to accept terms for himself and his son Ranjit at Jythak, This he refused to do, and as the chiefs began to desert him, he retired into MaUon with 200 men, and there held out as long as any hope remained, after which he capitulated on highly honourable terms to General Ochterlony. The gallant defence of Fort MalcLon by Amar Sing elicited the admiration of General Ochterlony, who allowed him to march out with his arms, accoutrements, colours, two guns, and all his personal property, "in consideration of the bravery, skill, and fidelity with which he had defended the country entrusted to his charge " : the same honorable terms were granted to his son, who had defended Jythak against General Martindell, The fort of Malaon brought the campaign of 1814-15 to an end. Negociations for peace were now opened in May 1815, but the refusal of the Nepalese to submit to Lord Hastings' demands led to the campaign of 18 16. General Ochterlony advanced with 20,000 troops early in February against the Bichakoh pass, which Second campaign. , . vi tr i 4 1 u he found impregnable. Fortunately he was able to turn this position, on 14th Febuary 1816, by means of a 20 The Goorkhds, very rugged road, which was unknown to the enemy, and was shown to him by some smugglers. On the 27th an advance was made upon and a position taken , Battle of Sekha Khatri "P in front of Makwinpur. On the 28th 2,000 (or MakwSnpiir.) Goorkhis attacked a post called Sekha Khat- ri, situated on a hill to the left of the camp. The village was ob- stinately and gallantly defended by the small detachment there; General Ochterlony successively detached i European and 3 Native battalions in support, and after a most obstinate fight the enemy was beaten off. The British casualties were 2 officers and 222 men, but the loss of the enemy was over 800. On the 1st March a strong point 800 yards from the Goorkhi Defeat of Goorkhds at stockade on the hill on which Harihirpur '^/' stands was surprised and the Goorkhcl pic- quet driven off. The Goorkhis, in considerable numbers, made a most des- perate and obstinate attempt to recover this position. It was impossible, owing to the nature of the ground, to use the bayonet, and the musketry fire lasted from 3 A.M. till 1 1-30, when the arrival of some guns at last drove the enemy away, after several hours of hard fighting. British loss 5 officers and 54 men. . After the war of 1816, Sir D. Ochterlony expressed an opi- nion confidentially to Lord Hastings that " the Company's sol- diers, then Hindustanis, could never be brought to resist the shock of these energetic mountaineers on their own ground." The intelligence of their reverses at Sekha Khatri and Hari- harpur spread consternation at Katmandu, Goorkhds submit. ^^^ ^^^ Durbar immediately tendered, un- qualified- submission; and thus was ended the second war in a short and brilliant campaign. On the 4th March the treaty of Segowli was signed, by which N6pdl was reduced to the country lying Treaty of Segowli. between the river Michi on the east and the river Kali on the west, and by this treaty they also ceded nearly the whole TerAi west of the Gandak river to the British. In fulfilment of the terms of this treaty, a British Resident Mr. Gardner appoint- ^as appointed, Mr. Gardner being select- ed Resident. ed. The King was at this time still young, and Bhim Sen Thipi held the reins of government. History. 2 1 The King died in his 18th year, shortly after Mr. Gardner's arrival, and his successor was only 2 years old. Bhim Sen Thctpi retained complete and uninterrupted power until 1832. In 1833 the King, instigated by the queen, endeavoured, but without success, to free himself from the rule of Bhim Sen Thcipd. The attempt was renewed in 1836, and in 1837 Bhim Sen Thipd was removed from office and imprisoned. He was, how- ever, soon released, but never regained his former position, and in 1839 he was again put in irons. Threats were made that his wife and female relatives would be shamefully treated in pub- Death of Bhim Sen Hc, and preferring to die rather than wit- Th5p5. ness the disgrace, Bhim Sen Thipi commit- ted suicide in prison. So ended the life of a gallant old chief, who had ruled the country for 26 years. In 1843 Matbar Sing Thiip^, the nephew of Bhim Sen Thapi, who was in exile in the Punjab, was recalled and made prime minister. In 1845 he was murdered at the instigation of one Gagan Sing, a great favourite of the Mahdrini. The murder of Gagan Sing and thirty-one of the most in- fluential chiefs, in 1846, paved the way for Jang Bahddar. ^^^ ^.^^ ^^ j^^^ Bahddar. Finding that Jang Bahadar was not so subservient to her purposes as she expected, the Mahardni endeavoured to com- pass his death, but failing, she was expelled with her two sons from the country, and was accompanied to Benares by the Mahardjdh, who returned to Nep5l the following year, only to abdicate in favour of the heir-apparent, Surendar Bikram. In 1848 an offer was made to the British Government to assist in the war with the Sikhs, but the offer was declined. On the 15th of January 1850 Jang Bahadar started to visit England. In 1854 the Nepilese entered into war with Thibet, which Second war with Thi- lasted two years, and terminated favourably bet. for N^p£l. Dr. Oldfield gives the follow- ing details : — The first week in April about 1,000 Goorkhas under General Dher Sham Sher (the father of the present Prime Minister 22 The Goorkhds. Mah^rdjdh Bir Sham Sher Rana Bahadur) attacked a body of about from 3,000 to 5,000 Thibetans and defeated them. On the 26th news arrived of a victory gained by the Goorkhis. It would appear that a large body of Thibetans occupied a post called Ganta, about eight miles from Jhanga. For nine days the Thibetans repulsed with considerable loss the successive attacks of the Goorkhas, but at length they were driven out of the post, which was occupied at once by the Goorkhcis. On the 4th May news arrived that the Goorkhds had captured the post of Jhanga. In November news arrived that a very large force of Thi- betans and Tartars had surprised the Goorkhd position at Kuti, to which place they had retired at the commencement of the rains. The Goorkhis were, after several hours' hard fighting, utterly routed and lost 700 men killed and nine guns. Only 1,300 Goorkhds escaped. On the 19th November the Thibetans attacked Jhanga at night and entered the position, but after some hours' fighting they were driven out and defeated, leaving 1,200 dead behind them. On the 25th November news arrived that General Dher Sham Sher with five to six thousand Goorkhds, divided into nine regi- ments, advanced against Kuti. The Thibetans were in an en- trenched camp, and numbered about 10,000. After some good hard fighting they were defeated with a loss of 1,100 killed. The Goorkhds here recovered two of the guns they had lost. Colonel Sanak Sing with five regiments attacked the Thi- betans near Jhanga and killed over 1,100 chiefly with the kukry. The force in Jhanga killed 559 Thibetans ; after these re- verses the Thibetans submitted. In 1857, when the mutiny broke out, the N6pdlese offered the assistance of their troops to the British Government, and the same was accepted on the 26th June. On the 2nd July, 3,000 troops were sent off to the plains of India, and 1,000 more followed on the 13th and 14th August. On the loth December, Jang Bahadar himself went down with a force of 8,000. This force was joined by Colonel Macgregor as Military Commissioner, and assisted in the campaign of 1857 and 1858. History. 23 Early in 1858 numbers of fugitive rebels took refuge in the N^pSlese Terdi. In 1859 the N^pdlese organized an expedition, and swept the remnant of the mutineers out of the country. In return for the above services, Jang Bah^dar was created a G.C.B., and under a treaty concluded on ist November i860 the tract of country on the Oudh frontier, which had been ceded to the British Government in 1816, was restored to NepAl. In 1878 Sir Jang Bahddar died from the effects of injuries received from a tiger he had wounded whilst out shooting. Ranodhip Sing, a brother of Jang Bahadar's, then became Prime Minister until 22nd November 1 885, when he was assassin-, ated and his nephew Bir Sham Sher Rana Bahddar, the present Prime Minister, took up the reins of Government. The N^pilese army is said to consist of 30,000 drilled soldiers including artillery, who are almost all paid N^pdl Army. j^^ j^^^^^ r^^^^ ^^^ ^x\\\&A according to the English drill book and with English words of command. At a parade held in Katmandu on 6th March 1888, 108 guns marched past the Prime Minister, and it is therefore only natural to conclude that the N^palese, considering their small army, are strong in this branch. Several regiments are now (1889) armed with Henry Mar- tinis manufactured in the country. More aire being daily manu^ factured, and it would appear the whole army is to receive them. There are also a number of NepAlese-made Sniders, and some thousands of Enfields, either captured from the mutineers in 1859, or given by the British Government. 24 The Goorkhds. Part III. CHARACTERISTICS. RELIGION, ARMS, DRESS, &c. About 600 years before Christ it is said that Sakya Singha (Buddha— the wise one) visited the Nep^l Valley, and found that the fundamental principles of his religion had already been introduced amongst the Newars by Manjasri from China. To Manjasri by the Buddhists, and to Vishnu by the Hindus, are assigned, respectively, the honour of having by a miracle converted the large mountain lake of Naga Vdsa into the present fertile N6pil Valley, by cutting with one blow of a sword the pass by which the Bhdgmati river leaves the valley of Ndpil. To this day this pass is called "Kot bar," "Sword cut." It is known as a fact that 300 years before Christ, Buddhism flourished in N6pal, and it is still nominally the faith of the majority of Newars (some Newars have been Hindus from time immemorial) ; yet it is steadily being supplanted by Hindu- ism, and before another century it will have entirely dis- appeared. The Khas are Hindus. The Magars and Gurungs are so also nominally, but their Hinduism is not very strict. The Gurungs in their own country are really Buddhists, though they would not admit it in India. To this day their priests in their own homes are Lim^s and GiAbrings, but when serving in our regiments they submit to the Brdhmans and employ them for all priestly functions. The fashionable religion is Hinduism, and it may therefore be said that Goorkhds are Hindus, and with them, therefore, Br&hmans are the highest caste, from whose hands no impurity can come. The Brahmans wear the thread (Tania). In the case of Brdhman with Khas, or Khas with Connection of higher lower grades, there can be no marriaare. with lower castes. Neither can a Magar marry a Gurung or vice versd, nor can a SoUbjit Gurung marry into the Chirjit or vice versd. The offspring of an Opadia Brihman with a Brihman's widow is called "Jaici." Characteristics. 25 That of a Jaici, and certain Brdh«ians with a Khas, is called Khattri. The Khattri wears the thread, but is below the Khas. The offspring of a Khas with a Magarin or Gurungin is a titular Khas, but his very father will not eat with him, nor any pure Khas. The progeny of an Opadia Brihman with a Thikur woman, or a Thdkur with a Brihman woman of Opadia class, gives a Hamil. That of a Thiikur with a Magarin gives an Uch^i Th^kur. On the occasion of the birth of a child a rejoicing takes place .. . . for 1 1 days, and no one except near relatives Religious rites. 1.1 • 1 1 /• , , can eat ordrmk with the father for 10 days. On the eleventh day the Brdhman conies, performs certain ceremonies, after which the father is supposed to be clean, and all friends are feasted and alms are given. The same ceremony exactly takes place for a daughter as for a son, but the birth of the latter is hailed with joy, as he has to perform the "Kiriya" or funeral rites of the parents. The girl is looked upon more or less as an expense. In our regiments 11 days' leave is always granted to a man when a child is born to him. The Brahman (Opadia) selects a name for the child on the eleventh day. Boys up to the age of 6 months, and girls up to 5 months, are allowed to suck their mothers' breasts only. On arriving at that age a grand dinner is given, and the Brdhmans are feasted and propitiated. Every friend and relation that has been invited is supposed to feed the child with grain, but this is merely a form, each man just putting a grain in the child's mouth. The ceremony is called " Bh^t Khila ni," " to feed with rice." All the friends and relations are also supposed to give the child presents, which generally take the shape of bangle.^ of silver or gold. Betrothals (called Mingni) take place at Betrothals. any age over 5 years. When a marriage is agreed upon, the parents of the boy gi^re a gold ring to the girl, as a sign of betrothal. This is called " Sihi Mundri." 26 The Goorihds. Five or six friends of the parents of the boy, and these must belong to the same clan as the boy, and five or six friends of the parents of the girl, and these must belong to the same clan as the girl's father, assemble to witness the agreement in the presence of a Brihman. A dinner is then given to the friends and relations of the contracting parties by the father of the girl, but the father of the boy is supposed to take with him some dahi (sour milk) and plantains as his share towards the dinner. After a betrothal, except by breaking off the engagement, which can be done by going through a certain ceremony before witnesses, but which is considered very bad form, neither party can marry any one else, unless on the death of one of them, when, if the real marriage has not taken place, or been consum- mated, they can do so. Marriages can take place at any time after the age of 7. It „ . is considered good to get a girl married Marriages. ° 1 r before she reaches the age of 13. A widow cannot marry a second time, but it is not con- sidered disgraceful for her to form part of another man's house. hold. A widower can marry again. If a boy, without being engaged to her, meets a girl, falls in love, runs away and marries her, he and his bride cannot approach the girl's father until called by him. When the father-in-law relents, he will send word telling the boy that he may present himself with his wife at his home on a certain hour of a certain day. On their arrival the father-in-law will paint a " Dhok Dinnu, " to spot on their foreheads with a mixture of make submission. rice and dahi (Tika {g;?°;), and then the boy and girl will have to make submission by bending down and saluting him. This is called " Dhok Dinnu. " Amongst Magars it is customary for marriages to be per- formed by Brihmans, and the ceremony is conducted in much the same way as the ordinary Hindu marriage. There is the marriage ceremony Janti, which is so timed as to reach the bride's house after midday, and which is first greeted with a shower of rice-balls, and then feasted by the parents of the bride. The actual marriage takes place at night, when the Characteristics. 27 ceremony of Phera (circumambulation round the sacred fire) is performed, and afterwards the Anchal Ghiti (knotting a cloth which is stretched from the bridegroom's waist over the bride's shoulder). The latter ceremony is said to constitute the essential mar- riage tie. After marriage a divorce can be obtained by a Gurung (and Divorce, Sinko Ddgo often amongst Magars too) by going or Sinko P«ngr4. through a ceremony called " Sinko D%o " or " Sinko Pdngri, " but both the husband and wife must agree to this. A husband has to pay R40 for his divorce, and the wife R160. Two pieces of split bambu are tied together, placed on two mud balls, and the money is put close by. If either party takes up the bambus, breaks them, and picks up the money, the other party can go his or her way in peace and amity, and marry again legally. In N6pil, Lcimis, assisted by Giibrings, fulfil the priestly functions of the Gurungs, both of the ChArj^t and the Soldhjat, but in our regiments Gurung marriage ceremonies are per- formed by Br^hmans. They say with true philsbphy, "JaisS Des Vaisi Bhes," which might be translated as " do in Rome as the Romans do." In Nepdl, no ceremony, whether that of marriage, burial, or naming a child at birth, is performed until the officiating L^mi has determined the propitious moment by consultation of astro- logical tables, and by casting the horoscope. On this much stress is laid. In the marriage* of Gurungs some ceremony resembhng the Anchal Ghitd is performed by the LimAs, and red lead is sprinkled by the bridegroom over the head of the bride. This completes the actual ceremony. All friends and relations are supposed to look away from the bride whilst the red lead is actually being sprinkled. This ceremony is called " Shindur HAlnu, " " to sprinkle red lead." A Magar will not allow his daughter to marry into the clan from which he may himself have taken a wife, but Gurungs have no objection to this. Neither Magars nor Gurungs, however, will take wives from the clan they may belong to themselves. No Chdrjdt Gurung can marry a Sol4j4t or vice versd. 28 The Goorkhas. In our regiments, on the death of a near relative, leave is srranted for i 'x days. For a father the son Deaths and mourning. =■ i rr • i -i i "Dukkha Baknu" (to mourns 13 days. If an unmarried daughter '"°"''"^' dies, the father mourns 13 days, unless she is still sucking her mother's breasts, when he would only mourn for 5 days. If a married daughter dies, the father mourns her for I day only, but the father-in-law will mourn for 13 days. Men shave their heads, lips, cheek, chins, and eyebrows for parents ; also for an elder brother if both parents are dead, but not otherwise Men only shave their heads for sons, younger brothers, and daughters if unmarried. On the death of a Gurung in his own country he is buried. The following ceremony takes place. The body is wrapped round with many folds of white cloth, pinned together by splin- ters of wood ; it is then carried by friends and relations to the grave-yard. At the entrance of the cemetery it is met by the officiating LdmA, who, dressed in a long white garment, walks round the cemetery, singing a dirge, and the body is carried behind him until he stops opposite the grave. It is next lowered into the grave, and then all friends and relations are supposed to throw a handful of earth upon the body, after which the grave is filled up, and stones placed above. In our service Magars and Gurungs on death are either buried or burned (but nearly always buried), according to the wish of the nearest relative. If they die either of cholera or of small-pox, they are invariably buried. Every regiment if possible should be provided with a ceme- tery. The men much appreciate this. Magars and Gurungs are exceedingly superstitious. The most ordinary occurrences of every-day life are referred by them to supernatural agency, frequently to the malevolent action of some demon. These god- lings have in consequence to be continually propitiated. Among the minor Hindu deities, Diordli, Chandi, and D^vi are those specially worshipped in Goorkha regiments. Outbreaks of any epidemic disease, such as cholera or small-pox, are invariably regarded as a malign visitation of Diorili or D6vi. When Characteristics. 29 going on a journey no one will start on an unlucky day of his own accord. After the date has been fixed, should any un- foreseen occurrence prevent a man from starting, he will often walk out a mile or two on the road he intended taking, and leave a stick on the ground, as a proof of his intention having • been carried out. In March 1889 a Goorkhi woman died of cholera in the Gorakhpur recruiting dep6t. Every Goorkhd officer, non-com- missioned officer, and man at the dep6t, at once subscribed. The recruiting officers gave their share, and with the proceeds three goats, three fowls, four pigeons, and food of sorts, were purchased^ Of these one goat and the four pigeons were let loose, and the food thrown away in the name of D6vi, and the balance of animals were sacrificed to her, and then divided and eaten up. Before killing the animals, they all prayed together — " Oh, mother Devi, we kill these beasts in thy name ; do thou in return keep away all sickness from us." As no fresh case occurred, although there was some cholera about in the district, all the Goorkhds in the dep6t were more firmly convinced than ever that this was due entirely to their having propitiated D6vi. Every Goorkhd regiment has a shrine to Deorili, and on the seventh day of the Dasdhrd this is visited by the whole batta- lion in state procession. The following is a table of the festivals observed by Goor- „ . , khAs in our service, with the leave allow- Festivals. , ed : — Basant Panchmi (in honour of Spring) Shibritri .... Holi (carnival) Swan Sakriti .... Riki Tarpan .... Janam Asthmi (called Jaumasthami) Dasehra (called Dasain) . Diwali (called Tiwar, the feast of lamps in honour of the Goddess Bhowini, at new moon of month of Kdrtik) Mdghia SakrAt (Hindu New Year) . 1 day. I » 9 days I day. 1 ,. I ,. 10 days. 4 .. I day. The ceremonies at these festivals and their observance are, with a few minor points, the same as in Hindustin. 3° The Goorkh&s. These holidays should not in any way be curtailed or inter- fered with, but should be granted in full. The Das^hrd is the chief festival of the Goorkhis, and they _, „ „ , endeavour to celebrate it whether in quar- The Das^hra. ^ ters or the field. Great preparations are made for it in procuring goats, buffaloes, &c., for the sacrifice. Every man in the regiment subscribes a certain amount towards the expenses. The commanding officers often give:, a buffaloe or two, and every British officer subscribes a certain amount also. The arms of the regiment are piled, tents erected, and spec- tators invited to witness the dexterity of the men in severing the heads of buffaloes, the children performing the same office on goats. The period of this festival is considered an auspi- cious time for undertaking wars, expeditions, &c. Caste rules with regard to food only apply to one descrip- Food and manner of tiOn, viz. — " ddl and rice." cooking. All other food, excepting " d^l and rice," all Goorkh^s will eat in common. With Magars, unmarried Th^kurs, and with Gurungs, it is not necessary to take off any clothes to cook or to eat any kind of food, including " ddl and rice." In N6pil the Khas need only remove their caps and shoes to cook or eat their food. Should a BrcLhman of the Opadia class prepare " dil and rice," all castes can eat of it. Magars and Gurungs will not eat the above if prepared by a Jaici Brahman. Superior castes will not eat d41 and rice with inferior ones. In our regiments men generally form little messes of their own varying in size from two or three to a dozen. As long as they are unmarried, Goorkhis of the same caste will eat everything together. All Goorkhds will eat " shikar " in common, a word they use for all descriptions of meat. No Goorkhas, except some menial classes, will eat cows, neilgai, or female goats. Characteristics. oi Gurungs eat buffaloes in their own country, though they will stoutly deny it if accused. All kinds of game are prized by Goorkhds, deer of all varie- ties, pigs, porcupines, pea-fowl, pigeons, pheasants, &c., &c., but beyond all things a Goorkhil likes fish. Whilst bachelors, Magars and Gurungs will eat every kind of food in common, and after marriage even, the only thing they draw the line at, is " Ail and rice." Food cooked in ghee, including "rice," but not "d^l," is eaten by all classes in common. Thakurs who have not adopted the thread will eat every- thing with Magar and Gurung. All classes will drink water from the same masak, which, however, should be made of goat-skin, Brian Hodgson gives the following true and graphic account of the contrast between the way the Goorkh^ eats his food and the preliminary ceremonies which have to be observed by the orthodox Hindu. : — " These highland soldiers, who despatch their meal in half an hour, and satisfy the ceremonial law by merely washing their hands and face and taking off their turbans before cooking, laugh at the pharisaical rigour of the Sipahis, who must bathe from head to foot, and make puja ere they can begin to dress, their dinners must eat nearly naked in the coldest weather, and cannot be in marching trim again in less than three hours. " In war, the former readily carry several days' provisions on their backs : the latter would deem such an act intolerably de- grading. The former see in foreign service nothing but the prospect of glory and spoil : the latter can discover in it nothing but pollution and peril from unclean men and terrible wizards, goblins, and evil spirits. In masses the former have all that indomitable confidence, each in all, which grows out of national integrity and success : the latter can have no idea of this senti- ment, which yet maintains the union and resolution of multi- tudes iu peril better than all other human bonds whatsoever, and once thoroughly acquired, is by no means inseperable from service under the national standard. " In my humble opinion they are by far the best soldiers in Asia; and if they were made participators of our renown in 32 The Goorkh&s. arms, I conceive that their gallant spirit, emphatic contempt of madhesias (people residing in the plains), and unadulterated military habits, might be relied on for fidelity; and that our good and regular pay and noble pension establishment would serve perfectly to counterpose the influence of nationality so far as that could injuriously affect us." The above was written by Mr. Brian Hodgson in 1832, and 25 years later, namely, in 1857, he writes : — " It is infinitely to be regretted that the opinions of Sir H. Fane, of Sir Charles Napier, and of Sir H. Lawrence, as to the high expediency of recruiting largely from this source, were not acted upon long ago." On service the Goorkhds put aside the very small caste pre- judices they have, and will cook and eat their food, if necessary, in uniform, and with all accoutrements on. GoorkhcLs will eat all and every kind of vegetables and fruit. They have a great partiality for garlic and pepper, and are very fond of potatoes, cabbages, cucumbers, and squash (kadu). Goorkhds will drink any English spirits, wines, or beer. They manufacture a kind of beer out of rice, which they call Jinr, and a spirit called Raksi, and although they will drink this freely, they fa,r prefer good Commissariat rum. They will smoke any English or Indian tobacco, and are very fond of cheroots. They will smoke out of any English-made pipe, even if with a horn mouth-piece, although they are likely to make a little fuss over the latter, just to save their consciences. The kukri, a short, curved, broad-bladed, and heavy knife, is the real national weapon of the Goorkhcls, and it is worn by all from the highest to the lowest. In our regiments they are carried in a frog attached to the waist-belt. From the beginning of the handle to the end or point of the blade they average about 20 inches in length. Where wood is plentiful, they are very fond of practising cutting with the kukri, and they will cut down with one blow a tree the size of an ordinary man's arm, Cha racteristiis. 33 A really skilful cutter will cut off slice after slice from the cud of a piece of green wood, each slice being not thicker than an ordinary piece of shoe leather. They call this " chinnu " " to slice off." ' They are also skilful with the Golel, knocking down and kill- ing the smallest birds with ease. All who can manage to raise thefunds endeavour to possess themselves of some sort of fire-arm. The national dress of the Goorkhds of the poorer class, such Dress ^ ^^ enlist, is one that shows them off ^, , .. . to the greatest advantage, and consists of the following : — A piece of cloth (langote) worn, as natives of India do, round the loins, &c. A thin waistcoat fitting tight and buttoned all the way up to the throat, A long piece of cloth, which is often a pagri, and is wrapped round the waist, and by which the kukri is carried. A pair of brown Goorkhi shoes, as described further on. A black round cap, high on one side and low on the other, and finally a kind of thin blanket or thick sheet, called Kh^di, which is worn as follows :— The two corners of the breadth are first taken. One is carried over the right shoulder and the other is brought up under the left arm, and the two corners tied together about the centre of the chest. A third corner, the one diagonally opposite No. i, is now taken, and brought over the left shoulder and tied in a knot with the fourth corner, which is brought up under the right arm and opposite the centre of the chest. This dress leaves the arms quite bare from above the elbows, and the legs are naked from halfway down to the knees, thus showing off his grand limbs. The blanket, by being tied as described above, forms a kind of large bag, which extends all the way round the back, and' in this Goorkhds very often carry their goods and chattels. The Goorkhi shoe is square-toed, fits well up over the instep, passes just under the ankle, and then round and pretty high up above the heel. It is made of rough looking but good brown leather, and all sewing in it is done with strips of raw hide. 34 "The Goorkhas. It is an excellent, durable shoe, is not affected by water in the same way that an ordinary native shoe of India is, and it is much less liable to come off in boggy ground. When the sun is very hot, Goorkhas will often unwind their waist-belt and tie the same over their heads in the shape of a pagri, taking it off again in the afternoon, when it begins to cool down again. The upper classes of N6pdl and most of the residents of National dress of up- Katmandu wear the following : — per class and residents of cities. The abovementioned national cap, or one much like it. A kind of double-breasted frock coat called chaubandi, fitting tight everywhere, especially over the arms, and fastened inside and outside by means of eight pieces of coloured tape, four inside and four outside. The four outside pieces of tape when tied show two on the left breast and high up, and the other two on the left side about level with the waist. A white or coloured waist cloth or pdgri, with the invariable kukri, a pair of pyjdmas very loose down to just below the knee, and from thence fitting the leg down to the ankle, and a pair of the national shoes. Under the coat is worn a shirt, of which three or four inches are invariably allowed to show. They never tuck their shirts inside their pyjamas. The frock coat and pyjAma abovementioned are made of a double layer of a thin shiny cotton cloth. Between the two layers a padding of cotton wool is placed, and these secured by parallel lines of sewing, which run close to each other. To make this still more secure, diagonal lines of sewing are also resorted to. This makes a very comfortable, and warm, but light suit. Goorkhds delight in all manly sports, — shooting, fishing, &c. — Amusements and ''.nd are mostly keen sportsmen and possess sports. great skill with gun and rod. They amuse themselves in their leisure hours, either in this way in the field, or in putting the shot, playing quoits or foot-ball, and they are always eager to join in any game with Europeans. General Sir Charles Reid, K.C.B., says—" All Goorkhas arc keen sportsmen, and are never so happy as when they are on a Characteristics. 35 tiger's track. A man I lost at Delhi had killed twenty-two on foot ; they never waste a shot ; they call ammunition ' Khazana,' ' treasure.' " They are good gardeners, but very improvident, as they ne- ver will save up seed for the next season's sowing. They are very fond of flowers, and will often go a long dis- tance to procure some. They often make necklaces of flowers, which they wear, and will also put flowers away in a glass of water in their barracks. As compared with other orientals, Goorkh^s are bold, endur- ing, faithful, frank, very independent and General character. ir i- t • ii • 1 ii_ self-reliant; in their own country they are jealous of foreigners and self-asserting. They despise the natives of India, and look up to and fra- ternize with Europeans, whom they admire for their superior knowledge, strength and courage, and whom they imitate in dress and habits. They have the following saying " Topiwir K^mw5r, Lungi- wir Khdnnewcir " — " The cap wearer works, the lungi-wearer eats." They are very jealous of their women, but are domestic in their habits, and kind and affectionate husbands and parents. As a consequence their wives are less shy and reserved, and have more freedom, and reciprocate their affection, carefully looking after uniform and all culinary and domestic matters. As a rule recruits on joining are very unsophisticated, very truthful, but dirty, and the first lesson that has to be taught them is that "cleanliness is next to godliness." They have then few prejudices of any description, caste or otherwise. The great vice of Goorkhds is gambling, to which they are greatly addicted. Though hot-tempered *"" '"^' and easily roused, they are in general quiet, well-behaved men, and extremely amenable to discipline. With a firm just hand over them, punishments are rare. Goorkh^s are capable of being polished up to a degree of smartness that no native troops can approach, and which can- not be much surpassed even by British troops. No officer can be too strict with them in parades, but they hate being " nagged at." 36 The Goorkhas. With a slack hand over them they very soon deteriorate and become slovenly. In Katmandu good schools exist in which English and Hindi „, . are taugrht, but our recruits, beingr almost Education. . , . . ' , entirely drawn from the agricultural classesi are quite ignorant of reading or writing. In our battalions schools exist for their instruction in reading, writing, and doing accounts, both in English and vernacular, and these are generally well attended. Numbers of men learn to read and write from friends in their barracks. It may seem strange, but it is an undoubted fact, that a number of recruits are yearly obtained who profess to enlist merely for the sake of learning to read, write, and do accounts. The Goorkh^, from the warlike qualities of his forefathers, and _ ,.,. the traditions handed down to him of their Traditions. military prowess as conquerors of N6pal, is imbued with, and cherishes, the true military spirit. His physique, compact and sturdy build, powerful muscular development, keen sight, acute hearing, and hereditary education as a sportsman, eminently capacitate him for the duties of a light infantry soldier on the mountain side, while his acquaint- ance with forest lore makes him as a pioneer in a jungle almost •unrivalled, whilst his national weapon the kukri has in Burmah and other places proved itself invaluable. The bravery displayed by the GoorkhiEs in their contests with the British has already been alluded to, and their own traditions afford ample proof of the dogged tenacity with which they can encpunter danger and hardship. The return of the Nepil army from Diggarcheh in the year 1790, amongst other instances, affords a distinguished proof of their daring and hardihood. The following extracts from Captain T. Smith's book are very characteristic. At Bhartpur it was an interesting and amusing sight to wit. ness the extreme good-fellowship and kindly feeling with which the Europeans and the Goorkhds mutually regarded each other. A six-foot-two grenadier of the 59th would offer a cheroot to the " little Goorkhee, " as he styled him ; the latter would take it from him with a grin, and when his tall and patronising comrade stooped down with a lighted cigar in his mouth, the Characteristic^. 37 little mountaineer never hesitated a moment in puffing away at it with the one just received, and they were consequently patted on the back and called " prime chaps." At the assault of Bhartpur, the Goorkhds were ordered to follow in after the 59th. These directions were obeyed, with the exception of going in with them instead of after them ; for when the British grena- diers with a deafening " hurrah " made their maddening rush at the breach, at that glorious and soul-stirring moment it was impossible to restrain them, and they dashed into the thick of it. In the morning after the storming of Bhartpur, when being praised for their gallantry by their British comrades, they return- ed the flattering partiality of the latter by the following charac- teristic remark : " The English are brave as lions ; they are splendid sepoys, and very nearly equal to us 1 " The following story is given as illustrative of their coolness and amenability to discipline. A tiger had been seen within a few miles of Dehra, and Colonel Young (then Captain, and the gallant Commanding Officer of the Simcor battalion), accompanied by Colonel Childers of Her Majesty's nth Dragoons, mounted an elephant and hast- ened to the spot. They, however, were unsuccessful in rousing him ; and after a long and tedious search were returning home. A GoorkhA sepoy was following the elephant with his gun on his shoulder, when he suddenly dropped on one knee and pre- sented his rifle as if in the act to fire. Having, however, roused the attention of the sportsmen, he did not pull the trigger but kept his gun fixed in the same position. He had suddenly caught sight of the fiery eyes of the tiger, who was crouching amongst the underwood, within three paces of his gun ; in this situation they steadily regarded each other. The elephant was immediately pushed up close to the kneeling GoorkhA, but neither of the sportsmen could succeed in catching a glimpse of the animal. In order, if possible, to observe the direction more accurately. Captain Young called out "Recover arms." The sepoy came to the " Recover " as calmly and collectedly as if on his own parade. " Present." Down went the gun again ; this was repeated, but still the tiger was invisible. 38 The Goorkhds. Captain Young exclaimed " That gallant fellow shall not be left unassisted," and in a moment dropped from the elephant and placed himself close to the sepoy. He looked along the level- led barrel, but to no purpose ; the brute was not to be distin- guished. Cocking his gun, therefore, he told the Goorkhi to fire ; there was a terrific roar, a rush forward for one instant, and all was still. When the smoke had just cleared away, there lay the tiger perfectly dead. The ball had struck the centre of his forehead and entered his brain. Doctor Oldfield in his book points out that there is not a single instance of a N6pil Chief taking bribes from, or selling himself for money to, the British or any other state. This loyalty to themselves is only equalled by their loyalty to us during the fiery ordeal of the Mutiny, the records of which, as well as of Ambela, of the Cabul campaign, and many other wars and battles, amply testify the value of the services rendered us by our Goorkhi regiments since incorporation in our army in 1815. Their fighting qualities, whether for sturdy, unflinching cour- age, or daring elan, are " nulli secundus " amongst the troops we enrol in our ranks from the varied classes of our Indian Em- pire, and no greater compliment can be paid to their bravery than by quoting one of their sayings — " Kdfar hunnu bhandd, manrnu reimro ! " " It is better to die than to be a coward ! " Tribes, Clans, &'c. ^g Part IV. TRIBES, CLANS, &c. REMARKS ON GOORKHA TRIBES AND CLANS. The military tribes of N6pill, from which the fighting element is almost exclusively drawn, are the following : The Khas, Magar, Gurung, and Thikur. There are also a few Limbus and Rais to be found in most of our Goorkhi regiments, but they are very few in number and only very slight mention is made of them in this book, as they are residents of Eastern and North-Eastern N^p^l, and are hardly ever brought in for enlistment to the recruiting officer at Gorakhpur. A few Nagarkotis {Newars) are also found in most of the regiments. The Khas are the predominant race of N6pal. They are generally slighter, more active, and more intelligent, than either the Magar or Gu- rung. They are Hindus, wear the thread, and are more liable to Br^hmanical prejudices than the Magar or Gurung. They, how- ever, make little of the ceremonial law of the Hindus in regard to food and sexual relations. Their active habits and vigorous characters could not brook the restraint of ritual law. Their few prejudices are rather useful than otherwise, inasmuch as they favour sobriety and cleanliness. They are temperate, hardy and brave, and make good soldiers. They intermarry in their own castes, and have a high social standing in Nep^l. In the N6pdlese army almost all the officers above the rank of Lieutenant are Khas, and so are by far the greater propor- tion of officers below the rank of Captain. They are intensely proud of their traditions, and look down upon Magars and Gurungs. In their own country any Khas who runs away in a battle becomes an outcast, and his very wife is unable to eat with him. They are very national in their feelings. 40 The Goorkhds. In the N^pdlese " Rifle Brigade," which consists of the pick- ed men of all classes, are to be found numbers of Khas of 5' 9" and over, with magnificent physique. Colonel Bah^dar Gambar Sing, who at present commands the " Rifles," served as a private under Sir Jang Bah^dar at Lucknow during the Mutiny. He there greatly distinguished himself by single-handed capturing 3 guns and killing 7 muti- neers. He received an acknowledgment from the British Government for his bravery, and the Prince of Wales present- ed him in 1875 with a clay-more, with an inscription thereon. In this fight Colonel Gambar Sing had no other weapon than his kukri, and he received 23 wounds, some of which were very dangerous, and to this day his face is scarred with huge sword-cuts. He also lost some fingers, and one of his hands was nearly cut off. Sir Jang Bah^dar had a special medal struck for him, which the gallant old gentleman wears on all great parades. None of our Goorkh^ regiments enlist Khas now, although in most regiments a few are to be still found, who were enlisted in olden das Experience would seem to prove that Magars and Gurungs are undoubtedly better men than Khas, yet a regiment of Khas would make a very fine body of soldiers, and in the present days, when men of good fighting class are so much needed, it seems a pity that Government makes no use of this material, out of which a regiment or two could easily be raised. About Khattris, Dr. L. Hamilton Khattris. says : — "The descendants of BrShmans by women of the lower tribes, although admitted to be Khas (or impure), are called Kshattris or Khattris, which terms are considered as perfectly synonymous." It would seem, however, that some proper Khattris,' called . " Deokotas," from Bareilly, did settle in the country, and inter- married with the Khas Khattris, All the Khattris wear the thread, and are considered as belonging to the military tribes. Since the return of Jang BahSdar from England, a number of Tribes, Clans, &c. 41 Goorkhd Khas have taken to calling themselves Chattris. There is no such man in the whole of Nepdl as a Goorkhd Chattri. Khas there are and Khattris there are also, butjZhattris there are none, and it is merely a title borrowed latterly from India. Brian Hodgson also mentiqns a tribe called Ekthariahs, the descendants of more or less pure Rijpdts and other Kshatriyas of the plains, 'Ihey claimed a vague superiority to the Khas, but the great tide of events around them has now thoroughly confounded the two races in all essentials, and therefore they will not be shown as a separate tribe, but be included with Khas. Brian Hodgson says : — •' The Khas were, long previously to the age of Prithvi Nar- ayan, extensively spread over the whole of the Ch^ubisia, and they are now to be found in every part of the existing king- dom of Nepil, as well as in Kumion, which was part of N^pil until 1 8 16. The Khas are more devoted to the house of Goorkhi, as well as more liable to Brihmanical prejudices, than the Magars or Gurungs ; and on both accounts are perhaps somewhat less desirable as soldiers for our service than the latter tribes.* I say somewhat, because it is a mere question of degree ; the Khas having certainly no religious prejudices, nor probably any na- tional partialities which would prevent their making excellent and faithful servants-in-arms ; and they possess pre-eminently that masculine energy of character and love of enterprise which distinguish so advantageously all the military races of Nepil." For the origin of the Khas nation, see under heading of •' History." To the north and to the west of Sallian, numbers of Matwala Khas are to be found. They are rarely if Matwala Khas. ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^3^. ^f ^^e Gandak river. There can be no doubt that this race found its origin some- where about Sallian, or perhaps still further west. The Matwala Khas is generally the progeny of a Khas of Western N6p&l with a Magar woman of Western Nepal. • This was written in 1832,— namely, only sixteen years after our war with N^pSl— and it is on that account that Brian Hodgson says the Khas are somewhat less desirable as soldiers for our service— not for want of bravery or soldierly qualities. 42 The Goorhh&s. If the woman happens to belong to the Rand clan of the Magar tribe, the progeny is then called a Bhdt Rdn5. The Matwala Khas does not wear the thread. He eats and drinks, and in every way assimilates himself with the Magars and Gurungs. He invariably claims to be a Magar. Amongst the Matwala Khas are to be found those who call themselves Bohra, Roka, Chohdn, Jhdnkri, &c. These are easy to identify, but it is more difficult to find out a Matwala who calls himself a Thapd. His strong Magar ap- pearance, his not wearing the thread, and his eating and drinking freely with the real Magars, all tend to prove him to be what he almost invariably claims to be, viz., a real Magar. The writer has found men in the ranks who for years had served as, and been considered, Magars, but who really were Matwala Khas. Some very excellent recruits are obtained amongst the Matwala Khas, although the greater proportion are coarse-bred and un- desirable. KHAS. Adikhdri Clans. Dhdmi. Pokrial. Khadsena. Thikuri. Man. Thdmi. Musiah. Tharirdi. Baniah Clans. Sinjapati. Basndyet Clans. Khaptari. Rakmi. Khulal. Sripili. Puwdr. Bhanddri Clans. LAmA. Sinjdpati Raghiibangsi. Bhist Clans. Dahal. Puwdr. Kdlikotia. Gharti Clans. KAlikotia. Khanka. Bagilia. Khiildl. Tribes, Clans, &c. 43 KH AS— continued. Kdrkhi Clans. Khdlil. Mundala. L&md. Sutar. Kh&nhaClans. Kalikotia. Mahar5ji. Khaptari. Palpali. Khuldl. Partial. Lakingi. Powar. Lamchania. lattri Clans (progeny mostly ofjaici or Brdhw Adikhari. Khiilal. Arjdl. Kirkiseni. Baral. LAmchania. Bhatiri. Pande. Bhusdl. Panth. DAI. Parajuli. DangAli. Phania Deokota. Poryal. DhakAl. Remi. Dhamdl. SakhtiAl. Dital. Sapkotia. Chimin a. Silwal. Gothami. Suveri . Khaptari. Tewdri. Kanwdt ' Clans, ArjAl. Khanka. Bagalia. Khiilal. Thdpd Clans. Bagial. Mahdraji. Oeoga. Palami. Gagliyd. Parajuli. Ghimiria. Puwar. Gudar. Sanidl. Khaptari. Sdydl. Khuldl. Thakuridl. Ldmchania. Other true Khas bi it not classified^ Alphdltopi. Batidl. Am Gdi. Bhdt Ojha Baj Gai. Bhdt Rai. Balia. Bhirial. Bamankoti. Bikrdl. 44 The Goorkhds. KHAS — continued. Other true Khas but Chalatani. Chanial. Chanvala Gai. Dahal. Danjal. Deokota (Khattri). Dhongial. Dhungdna. Ganjal. Gartola. Gilal: Hamia GAi. Kadariah. KilA Khattri. Kanhal. Khatiwata. Kilathani. Kukrial . Layal. not classified j/ef— continued. LamsAl. Mari Bhus. NaopAnia. Osti. Parijai Kawale. Parsdi. Pauridl. Porseni. Pungidl. Regmi (Khattri). Rupakheti. Satania. Sati. Satia Gai. Seora. Sikhimial. Sijal. Tewdri (Khattri). Tumrakal. MAGARS AND GURUNGS. These are by'common consent recognised as the beau ideal of what a Goorkhd soldier should be. As these tribes have submitted to the ceremonial law of purity and to Brihmanical supremacy, they have been adopted as Hindus, but they have been denied the sacred thread, and take rank as a doubtful order below the Kshatriya. They are practically only Hindus because it is the fashion; they have gone with the times, and consequently their Hinduism is not very strict, and they are decidedly the least prejudiced in caste matters of all classes of N^pil who seek our service. They participated in all the military successes of the house of Goorkhi., and although they have less sympathy with the Govern- ment, they are still very loyal to it. The Gurungs lent themselves less early, and less heartily, to Brcihmanical influences, and they have retained to a greater extent than the Magars their national peculiarities and language. In stature the Gurungs are generally larger and more powerful than the Magars and Khas. Tribes, Clans, &'c. 45 The Magars and Gurungs have already been referred to as being of the Tartar race; they in N6pdl follow agricultural pur. suits ; they are square-built, sturdy men, with fine muscular, and large chest and limb development, low in stature, and with little or no hair on face or body, and with fair complexions. They are a merry-hearted race, eat animal food, and in N^pil drink a kind of beer made from rice called janr and a kind of spirit called raksi. In our battalions they will drink any English wine, spirits, or beer. They are intensely fond of soldiering. They are very hardy and extremely simple-minded. They are kind-hearted and generous, and as recruits absolutely truth- ful. They are very proud and sensitive, and they deeply feel abuse or undeserved censure. They are very obstinate, very in- dependent, very vain, and in their plain clothes inclined to be dirty. They are intensely loyal to each other and their officers in time of trouble or danger. Brian Hodgson says about Magars and Gurungs : — " From lending themselves less early and heartily to Brdh- manical influences than the Khas, they have retained, in vivid freshness, their original languages, physiognomy, and, in a less degree, habits. Their two languages differ materially, though both belonging to the unpronominalised type of the Turanian tongues. " The Gurungs are less generally and more recently re- deemed from Ldmaism and primitive impurity than the Magars. "But though both the Gurungs and Magars still retain their own vernacular tongues, Tartar faces, and careless manners, yet, what with military service for several generations under the predominant Khas, and what with the commerce of Khas males with their females, they have acquired the Khas language, though not to the oblivion of their own, and the Khas habits and sentiments, but with sundry reservations in favour with pristine liberty. " As, however, they have, with such grace as they could muster, submitted themselves to the ceremonial laws of purity, and to Brihman supremacy, they have been adopted as Hindus, but they have been denied the thread, and constitute a doubtful order below it. " 46 The Goorkhds. The Gurung tribe consists of two great divisions— I. The ChirjAt. | 2. The SolAhjat. The ChArjclt, as its name implies^ is composed of four castes, viz. :— 1. Ghallea. , 3. LdmA. 2. Ghotdni (sometimes Ghundani). I 4. LAmchania. Each of these four castes comprises a number of clans, and some of these are again subdivided into families. The ChdrjAt Gurung might be called the Gurung nobility. Every Gurung recruit knows perfectly well whether he be- longs to the Chirjdt or to the SoMhjit, but numbers of the latter will try to claim the former. A little trouble will almost in- variably bring out the truth. The Ch^rj^t Gurung is very much looked up to by the SoUh- ]&t. A Solihjdt Gurung cannot marry a Ch^rjdt, nor can he ever by any means become a ChdrjAt. Questioning a Chdrjclt Gurung would be much as follows ; — " What is your name 1" "What Gurung are you?" " Which of the Charjat ?" "Which Lamchania clan?' "WhatPlohnian?" . "Jasbir Gurung." " ChdTJat." " LAmchania." " Plohnian." "Atbai." Of the Chitjit Gurungs the Ghallea is by far the most diffi- cult to obtain. The Plohnian and Chenwiri clans of the Lamchania are both subdivided into families ; the best Plohnian family is the Atbai, and the best of the Chenwiri is the Chdrghari. It will be noticed that nearly all Ghotani clans end with " ron." Some excellent recruits are also obtained from the Soldhjcit. TRADITIONS. In olden days the Ghalleas ruled the country about Ldmzung and had their own king, a Ghallea. Their kingdom nominally exists to this day. The following tradition regarding the birth of the Ch^rjit exists : — A Thdkur king asked the king of Limzung for his daughter's hand in marriage. Tribes, Clans, &c. 47 The Ghallea king accepted the proposal favourably, and sent a young and beautiful maiden as his daughter to the Thikiir king, who duly married her, and by her begot several children. Some years afterwards it transpired that this young maiden was no king's daughter, but merely one of her slave attend- ants ; whereupon the Thdkur king was very angry, and sent a message threatening war, unless the Ghallea king sent him his real daughter. The king of L^mzung thereupon complied, and this time sent his real daughter, whom the Thdkur king married, and by whom he begot three sons. (From these three sons are descend- ed the Ghotctni, LAmi., and LAmchania clans.) It was then ruled that these three sons and their descend- ants should rank equal to the Ghallea clan, and that they should be called the Chirjcit Gurungs, whilst the descendants of the children of the slave-mother should be called SoMhjdts and should for ever be servants to the Chdrjit. From this it would appear that the Ghallea Gurung is the oldest and the purest of all Gurung clans. They certainly are splendid me n of the purest Goorkha type. The Gurungs have for centuries kept up their history, which is called in Khaskura " Gurung ko Bangsioli." When the famous case of Colonel Lachman Gurung took place, Sir Jang Bahidar, being anxious to elucidate, if possible, the difference between Chirjeit and Solahjdt Gurungs, had the history of the Gurungs brought to him, and having read the same, declared that the Sol^hjAt Gurungmust remain satisfied with his present position, and be for ever the servant of the Charj^t. The SolAhjdt Gurung will always make obeysance to the Chirjdt, and when travelling in their own country, the SoMhj^t will generally carry the Charj^t's load. It is said that Colonel Lachman Gurung offered his daughter's weight in gold to any Chirjit who would marry her. A poor man of the Ghotini clan, being sorely tempted by the bribe, offered himself as a husband, but was at once outcasted and reduced to a SoMhjit, and so the marriage never came off. Many centuries ago, it is said, a landslip occurred which Tradition regarding Juried a whole village, and destroyed all the "Tutia " clan. the inhabitants, except one small boy, who was found by a Ldmchania Gurung amongst the debris. 48 The Goorkhds. He took the boy home and adopted him, but as he did not know who the father of the boy was, a difficulty arose in time as to what clan this boy should belong to. The Ldmis, on being consulted, ruled that the child and all his descendants should be called Tutia Ldmchanias (Tutia means broken, rugged), because he had been found on broken, rugged ground. A boy that had been deserted was found by a Limchania Tradition regarding Gurung amongst some reeds. It was set- " Plohnian " clan. tigj that this boy and all his descendants should be called Plohnian Ldmchanias (Plohn means reeds), be- cause he had been found amongst reeds. There are two regiments of Gurungs in the N^palese army — the KcLli Bah^dar and the Kdli Persad, The former is abso- lutely a Gurung regiment, and most of the men are Chdrj^t Gurungs. They are a magnificent body of men, consisting of all the picked Gurungs of Nepil. They must average over 5' 6 "in height, with splendid physique. Gerlen *Gyapsing *Pyling * f Rajvansi or \ Rajbangsi Rilten GURUNGS. Ghallea Clans (Chdrjdt). (excellent). ? (excellent). Samri Samunder *Sinjdli ^ ( Surjabansi or i Surajvansi, (excellent), (good.) ? * I doubt the existence of these five clans as pure Ghalleas. The only four that I know as real Ghalleas are the Rilten, Samri, Gerlen, and Samunder,'cf which the first three are the best. I have never seen a single case of a Surjabansi Gurung, nor do I believe in their existence, after careful enquiry. — E. V. Ghotdni Clans (Chdrjdt). Adunron. Migiron. Chomron. Nagiron. Gholron. Ndikron. Kaliron. Pochkiron. Kamjai. Rijoron. Kelonron. Tagren. Kongron. Thikuron. Kudlron. Tenron. Mazuron. Walroifc Tribes, Clans, &"€. 49 GURU N GS— coK«««erf. Ldmd Clans {Chdrjdt). Chelen. Pungi. Chenwari. Tengi. Khimu. Tidiin or Titdn. Kurungi. Timji. Nakchia. Tender. Pengi. Urdung. Phache (pronounced Fache). Ldmchania Clans (Chdrj'di). Adi. Naikron. Chen 7 probably the ChenwAri ) same. Pajji Lem.* Pdngi. Kaliron. Plitti. Kroko Lem.* Plohnian. K„,t,„ f ? Doubtful ; per- *^"^'='» I haps SolahjAt. Lem. Purani. Silangi. Tutia ' probably th same. Lengra. Twidian Marenu. • Kroko Lem and Pajji Lem are both the same, but the former is in GurungKhurai the latter in Khas Khura.— E. V. GURUNGS OF THE SOLAHJAT. Kepchen. AUeat Bhiij or Bhiijia. Chagli. Chime. Chohomonu. Chormi. Chornii. Darlami t Dial. DingiAl. Ghabbii. Ghorenj. Gnor. Gulangia. Gidbring. Hurdun. Timali. Tumreli. t This is the Khas Khura name for a clan Khaptari. Khatrain. Khuldl. Kinju. Kokia. Kongi Ldmd. Kumai. Kromjai. Kiapchain. Labor. Leghen. Lohan (probably Ldhor). Lyung Main. Mapchain. Masrigi. Mobjai (or Mahbrijai). I have forgotten the Gurung Khura name. — E. V. J This perhaps should be spelt Darra Lami.— E. V. 5© The Goorkh&s. GURUNGS OF THE SOhtLH]Pi.T:— continued. Mor (or Mormain). Sdrbiijd. Murutn. Tahin. Nanra. Takrain. Ndnsing. Time. Pajju. Telej. Pdln^. TendiSr. Phfwili {(°',^lllf •'''^'''- Tenlij5. Thir. Pl^n. Tingi \Am&. Ploplo. Tol. Pomai. Tolangi. Ponjii. Torjain. Rilah. tze. Rimilia. Roka Chohdn Jhdnkri Konwdr tJchdi MAGARS. The Magars are divided into six distinct tribes, and no more, although the following all claim to be Magars and try in every way to establish themselves as such: — Bohra (really a Matwala Khas of Western N^pdl). ( ditto ditto ditto ). ( ditto ditto ditto ). ( ditto ditto ditto ). (progeny of mendicant). ( ditto Thikur). In days of old a certain number of Magars were driven out of their own country, and settled in Western N^pal amongst strangers. From the progeny of these sprang up many clans of mixed breeds, who now claim to be puire-bred Magars, but are not recognised as such. In addition to the few mentioned above, are some others who also claim to be Magars, such as Rawats, Dishwas, &c., but as they have no real relationship to Magars, it is considered un- necessary to enter a list of them here. The real and only Magars are divided into the following six tribes, which are here entered alphabetically :— 1. AUea. 2. Burathoki. 3. Gharti. 4. Pun. 5. Rdni. 6. Thdpd. Tribes, Clans, &c. 51 These tribes all intermarry with each other, have the same customs and habits, and are in every way equal as regards social standing, with perhaps a slight preference in favour of the Rind. The original home of the Magars was to the west of the Gandak river (K41i-wdr*), and, roughly speaking, consisted of that portion of NepAl which lies between and round about Gulmi, Argha, Khdchi, and Pi\p&. This bit of country was divided into twelve districts (B^rih Mangrantht), and the residents of the same in time came to be spoken of as the Magars of the Bdrdh Mangr^inth. Brian Hodgson and Captain T. Smith both give the follow- ing as the Birih Mangrinth : — Satilng, Pyung, Bhirkot, Dhor,' Garhung, Rising, Ghiring, Giilmi, Argha, Khdchi, Musikot, and Isma. By the term " Bir&h Mangrdnth Magars " no particular set of tribes was meant. The term had a purely local meaning, and referred to all such Magars, of whatever tribe they might be, whose ancestors had resided for generations within the Birdh Mangrinth. Each of these twelve districts had its own ruler, but it would appear that the most powerful kings were those of Gulmi, Ar- gha, KhAchi, and that the remaining princes were more or less tributary to these three. Since the rise of the house of Goorkha, towards the close of the eighteenth century, the country has been redivided, and the twelve districts no longer exist as such, and the term " Birdh Mangrdnth Magar " has no signification now, and is therefore falling into disuse. Not one recruit out of fifty knows what the term means. As mentioned before, the original home of the Magars was to the west of the Gandak river, but it would seem that some * Dr. Hamilton in his book published in 1819 says : — " Before the arrival of the Rdjpdts, it is said that the Magar natipn consisted of twelve Thdms, the whole members of each being supposed to have a common extraction in the male line. Each Th5m was governed by a chief, considered as the head of a common family."— E. V. t The Sarddh on the west and the Gandak in the centre of N^pdl are both spoken of as the Kdli.— E. V. E 3 52 The Goorkhds. clans had for ages occupied certain portions of N^pdl on the east bank. The city of Goorkhi was originally the residence of the Chi- toridh Ran^s. It is supposed the city was built by them, and to this day numbers of Chitoriah Rdnis are found there. The Magars having participated in the military conquests of the house of Goorkh^, spread themselves far and wide all over Nepal, and numbers are now to be found to the east of the Gan- dak river. The Alleas in appearance seem a very pure bred race. As a rule they are very fair, well-made men. The AUea tribe must, however, be rather a small one, as the percentage of Alleas enlisted yearly is very small. They are most desirable men to get. Burathokis are also apparently very limited in number. „, , ,. Some excellent specimens of Goorkhds are. Biirathoki. , '^ , ' however, every year obtamed from this tribe. They are very desirable men to get. The Ghartis are pretty numerous, but care should be taken in enlisting from this tribe, as they seem to Ghartis. , r . , ,, , , be tar more mixed than any of the other five pure Magar tribes. By careful selection, however, excel- lent Ghartis can be obtained. The Bhujiil Gharti lives in the valleys and high mountains to the north of Giilmi, above the Puns, but immediately below the Kardntis. Their tract of country runs along both sides of the Bhuji Khola (river), from which they probably derive their name. The Bhiijial Gharti is generally a shepherd. He lives prin- cipally on the milk of sheep, and is almost invariably a man of very good physique and heavy limbs. He is remarkably dirty when first enlisted. Amongst the Gharti clans are two that should not be con- founded, although from their similarity in pronunciation one is very apt to do so. The Pahire or Paharia is a good Magar. The Pdre or Pclria (from par, outside) should never be enlisted. He iS; as his name indicates, an outcaste, or a descendant of out- castes. Tribes, Clans, &"€. 53 The Pun tribe seems a small one, as but a small percentage Pijns. °^ them is obtained annually. They are generally men of heavy limbs and excel- lent physique. They much resemble Gurungs. They live about Gulmi principally, although of course they are found in other places also. They are most desirable men. Of all Magars there is no better man than a Rdnd of good Rdn5s. clan. In former days any Thip^ who had lost three generations of ancestors in battle became a Ri.n&, but with the prefix of his Th^pA clan. Thus a Reshmi Th^pi would become a Reshmi Rdni. An instance of this is to be found in the 5th Goorkh^s, where a havildar, Lachman Th^pi, and a naick, Shamsher R^nd, are descended from two Thcip^ brothers ; but three generations of descendants from one of these brothers having been killed in battle, Shamsher RcLuct's ancestors assumed the title of Rini ; Lachman Thdpi's ancestors not having been killed in battle for three generations, he remains a ThcipS. From this custom many Rdnd clans are said to have sprung up, and this would lead one to believe that the R^nA tribe was looked up to amongst Magars. The original R4n£ clans were few, amongst them being the following: — Chitoriih, M^ski, Ruchal, Hunchun, Thira, Ldye, Tharaii, Surjabansi or Surajvansi, Hiski, and Masrdngi. The Th^pa tribe is by far the greatest of all, and amongst .pjj. ^ them, yearly, hundreds of excellent recruits are obtained. Care should, however, be exercised in the selection of Theipds, as a very large number of men adopt the title of Thipi, although they have no right to the same. The Sdru and Gahd clans of the Th^pi are each subdivided into five or more families, and in each case the Kdl£ family is the best. The Purina Gorakh Regiment in N6p51 consists entirely of Magars, and is a splendid body of men. All the finest Magars of N6pal, excepting those in the Rifle regiments, are put into this regiment. They must be nearly if not quite as big as the K&\\ Bahadar. 54 The Goorkh&s. MAGARS. Allea Clans. Arghdli or Arghounle. Meng, Biji. Pachain. Chang. PaMmi ) probably the Puldmi t same.j Chdrmi. Diikchaki. Pangmi probably the Piingmi ) same. Dura. Gar. Panthi. Gondd. Pungi. Gyangmi. Hunchun. Phiwdii. (°''Si^^".,. lor Phiuyali. RakhdI. Kalami. Ramial. Khdli. Ro. Khaptari. Sardngi. Kharri. Serthung. Khuldl. Kilung. Silthfing. Sinjapati. Kulangi, KiapchAki. S't>^^"^[^tlSg. LahakpS. Sripdli. LSmchania. Siirajvansi or Sdrjabansi. Lamjdl. S^y^l. Limidl. Tarokche. Lungchia. ThakchAki. Magiam. YAngmi. Mdski. Birathokt Clans. Balkoti. Pahdre or Pahdria. Barkwanri. Ramjdli. Darlami. Ramkhani. Deobal, Ranju, Gamdl. Sinjapati. Karmani. UMngia. Lamichania, Chohdn Clans. * GotA. Thdpa. Kdl5. • As mentioned in my notes, I think the Chohinsare notMagars at all, but Matwala Khas from the west of N«p41, although they will stoutly swear they are pure Magars. — E. V. Tribes, Clans, &•€. 55 MAGARS i— continued. Gharti Clans. Arghuli or Arghounle. Pire or Pdria. Baima. Pdrja, Bainjili. Ramjdli. Bhujial. Rijdl. Bulami. Rankami ( (P'f''**'!?' J*^"' (, khami). Chanchal "l probably the Chantial j same. Saldmi. Dargdnu. Sdmia. Darlami. Sdru. Galdmi. Sawangi. Gamdl. Senia. Gial. Sinjdii. Hunjali. Sinjapati. Kahucha. Sutpahare. Konsa. Thein. Larnchania. Tirgia. Masrdngi. Ulangia. Pahdre or Pahiria. Walia. JdU C 'lans* Atjdli. Ekjdii. Chdrjali. Panchjali. Chejali. Satjali. Dojali. Tinjdli. * I came across three recruits belonging to the Jail Clans in i88g. But I have never heard of them before, nor can 1 find any mention of them in any book, — E. V. Pun Clans. Bdijali. Ramjali. Bapal. Rdngu. Barangi. Sahi. Darlami. Sam la. Dud. SarbungS. Hdnjdli. Sinjdii. Tagonlia. Sinjdpati/ Kami. Sutpahdre. Pahare. Takdlia. Pajansi. Tdmia. Phungdli. Tirkhia. Rdkskoti. Uldngia. Rdna Clans. Archdmi. Bangling. Arghuli or Arghounle. Bardl.or Paldl Asldmi. Barkwdnri. 56 The Goorkhds. MAGAKS— continued. Rdna CZawi— continued. Bhdsdl. Miski. Byingnisi. Masrangi. Chdrmi. Namjali. Chitoriah. Panti. Chumi. Parta. DarUmi* Dud or Dut. Phiwah [ or Phidyili. Durungcheng. Pulimi. Gdchd. Pus51 (probably Bhijsil). Gandharmi. Rdngu. GySngmi. Reshmi. Gyandris. RuchdI. Hiski. Sam. HdnchiSn. Sinjali. TiAndi. Sinjipati. Kamchiki. Sundri. I^apchaki. Sdrajvansi or Surjabansi. Khiiiydli. Third or Thddd. Limchania. Thdrali. Lungeli. Uchai. LAye. Yahayo. MAkim. • Perhaps thislshould be spelt Dana L&mi.— E. V. Tkdpd Clans. Allea. Bidngmi. Arghiili or Arghounle. Birkhatta. Asldmi. Burathoki. Bichia or Bachio. Chahari. B-^^'-lilgfirf Charti. Chidi. Baigalia. Chitoriah, Bailick. Chumi. Bdkdbal. Dili or D&\i&. Bal^ or Bardl. BalSmi. tD^rUmi [ Iff ^• Bankabardl. Denga or Dhega. Bdola. Dengabuja. Bdrdhghari. Dengdl. Bareya. Dishwa or Disuwi. Barkw^nri. Durel. Bhomrel. F&l or Ph51. t Perhaps this shoold be spelt Darra Limi. The Bagilia D&rUmi is very |rood.— Tribes, Clans, &€. 57 7— ■■ - .,, , MAGARS— continued. Thdpd C/a«s— continued. Gighd. Mandir. / K&]A. Masrdngi. Gord. Maruncha. Gdhd i, Barda. Mdski. Badcha. Medun. . Chidi, Mogmi. G4hab (probably Gahd). Namjali. Ganchdlii. PachbayS. Garja. Pain. Gardnja. Pdtd. Gelung. Pengmi. Gidiel or Gindil. Phdl. Giangdi or Gidmi. Phunjdli. Gianris. Hiski. ■Du;.,Av. i or P'wali Phiwdh iorPhiuydli. Hithan. Powdn. Hunchdn. \ Pudnri. Ismala. Puldmi. Jargah. Rajvansi. Jehari or Jhiidi. Rai. Jhdnkri or Jhangdi, Rajali. Jhenri. Rakal. Kaikald. Rdkskoti. Kdmchd. Ramjdli. Kdmu. Ramkhani. Kanhun (hard k). Rehari. Kanlu or Kinluk. Reshmi. Kanrdlu (same as KSnld). Regami. Kasu. Rijdi. Kejung. Ruchdl. Keli. Sartungi. Khaptari. Gora. Konwdr. Jdparluk. Kordl. KiSlal. „, , Thenri. S^^^ JKdld. Ldmchania. Malengia. Ldmtari. \ Paneti. Ldnchia. Sdtighari. Langakoti. Sinjali. Langkang. Sinjapati. Ldye. Sirnia. Lungeli. Sothi. Makim. Sdhndkhari. Mdmring. Sdmai or Some, 58 The Goorkh&s. MAG ARS— concluded. Thdpd Clans — concluded. Siiniri. Siirajvansi or Surjabansi. Thagnatni. Thdmu. Thdrd or Thddi. Thirun. Thurain. Uchdi. Untaki or Wantaki. Yangdi. thAkOrs. Of all Goorkh^s, excepting the Brihman, the Thikur has the highest social standing, and of all Thikurs the Sihi is the best- The M&hixi]a. Dhirij (King of Nepdl) is a Sahi. The Th£kur claims royal descent, and even to this day a really pure-bred Sahi Thdkur is not charged rent for land in Nepal. Thdkurs, on account of their high social standing, intelli- gence, cleanliness, and soldierly qualities, should invariably be taken if belonging to good clans. As soldiers they are excel- lent, and they can be obtained in small numbers, with quite as good physique and appearance as the best Magar or Gurung. A Th^kur who has not adopted the thread, which until marriage is with him an entirely voluntary action, has no more prejudices than the ordinary Magar or Gurung, and even after adopting the thread his caste prejudices are not so very great, nor does he ever allow them to obtrude. The Hamdl Thdkur should not be enlisted by any regiment. The best Thdkur clans are the following : — Sdhi, Malla, Sing, Sen, Kh^n, and Sumal. The " Singula Uchai " is really a S^hi by descent and is ex- cellent, but all other Uchais and the balance of Thdkur clans are not up to those above mentioned, although all Thikur clans claim to be equal, with the exception of the Hamil. The Hamdl is no Thikur at all, but the progeny of an Opadia Brahman with a Thdkur woman. A Thdkur king, it is said, in the course of his conquests came to a very high hill called Sing^M. This he captured from his enemies, and on the top of the same he established a garrison of S^hi Th^kurs. These in time came to be spoken of as the Tribes, Clans, dr-c. 59 " Uchai Thdkurs," from the fact of their living at a high ele- vation. The clan Uch^i will be found amongst many tribes, and is supposed to be derived from a similar reason. With the exception of the Singdid. Uch^i, all other ThSkur Uchdis are the progeny of a Thdkur with a Magar. thakOr clans. Bam. Man. Bansi. Raika. Chand. Rakhsia Chohin (doubtful). Ruchal. Hamal. Sahi. Jiu. Sen. Jiva. Sing. Khan. Su>m£l. Malla or Mai. Uchai. newArs. The Newiirs are not a warlike or military race, but there can be no doubt that they occasionally produce good soldiers. The best Newar caste is the Sirisht, and one, Subad^r Kishnbir Nagarkoti, of tlie 5th Goorkh^s, belonging to this caste, won the Order of Merit three times for gallantry displayed during theKdbulwar^and was given a gold clasp when recommended a fourth time for conspicuous gallantry displayed at the time of Major Battye's death, in the Black Mountains, in 18^8. The Newdrs also fought most bravely and in a most deter- mined way against the Goorkha conquerors — a fact proved by their twice defeating Prithvi Narain, as before mentioned. They have letters and literature, and are well skilled in the useful and fine arts, having followed the Chinese and also Indian models; their agriculture is unrivalled in N^pil, and their towns> temples, and images of the gods are beautiful, and unsurpassed in material and workmanship. They are a steady, industrious people, and skilled in handi- craft, commerce, and the culture of the earth. The Jaicis are their priesthood and should never, on any account, be enlisted in our regiments. 6o The Goorkhds. Roughly speaking, the Limbds inhabit the eastern portion of Ri"s d L" bil Nepdl, and the R^is the country between the Limbus and the valley of Nepdl. They are mostly cultivators or shepherds. Their physique is good, and in appearance they are much like an ordinary Magar or Gurung. They are very brave men, but of headstrong and quarrelsome natures, and, taken all round, are not considered as good soldiers as the Magar or Gurung. There is one regiment of Limbus in the N^pdlese army, called the Bhdirandth, but on account of their quarrelsome natures they were always quartered apart. The Limbus are born shikaris, and most of the M.ih&xi\i\)!s tiger-trackers are Limbus. The writer knows very little about them so far, but hopes shortly to give a list of their clans. They are very desirable men, he hears. rAis. Kirdnii Rdis. BantawAr. Khambii. But^pd. KulapdchS Debii. Kulungia. Dilipi. Matwali. Dobali. Potrin. Hatwili. Puwal. Hondni. Tanglui. Kaling. Thiiluiig. Kdmtal. Waling. LINE-BOYS. The progeny of GoorkhA soldiers, who are born an d brought up in the regiment, are called line-boys, and these might be divided into two distinct classes^ 1. The progeny of purely Goorkhd parents. 2. The progeny of a Goorkhi soldier with a hill-woman. From the first class, if carefully selected, some excellent soldiers can be obtained. The second class should be avoided. The pure-bred line- boy is just as intelligent as the half-bred, and if boys are re- Tribes, Clans, &c. 6i quired for the band, or men as clerks, &c., it would be better to select them from out of the first class. Only a small percentage of line-boys, even of the first class, should be enlisted. The claims of line-boys to be provided for in the service are undoubtedly very great, as Government has always, and very wisely too, encouraged Goorkhd colonies, and their fathers and grandfathers, having in many cases been all their lives in Brit- ish employ, they have no other home than their regimental lines. In their first generation their physique does not deteriorate much, and they almost invariably grow up to be extremely in- telligent men and full of military ardour. Their military edu- cation begins with their perceptive powers, as they commence playing at soldiers as soon as they can toddle about. The worst point against line-boys is that unfortunately they often prove to be men of very loose habits. Sir Charles Reid, K.C.B., mentions that out of seven men who obtained the Order of Merit for the battles of Aliwal and So- braon, five were line-boys ; and out of twenty-five Order of Merit men for the siege of Delhi, twelve were line-boys. The KaiairS. is a slave. Most of the higher officials in N6pdl KamdrS. retain KamAr^s as attendants. The offspring of a Magar, Gurung, or Khas with a Kam^rA would be a Kamcir^. KwcLsis the offspring of a slave-mother with aThdkdr. The children of this union become Kwiis, and ^^^' their posterity retains the name. Kwds is also the name given to the illegitimate children of the King or Royal Family. A Konwdr who claims to be a Magar is the offspring of the connexion between a mendicant and any KonwAr. woman. He is generally an ill-bred-look- ing man, and should not be enlisted. The Khas Konw^r is all right. The Dhotias live in the extreme west of N6pdl, and south of JumM. They are not Goorkhis at all, and Dhotias. should never be enUsted. Any man can become a B^nda, which practically means a bondsman. For instance, A will go to B and Bdnda. ^^^ „ ^.^^ ^^ ^j^^.^ ^^^^^g cash and I wiU 62 The Goorkh&s. be your b^nda for two years." On receipt of money he becomes a b^nda and is bound to work for the two years for nothing be- yond his food, but at the expiration of his two years, if he has contracted no fresh debt, he becomes free again. MENIAL CLASSES. The following is a list of some of the menial classes of N^pdl. No man belonging to any of these should be enlisted as a soldier. If it is found necessary to enlist any of them on account of their professional acquirements, they should be given separate quarters, and as far as possible be kept entirely away from all military duties. Their being allowed to take their share as soldiers at guard- mounting, etc, etc., cannot raise, in the eyes of a real GoorkhS soldier, the glory of being a soldier. Damdi . . . . . ocavenger. . Tailor, Musician. Drdi . Seller of pottery. Gain .... . Bard. Kamara . Slave. Kami or Lobar . Ironsmith. Kasdi (Newar) . Butcher. Kumhal .... . Potter. Minji .... . Boatman. Pipa .... . Klasi. Pore . Sweeper. Sdrkhi . Worker in leather. SARKHI CLANS. , Workers in leather, a menial class. Basiel. Hitung. Bhorarel. Madkoti. Bilekoti. * Mangrdnti. Chitoriah. Ramt^l. Dankoti. Rimal. Gaire. Sirketi. Hamilia. Sirmal. * This clan is derived from the fact of the ancestors of the sa me having resided within the B«r4h Mangrinth.— E. V. Recruiting. 63 Part V: RECRUITING. A brief description of how Goorkh^ recruiting is carried out may perhaps not be out of place here. A recruiting depot has been established in Gorakhpur. Gorakhpur is on the River Rapti, and is the head-quarters of the Bengal and North-Westem Railway. It has an excellent central position with regard to Nepdl, as a line drawn at right angles, and dividing in half the length of Nep^l, would pass very close to Gorakhpur. Gorakhpur is about 50 miles to the south of the nearest point of the Nep^l Ter^i. The recruiting depot consists of the following buildings : — Five regular double blocks (each double block consisting of two barracks), two irregular houses, four baniahs' shops, and one chowkidar's hut. Government has this year (1889) sanctioned the building of two more barracks, and two sets of latrines. These will be erected during the coming cold weather. One barrack is told off for the recruiting party of each Goor- kha regiment, and in this are kept all the goods and chattels of the party, and all recruits enlisted are housed in the same until despatched to regimental head-quarters. Every year two British officers and one medical officer are told off for recruiting duty. They should be in Gorakhpur about the ist October of every year. Every regiment sends its own recruiting party, which gene- rally consists of one Native officer, two or three non-com- missioned officers, and a certain number of sepoys. The recruit- ing parties, if possible, should reach Gorakhpur before the end of October. The Native officer of each party remains in Gorakhpur, keep- ing one non-commissioned officer or intelligent sepoy to assist. One non-commissioned officer or steady soldier is sent to Tribeni Ghit, and one to Nautanwa. ^4 The Goorkhds. Tribeni Ghdt is on the east bank of the River Gandak, and is in British territory, although on the very edge of the N6pil Terdi. Tribeni is about 62 miles to the north-east of Gorakhpur, every foot of vifhich has to be marched. Every year a fair (mela) is held here. Numbers of grass houses are erected, and crowds of villagers flock in to traffic. At this time a great many recruits are obtained. Just opposite to Tribeni, and on the other side of the Gan- dak river, is the important village of Showpur, which is in Nepilese territory. Here a Nepilese official always resides. Nautanwa is a large village with a bigbazctr. It is in British territory, but within a mile or so of the Ndp^lese Terii, and only one long march from Botwil. Nautanwa is 54 miles to the north of Gorakhpur, but 20 miles of this journey can be done by rail, viz., from Gorakhpur to Pharenda. The non-commissioned officers at Tribeni and Nautanwa are given a certain amount of money, and are also provided with a measuring tape. The remainder of the party go off singly or otherwise into such portions of N^pdl as they think most likely to produce good recruits. Any recruiter who has succeeded in getting a recruit, returns to the nearest ghit, viz., to Tribeni or Nautanwa, as the case may be. The non-commissioned officer there examines the recruit as to tribe, clan, etc. : if this turns out satisfactory, he then measures him, and if up to the regimental standard, he sends him into Gorakhpur. If any recruit brought up to the non-commissioned officer at either gh5t turns out to be of an undesirable class, or to be under the regimental standard, he is turned back there and then, and the recruiter who brought him in loses all money ex- pended in feeding the recruit. This serves the recruiter right, as he has no business to bring in an undesirable man. The non-commissioned officers at the ghit should give ad- vances of money where required. For instance, it often hap- pens that a sepoy has gone perhaps ten days' journey or more to a distant village, in search of good material. He there per- haps finds, say, two recruits, whom he brings back all the way to the nearest ghit. He has to feed himself and the two lads all the journey, and very probably arrives at the ghat stone Recr tilting, 65 broke. The non-commissioned officer thereupon should give the man sufficient money to ensure his being able to feed him- self and his recruits as far as Gorakhpur. Any recruit brought in to Gorakhpur is made over to the Native officer commanding the party to which the recruiter belongs. The Native officer enquires about the lad's tribe, clan, village, etc. ; then measures him, and if all proves satisfac- tory, he then causes the recruit's hair to be cut, makes him bathe from head to foot, and the next morning brings him up to the British officer on recruiting duty. The British officer enquires about his tribe, clan, etc., and then measures him. If all proves satisfactory, he then enters his name in the nominal roll, and sends the lad on to the medi- cal officer, who, having ascertained his fitness for the service, enters all remarks opposite the recruit's name. When ten to twelve recruits have been medically passed for any regiment, they are despatched to head-quarters in charge of a sepoy. In 1888 Government sanctioned the giving of rewards to sepoys for every really fine recruit brought in. The recruiting officer was allowed to fix his own standard of rewards. As the object of giving rewards was to get the best possible recruits, he determined that no reward should be paid to any soldier for any recruit who was under 5' 2" in height or whose chest was less than 32" in girth. The bigger the recruit, the greater the reward given, as long as his tribe, clan, etc., proved thoroughly satisfactory. The importance of sending good recruiting agents to Gorakh- pur cannot be overestimated. If they are good men and hard workers, the results will be good recruits, and plenty of them. Recruiting agents should be men either picked out on account of former success on recruiting duty or because they appear suited by nature for this work. Young soldiers, as a rule, are not so successful as those over five or six years' service. Any senior non-commissioned officer or soldier who is likely to receive his promotion shortly, and who at the same time seems suited for recruiting duty, might with advantage be sent on the same, being promised his promotion if he does well. 66 The Goorkh&s. When selecting a recruiting party, the greatest care should be taken in ascertaining that the men composing the same belong to different districts or tehsils. A man from each of the following tehsils might with advan- tage be selected : — Baglung, Garhdng, Ldmjung, Kiski, Galkot Gulmi, Pokra, Bhirkot, GoorkhcL, Pilpa, Kinchi, and Argha. A recruiter will generally go straight to his own village- By picking out men belonging to different tehsils, we get our agents over most of the good recruiting grounds, and not limited to a few districts only. Every recruiter should be provided with a measuring tape or string long enough to show the minimum height and chest measurement required for his regiment. By giving these tapes, the recruiters are saved coming in long distances, only to find their recruits rejected as being under the standard required. The Native officer commanding the recruiting party should be given ample funds. The want of cash often loses recruits. To explain the reason of this would take too much space, but it nevertheless remains a fact, and any party that has insufficient funds, or is kept waiting for money, will suffer thereby. Every Native officer should be provided with a sufficient number of blankets, to enable him to give one to each recruit prior to despatch to head-quarters. Gorakhpur is very much hotter than any of our GoorkhA stations, and if a recruit is sent to join his regiment, say in December, he will most undoubtedly suffer from the cold if unprovided with a blanket. Each Native officer should be given a bottle or two filled with quinine pills. By sending some of these pills to the ghdts, and dosing recruits and soldiers with them, before and after going through the Terdi, a deal of fever is saved. The Native officer should in every way encourage his party to work, and should keep himself as far as possible informed as to what each recruiter is doing. Recruiters are much too fond of lounging about big bazdrs, such as Botwil and Showpur, on the chance of picking up recruits there. They should be directed not to do this, but to go right away to distant villages. The best recruits are generally those who have been brought in direct from their villages. Recruiting. 67 It often happens, too, that some of the recruiters, being of amorous dispositions, will devote their time to the fascinations of some fair being, instead of climbing up and down hills, look- ing for recruits. It is the business of the Native officer to find this out, and to put a stop to their blandishments. An impression seemed at one time to exist that the yearly demand for Goorkh^ recruits was greater than the supply. The writer of this, having had much experience in recruiting duty at Gorakhpur, ventures to give his opinion upon the same. He thinks that, if Goorkh^s were kept solely and entirely for enlistment into the regular army, there would be no diffi- culty whatsoever in every year getting the full requirements. Now that all the second battalions are quite complete, the requirements of Goorkhi regiments serving in India will be on an average about fifty recr uits per regiment per annum. The three regiments serving in Assam during the past three years enlisted 1,034 recruits, or, roughly speaking, 120 per regi- ment per annum. The annual requirements would therefore be, say, as fol- lows : — Recruits. 9 Regiments in India, at 50 per regiment ' . . 450 3 Do. in Assam at 120 ,, • . 360 Total annual requirements 810 Make a liberal allowance and say the annual requirement is 900 recruits. This number, the writer feels convinced, could easily be ob- tained every year, as long as no obstructions are thrown in our way by the Nepalese officials. This is a sine qua non. During the 1888-89 season the following results were ob- tained : — By Goorkhd Regiments serving in India. Number of Recruits enlisted. 509 Average Ag e in years. 68 The Goorkkds. By Goorkhd Regiments serving in Assam, Number of Recruits enlisted. 363 Average Age in years. 1805 Height. 5' 2-50" Chest. 33' 10" For the whole Army, Average Number of Recruits enlisted. 872 Age in years. 18-37 Height. 5' 3-21" Chest. 33-56" This will give a very fair idea of what the average ought to be of any squad of recruits. Uf course some men will be a good deal above and some a good deal below these measurements, but the average of most squads should be up to the same. It will be noticed that the average of the physique of recruits for the . Assam regiments is a good deal smaller than for the rest of the Goorkhd regiments, but this is due to their require- ments every year being so very much greater. During the 1888-89 season all regiments got their full complement, and all got one hundred per cent, of Magars and Gurungs, excepting such regiments as gave special orders for a limited number of lads of other castes. FURLOUGH MEN. When granting warrants to furlough men, it should be re- membered that all Goorkhds serving in India will require double warrants, — vi2., one from head-quarters to Ajudhid Gh^t, and one from Lakarmandi to destination, — viz., to N6pcilganj or Bi\i- ganj, to Gorakhpur or Pharenda, as the case may be. The Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway is a broad-gauge line and runs as far as Ajudhii Ghdt, on the banks of the Gogra river. This river is crossed either by means of a steam-ferry or by a bridge of boats, and on the other bank is the Bengal and Furlough men. 69 North-Western Railway Station called Lakarmandi. This is a narrow-gauge line. From Lakarmandi the line runs to a junction called Mankapur, where one branch line goes off west by north-west to N^pdl- ganj, and the other branch goes off east to Gorakhpur, and through Gorakhpur due north on to Pharenda and Uska Bazir. Pharenda is the nearest railway station to Nautanwa, and consequently to Botwdl. For the three Assam regiments, in addition to the warrants by steamer, only one railway warrant is required, — viz., from Dhubri via Naihatti to destination, — viz., to Gorakhpur, or Pha- renda, or Nep^lganj, as the case may be. Furlough men can immensely assist recruiting operations by bringing in a recruit or two with them on their return from fur- lough. They should be urged to do so prior to their starting for their homes. Most furlough men return from their homes very hard up. Numbers of them, on their arrival at Gorakhpur on their return journey, apply to the recruiting officer for an advance. The recruiting officer has no funds available for this purpose. Com- manding officers who desire that their men should be given small advances, when absolutely necessary, might with great advantage send a certain amount of money to the recruiting officer for this purpose. At present men are kept waiting for a long while until the money has been applied for, and received from head-quarters. This leads to a great deal of extra correspondence, and to con- siderable delay. This applies especially to regiments serving in Assam, as it takes a long while getting money from thence. If money were sent to the recruiting officer for the purpose of giving advances, he should only give the same where abso- lutely necessary, and would submit an account of how the money was expended, after all furlough men had returned. Government or India Central Printing OFricE.— No. 8a A. O.— 8 5-go, — 115,