Burmese Gurkhas ( my, ဂေါ်ရခါးလူမျိုးများ; ne, गोरखाली) are a group of
Nepali language
Nepali (; , ) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Himalayas region of South Asia. It is the official, and most widely spoken, language of Nepal, where it also serves as a '' lingua franca''. Nepali has official status in the Indian s ...
speaking
Burmese people
Burmese people or Myanma people ( my, မြန်မာလူမျိုး) are citizens or people from Myanmar (Burma), irrespective of their ethnic or religious background. Myanmar is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual count ...
of
Khas
Khas people (; ne, खस) popularly known as Khas Arya are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Himalayan region of South Asia, what is now present-day Nepal, Indian states of Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Sikkim. Historicall ...
/
Gurkha ethnic group living in
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
(formerly Burma). While the
Gurkhas
The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India.
The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas and are r ...
have lived in Burma for many centuries, it was during the
British rule in Burma
( Burmese)
, conventional_long_name = Colony of Burma
, common_name = Burma
, era = Colonial era
, event_start = First Anglo-Burmese War
, year_start = 1824
, date_start = ...
that the majority of the
Gurkha migrated from
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...
.
The estimated population of Gurkha is nearly 1 million.The majority of Gurkha now reside in
Yangon (Rangoon),
Mandalay,
Pyin U Lwin
Pyin Oo Lwin or Pyin U Lwin (, ; Shan: ), formerly and colloquially referred to as Maymyo (), is a scenic hill town in the Mandalay Region, Myanmar, some east of Mandalay, and at an elevation of . The town was estimated to have a population o ...
,
Mogok,
Tamu,
Kalaymyo
Kalay ( my, ကလေး), also known as Kale, is a town in the Sagaing Region of Myanmar. It is located upstream from Mandalay and Monywa on the Myittha River, a tributary of the Chindwin River. The town is the district headquarters of the Kalay ...
,
Taunggyi, and other parts of the country.
History and demography
Like many other people who reside in
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
and who have their origin in
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...
, the majority of
Gurkha came along with the British administration. Many
Gurkhas
The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India.
The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas and are r ...
served during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
in the Burma Campaign, especially as
rear guard units for the British retreat from Burma
After Burma's independence in 1948, the Gurkhas joined the infant
Burma Army. Many
Gurkhas
The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India.
The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas and are r ...
served in the new republic's various campaigns against ethnic insurgents and the
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Ta ...
invasions. The Gurkha were considered key assets of the Burmese Army in the 1950s.This was also the soldier named
Suk Bahadur Rai
Private Aung San Thuriya Suk Bahdur Rai ( ne, सुक बहादुर राई, Burmese: ဆွတ်(ခ်)ဗဟာဒူးရိုင်း) (serial No.(kyee) 01914) was the only Gurkha (ဂေါ်ရခါး in Burmese) to have ...
that won the highest honor of
Tatmadaw,
The Aung San Thuriya Medal.
Culture
Many
Gurkha in
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
practice
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
and
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
. There are a few Gurkha Buddhist and Hindu temples in the cities around Kachin State, Shan State, Yangon and Mandalay. Gurkha form a large minority in Myitkyina, Mogok and the hill station of Pyin U Lwin (Maymyo).
Language
Most Gurkha typically speak
Nepali
Nepali or Nepalese may refer to :
Concerning Nepal
* Anything of, from, or related to Nepal
* Nepali people, citizens of Nepal
* Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...
and
Burmese languages.
Education
The Gurkha place high importance on education, and they represent a disproportionately high share of those with advanced (medical, engineering or doctorate) degrees in Burma.
Notable Gurkha people in Burma
*Private
Aung San Thuriya Suk Bahadur Rai
Private Aung San Thuriya Suk Bahdur Rai ( ne, सुक बहादुर राई, Burmese: ဆွတ်(ခ်)ဗဟာဒူးရိုင်း) (serial No.(kyee) 01914) was the only Gurkha (ဂေါ်ရခါး in Burmese) to have ...
– No.4 Burma Regiment (4th Gurkha)
Myanmar Army. – recipient of the Aung San Thuriya award, the highest gallantry award in Myanmar.
*
Suk Bahadur (Burmese: ဗဟာဒူး) is a Burmese footballer who served as the captain of Myanmar national football team (1952–1970). He is considered as the greatest Burmese footballer that ever lived for the tremendous success he brought to country's football. He's also a major in Myanmar Army
*Corporal
Thiha Thura Thiha (Burmeze: သီဟ) is a Burmese name that may refer to
* Hein Thiha Zaw (born 1995), Burmese football defender
* Maha Thiha Thura (disambiguation)
*Thiha Zaw
Thiha Zaw (born 28 December 1993) is a Burmese footballer who plays as an at ...
Man Bahadur Thapa – No.4 Burma Regiment (4th Gurkha)
Myanmar Army
*Lt. Colonel
Zeya Kyawhtin Thura Lachhuman Rai- No.4 Burma Regiment (4th Gurkha), Myanmar Army
*Colonel
Zeya Kyawhtin Tanka Dhoj -Director General of Hotel and Tourism Department under
Ne Win
Ne Win ( my, နေဝင်း ; 10 July 1910, or 14 or 24 May 1911 – 5 December 2002) was a Burmese politician and military commander who served as Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974, and also President of Burma ...
's government.
*Lt. Colonel
Raj Bahadhur Lama
Raj or RAJ may refer to:
History
* British Raj, the 1858–1947 rule of the British Crown over India
* Company Raj, the 1757–1858 rule of the East India Company in South Asia
* Licence Raj, the Indian system of elaborate licences, regulations ...
-(A 1) Eastern Command , Myanmar Army
*Major
Zeyakyawhtin Bhagiman Subba – No.4 Burma Regiment (4th Gurkha),
Myanmar Army
*Assistant Director Arun Kumar- Internal Revenue Departmant, Ministry of Finance, Union of Myanmar
*Professor of Chemistry
Attar Singh Chettry (M.Sc.),
Mandalay University
Mandalay University (also translated as University of Mandalay; my, မန္တလေးတက္ကသိုလ် ) is a public liberal arts and science university located in Mandalay, Myanmar and one of the sixteen autonomous universities un ...
, Myanmar
*
Gannes Basnet (Advocate ) first Gurkha Candidate for Myanmar Parliament
*
Cherry Myae Maung Tin Tun (Writer)
*
Nyein Thazin (Taekwando) two gold, three silver and two bronze medals
*
Nanda Soe @ Maha Nandar Gyawali Kick boxer
*
Nandar Gyawali, Podcaster, human rights activist and feminist activist
References
Further reading
*May Myo Chit Swe, "Myanmar Pyi Phwar Gurkha", 2000 November (in Burmese).
*Scott of The Shan Hills, Edited By G.E Mitton(Lady Scott)
*Report of Frontier Areas Committee of Enquiry, Part 2,1947
*Burma Gazetteer,28.6.1948
*Ruby Mines District Gazetteer
*New Times of Burma,7.6.1948
*New Times of Burma,10.6.1948
*The Hundred Days of Burma, Lt.MACHOTON
External links
*
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
*
Demographics of Nepal
{{Asia topic, Ethnic groups in
Ethnic groups in Myanmar
Nepalese diaspora by country
Nepalese diaspora in Asia
Gurkhas