Bahun

Bahun (), also known as Hill Brahmins, are a Brahmin varna among the Khas of Nepal. They are a sub-caste of the Kanyakubja Brahmin while their origins are from Kannauj and the Himalayan belt of South Asia. According to the 2011 Nepal census, Bahun is the second most populous group after Chhetri.

According to 1854 ''Muluki Ain'', the first Nepalese civil code, Bahuns were regarded as caste among sacred thread bearers ( Tagadhari) and twice-born Hindus.

Origin

Traditionally, Bahuns were members of the Khas community together Chhetris. Possibly due to political power of the Khasa Malla kingdom, Khas Brahmins and Khas Kshatriyas had high social status in the present-day western Nepal. Bahuns, regarded as upper class Khas group together with Chhetris, were associated mostly with the Gorkha Kingdom and its expansion.

There appears to be general agreement in historical records and family genealogy that Hill Brahmins (both Purbia and Kumai Bahuns) migrated from the Gangetic Plains to the western Himalayas then from there to the eastern Himalayas including Nepal. Nepali historians have claimed that Hill Brahmins entered the Himalayan region from Kannauj.
According to Acharya Bamsavali, Bahuns have migrated from Kanyakubja to Jumla in Nepal.

Demography

According to the 2011 Nepal census, Bahuns (referred as Hill-Brahmin) are the second most populous group after Khas Chhetri with 12.2% of Nepal's population (or 3,226,903 people). Bahun are the second largest Hindu group in Nepal with a population of 3,212,704 (99.6% of Bahuns). Bahuns are the largest group in 15 districts in Nepal: Jhapa, Morang, Kathmandu, Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, Kaski, Syangja, Parbat, Gulmi and Arghakhanchi. Among these, Bahuns in Parbat (35.7%), Arghakhanchi (32.8%), Dhading (30.9%), Chitwan (28.6%), Kaski (27.8%) and Gulmi (25.2%) consist more than 25% of the district population. Kathmandu has largest Bahun population with 410,126 people (23.5%).

Bahuns have the highest civil service representation with 39.2% of Nepal's bureaucracy while having only 12.1% of Nepal's total population. The civil service representation to population ratio is 3.2 times for Bahuns which is fourth in Nepal. Khas Chhetris represent 1.6 times in civil services to their percentage of population, which is the highest in Nepal. As per the Public Service Commission, Brahmins (33.3%) and Chhetris (20.01%) were two largest caste group to obtain governmental jobs in F.Y. 2017-18 even though 45% governmental seats are reserved for women, indigenous and ethnic minorities, Madhesis, dalits, people with disability and those from the backward regions. Similarly, in the fiscal 2018–19, Bahuns (24.87%) and Chhetris (9.63%) maintained 35% of their proportion in civil service as per Public Service Commission.

Geographic distribution

According to the 2021 Nepal census, 3,292,373 people (11.29%) of the population of Nepal are Bahun (Hill Brahmins). The frequency of Bahun (Hill Brahmins) by province was as follows:
* Gandaki Province (21.5%)
* Bagmati Province (18.3%)
* Sudurpashchim Province (13.0%)
* Lumbini Province (12.5%)
* Koshi Province (12.1%)
* Karnali Province (8.3%)
* Madhesh Province (2.3%)

The frequency of Bahun (Hill Brahmins) was higher than national average (12.2%) in the following districts:
* Parbat (35.8%)
* Arghakhanchi (32.8%)
* Syangja (30.9%)
* Chitwan (28.7%)
* Kaski (27.9%)
* Jhapa (23.8%)
* Nawalpur (23.8%)
* Kathmandu (23.7%)
* Kavrepalanchok (21.5%)
* Gulmi (21.3%)
* Baglung (19.5%)
* Nuwakot (19.0%)
* Baitadi (18.6%)
* Palpa (17.5%)
* Kalikot (17.1%)
* Darchula (16.7%)
* Kanchanpur (16.0%)
* Rupandehi (15.9%)
* Dadeldhura (15.8%)
* Gorkha (15.2%)
* Rasuwa (15.2%)
* Dhading (15.0%)
* Bhaktapur (14.2%)
* Makwanpur (14.1%)
* Ilam (13.9%)
* Terhathum (13.3%)
* Morang (13.1%)
* Lalitpur (13.0%)
* Lamjung (12.8%)
* Kailali (12.4%)

Notable people

Academics

* Surya Subedi, legal academic

Artists

* Ragini Upadhyaya, fine artist and lyricist

Athletes

Cricketers

* Basanta Regmi
* Kanishka Chaugai
* Sandeep Lamichhane
* Kushal Bhurtel

Footballers

Swimmers

Other athletes

* Shyam Dhakal, alpine skier

Entertainment

Actors/Filmmakers

* Nabin k. Bhattarai
* Neeta Dhungana
* Aryan Sigdel
* Arunima Lamsal
* Jeevan Luitel
* Sitaram Kattel(dhurmus)
* Kunjana Ghimire(suntali)
* Anup Baral
* Jeetu Nepal
* Kedar Ghimire
* Keki Adhikari
* Nisha Adhikari
* Bijay Baral
* Raj Ballav Koirala
* Khagendra Lamichhane
* Marishka Pokharel
* Sunil Pokharel
* Usha Poudel
* Deepika Prasain
* Hari Prasad Rimal
* Aanchal Sharma
* Anna Sharma
* Pooza Sharma
* Reecha Sharma
* Mithila Sharma
* Barsha Siwakoti
* Hari Bansha Acharya
* Dayaram Dahal
* Subash Gajurel
* Tulsi Ghimire
* Manisha Koirala
* Deepa Shree Niraula

Singers

* Tika Bhandari
* Ram Prasad Khanal
* Pramod Kharel
* Nabin K Bhattarai
* Bhakta Raj Acharya
* Sugam Pokharel
* Bednidhi Poudel
* Pranil L Timalsena

Other entertainers

* Atul Gautam, tabla player
* Hom Nath Upadhyaya, tabla player

Entrepreneurs

Humanitarians

* Durga Ghimire, founder of ABC Nepal, an anti-sex trafficking organisation
* Jagadish Ghimire, political analyst, founder of Tamakoshi Sewa Samiti community development organisation
* Anuradha Koirala, founder of Maiti Nepal, which supports victims of sex trafficking

Mountaineers

Politicians

* Madhav Prasad Devkota
* Ravi Lamichhane
* Chabilal Upadhyaya
* Ranga Nath Poudyal
* Krishna Prasad Koirala and Koirala family
* Matrika Prasad Koirala
* Tanka Prasad Acharya
* Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala
* Girija Prasad Koirala
* Krishna Prasad Bhattarai
* Man Mohan Adhikari
* KP Sharma Oli
* Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda)
* Madhav Kumar Nepal
* Baburam Bhattarai

Scientists

* Bodhraj Acharya, biochemist
* Lujendra Ojha, planetary scientist

Writers

* Khagendra Sangraula

Poets

* Bhanubhakta Acharya
* Geeta Tripathee
* Gopal Prasad Rimal
* Ishwar Ballav Bhattarai
* Jagadish Ghimire
* Krishnahari Baral
* Kshetra Pratap Adhikary
* Laxmi Prasad Devkota
* Lekh Nath Paudel
* Mahananda Sapkota
* Motiram Bhatta
* Suman Pokhrel

Journalists

* Kanak Mani Dixit
* Narayan Wagle
* Naresh Bhattarai
* Prashant Aryal
* Rabi Lamichhane
* Rabindra Mishra
* Sudheer Sharma
* Vijay Kumar Pandey

Playwrights

* Abhi Subedi
* Krishna Dharabasi
* Bhim Nidhi Tiwari
* Gopal Prasad Rimal
* Guru Prasad Mainali
* Khagendra Lamichhane
* Laxmi Prasad Devkota
* Suman Pokhrel

Prose writers

* Abhi Subedi
* Amar Neupane
* Arbind Rimal
* Samrat Upadhyay
* Sanu Sharma

Other notables

* Bhawana Ghimire, CEO of Cricket Association of Nepal from 2014 to 2016

See also

* Caste system in Nepal
* Varna (Hinduism)

References

Bibliography

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{{Brahmin communities

Brahmin communities of Nepal
Khas people
Brahmins
Brahmin communities
Gurkhas
Ethnic groups in Nepal
Ethnic groups in South Asia
Hindu ethnic groups
Hindu communities