Urāy () (alternative names: Udaaya, Udās) is a Newar Buddhist merchant caste of

Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

. They are a prominent community in the business and cultural life of Kathmandu. Urays have played key roles in the development of trade, industry, art, architecture, literature and

Buddhism in Nepal Buddhism in Nepal started spreading since the reign of Ashoka through Indian and Tibetan missionaries. The Kiratas were the first people in Nepal who embraced the Buddha’s teachings, followed by the Licchavi (kingdom), Licchavis and Newar peop ...

and the Himalayan region. The name Uray is said to have been derived from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

term "

upāsaka Upāsaka (masculine) or Upāsikā (feminine) are from the Sanskrit and Pāli words for "attendant". This is the title of followers of Buddhism (or, historically, of Gautama Buddha) who are not monks, nuns, or novice monastics in a Buddhist order, ...

" which means "devout layman". The Uray follow Newar Buddhism and speak the

Newar language Newar (; , ) is a Sino-Tibetan languages, Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal. The language is known officially ...

as their mother tongue. They are believers in non-violence in personal relations and ritual practices.

History

An early reference to the Uray is contained in a 17th-century journal kept at the Buddhist monastic courtyard of Jana Baha, Kathmandu. Dated

Nepal Sambat Nepal Sambat (, ''nepāla samvat'', meaning "Nepal Era") is the lunisolar calendar used by the Newar people of Nepal. It was the official calendar of Nepal since its inception on 20 October 879 till the end of the Malla dynasty in 1769. During ...

763 (1643 AD), the journal entry states that King Laxmi Narsingh Malla has asked all the Urays to attend a religious service at

Asan Asan (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It borders the Seoul Capital Area to the north. Asan has a population of approximately 400,000. Asan is known for its many hot springs an ...

. Urays are also known for their history as traders on the

Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

. Operating out of business houses in

Lhasa Lhasa, officially the Chengguan District of Lhasa City, is the inner urban district of Lhasa (city), Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region, Southwestern China. Lhasa is the second most populous urban area on the Tibetan Plateau after Xining ...

, Tibet and

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

, India, they were key players in the traditional

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

trade for centuries. These merchants were known as the

Lhasa Newar Lhasa Newar (alternate name: Lhasa Newah) () refers to the expatriate Newar traders and artisans who traveled between the Kathmandu Valley and Tibet from centuries ago. These Nepalis, Nepalese merchants conducted trade between Nepal, Tibet and Ben ...

Subcastes

The Uray are divided into nine subcastes who use the following surnames. Each group is associated with a traditional occupation according to the division of labor instituted in the past. *

Tuladhar Tulādhar (Devanagari: तुलाधर) is a Nepali/Nepalese caste from the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. The name Tuladhar is derived from the Sanskrit words "tula" (weighing scale) and "dhar" (possessor), thus meaning scal ...

(merchant) * * Sthapit (engineer) *

Tamrakar Tāmrakār (Devanagari: ताम्राकार) is a caste of coppersmiths and other metal casters found in Nepal and India. In Nepal, the Tamrakars are found among the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley and other regions of Nepalthey ar ...

of Kathmandu only (worker in copper, gold, silver and brass) *

Kansakar Kansakār () or Kasāh (कसाः) is a Nepalese caste group belonging to the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. In Sanskrit, Kansakar means bronze worker, and their traditional occupation has been metal working and trading. Tod ...

(worker in bronze, brass and copper) * Sikhrākār (roofer) * Bania (herbalist) * Sindurākār (wood carver) * Shilākār of Kathmandu only (stone carver) * Selālik (confectioner)

Cultural life

Samyak Samyak () is an almsgiving Buddhist festival celebrated in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. During the ceremony which is held on a large open ground, hundreds of Dīpankara Buddha images are assembled, and gifts of different types of food are made ...

is the greatest Newar Buddhist festival. The ceremony in Kathmandu is held once every 12 years and is spread over three days. On the occasion, large images of

Dīpankara Buddha Dipankara (Pali: ''Dīpaṅkara''; Sanskrit: ', "Lamp bearer") or Dipankara Buddha is one of the Buddhas of the past. He is said to have lived on Earth four asankheyyas and one hundred thousand kalpas ago. According to Buddhists, Dipankara wa ...

are exhibited at

Kathmandu Durbar Square Kathmandu Durbar Square (Nepal Bhasa: येँ लायकु/𑐥𑐾𑑄 𑐮𑐵𑐫𑐎𑐹, Nepali: हनुमानढोका दरबार; ''Basantapur Durbar Kshetra'') is a historically and culturally significant site in Kathma ...

and

Swayambhu Svayambhu () is a Sanskrit word that means "self-born", "self-manifested", "self-existing", or "that that is created by its own accord". Various deities and entities featured in Hindu literature and tradition are regarded to be svayambhu, such as ...

. Alms are distributed to priests during the ceremony which is attended by the king. During Samyak, each Uray group performs a task that has been assigned by tradition. The Tuladhars of Asan sew and distribute leaf plates, Tuladhars of Nyata cook and serve rice, Sthapits build the wooden viewing stand, Tamrakars play the trumpet, Kansakars prepare and serve five types of foods, Sikhrakars supply clay pots (discontinued since 1980), Banias serve a sweet drink and Selaliks serve confections. Gunlā Bājan is Buddhist devotional music played during the month of Gunlā which is considered holy by Newar Buddhists. Gunla is the 10th month in the

Nepal Era Nepal Sambat (, ''nepāla samvat'', meaning "Nepal Era") is the lunisolar calendar used by the Newar people of Nepal. It was the official calendar of Nepal since its inception on 20 October 879 till the end of the Malla dynasty in 1769. During ...

calendar and corresponds to August. All Uray groups have a Gunla Bajan band which makes a daily pilgrimage to

during the sacred month.

Social life

Each Uray group has its own lineage deity known as Digu Dyah (दिगु द्यः). Every year, members gather at the shrine, which is usually located on an open field on the outskirts of the city, and make offerings to the deity. The ritual is known as Depujā. Urays have two types of funeral societies, Sī Guthi (सी गुथि) and Sanān Guthi (सनां गुथि). The Si Guthi performs the cremation too while the Sanan Guthi only takes part in the funeral procession, and the work of cremation is outsourced to another society.

Udaaya Museum

The Udaaya Museum containing miniature

diorama A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional model either full-sized or miniature. Sometimes dioramas are enclosed in a glass showcase at a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies like mili ...

s illustrating the traditional occupations and cultural performances of the nine subcastes has opened. It also contains historical and contemporary photographs and tools used by the artisans. The museum is located in a traditional house at

Asan, Kathmandu Asan (; , ) (alternative names: Asan Tol असन टोल , Asan Twāh असं त्वाः) is a ceremonial, market and residential square in central Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. It is one of the most well-known historical locati ...

Honors

The Postal Services Department of the Nepal government has honored five Urays by issuing commemorative postage stamps for their contribution to national development—poet

Chittadhar Hridaya Chittadhar Hridaya (; born Chittadhar Tuladhar; 19 May 1906 – 9 June 1982) was a Nepalese poet. He is regarded as one of the greatest literary figures from Nepal in the 20th century. The title of Kavi Keshari (Lion among Poets) was conferred o ...

(formerly Chittadhar Tuladhar) in 1992, Buddhist monk and patriarch of Nepal

Pragyananda Mahasthavir Pragyananda Mahasthavir () (born Kul Man Singh Tuladhar) (2 May 1900 – 11 March 1993) was a Nepalese Buddhist monk who was one of the leaders of the revival of Theravada Buddhism in Nepal. In 1930, he became the first monk wearing yellow robes ...

(formerly Kul Man Singh Tuladhar) in 2001, social worker

Daya Bir Singh Kansakar Daya Bir Singh Kansakar (; 1911 – 5 February 2001, Kathmandu, Nepal) was a Nepalese social worker and the first blood donor in Nepal. also the chief founder of Paropakar Organization, the country's earliest social service organization. Earl ...

in 2002 and transportation pioneers

Karuna Ratna Tuladhar Karuna Ratna Tuladhar () (23 October 1920 – 19 July 2008) was a pioneer of Nepalese public transport. He was proprietor of Nepal Transport Service which he and his brother Lupau Ratna Tuladhar founded in 1959. This was Nepal's first public b ...

and Lupau Ratna Tuladhar in 2012.

References

{{Authority control People from Kathmandu Newar Newar caste system