Khas people

Khas people (Nepali: खस जाति) are an ethno-linguistic group. They are indigenous native speakers of Nepali language (Khas Kura; translit.Khas speech) which is an Indo-Iranian language. Khas people have been referred as Parbatiya and Pahari or Gorkhali. Khas are most dominant faction in Nepal. They are around 31% of Nepal but nearly two thirds of government officials. The word “Khas” is little used in modern times. Khas peoples call themselves by their group names such as Bahun, Kshetri, Sanyasi/Sannesi, Kami, Damai, etc.

Khas/Parbatiya/Pahari
खस/पर्वत्या/पहाडी/गोर्खालि

Sample photo of Khas man in the scholarly work at Library of India
Total population
c. 16 million
Regions with significant populations
Nepal
Languages
Nepali language (Khas Kura) as mother tongue
Religion
Hinduism

Khas people are also called Paharis (yellow) are widely found throughout Nepal

Modern day

a Khas Jhakri (shaman)

Khas people continue Hindu religion with some ancestral deity called Masto gods.

Khas family names

Bahun, Chhetri & Thakuri

Acharya, Adhikari, Arya, Aryal, Bam, Badola, Saun (Saud or Samant), Bagadwal, Baral, Basnet/Basnyat, Barmola, Bhandari, Bhattarai, Bista/Bisht, Bhatta, Bhetwal, Budhathoki, Chand, Chauhan, Chaulagain, Chhetri, Dahal, Dabral, Devkota, Dhakal, Dhital, Dimri, Dhungel, Dobhal/Doval, Dobriyal, Dulal, Gautam, Gusain, Ghimire, Joshi, Kalauni, Karki, Kattel, Katuwal, Kandari, Kukreti, Khand, Khadka, Khanal, Khatri/K.C., Koirala, Kunwar , Lamsal, Lekhak, Lohani, Oli, Mainali, Negi, Nautiyal, Neupane, Nouni, Pathak, Panta, Pandey, Hamal, Malla, Mamgain Poudel/Paudyal/Poudar(hill), Pokharel, Rana, Raut, Ranabhat, Rawat, Rautela, Raturi, Rijal, Regmi, Rimal, Sitoula, Sapkota, Shah, Sen, Shahi, Silwal, Semwal, Sharma, Singh, Thakur/Thakuri, Thapa, Thapliyal, Upreti, Upadhyay, Wagle, Wasti, Air, Aidi, Kandwal, khadayat, kathayat, pela, bhat, ter, bohra, pali, budal, chaisir, danga, rawal, pujara, mahat, mahra etc.

(Dasnami)

Puri, Saraswati, Bharati: Bhaveswa Tirtha, Ashram: Adhigata Ban, Aranya: Kashyap Giri, Parvat, Sagar :Bhrigu

Khas Dalits

Badi, Bishwakarma/B.K., Damai, Dholi, Gandharbha, Kami, Nagarchi, Pariyar, Ranapaheli, Sarki, Sundas, etc.

References

Books

• John T Hitchcock (1978), Himalayan Anthropology: Indo-Tibetan interface, Walter de Gruyter, ISBN 9789027977007
• Richard P Burghart (1984), "The Formation of the Concept of Nation-State in Nepal", The Journal of Asian Studies, 44 (1): 101–125, doi:10.2307/2056748, JSTOR 2056748, S2CID 154584368