Khas people

Khas people (Nepali: खस जाति) are people of Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group. They are indigenous native speakers of Nepali language (Khas Kura; translit.Khas speech) which is an Indo-Aryan 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 Sample photo of Khas women 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

Khas peoples are indigenous native speakers of one of the Northern Aryan language (Pahari languages in purple) called Nepali (Khas Kura) language

History

Khas people have been described as of Indo-Aryan genes. Khas people consists of Bahun (Khas Brahmin), Chhetri & Thakuri (Khas Kshatriyas), Sanyasi, Kami, Damai, Gandharbha/Gaine, Badi and Sarki people. Many historians referred dominant Thakuri and Chhetri as Khas Rajputs.

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, Aryal, Bam, Baral, Basnet/Basnyat, Bhandari, Bhattarai, Bista/Bisht, Budathoki, Chand, Chauhan, Chhetri, Dahal, Devkota, Dhakal, Gautam, Ghimire, Karki, Kattel, Katuwal, Khand, Khadka, Khanal, Khatri/K.C., Koirala, Kunwar, Lohani, Oli, Mainali,pathak, Panta, Pandey, Hamal, Malla, Poudel/Paudyal, Pokharel, Rana, Rijal, Regmi, Sitoula, Sapkota, Shah, Sen, Shahi, Silwal, Singh, Thakuri, Thapa, Upadhyay, Wagle, Wasti, etc.

Sanyasi (Dasnami)

Bharati, Giri, Puri, Yogi, etc.

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
• Richard P Burghart (1984), The Formation of the Concept of Nation-State in Nepal