Newar (Newah) History

INTRODUCTION

                        The term Newar (or Newah) stands for a group of people. However, if we see the Nepalese history, we'll find that the terms 'Newar' and 'Nepal' have been used interchangeably. The term 'Nepal' is first found in 'Atharva Parishista' (4th Century B.C.). The term 'Kirat Pradesh' can be found in earlier documents. According to this, it is understood that the term 'Kirat' not only stands for Rai, Limbu or Sunuwar but also stands for all the people living here at that time, including the Newars. The term 'Swasti Naipalavya' is inscribed in three inscriptions of Tistung. (One dated 512 AD & other two dated 607 AD). 'Naipalavya' means the Nepals i.e. plural form of Nepal. (Here, 'Nepal' has been used as the people living in a particular place.). The term 'Newar' is derived from this very term 'Nepal'. According to the researches, Indus Valley civilization is the ancient Vedic civilization and it evolved before the Aryans came to India. Newar civilization is believed to be much older than the Indus civilization. The nature and geography of Nepal prove this fact. (Pradhan, Bhuwan Lal, Nepalko Itihas ra Sanskriti ka kehi Pakshya, Kathmandu : NRPP, p. 129 ) The Newar civilization began in 6th century B.C. (Bista, Dor Bahadur, The people of Nepal, Kathmandu : Ratna Pustak Bhandar, p. 17). The Newar civilization evolved much earlier than the period of the Buddha and the Guptas. The temples and other monuments in Nepalmandala prove this fact without any doubt. (Malla K. Sundar, Newah Mhaseeka, Kathmandu : Malla, p.20) The written history of Nepal begins with the dynasty of Gopal (Sa Poo) and Mahispal (Mey Poo). The Gopali people are still found in Tistung, Palung and near villages. According to the research done on Gopali people by Dr. Chunda Bajracharya, she has concluded that the Gopali people are still following Newar culture and language. So the Gopali people are the Newars. This clarifies that the Newars are the first rulers of Nepal. Since then, the Newars are still living here. However, many immigrants came to Nepal mandal from different places in different time and followed Newar language & culture and became Newars. This brought cultural and lingual diversity among the Newars. The Newar or Newah are the indigenous group of Nepal's Kathmandu valley. Newars are a linguistic community with multiple ethnicity/race (Mongoloid, Indo-Aryan, and Dravidian) and faith, bound together by a common language1. The term Newar applies roughly to the people who inhabited Kathmandu valley and its peripheries before the unification of Nepal and speaking Nepal Bhasa or the languages progenitor of Nepal Bhasa. According to Nepal’s 2001 census, the 1,245,232 Newar in the country are the nation's sixth largest ethnic group, representing 5.48% of the population. The main Newar language, Nepal Bhasa, is of Tibeto-Burman origin and 825,458 Nepalis speak Newa as their mother language.

The different divisions of Newars have different historical developments before their arrival to Kathmandu valley. However, the common identity of Newar is formed after their arrival to the valley. Till the unification of Nepal, except for may be the Muslims under Gayasuddin who attacked and destroyed many parts of the valley, all people who had inhabited the valley at any point of time were either Newar or were progenitors of Newar. So, the history of Newar correlates to a great magnitude to the history of Kathmandu valley till the Unification of Nepal.

The earliest known history of Newar and Kathmandu valley were recorded in the form of mythical scriptures. One of such texts which even accounts the creation of the valley is Swayambhu Purana. According to Swayambhu Purana, the Kathmandu valley was a giant lake called Nāgdaha until the Bodhisattva Manjushree, with the aid of a holy sword called Chandrahrāsa, cut open a part of southern hill of Kachchhapāla2 and then cut open Gokarna daha3 and drained the giant lake, allowing humans to settle the valley land. This apocryphal legend is supported by some geological evidence of an ancient lakebed and it provides an explanation for the high fertility of Kathmandu valley soil. According to Swayambhu Purana, Manjushree then established a city called Manjupattan (Sanskrit: land established by Manjushree), now called Manjipā, where he coronated Dharmākara as the king of the land4. A shrine dedicated to Manjushree is still present in Majipā.

The Lichchhavi dynasty ruled for at least 600 years, followed by the Malla dynasty in 12th century AD. Nepal Bhasa script is estimated to be at least 1200 years old. Nepal Bhasa inscriptions in an ancient manuscript, Nidan, from 901 AD and on a stone tablet from 1173 AD in the courtyard of Bajrayogini Temple at Sankhu, attest to the deep roots of Newar culture in the Kathmandu valley.Newar reign over the valley and their sovereignty and influence over neighboring territories ended approximately 250 years ago with the conquest of the Kathmandu valley in 1769 by the Gorkhali Shah dynasty founded by Prithvi Narayan Shah. Even after the consolidation of the nation-state, the Newar remained a pivotal force in Nepali society as merchants and government administrators, rivalling Brahmin influence in Shah courts.The Newar maintain a highly literate culture and their members are prominent in every sphere, from agriculture, business, education and government administration to medicine, law, religion, architecture, fine art, and literature. Newar architects are responsible for inventing Asia’s hallmark pagoda architecture. Newar devotional thangka painting, sculpture and metal craftsmanship are world-renowned for their exquisite beauty. The fine temples and palaces of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur are largely the product of Newar architects, artisans, and sculptors.