Giri haru vaneko since centuries...trading community...because they were considered, sanyasi...they were above the law and were treated differently by immigration in our region...so they had access to raja/maharaja and that is why there did long distance trading and also were considered spies as they knew first hand the current political condition of different power centers...that's according to one history book...Very wealthy society of Nepal/India...Anywhere you go in Nepal, they usually are tight knit community and own lots of lands... As far as I have noticed and I haven't travelled much in Nepal