Posted by: JPEG May 10, 2009
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Lovely Rajbanshis in their beautiful costume.
Rajbanshis live in the Nepal-India borderlands of the districts of Jhapa and Morang of east Nepal. Anthropologists opine that they are the kiths and kin of the peripheral Koch people of the adjacent states of West Bengal and Asom (Assam) in India. Though having Mongoloid features - they consider themselves as a branch of the Kirants - their language is akin to Bengali and Assamese. They wear clothes conforming to their climate and weather. They worship Thakur Brahmani and also practice shamanism. Consumption of alcohol is a must for worshiping the gods. They play with mud and water during their major festivals. The groom's side makes monetary payment to the bride's family during their marriage. This custom also prevails among some other ethnic groups of Nepal. Their principal occupation is agriculture. Rajbanshis were the indigenous people of Jhapa and Morang before the hill migrants of Nepal overwhelmed them. Most of the Rajbanshis bury their dead but now-a-days some of them have adopted cremation formalities. According to Census 2001, their population is 95,812.
The name Rajbanshi was given after AD1515. The original tribal name of Rajbanshis is Koch or Koche. Worshippers of nature and followers of shamanistic religion these indigenous Koch people have changed their names to Rajbhanshi after coming into contact with Hindus (Sharma, BS2045; Upadhyaya, BS2051-052). They have a lifted bone over their throat a little higher than the average height. The structure of their eyes and forehead, etc is like those of a mix of Aryan-Mongloid, Austric, Negrito, Dravidian. A mix of the culture of worshippping nature and Hindu culture however seems to have developed among the Rajbanshis of Nepal.
Rajbanshis live in the Nepal-India borderlands of the districts of Jhapa and Morang of east Nepal. Anthropologists opine that they are the kiths and kin of the peripheral Koch people of the adjacent states of West Bengal and Asom (Assam) in India. Though having Mongoloid features - they consider themselves as a branch of the Kirants - their language is akin to Bengali and Assamese. They wear clothes conforming to their climate and weather. They worship Thakur Brahmani and also practice shamanism. Consumption of alcohol is a must for worshiping the gods. They play with mud and water during their major festivals. The groom's side makes monetary payment to the bride's family during their marriage. This custom also prevails among some other ethnic groups of Nepal. Their principal occupation is agriculture. Rajbanshis were the indigenous people of Jhapa and Morang before the hill migrants of Nepal overwhelmed them. Most of the Rajbanshis bury their dead but now-a-days some of them have adopted cremation formalities. According to Census 2001, their population is 95,812.
The name Rajbanshi was given after AD1515. The original tribal name of Rajbanshis is Koch or Koche. Worshippers of nature and followers of shamanistic religion these indigenous Koch people have changed their names to Rajbhanshi after coming into contact with Hindus (Sharma, BS2045; Upadhyaya, BS2051-052). They have a lifted bone over their throat a little higher than the average height. The structure of their eyes and forehead, etc is like those of a mix of Aryan-Mongloid, Austric, Negrito, Dravidian. A mix of the culture of worshippping nature and Hindu culture however seems to have developed among the Rajbanshis of Nepal.