Posted by: Rajesh BP May 21, 2015
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Thanks for the info! I was scanning through the earlier posts and someone said Pradhan are dhan/rice carrier and they came to Nepal in the Rana era. That person maybe deluded just to come up with a bullshit story just because of the similarity between Pra-DHAN and dhan.
As far as I know (and have read) Newar Pradhans usually are of 4 types/lineages/clans/gotra; Munshi Singh Khalak (of Patan), Thamel's Bir Singh Khalak (who are staunchly Buddhist), Nuchhen khalak (lower Kathmandu), and the Pradhananga (of Bhaktapur) All these 'khalaks' were associated as being 'Mahapatra' which would be akin to today's Prime Minister or Chief of Army. They are not Chhetri as in the Pahade Chhetri but as someone above has rightly pointed out, they fall in Thaku or Chathariya (which is Newari for Thakur or Kshatriya). Pradhanang are of Maithil Karnat origin (just like Mallas), Munshi Singh are of Rajawat Rajput clan, Thamel's Bir Singh are Licchavi-kaalin maha-samantas (pamaju)... they're all from different ethnic-heritage but they all have the same history of being the noble bhardaari clan from whom the Malla kings chose their chief ministers and also their wives just like how the Ranas secured their place among the Shahs through marriage and power. This made them very powerful and was one of the reasons why the Mallas faltered.
I've researched about the Sikkim Darjeeling Pradhans - the three Newar nobles who fled Kathmandu Valley from the Gorkhalis and made Sikkim their homes were Chandravir Maske, Lakshidas Kasaju (Kayastha), and Parasmani Shakya. Today's Pradhans of Darjeeling and Sikkim are believed to be descendants of mainly these 3 folks, so how come/on what circumstance did they adopt Pradhan instead of their original (and still as far as I know very respectable, high-caste) surnames?
Thanks for the info! I was scanning through the earlier posts and someone said Pradhan are dhan/rice carrier and they came to Nepal in the Rana era. That person maybe deluded just to come up with a bullshit story just because of the similarity between Pra-DHAN and dhan.
As far as I know (and have read) Newar Pradhans usually are of 4 types/lineages/clans/gotra; Munshi Singh Khalak (of Patan), Thamel's Bir Singh Khalak (who are staunchly Buddhist), Nuchhen khalak (lower Kathmandu), and the Pradhananga (of Bhaktapur) All these 'khalaks' were associated as being 'Mahapatra' which would be akin to today's Prime Minister or Chief of Army. They are not Chhetri as in the Pahade Chhetri but as someone above has rightly pointed out, they fall in Thaku or Chathariya (which is Newari for Thakur or Kshatriya). Pradhanang are of Maithil Karnat origin (just like Mallas), Munshi Singh are of Rajawat Rajput clan, Thamel's Bir Singh are Licchavi-kaalin maha-samantas (pamaju)... they're all from different ethnic-heritage but they all have the same history of being the noble bhardaari clan from whom the Malla kings chose their chief ministers and also their wives just like how the Ranas secured their place among the Shahs through marriage and power. This made them very powerful and was one of the reasons why the Mallas faltered.
I've researched about the Sikkim Darjeeling Pradhans - the three Newar nobles who fled Kathmandu Valley from the Gorkhalis and made Sikkim their homes were Chandravir Maske, Lakshidas Kasaju (Kayastha), and Parasmani Shakya. Today's Pradhans of Darjeeling and Sikkim are believed to be descendants of mainly these 3 folks, so how come/on what circumstance did they adopt Pradhan instead of their original (and still as far as I know very respectable, high-caste) surnames?