Addie15A4298 at 13:48, 23 October 2025

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{{Short description|Nepali Brahmins of Khas descent}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2020}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Khas Bahun
| native_name = Bahun
| image =
| caption =
| region1 = {{flag|Nepal}}
| pop1 = 3,292,373 (11.2% of Nepal's population) (2021)<ref>{{cite report |date=2021 |title=National Population and Housing Census 2021, Caste/Ethnicity Report |author=National Statistics Office |work=Government of Nepal |url=https://censusnepal.cbs.gov.np/results/downloads/caste-ethnicity}}</ref>
| languages = [[Nepali language|Nepali]] (Khas-Kura)
| religions = [[Hinduism in Nepal|Hinduism]] 99.56% (2011), [[Christianity]] 0.31% (2011)<ref>{{cite report |date=2014 |title=Population monograph of Nepal |volume=II |author=Central Bureau of Statistics |publisher=Government of Nepal |url=https://nepal.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Population%20Monograph%20V02.pdf}}</ref>
| related = [[Chhetri]], [[Thakuri]] and other [[Khas people]]
}}

'''Bahun''' ({{langx|ne|बाहुन}}), also known as '''Hill Brahmins''',<ref>{{cite book |last1=Oberst |first1=Robert |title=Government and Politics in South Asia, Student Economy Edition |date=27 April 2018 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-429-97340-6 |page=284 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WptYDwAAQBAJ&dq=bahun+hill+brahmin&pg=PT284}}</ref> are a [[Brahmin]] [[Varna (Hinduism)|varna]] among the [[Khas]] of [[Nepal]]. They are a sub-caste of the [[Kanyakubja Brahmin]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Declan Quigley |first=David Gellner |url=https://archive.org/details/ContestedHierarchiesACollaborativeEthnographyOfCasteAmongTheNewarsOfKathmanduEdi/page/n166/mode/1up?q=Bahun+Kanyakubja |title=Contested Hierarchies: A Collaborative Ethnography of Caste Among the Newars of Kathmandu. edited by David Gellner & Declan Quigley |page=199|date=2017 |publisher=Macmillan and Company limited|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Chaturvedi |first=Shyam lal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=91ACAAAAMAAJ |title=In Fraternity with Nepal, An Account of the Activities Under the Auspices of the Wider Life Movement for the Furtherance and Consolidation of the Indo-Nepalese Cultural Fellowship |page=65|date=1945|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hachhethu |first=Krishna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fe3DEAAAQBAJ |title=Nation-Building and Federalism in Nepal|page=40|date=2023|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-887291-7 |language=en}}</ref> while their origins are from [[Kannauj]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hachhethu |first=Krishna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fe3DEAAAQBAJ |title=Nation-Building and Federalism in Nepal|page=40|date=2023|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-887291-7 |language=en}}</ref>{{disputed inline|date=September 2025}} and the Himalayan belt of South Asia. According to the [[2011 Nepal census]], Bahun is the second most populous group after [[Chhetri]].<ref name="cbs2">{{Cite web|url=https://unstats.un.org/unsD/demographic/sources/census/wphc/Nepal/Nepal-Census-2011-Vol1.pdf|title=Nepal Census 2011}}</ref>

According to 1854 [[Caste_system_in_Nepal#Muluki_Ain_(1854)|''Muluki Ain'']], the first Nepalese civil code, Bahuns were regarded as caste among [[Upanayana|sacred thread bearers]] ([[Tagadhari]]) and [[Dvija|twice-born]] Hindus.{{sfn|Sherchan|2001|p=14}}

== Origin ==
{{see|Khas people}}
Traditionally, Bahuns were members of the [[Khas community]] together [[Chhetri]]s.{{sfn|John T Hitchcock|1978|pp=116-119}} Possibly due to political power of the [[Khasa Malla kingdom]], Khas Brahmins and Khas Kshatriyas{{sfn|John T Hitchcock|1978|p=116}} had high social status in the present-day western Nepal.{{sfn|John T Hitchcock|1978|pp=116-119}} Bahuns, regarded as upper class Khas group together with [[Chhetri]]s, were associated mostly with the [[Gorkha Kingdom]] and its [[Unification of Nepal|expansion]].{{sfn|Whelpton|2005|p=31}}{{sfn|Whelpton|2005|p=31}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Nepal|title=Nepal -}}</ref>

There appears to be general agreement in historical records and family genealogy that Hill Brahmins (both Purbia and Kumai Bahuns) migrated from the [[Indo-Gangetic Plain|Gangetic Plains]] to the western Himalayas then from there to the eastern Himalayas including Nepal. Nepali historians have claimed that Hill Brahmins entered the Himalayan region from [[Kannauj]].<ref>{{Cite book|author=Prakash Raj|title=Brahmins in Nepal|date=1996 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4i1uAAAAMAAJ&q=kannauj+brahmins+nepal|page=14|publisher=Nabeen Publications |isbn=978-0-7855-7366-1 }}</ref>
According to Acharya Bamsavali, Bahuns have migrated from Kanyakubja to Jumla in Nepal.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Prakash Raj|title=Brahmins in Nepal|date=1996 |publisher=Nabeen Publications |isbn=978-0-7855-7366-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4i1uAAAAMAAJ&q=kanyakubja+jumla}}</ref>

==Demography==
According to the [[2011 Nepal census]], Bahuns (referred as Hill-Brahmin) are the second most populous group after Khas Chhetri with 12.2% of Nepal's population (or 3,226,903 people).<ref name="cbs">{{Cite web|url=http://cbs.gov.np/image/data/Population/Population%20Monograph%20of%20Nepal%202014/Population%20Monograph%20V02.pdf|title=Nepal Census 2011|access-date=26 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918043750/http://cbs.gov.np/image/data/Population/Population%20Monograph%20of%20Nepal%202014/Population%20Monograph%20V02.pdf|archive-date=18 September 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Bahun are the second largest [[Hindu]] group in Nepal with a population of 3,212,704 (99.6% of Bahuns).<ref name="cbs"/> Bahuns are the largest group in 15 districts in Nepal: [[Jhapa district|Jhapa]], [[Morang district|Morang]], [[Kathmandu district|Kathmandu]], [[Chitwan district|Chitwan]], [[Nawalparasi district|Nawalparasi]], [[Rupandehi district|Rupandehi]], [[Kaski district|Kaski]], [[Syangja district|Syangja]], [[Parbat district|Parbat]], [[Gulmi district|Gulmi]] and [[Arghakhanchi district|Arghakhanchi]]. Among these, Bahuns in [[Parbat district|Parbat]] (35.7%), [[Arghakhanchi district|Arghakhanchi]] (32.8%), [[Dhading district|Dhading]] (30.9%), [[Chitwan district|Chitwan]] (28.6%), [[Kaski district|Kaski]] (27.8%) and [[Gulmi district|Gulmi]] (25.2%) consist more than 25% of the district population. [[Kathmandu district|Kathmandu]] has largest Bahun population with 410,126 people (23.5%).<ref name="cbs"/>

Bahuns have the highest [[civil service]] representation with 39.2% of Nepal's bureaucracy while having only 12.1% of Nepal's total population. The civil service representation to population ratio is 3.2 times for Bahuns which is fourth in Nepal. Khas Chhetris represent 1.6 times in civil services to their percentage of population, which is the highest in Nepal.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Amit|last=Dhakal|url=http://archive.setopati.com/raajneeti/12636/|title=निजामती सेवामा सबैभन्दा बढी प्रतिनिधित्व राजपूत, कायस्थ र तराई ब्राम्हण|date=11 June 2014|newspaper=Setopati|archive-date=26 January 2018|access-date=25 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126070646/http://archive.setopati.com/raajneeti/12636/|url-status=dead}}</ref> As per the [[Public Service Commission (Nepal)|Public Service Commission]], Brahmins (33.3%) and Chhetris (20.01%) were two largest caste group to obtain governmental jobs in [[Fiscal year|F.Y.]] 2017-18 even though 45% governmental seats are reserved for women, indigenous and ethnic minorities, Madhesis, dalits, people with disability and those from the backward regions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kathmandupost.com/miscellaneous/2018/10/16/brahmins-and-chhetris-land-most-government-jobs|title=Brahmins and Chhetris land most government jobs|website=kathmandupost.com}}</ref> Similarly, in the fiscal 2018–19, Bahuns (24.87%) and Chhetris (9.63%) maintained 35% of their proportion in civil service as per Public Service Commission.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2019/11/12/brahmins-and-chhetris-continue-to-dominate-entry-into-civil-service|title=Brahmins and Chhetris continue to dominate entry into civil service|website=kathmandupost.com}}</ref>

==Geographic distribution==
According to the [[2021 Nepal census]], 3,292,373 people (11.29%) of the population of Nepal are Bahun (Hill Brahmins).<ref>{{cite report |date=2021 |title=National Population and Housing Census 2021, Caste/Ethnicity Report |author=National Statistics Office |work=Government of Nepal |url=https://censusnepal.cbs.gov.np/results/downloads/caste-ethnicity}}</ref> The frequency of Bahun (Hill Brahmins) by province was as follows:
* [[Gandaki Province]] (21.5%)
* [[Bagmati Province]] (18.3%)
* [[Sudurpashchim Province]] (13.0%)
* [[Lumbini Province]] (12.5%)
* [[Koshi Province]] (12.1%)
* [[Karnali Province]] (8.3%)
* [[Madhesh Province]] (2.3%)

The frequency of Bahun (Hill Brahmins) was higher than national average (12.2%) in the following districts:
* [[Parbat District|Parbat]] (35.8%)
* [[Arghakhanchi District|Arghakhanchi]] (32.8%)
* [[Syangja District|Syangja]] (30.9%)
* [[Chitwan District|Chitwan]] (28.7%)
* [[Kaski District|Kaski]] (27.9%)
* [[Jhapa District|Jhapa]] (23.8%)
* [[Nawalpur District|Nawalpur]] (23.8%)
* [[Kathmandu District|Kathmandu]] (23.7%)
* [[Kavrepalanchok District|Kavrepalanchok]] (21.5%)
* [[Gulmi District|Gulmi]] (21.3%)
* [[Baglung District|Baglung]] (19.5%)
* [[Nuwakot District|Nuwakot]] (19.0%)
* [[Baitadi District|Baitadi]] (18.6%)
* [[Palpa District|Palpa]] (17.5%)
* [[Kalikot District|Kalikot]] (17.1%)
* [[Darchula District|Darchula]] (16.7%)
* [[Kanchanpur District|Kanchanpur]] (16.0%)
* [[Rupandehi District|Rupandehi]] (15.9%)
* [[Dadeldhura District|Dadeldhura]] (15.8%)
* [[Gorkha District|Gorkha]] (15.2%)
* [[Rasuwa District|Rasuwa]] (15.2%)
* [[Dhading District|Dhading]] (15.0%)
* [[Bhaktapur District|Bhaktapur]] (14.2%)
* [[Makwanpur District|Makwanpur]] (14.1%)
* [[Ilam District|Ilam]] (13.9%)
* [[Terhathum District|Terhathum]] (13.3%)
* [[Morang District|Morang]] (13.1%)
* [[Lalitpur District, Nepal|Lalitpur]] (13.0%)
* [[Lamjung District|Lamjung]] (12.8%)
* [[Kailali District|Kailali]] (12.4%)

==Notable people==

=== Academics ===
* [[Surya Subedi]], legal academic

=== Artists ===
* [[Ragini Upadhyaya]], fine artist and lyricist

=== Athletes ===

==== Cricketers ====
* [[Basanta Regmi]]
* [[Kanishka Chaugai]]
* [[Sandeep Lamichhane]]
* [[Kushal Bhurtel]]

==== Footballers ====

==== Swimmers ====

==== Other athletes ====
* [[Shyam Dhakal]], alpine skier

=== Entertainment ===

==== Actors/Filmmakers ====
*[[Nabin K Bhattarai|Nabin k. Bhattarai]]
*[[Neeta Dhungana]]
*[[Aaryan Sigdel|Aryan Sigdel]]
*[[Arunima Lamsal]]
*[[Jiwan Luitel|Jeevan Luitel]]
*[[Sitaram Kattel|Sitaram Kattel(dhurmus)]]
*[[Kunjana Ghimire|Kunjana Ghimire(suntali)]]
*[[Anup Baral]]
*[[Jeetu Nepal]]
*[[Kedar Ghimire]]
*[[Keki Adhikari]]
*[[Nisha Adhikari]]
*[[Bijay Baral]]
*[[Raj Ballav Koirala]]
*[[Khagendra Lamichhane]]
*[[Mariska Pokharel|Marishka Pokharel]]
*[[Sunil Pokharel]]
*[[Usha Poudel]]
*[[Deepika Prasain]]
*[[Hari Prasad Rimal]]
*[[Aanchal Sharma]]
*[[Anna Sharma]]
*[[Pooja Sharma (Nepalese actress)|Pooza Sharma]]
*[[Reecha Sharma]]
*[[Mithila Sharma]]
*[[Barsha Siwakoti]]
*[[Hari Bansha Acharya]]
*[[Dayaram Dahal]]
* [[Subash Gajurel]]
* [[Tulsi Ghimire]]
* [[Manisha Koirala]]
* [[Deepa Shree Niraula]]

==== Singers ====
* [[Tika Bhandari]]
* [[Ram Prasad Khanal]]
* [[Pramod Kharel]]
* [[Nabin K Bhattarai]]
* [[Bhakta Raj Acharya]]
* [[Sugam Pokharel]]
* [[Bednidhi Poudel]]
* [[Pranil L Timalsena]]

==== Other entertainers ====
* [[Atul Gautam]], [[tabla]] player
* [[Hom Nath Upadhyaya]], [[tabla]] player

=== Entrepreneurs ===

=== Humanitarians ===
* [[Durga Ghimire]], founder of [[ABC Nepal]], an anti-sex trafficking organisation
* [[Jagadish Ghimire]], political analyst, founder of Tamakoshi Sewa Samiti community development organisation
* [[Anuradha Koirala]], founder of [[Maiti Nepal]], which supports victims of sex trafficking

=== Mountaineers ===

=== Politicians ===
*[[Madhav Prasad Devkota]]
*[[Rabi Lamichhane|Ravi Lamichhane]]
*[[Chabilal Upadhyaya]]<ref>[[Chabilal Upadhyaya|Chabilal Upadhyaya - Bharatpedia]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=May 2021}}
*[[Ranga Nath Poudyal]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Raj |first=Prakash A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rVNuAAAAMAAJ&q=sarbajit+rana+magar |title=Dancing Democracy: The power of a Third Eye |publisher=Rupa & Company |year=2006 |isbn=9788129109460}}</ref>
*[[Krishna Prasad Koirala]] and [[Koirala family]]<ref name="dawn">{{cite news |date=23 March 2010 |title=Girija Prasad Koirala: The architect of democracy in Nepal |newspaper=Dawn |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/822354 |access-date=13 December 2017}}</ref>
*[[Matrika Prasad Koirala]]<ref name="dawn" />
*[[Tanka Prasad Acharya]]<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JTg0ZTM8X4oC&pg=PA63 |title=Westminster legacies |publisher=UNSW Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-86840-848-4 |access-date=15 May 2009}}</ref>
*[[Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala]]<ref name="dawn" />
*[[Girija Prasad Koirala]]<ref name="dawn" />
*[[Krishna Prasad Bhattarai]]<ref name="myrepublica">{{cite news |date=7 March 2011 |title=Flight of a free bird |newspaper=My Republica |url=http://www.myrepublica.com/archive/54381/Flight-of-a-free-bird |access-date=13 December 2017}}</ref>
*[[Man Mohan Adhikari]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Goldenberg |first=Suzanne |date=4 May 1999 |title=Man Mohan Adhikari |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/may/04/guardianobituaries.suzannegoldenberg |access-date=13 December 2017}}</ref>
*[[KP Sharma Oli]]
*[[Prachanda|Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda)]]<ref>{{Cite news |title=CPN Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal elected as 39th Prime Minister of Nepal |publisher=Xinhuanet |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-08/03/c_135561309.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=13 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805025844/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-08/03/c_135561309.htm |archive-date=5 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Prachanda elected Prime Minister of Nepal |newspaper=The Hindu |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/Prachanda-elected-Prime-Minister-of-Nepal/article15282412.ece |access-date=13 December 2017}}</ref>
*[[Madhav Kumar Nepal]]<ref>{{Cite news |title=CPN-UML Comrades Apart |publisher=Spotlight Nepal Magazine |url=https://www.spotlightnepal.com/2014/05/23/cpn-uml-comrades-apart/ |access-date=13 December 2017}}</ref>
*[[Baburam Bhattarai]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 January 2009 |title=Caste no bar |publisher=Nepali Times |url=http://nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=15581#.WoEo8YHA40M |access-date=12 February 2018}}</ref>

=== Scientists ===
* [[Bodhraj Acharya]], biochemist
* [[Lujendra Ojha]], planetary scientist

=== Writers ===
* [[Khagendra Sangraula]]
==== Poets ====
* [[Bhanubhakta Acharya]]
* [[Geeta Tripathee]]
* [[Gopal Prasad Rimal]]
* [[Ishwar Ballav|Ishwar Ballav Bhattarai]]
* [[Jagadish Ghimire]]
* [[Krishnahari Baral]]
* [[Kshetra Pratap Adhikary]]
* [[Laxmi Prasad Devkota]]
* [[Lekh Nath Paudel]]
* [[Mahananda Sapkota]]
* [[Motiram Bhatta]]
* [[Suman Pokhrel]]

==== Journalists ====
* [[Kanak Mani Dixit]]
* [[Narayan Wagle]]
* [[Naresh Bhattarai]]
* [[Prashant Aryal]]
* [[Rabi Lamichhane]]
* [[Rabindra Mishra]]
* [[Sudheer Sharma]]
* [[Vijay Kumar Pandey]]

==== Playwrights ====
* [[Abhi Subedi]]
* [[Krishna Dharabasi]]
* [[Bhim Nidhi Tiwari]]
* [[Gopal Prasad Rimal]]
* [[Guru Prasad Mainali]]
* [[Khagendra Lamichhane]]
* [[Laxmi Prasad Devkota]]
* [[Suman Pokhrel]]

==== Prose writers ====
* [[Abhi Subedi]]
* [[Amar Neupane]]
* [[Arbind Rimal]]
* [[Samrat Upadhyay]]
* [[Sanu Sharma]]

=== Other notables ===
* [[Bhawana Ghimire]], CEO of [[Cricket Association of Nepal]] from 2014 to 2016

==See also==
* [[Caste system in Nepal]]
* [[Varna (Hinduism)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |author=Dor Bahadur Bista |author-link=Dor Bahadur Bista |title=Fatalism and Development: Nepal's Struggle for Modernization |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JzFROpFVYRAC&pg=PA48 |year=1991 |publisher=Orient Blackswan |isbn=978-81-250-0188-1 }}
*{{cite book |title=Dynamics of a hill society: Nepalis in Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas |last=Subba |first=Tanka Bahadur |date=1989 |publisher=Mittal Publications |isbn=9788173041143 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1yZuAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite book |author=John T Hitchcock |contribution=An Additional Perspective on the Nepali Caste System |editor=James F. Fisher |title=Himalayan Anthropology: The Indo-Tibetan Interface |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B0C-IhEKrSEC&pg=PA113 |year=1978 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=978-90-279-7700-7 }}
* {{cite journal |author=Richard Burghart |title=The Formation of the Concept of Nation-State in Nepal |jstor=2056748 |journal=The Journal of Asian Studies |volume=44 |issue=1 |year=1984 |pages=101–125 |doi=10.2307/2056748|s2cid=154584368 }}
* {{Cite book| title = A History of Nepal| last1 = Whelpton | first1 = John| year = 2005 | publisher = Cambridge University Press | isbn = 978-0521804707 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=WSo6PgAACAAJ}}
*{{Cite book| title = Democracy, pluralism and Change: An Inquiry into Nepalese context| last1 = Sherchan | first1 = Sanjay | year = 2001 | publisher = Chhye Pahhuppe | isbn = 9789993354390 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-SyOAAAAMAAJ}}
*{{Cite book|title=Journal of Nepalese Literature, Art and Culture|volume =4| author = Nepala Rajakiya Pragya Pratisthana| publisher =Royal Nepal Academy|year =2001|location= Nepal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HyxuAAAAMAAJ}}
*{{cite journal|last=Witzel|first=Michael|title=Toward a History of the Brahmins|journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society|volume=113|year=1993|issue=2 |pages=264–268|doi=10.2307/603031 |jstor=603031|issn=0003-0279}}
{{Ethnic groups in Nepal}}
{{Brahmin communities}}

[[Category:Bahun| ]]
[[Category:Brahmin communities of Nepal]]
[[Category:Khas people]]
[[Category:Brahmins]]
[[Category:Brahmin communities]]
[[Category:Gurkhas]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Nepal]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in South Asia]]
[[Category:Hindu ethnic groups]]
[[Category:Hindu communities]]

Bahun - Revision history

Addie15A4298 at 13:48, 23 October 2025