Jharra Chhetri
Jharra Chhetri are the subgroup of the Chhetri caste of the Khas ethnic group. Jharra Chhetri wear the six threaded Janai (sacred thread). They are historically Indo Aryan people. Communities of Jharras include Basnet/Basnyat, Thapa, Karki, Kunwar, Khadka, Katuwal, Rawat, and Bisht.
Etymology and background
"Chhetri" is a direct derivative or a Nepalese vernacular of the Sanskrit word Kshatriya.Chhetris along with Brahmins are considered among the twice born castes called Tagadhari in Nepal and they wear the sacred thread called the Yagnopavita. Chhetris are considered among the Pahadi caste groups and they speak Nepali language as their mother tongue which is highly influenced by Sanskrit.
Culture and traditions
The children born from the union of a Chhetri man and his married Chhetri wife, only accomplished by a proper Brahmā vivāha are considered "Jharrā" while those children born from the union of a Hill Brahmin man and a Chhetri woman are considered "Thimā".A Jharrā boy would be given a six threaded Janai (sacred thread) at his Hindu passage of rite Bartaman ceremony while a Thimā boy would be given only a three threaded Janai (sacred thread). A Thimā son would inherit a sixth of the ancestral property compared to that of the Jharrā son.
Notable people
- Bhimsen Thapa
- Abhiman Singh Basnet
- Dilli Jung Thapa
- Amar Singh Thapa
- Bhakti Thapa
- Bal Narsingh Kunwar
- Swarup Singh Karki
- Balbhadra Kunwar
- Queen Tripurasundari of Nepal
- Abhiman Singh Basnet
- Mathabarsingh Thapa
- Pyar Jung Thapa
- Purna Chandra Thapa
- Surya Bahadur Thapa
- Rookmangud Katawal
- Yogi Naraharinath