Letter from BKRana–Was Jung Bahadur Kunwar a Rana Magar?

Dear AIG Sa'p,

As discussed today, for your information (FYI) on linguistic toponomic interpretation there. Particularly, on the Magars themselves.

Regards B. K. Rana

Dear All,

Some of my friends including senior professors have suggested me to circulate this letter again to other recipients also. I have therefore sent it to your address there. This article was prepared for a promising young scholar - Mahendra Lawoti, who is doing a PhD, at the University of Pittsburgh, USA. I hope you will enjoy reading this letter.20Regards,

B. K.Rana Linguistic Anthropologist

Tel: 479 054

Dear Lawotiji,

1) All Ranas in your list were Magars - I am confident. I have reasons.  Junga Bahadur declared himself a 'Rana' in about 1910 -1912 BS (I need more time to fix the exact date). Before that he was Kunwar (Magar?). Therefore, the Ranas in the list were before Junga - or there were other Rana Magars nearly 1000 years ago (as evidence show us it, we are trying to figure out more) and they had nothing to do with Rajputs of the plains ! What I mean here is that there were Rana Magars and Thapa Magars in Gorkha  and Central Nepal before Junga Bahadur came to power in 1903 BS. They were the political leaders there. Since all Ranas and Thapas hailed from Gorkha and Central Nepal - they virtually were none other than Magars by ethnicity. Bhimsen Thapa was from Gorkha and an individual can't become otherwise when he comes out from a Magar Village. This is why Magars believe him to be a Magar. But,  today's elite Thapa (Chhetris)  of Kathmandu  and of rural Nepal do not wish to be seen as a Magar.  Because Magars eat pork !!!  (But, Pun Magars do not eat any pork). And also they are impoverished ones having not been able to come to the mainstream; after the cruel killing of Abhiman Singh Rana Magar, a prominent figure for prime ministership, in Kot Massacre (1846 AD) and hanging of Martyr  (Magars believe him to be the first Martyr of Nepal) Lakhan Thapa Magar II in 1933 BS by Junga Bahadur !!! Ram Shah's effort to establish himself a descendant of Mewad (Chittaur) Household and Junga's similar attempt to be of the Maharana Pratap pedigree have been lambasted by most historians including Dor Bahadur Bista ( 1991).

2) In Jyagdi Khola of Syanja District there were  Kunwar Rana Magars at that time. And, we can find some Kunwar Rana Magars in Syanja district even today. Kunwars of Nepal and Kanwars of Himanchal Pradesh, India might have some affinity with each other but Junga should be viewed from =his personal character also. Whelpton (1991: 119) believes Junga was a Magar.

3) Gorkha was a Magar Kingdom then. There was a Magar King  - Man Singh Khadga Magar. Magars were in majority therefore they had Magar Kingdom there. Also there was rivalry between Man Singh and Ganga Ram. Ganesh Pandey played a crook's role there. After killing Khadga Raja, Drabya Shah was made king of Gorkha by  Ganga Ram Rana Magar(s) in 1616 BS . But, Bahun historians do not treat those Magars  what they really deserve there.  They just write about Ganesh Pandey and several other Bahuns of Gorkha. Bahun writers offer Ganesh Pandey more importance than Ganga Ram. Nepali history is written by Bahuns therefore it only highlights  Bahuns and Chhetris. So it is not any history. This sort of history is distorted history - we claim and should be rewritten. We expect you will  do it from there.

4) There are some problems with the Thapas. Bhimsen Thapa, Mathabar  Singh Thapa, Amar Singh Thapa (Ludwig Stiller believes Amar Singh, a Magar by ethnicity), Ujir Singh Thapa, Bhakti Thapa and few other Thapas  are boastfully treated as  'Chhetris' by Thapa Chhetris of today. But, Biraj Thapa Magar gave shelter and protected Nara Bhupal Shah for 3 months in his home. Have you ever been to Gorkha Durbar area ? Below Gorkha Kalika Temple there is a Thapa Magar Settlement even today and it is the settlement of Kaji Jaspau Thapa Magar's descendants. Dev Dutta Thapa was also a Magar by ethnicity. But, I am okay with the convention. I do not want to disgrace  any Thapa Chhetri. Let them be Thapa Chhetris - it won't make any difference now. For example: we have Durlav Kumar Thapa Magar (former Inspector General of Police) and Ganesh Bahadur Thapa Magar  (Former Governor of Central Bank of Nepal ). I have heard  these two gentlemen feel happier to be treated  as  - Thapa Chhetris. It's okay, we don't mind ! We have a number of Magars in Lalitpur district wearing  'janai'  - the so called sacred thread - across their chest to become 'high class Chhetri' !!

5) In India we may not be able to find any Thapa Chhetris ( Or if we  did, they must have gone from here). But, there are many Thapa Magars  in Deharadoon area. Linguistically too if  we analysed the term THAPA - it gives us a clue that 'Thapa' does not denote any Chhetri of Nepal. In Sino-Tibetan language "Tha" means 'of Mongolia or of that area'  and 'pa/ba' mean 'man/peoples'. Pa and ba are bilabial and phonetically similar in their origin. Rana and Ale surnames of Magars have their meanings in them. But, what would the term "Thapa" mean if we tried to find it from Thapa Chhetris' viewpoint ? I mean what would it mean in Khas Kura ? Nothing will it mean - we know !!!

6)  To add  to the point 1 above, I have here something more. Asthasahasrika Pragyaparmita is believed to be one of the most important treatises in Bouddha literature. This treatise was translated into Sanskrit by Subarnakar Rana Magar of Gulmi in Nepal Sambat 119 ( that is 1056 Bikram Sambat or 999 AD). Similarly the book was again translated into Sanskrit by Ganga Rana Magar of Lamjung in Nepal Sambat 189 ( 1125 BS or 1068 AD ). The idea here is  that there were Rana Magars in Central Nepal before the Muslim Invasion in India in 11th,14th and 16th centuries. So I do not think those Rana Magars  had anything to do with the Rajputs of India.

7)  Of  our Thapa Magars, I have here little bit toponomic linguistic interpretation.  In Tibetan language  man is called  both 'pa' and 'mi'. In Dolkha District, Central Nepal there are  'Thami' peoples {Tha+Mi}. And, in Darchula near Taklakot ( in Tibet) there live Shaukas. These Shaukas  themselves call 'Rongs' and others call them 'Rongpas' {Rong+Pa}. In Gorkha there is a Village Development Committee  - 'Lho' and peoples there are known as 'Lhopas' {Lho+Pa} and the indigenous peoples in Upper Mustang  are also called 'Lhopas or Lhobas' . In Solukhumbu live 'Sherpas>Syarpas' {Syar+Pa}. The peoples in Kham Province, Tibet are called 'Khampa' {Kham+Pa} . Sikkim is called 'Denzon' in Tibetan language and Sikkimese are also called 'Denzonpas' {Denzong+Pa}. The peoples of Bhutan are also called 'Lhobas' {Lho+Bas}. And, some peoples in Upper Gorkha are also called 'Nupripas' {Nupri+Pa}.

8) Thapa Magars in this context seem to be  very closely associated with 'Thamis' of Dolkha district. Both [Tha + Mi] and [Tha + Pa] are distinctly similar. 'Tha' also means 'border'  and 'pa and mi' mean 'man/people'. The peoples from 'borderland' are 'Thapas' or 'Thamis'. So, Thapas are from Tibetan border. It is therefore, the classical 'Ranas' and 'Thapas' are  not Chhetris  in the Hindu casteism.

9) Rong in Tibetan language is 'warmer place' i.e. peoples of warmer areas are 'Rongpas'.  Shaukas live in relatively warmer places than in Tibet. Likewise, 'Lho' is 'to the south' or peoples in the South from Tibet are 'Lhopas/Lhobas' and 'Nupri' in Tibetan means 'to the west'  > 'Nupri+Pa' 3D peoples of west. Gorkha lies in the west from Shyarkhumbu > Solukhumbu, Sikkim or even Kham Province in Tibet. In Solukhumbu live 'Sherpas>Syarpas' {Syar+Pa} - ( Syar > east and Pa > man 3D peoples in =the east). Therefore, Thapas in your list should be treated as Magars; if you are really writing also in favour of ethnic peoples in the country.

10) Have you ever gone through Prof. Bikram Jit Hasrat's  'History of Nepal' or of Rishikesh Shah and even D. R. Regmi ?  Kapardar Kalu Khadga Magar loaned King Prithivi Narayan Rs. 4000.00 (Four Thousand) nearly 260 years ago. ( Please check the value of  money which was never paid =back). But, what his descendants have received from King Prithivi's descendants today ? They have 'vigorously' insulted Khadga Magars in the "Gorkha Vanshabali" - the one and only authoritative (?) version of genealogy of Kings of Nepal. They even rewarded a Bahun writer - Bhim Nidhi Tiwari by name - to write a 'khattam' sort of drama 'Shilanyash' and prescribed  it for school/college/university curricula. In this 'Shilanyash' King Khadga Magar(s) and Magar culture have been terribly criticized.  What I mean here is that any culture is great for the concerned peoples. So, you can't ethnocentrically judge others culture and criticize it.

11) I am not knowing whether you are concerned over only the Magar Leaders as stated in Mahesh Regmi's time-frame or you would be willing to know more about other Magars of Gorkha Kingdom ?  Regmi does not write a single word for Bada Kaji Sarvajit Rana Magar or Kaji Jayant Rana Magar. ( Because Regmi happens to be a Bahun by casteist ideology. However, he was awarded Megashese Award, we believe him to be a Bahunbadi writer ). We may find few sketchy lines on Ganga Ram Rana in Gorkha Vanshabali also. We have there Lakhan Thapa Magar I, who ruled Gorkha at least for 4 months when Ram Shah was in penance. The insult terribly loaded to  Khadga Magar Raja in the Vanshabali is to suppress the whole Magar community - we understand. The  Bahuns  and Chhetris wanted to morally weaken the indigenous peoples of the land so that they might easily rule over them.The Magars as well as other ethnic groups of peoples  today understand it quite clearly. 2012) If you need  more on the other Magars  or even Gurungs and their contributions to the making of modern Nepal; I would be very happy to send their account should you offer them due importance in your work. Because you have not mentioned Kaji Ram Krishna Thapa Magar, Sardar Pyuhar Rana Magar, Kaji Narshing Gurung, Buddi Bal Rana Magar etc. King Prithivi flayed  Kaji Jayant Rana Magar alive. The first Bada Kaji in Nepalese history Sarvajit Rana Magar was hacked to death in Kumari Ghar by Bahadur Shah falsely accusing that the former had unwanted affair with the Widow Queen Mother. General Abhiman Singh Rana Magar was killed by Junga in  Kot Massacre etc. etc.

12)  Well, I have some 'Lal Mohars' in  this respect and if you need I would be very happy to send copies of them to you for further verification.

Sincerely

Rana