Nepali Castes Explained: Chhetri, Bahun, Kami, Magar

Who are the Gorkhas? Full history of the Gorkha name, Nepali castes and communities (Chhetri, Bahun, Kami, Magar, Gurung, Rai, Limbu, Tamang, Bhujel) and how Gorkhas settled in Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Darjeeling and Northeast India. Sources below. IN THIS VIDEO Why "Gorkha"? The town, the hill, Manaslu and the Gorakhnath legend (tradition vs history) Chhetri, Bahun, Thakuri and the Khas origin debate The Muluki Ain (1854) and how Nepal ranked its people Magar, Gurung, Rai, Limbu, Tamang, Sherpa, Newar, Bhujel Kami, Damai, Sarki, Gaine, Badi and who really made the khukuri Why Nepalis look different: what DNA studies say How Gorkhas reached India: Sugauli 1816, army, tea, dairy State by state: Sikkim, Darjeeling, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram Gorkha identity today: ST status, Gorkhaland debate (no side taken), Agnipath recruitment CHAPTERS 00:00 Hook 01:20 Who are the Gorkhas of India? 03:00 Why "Gorkha"? Place, mountain, name 06:00 From Gorkha to Nepal 08:25 The big map of Nepali communities 10:30 Chhetri, Bahun, Thakuri 14:15 The Muluki Ain (1854) 17:15 Magar, Gurung, Rai, Limbu, Tamang, Sherpa, Newar, Bhujel 20:00 Kami, Damai, Sarki, Gaine, Badi 23:00 Why faces look different (DNA) 25:00 How Gorkhas reached India 28:30 Northeast India state by state 31:00 Gorkha identity today 36:30 Recap and the khukuri DISCLAIMER Educational content. Information comes from academic papers, government records and published sources listed below. Legends, traditions and disputed theories are labelled as such. The video discusses the history of caste hierarchy and discrimination to explain it, not to endorse it. We respect all communities and rank none. Spot an error or have a better source? Tell us in the comments. SOURCES Himalaya journal, khukuri makers and caste in Darjeeling (2022): https://doi.org/10.2218/himalaya.2022... Cole et al., Nepali genetic structure (2017): https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-016-34... CCMB, maternal ancestry of Nepal (2022): https://www.ccmb.res.in/presscovrg/pr... AABA Statement on Race and Racism: https://bioanth.org/about/aaba-statem... Dor Bahadur Bista, Khas of Chaudabisa: https://www.himalmag.com/khas-of-chau... Caste-based discrimination and Dalits in Nepal (NepJOL): https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/aca... Slavery and unfree labour in Nepal (Nepali Times): https://nepalitimes.com/slavery-and-u... Nepal census summary (Minority Rights Group): https://minorityrights.org/country/ne... Treaty of Sugauli (The Gurkha Museum): https://thegurkhamuseum.co.uk/?p=14667 Gorkha empire in the Indian Himalaya (Nepali Times): https://nepalitimes.com/beginning-of-... Deepak Thapa on Gorkha history (Kathmandu Post): https://kathmandupost.com/opinion/201... Shillong Gorkhas (Himal): https://www.himalmag.com/dakhar-still/ Nepalis in British Assam (GUINEIS Journal): https://guineisjrnl.gauhati.ac.in/ind... Assam adopts "Gorkha" name (The Tribune): https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nat... Nepalis in Manipur (NBU journal): https://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789... Gorkhas of Mizoram (MZU journal): https://mzuhssjournal.in/images/resou... Kami, Damai, Sarki in Sikkim (NBU): https://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789... 11 Gorkha sub-tribes and ST status (Lok Sabha): https://eparlib.sansad.in/bitstream/1... Bhutan Lhotshampa (UNHCR): https://rimap-dev.unhcr.info/node/22 Gorkha recruitment and Agnipath (ThePrint, Aug 2026): https://theprint.in/off-the-cuff/gork... Gorkhaland issue (Drishti IAS, Aug 2026): https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-upda... Secondary (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorkha_... , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khas_pe... , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_... Enjoyed this research? Subscribe for more Northeast India and Himalayan history. Comment your town and your community's story. #Gorkha #NepaliHistory #NortheastIndia