Gurkha (g
r`kə), ethnic group of Nepal Nepal , officially Kingdom of Nepal, independent kingdom (2005 est. pop. 27,677,000), c.54,000 sq mi (139,860 sq km), central Asia. Landlocked and isolated by the Himalayas, Nepal is bordered on the west, south, and east by India, and on the N by the Tibet region of
..... Click the link for more information. and neighboring areas. They claim descent from the Rajputs Rajputs [Sanskrit,=son of a king], dominant people of Rajputana, an historic region now almost coextensive with the state of Rajasthan, NW India. The Rajputs are mainly Hindus (although there are some Muslim Rajputs) of the warrior caste; traditionally they have put
..... Click the link for more information. of N India and entered Nepal from the west after being driven from India. They conquered (early 16th cent.) the small Nepalese state of Gurkha and henceforth called themselves Gurkhas. They expanded eastward, and by the mid-18th cent. had established their authority over all of Nepal. Their invasion of Tibet in 1791 brought Chinese retaliation, and a war (1814–16) with the British in India resulted in bringing strong British influence to Nepal. The Gurkhas, predominantly Tibeto-Mongolians, speak Khas, a Rajasthani dialect of Sanskritic origin. Under the Gurkha dynasty, Hinduism became the state religion of Nepal. Gurkhas have served in the armies of India and of Great Britain; over 200,000 fought alongside the British in World War I, and 40 battalions served in World War II. Gurkha soldiers bear the famed kukri, a short curved sword.
Gurkha
r`kə), ethnic group of Nepal Nepal , officially Kingdom of Nepal, independent kingdom (2005 est. pop. 27,677,000), c.54,000 sq mi (139,860 sq km), central Asia. Landlocked and isolated by the Himalayas, Nepal is bordered on the west, south, and east by India, and on the N by the Tibet region of..... Click the link for more information. and neighboring areas. They claim descent from the Rajputs Rajputs [Sanskrit,=son of a king], dominant people of Rajputana, an historic region now almost coextensive with the state of Rajasthan, NW India. The Rajputs are mainly Hindus (although there are some Muslim Rajputs) of the warrior caste; traditionally they have put
..... Click the link for more information. of N India and entered Nepal from the west after being driven from India. They conquered (early 16th cent.) the small Nepalese state of Gurkha and henceforth called themselves Gurkhas. They expanded eastward, and by the mid-18th cent. had established their authority over all of Nepal. Their invasion of Tibet in 1791 brought Chinese retaliation, and a war (1814–16) with the British in India resulted in bringing strong British influence to Nepal. The Gurkhas, predominantly Tibeto-Mongolians, speak Khas, a Rajasthani dialect of Sanskritic origin. Under the Gurkha dynasty, Hinduism became the state religion of Nepal. Gurkhas have served in the armies of India and of Great Britain; over 200,000 fought alongside the British in World War I, and 40 battalions served in World War II. Gurkha soldiers bear the famed kukri, a short curved sword.
Bibliography
See studies by H. James and D. Sheil-Small (1965) and D. L. Bolt (1967, repr. 1969).
Gurkha
a member of a Hindu people, descended from Brahmins and Rajputs, living chiefly in Nepal, where they achieved dominance after being driven from India by the Muslims
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