478 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. |N.S., XIX, 
est being most numerous: but the two upper ones are also 
fairly large groups. The highest of these is that of Bandyas 
who are the religious preceptors of the members of the two 
other grades, and are also experts in secular professions, follow- 
ing them without dishonour. It has already been seen that the 
characteristic culture discussed is confined to Bauddhamargis ; 
unless therefore some revolution has occured in the socia 
organisation, the descendants of the immigrants ought to be at 
he of it. The facts already given suggest that the 
Bandyas are these people. 
The second grade, the Udas, resemble the Bandyas very 
closely in religious ideas, manners and customs. All occupa- 
tions followed by the latter can also be adopted by Udas except 
the work of priests and of working in gold and silver. The 
third grade although Sager ae the two upper ones in gene- 
ral, shows the influence of the later Brahmanic migrations. 
the ordinary groups of the third grade. The Kou or black- 
smiths who form the exception are distinguished fram the 
others of this grade by certain peculiarities, and as we shall 
see later, were probably calc into Newar society in 
consequence of a later influenc 
This existing gradation i Bauddhamargis is such as 
would grow up if the ancestors of the Bandya class of the pre- 
sent times had come to Nepal, with a fair number of their 
women. In view of the conclusions arrived at in the preced- 
ing pages, it suggests that the immigrations occurred from a 
place not involving exceptional] difficulties of travel. The com- 
paratively easy access to Nepal from India, as opposed to the 
necessity of traversing lofty and generally ice-bound passes 
from Tibet, favours the former country as the probable earlier 
home of the immigrants. It should however be remembered 
that even on the Indian side, there are unhealthy swamp lands 
and a fairly mountainous country to be crossed before Nepal 
hardy men, mostly unaccompanied by women, who would first 
penetrate to Nepal from India. It is only w hen some civiliza- 
with what has bese nial suggested. It merely takes 
account of the tact that migrations generally do not occur in a 
single mass within a short space of time, but are mostly spread 
over a long interval. On this view, the Udas would be the 
descendants of the earlier immigrants and of mixed blood and 
the Randyas the later people of purer descent. The tradition 
among a large number of sections of the a people about 
descent from Banras fits in with this view. For, some of 
the earliest people would inevitably be ae ia among the 
