
A 
a TR RE SS |< reeee ne  -  ~ , esa 1 Sa So - aoe 
1923. | An Essay on the History of Newar Culture. 479 
aborigines and this process would continue even at a later 
stage, until probably conditions were so settled as to allow 
women as well as men of the immigrants to come freely. 
The fact that metal working is confined to the two upper 
grades of Bauddhamargis fits in with the hypothesis suggested. 
Since this knowledge constitutes the immense superiority of 
the newcomers, it would certainly not be taught to the com- 
mon people of the country. At the same time the earlier 
immigrants who married, women of the older race would of 
course pass on their knowledge to their own children, who 
naturally constituted a class of people superior to the abor- 
igines. But the purer stock would retain their position above 
these as the bringers of culture and possessors of the Great 
Knowledge. 
A different explanation of the origin of the three grades 
has been suggested by H. P. Sastri.! The Bandyas are con- 
sidered to be the representatives of the ancient Buddhist clergy 
who came from India, the Udas of the laymen and the common 
people, of the aborigines Now, the Buddhist monks of India 
were celibate and tradition in Nepal also indicates that in the 
beginning the Bandyas were not householders; in fact even in 
modern times there were some Viharas of celibate monks in 
Nepal? It is therefore evident that the early monks who 
were celibate must have been recruited from some section 
of the people who were householders. Tradition mentions a 
Grihastha or householder class of Bauddhas who opposed Sank- 
aracharya.’ According to Sastri’s suggestion, the Udas are the 
descendants of the householders. But if the monks were 
by bars of commensality and intermarriage. For the only 
difference between them and the Grihasthas was in their celi- 
appeared. 
I Mulikinaks: adhy ay " Hara venke Sastri. In the introduction 
written by him a Nn” Vast's “ Modis Buddhism,” Calcutta, (no date), 
pp. 19-20. 
2 Lévi: ibid, Vol. II, p. 29. 
’ Lévi: ibid, Vol. I, M4 26. D. Wright: ibid Chap. Tl. 
