SP ey 
1923. | An Essay on the History of Newar Culture. 495 
the Gurkha rule with its discouragement of Buddhism. It 
however had its influence in Nepal even in early times when 
Buddhist kings ruled, and must have increased in power under 
the Hindu Newar kings. 
The fact that with the exception of priests, warriors and 
court officials there are scarcely any other Hindu Newars, 
suggests that the Sivamargi group was formed as the result of 
a political conquest. Tradition narrates that the conquest of 
Nepal by authentic Brahmanic kings was not at all vigorously 
opposed, and the fact that shortly after Banras are found 
considered as the peers of Brahmans shows that the process 
was not a bitter struggle like the Gurkha invasion and con- 
quest of Nepal, resulting in the imposition of strict Brahmanic 
rules and ideas. It seems to have been a gradual growth, the 
culmination merely finding expression in a definitely Brahmanic 
ral 
e. 
The fact that in the matter of food and drink and also 
in certain special ceremonies connected with marriage, there 
is a strong resemblance all through the social organization of 
the Newars—Bauddha as well as Saiva—and that the two 
groups have been on good terms, raising no bars of purity and 
impurity, while agreeing with the conclusions drawn in the 
preceding paragraph in addition show definitely that in ordin- 
ary social life there were no sharp differences between the 
two immigrant cultures. 
t has already been pointed out that excepting cowherds 
and blacksmiths there are no other Newar artisans who were, 
until Gurkha dominance, appreciably influenced by Brahmanic 
ideas. This indicates that the material culture of the 
Brahmanic people who influenced Nepal (as discussed above) 
was not strikingly superior to the earlier culture in Nepal. 
The fact that the influence of these Brahmanic people was 
confined chiefly to only a few other groups in only the lowest 
strata (excluding outcastes) in Bauddha society suggests a 
similar inference as regards the two civilizations in general. 
It may however be objected that there need not have 
been any actual Brahamanic invasion, merely a cultural in- 
fluence. It may be suggested that the prestige of Brahmanic 
civilization has often led royal families of different faith, 



! The Koch, Ahom and Meitheis have already been cited as examples 
of conversion. A very good example of conversion of the royal families 
kings. ese 
latter have indeed been so much Hinduised i accepted as such that 
their descendants marry freely in high class Hindu society in Assam : 
it: A history of Assam, ibid.; R. B. Pemberton: Report on the 
Eastern Frontier of British India,p. 219, Calcutta, 1835. 
