ee ee ee ee i ee a, SN ee oe ee om ra ae mh) E ot - 

1923.] An Essay on the History of Newar Culture. 529 
arrived at about the knowledge of the Newars of hand ing 
cattle for work, and also as illustrating how tenaciously they 
have kept out even very useful and simple devices which did 
not happen to have been known earlier. The full significance 
of this particular point has been discussed in the main body 
of this essay 
Returning now to the cowherds, the evidence of their 
existence in Nepal in historical times is undoubted. The 
occurrence of this caste in the lists of Jayasthiti Malla’s code 
shows that they had a recognised status at that period, and 
therefore must have been in Nepal a fairly long time, to be so 
assimilated into the society. Brahmans from India are known 
to have dwelt in Nepal when Chinese pilgrims visited India in 
the seventh century A.D.! and cattle breeding must have been 
known at least to those who came under their influence 
although the animals were not employed in any kind of work. 
The tradition of cowherd kings and Ahir (also cowherds) 
invasions of Nepal? point to the knowledge of this art in far 
earlier times. 
t is however evident, that the cowherd caste is neces- 
sarily smali numerically in the Nepal valley ; further being 
Hindus, they escaped the observation of the Gubhaju. i. 
o not see any reason for disagreeing with the opinion 
of the Gubhaju that the Konar and Balhaij are the same as 
Sikami, i.e. ordinary carpenters. The somewhat specialised 
occupation followed has merely given rise to different profess. 
ional names and sections. One of the cases (Balhaij) has 
been discussed under Udas (App. C) and the arguments and 
facts put forward there support this view. 
When the parallel castes occurring in Hodgson’s and 
Oldfield’s list were given earlier (those not objected to by the 
Gubhaju), the Yungwar were left out. This was done as they 
were probably the same as the Sikami also. It is true that 

See J. Wise: Notes on Races, Castes and Trades of Eastern Bengal, 
pp. 390, London 1883 {not published). __ 
F. Buchanan Hamilton : Eastern India, Vol. It, pp. 676-9. 
Assam a device similar to that used in Nepal is employed — 
employment of cattle is in general rare among the gr BE Ly 
tribes. The process employed by highcaste oilmen in Bengal in prec 
aia 
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— 
S. Julien: Mémoires sur les countrées occidentales par Hiouen 
Tsh is , 1857, Vol. I. pp. 407-8. 
Eo si Naat — pact aened that Hiuen Tshang did not per: 
sonally visit Nepal as Julien thought. . however, T. blend n 
Yu Chwang’s Travels in India,”’ ndon 1905, Vol. TI, pp. . 
2 §. Lévi: ibid., Vol. II, pp. 72-74, ete. 
D. Wright: Chap. IL. 
