
LE Te NY my ees, ee ee 


1923. | An Essay on the History of Newar Culture. 535 
the manuscript probably because it was not corrected later 
by Hodgson. Besides, Hodgson has used the word outcaste 
else where in a somewhat loose way to denote castes of low social 
Status. It does not necessarily mean impure. In his essay 
on the geography of tte Himalaya,'! he mentions the “ helot 
craftsmen ’’ of the mountains of Nepal and of the valley of 
Nepal, whom he describes as being “‘ degraded to the extent 
of being outcastes.’’ The craftsmen of the valley include the 
following castes? :— 
I. Po. 2. Kulu. 3. Nay. 4. Chamakhala. 5. Dong 
or Jugi. 6. Kou. 7. Dhusi (metallurgist). 8. Awa. 9. Bali 
(agriculturist). 10. Nou. 11. Kuma. 12. Sangat. 13. Tatti. 
!4  Gatha. 15. Sawod (bleeders and suppliers of leeches). 
16. Chhipi. 17. Sikami. 18. Dakami(house-builders), and 
19. Lohong Kami. 
Itis evident that this is not a list of outcastes of Nepal 
atall. It merely gives a composite list of outcastes and the 
artisans who occupy a lower status than the other castes like 
Vaisya or Ksatriya or the cultivating Jyapoos. If his note 
on the same subject in another essay is consulted, it is found 
that this expression with him does not necessarily mean im- 
purity. Thus he proceeds in a note on artisans *‘ when we 
consider the indispensableness of these craftsmen it is remark- 
able that they should have. continued to the present day in 
a helot or outcaste condition not only among Arians { = Aryans) 
but even among the non-Arians.”* The craftsmen referred 
to are however certainly not helots in the plains. nor are 
they outcastes, except a few. Even these do not fall within 
the real untouchable castes, but as they are impure, this point 
is not important. 
These are said by the Gubhaju to have all become Sivamargis 
But as they were always heterodox, and never seem to 
this means very little. Even now when counted as Siva- 
margis, their priests cannot be high caste or pure Brahmans. 

settles this undoubtedly. but as this table may be based on Jayasthiti 
Malla’s code, and as the value of the manuscript as a source of infor- 
mation on Nepal is in any case vitiated by suc 
above justification is necessary to prove that it is not really a m 
Essays on the Languages, etc., ibid., part IT, p. 18 
* The occupations of all the castes are 
3 Miscellaneous Essays. Vo 
Bodo and Dhimal tribes. 
