1358.] On the Kirdnti tribe of the Central Himalaya. 447 



be tested, and I think shown to be a mistake ; and it will be further 

 demonstrated, I trust, by these and other investigations which I 

 hope soon to complete, that the Himalayans are closely connected, 

 as well with the southern as with the northern members of the 

 family of Tiir — members by no means so disjoined and dissimilar as 

 it is the fashion to represent them, 



As a supplement to the grammatical details, I will now give 

 such a sketch of the Kiranti people, as at present existing in Nepal, 

 as will, I hope, add to the interest and value of the philological 

 portion of my essay. 



The Kirautis, on account of their distinctly traceable antiquity 

 as a nation and the peculiar structure of their language, are perhaps 

 the most interesting of all the Himalayan races, not even excepting 

 the Newars of Nepal proper. 



By means of the notices contained in the Classics of the east and 

 west* we are assured that the Kiranti people was forthcoming in 

 their present abode from 2000 to 2500 years back, and that their 

 power was great and their dominion extensive, reaching possibly at 

 one time to the delta of the Granges. Moreover, the general tenor 

 of these classical notices is confirmed by the Vansavalis or chro- 

 nicles of Nepal proper which show a long line of Kiranti sovereigns 

 ruling there from the mythic age of the shepherd kings (Grdpal) 

 down to the 14th century of our sera. And lastly, these distinct 

 historical data harmonise with a well-known tradition which assigns 

 a very unusual (in these regions) amount of power and population 

 to the " many-tongued" Kiranti. We know not when the Kirautis 

 were expelled from the plains of India ; if indeed they ever held 

 permanent possession there. But it was the Mall dynasty of Nepal 

 proper which about the middle of the 14th century expelled them 

 from the great valley ; and the Sans of the eastern or Vijayapur 

 branch of the Makwauis by whom their indepeudance in the moun- 

 tains, probably about the same period, was greatly trenched on, 

 whilst the Sahs of the house of Gorkha, now sovereigns of the 

 modern kingdom of Nepal, completed the subjection of the Kirautis 

 about a century ago. 



* See Muller apud Bunsen and Caldwell and lists of cartes taken from Menu 

 and the Puranas apud Calcutta Quarterly. 



