214 E. Vansittart— Tribes , Gians , and Castes of Nepal. [No. 4, 
and its whole vicinity is the region of the Murmis and Newars. The 
Newars constitute the largest section of the inhabitants of the main 
valley, but are to be found beyond its limits. They were the owners of 
the country prior to the Gurkha invasion, and they still form the bulk 
of the population of Patan, Bhatgao, and most of the smaller towns. 
The inhabitants exhibit a list of princes for several thousand years 
back, which is given in Colonel Kirkpatrick’s work, but without much 
evidence of its authenticity. They are in general a shorter and stouter 
built set of men than the Gurkhas, and their features are more of a 
Mongolian type. They perform almost all the agricultural and mechani¬ 
cal works of the valley, and many of them are very skilful carpen¬ 
ters, and workers in metal, painters, and embroiderers. 
The Newars are divided into two grand divisions — 
1st .—The (^iva-Margi Newars, who are worshippers of Qiva, and Hindus 
in religion. 
2nd. —The Buddha-MargI Newars, who are worshippers of Buddha. Of 
the whole Newar population, one-third is probably purely Hindu in 
religion, the remaining two-thirds being Buddhists. 
There are in all 68 hereditary classes— 
Qiva-MargI Newars ... ... ... ... 14 
Buddha-MargI ... ... ... ... 16 
Heterodox Buddhists, or mixed Qiva-MargI or Buddha-MargI ... 38 
The Sunwars are found west of the valley and north of the Gurungs, 
and the Magars near and among the Bhotiyas. To the east of the valley, 
in the basin of the Sapta Kosl, is the abode of the Kirontis and Limbus. 
These sub-Himalayan races inhabit all the central and temperate parts 
of these mountains, the northernmost tracts being occupied by the 
Bhotiyas, and, towards Sikhim, by Lepchas. The southernmost region, 
as well as the low valley of the interior and central region, is inhabited 
by the following tribes:—Kuswar, Botiya, Kumha, Bhramu, Denwar, 
and Dari. These tribes inhabit, with impunity, the lowest and hottest 
valleys of Nepal, just as the Tharus and Boksas do the Taral. They 
appear to have perfect immunity from the malaria common to the re¬ 
gion they inhabit—an immunity unknown as an attribute of any other 
people whatever. 
Wherever malaria rages, from March to November, beyond the sal 
forest and within the hills, we find Den wars, Darls, Bhramus, and Man- 
jhls, and these only, sometimes collected in villages, but usually in 
scattered cottages of unhewn stone. They follow the avocations of agri¬ 
culture, potters, fishermen, and ferrymen. These men do not all, if any, 
belong to the ordinary Tartar stock, but probably to the aboriginal or 
ordinary stock of Indian population. They are quite distinct from the 
