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Not to be confused with Thakali people or Thakurai.

Thakuri

ठकु री

Regions with significant populations

Nepal 425,623 (1.6% of Nepal's population)[1]

Languages

Nepali

Religion

Hinduism 99.31% (2011)

Thakuri (Nepali: ठकु री) is a royal tribe of Nepal. It consists of the historical ruling class, and is made up of
the descendants of the Great Khasa Malla kingdom rulers of the Baisi and Chaubisi principalities. The
former royal family of Nepal also belong to this tribe.

Etymology

Nepali sociologist Harka Bahadur Gurung noted that the Thakuri is the Nepalese version of the Hindi
word Thakur which means 'master of the estate'.[2] Thakuris of Nepal are also associated with some
territory inherited from the days of Baisi and Chaubisi principalities and the term Thakurai actually refers
to 'fiefdom'.[2]

Origins

Thakuris traditionally constituted the ruling and warrior classes, and claimed ancient royal descent[3]
Thakuris are a high socio-political group considered to have arisen from intermarriage between Khas,
Magars, and perhaps Indian Rajput immigrants.[4] The 1854 Muluki Ain (Legal Code) refers Thakuris by
the term Rajput despite being descended from the local Nepalese tribes.[5] Many historians contended
that the theory of Rajput descent was used for political purposes by the various ruling families of Nepal.
[6] Historian Mahesh Chandra Regmi contends that "Each ruling dynasty in Nepal has tried to connect its
lineage with well known dynasties of India."[7] One of the Thakuri Shah ruler of Gorkha,[4] King Ram
Shah, also attempted to forge recognition of kinship relations from the Ranas of Udaypur.[7]
Society

Thakuris constitute the aristocracy and possess the high social, ritual and political status.[4] Thakuris are
politically and socially ahead of others.[4] Traditionally, the Thakuris' main occupations involved
government, agriculture and military.[3] Thakuri traditionally constituted the ruling and warrior classes.
[8] Most of the Thakuris are agriculturalists in Western Nepal except few aristrocratic families in the
capital city.[4] The children born from a Brahman father and a Thakuri mother is categorized into a new
caste called "Hamal".[3]

Demographics

The 2011 Nepal census classifies the Thakuri as a subgroup within the broader social group of Hill
Chhetri (together with Chhetri and Sanyasi/Dasnami).[9] At the time of the Nepal census of 2011,
425,623 people (1.6% of the population of Nepal) were Thakuri. The frequency of Thakuri by province
was as follows:

Karnali Province (10.3%)

Sudurpashchim Province (4.4%)

Gandaki Province (1.6%)

Lumbini (1.3%)

Bagmati Province (0.7%)

Koshi Province (0.1%)

Madhesh Province (0.1%)

The frequency of Thakuri was higher than national average (1.6%) in the following districts:[10]

Kalikot (25.1%)

Humla (19.8%)

Jajarkot (16.8%)

Mugu (15.4%)

Dailekh (14.1%)

Jumla (7.4%)
Baitadi (6.8%)

Dolpa (6.4%)

Kanchanpur (5.6%)

Bajura (5.2%)

Western Rukum (5.0%)

Bajhang (4.9%)

Darchula (4.9%)

Surkhet (4.6%)

Kailali (3.9%)

Banke (3.6%)

Doti (3.5%)

Salyan (3.5%)

Achham (2.5%)

Dadeldhura (2.5%)

Parbat (2.5%)

Syangja (2.5%)

Bardiya (2.3%)

Tanahun (2.3%)

Myagdi (2.0%)

Nawalpur (1.8%)

Thakuri family and dynasties

The ruling Shah dynasty of Gorkha Kingdom and later Kingdom of Nepal are ranked among Thakuris.[4]

Shah dynasty of Gorkha Kingdom[4]

Notable Thakuri surnames

Bam

Chand

Khand

Pal

Uchai

Sen

Shah (not to be confused with Sah of Terai, Shah caste in Kumaon region in Uttarakhand State of India)

Shahi

Singh

Simha

Of these, Chand, Bam, Malla, and Pal are also associated with Kumaon/Kuramanchal kingdom.

Unproven Thakuri Claimants

The following surnames have claim Thakuri status but are not corroborated by governmental inclusivity
organizations or historical sources:[14]

Kunwar

Thagunna

Thakurathi

Rana /Jabara / Jang Bahadur Rana / JBR

Rawal

Bogati

Deuba

See also
Prithvi Narayan Shah

Baise Rajya (Twenty-Two Principalities)

Khasa Kingdom

Chand Kings

Jaya Prithvi Bahadur Singh

Katyuri Kings

References

"Nepal Census 2011" (PDF).

Gurung 1996, p. 29.

Dharam Vir 1988, pp. 56–57.

Dharam Vir 1988, p. 56.

Sharma 2004, p. 133.

Nagendra Kr Singh 1997, pp. 1–2.

Mahesh Chandra Regmi 1976, p. 5.

Dharam Vir 1988, p. 57.

Population Monograph of Nepal, Volume II [1]

2011 Nepal Census, District Level Detail Report

Vanisttart, Eden (1896). Notes on Nepal. Asian Educational Services. pp. 80-81.

Adhikary, Surya (1988). The Khasa Kingdom : A Trans-Himalayana Empire of the Middle Age. Jayapur,
New Delhi: Nirala Publications. p. 19. ISBN 978-8185693026.

Hodgson, Brian (May 1833). "Origin and Classification of the Military Tribes of Nepal". Journal of the
Asiatic Society. 17: 223.

"खस आर्थ थर सूची ( राय, सुझाव तथा प्रतिक्रियाका लागि प्रकाशन गरिएको)". National Inclusion Commission of Nepal. p. 31.
Archived from the original on 2022-10-11. Retrieved 2022-10-12.

Books

Dharam Vir (1988). Education and Polity in Nepal: An Asian Experiment. Northern Book Centre. pp. 56–
57. ISBN 978-81-85119-39-7.
Gurung, Harka Bahadur (1996). Faces of Nepal. illustrated by Jan Salter. Himal. p. 29. ISBN 978-
9993343509.

Hamilton, Francis Buchanan (1819), An Account of the Kingdom of Nepal, and the Territories Annexed to
this Dominion by the House of Gorkha, A Constable

Nagendra Kr Singh (1997). Nepal: Refugee to Ruler : a Militant Race of Nepal. APH Publishing. pp. 1–2.
ISBN 978-81-7024-847-7.

Mahesh Chandra Regmi (January 1, 1976), "Some Questions on Nepali history" (PDF), Regmi Research
Series, 8 (1): 1–20

Sharma, Prayag Raj (2004). The State and Society in Nepal: Historical Foundations and Contemporary
Trends. Himal Books