About Newa people

HistorY

The different divisions of Newars had different historical developments. The common identity of Newar was formed in the Kathmandu Valley. Until the Gorkha conquest of the valley in 1769, all the people who had inhabited the valley at any point of time were either Newar or progenitors of Newar. So, the history of Newar correlates to the history of the Kathmandu Valley prior to the establishment of the modern state of Nepal.

The earliest known history of Newar and the Kathmandu Valley blends with mythology recorded in historical chronicles. One such text, which recounts the creation of the valley, is the Swayambhu Purana. According to this Buddhist scripture, the Kathmandu Valley was a giant lake until the Bodhisattva Manjusri, with the aid of a holy sword, cut a gap in the surrounding hills and let the water out. This apocryphal legend is supported by geological evidence of an ancient lakebed, and it provides an explanation for the high fertility of the Kathmandu Valley soil.

According to the Swayambhu Purana, Manjusri then established a city called Manjupattan (Sanskrit "Land Established by Manjusri"), now called Manjipā, and made Dharmākara its king. A shrine dedicated to Manjusri is still present in Majipā.

No historical documents have been found after this era till the advent of the Gopal era. A genealogy of kings is recorded in a chronicle called Gopalarajavamsavali. According to this manuscript, the Gopal kings were followed by the Mahispals and the Kirats before the Licchavis entered from the south. Some claim Buddha to have visited Nepal during the reign of Kirat king Jitedasti. he Licchavi dynasty ruled for at least 600 years, followed by the Malla dynasty in the 12th century AD.

Newar reign over the valley and their sovereignty and influence over neighboring territories ended with the conquest of the Kathmandu Valley in 1769 by the Gorkhali Shah dynasty founded by Prithvi Narayan Shah.Systematic brutal suppression of the Newar people was pursued for generations during early dynastic rule in order to discourage them from any political aspiration.

Prior to the Gorkha conquest, the borders of Nepal Mandala extended to Tibet in the north, the nation of the Kirata in the east, the kingdom of Makwanpur in the south and the Trishuli River in the west which separated it from the kingdom of Gorkha. Newars developed a division of labour and a sophisticated urban civilization unseen elsewhere in the Himalayan foothills .

between Kashmir and Assam. They are best known for their artistic creativity and skilled craftsmanship, producing a culture which a few centuries ago ranked among the highest in Asia.

Ihi or Bel Bibaha
Normally Newar girls are married thrice in their lives.  The first marriage is called “Ihi (Newari) or “Bel sanga bibaha” (Nepali). And then they are married to the Sun which is called “Bara Tayegu” (Newari) or “Gufa Rakhne” (Nepali). When they get into human conjugal relationship its actually their marriage. These marriage ceremonies are conducted both among Buddhist Newars and Hindu Newars.

Ihi or pre-puberty rite among Newars:

Before Newar girls reach their puberty they are married to the fruit of wood-apple tree called Bel. It is performed at the girl’s odd age like 5, 7, 9 before they starit menstruation. Ihi is a two-day ceremony commencing with purification rituals and ending with “Kanyadan” of the girl by her father meaning “giving away the virgin”. This Kanyadan ceremony performed in Non-Newar Hindu marriage. So Ihi could actually be taken as the first marriage of the Newar girls except for that they are married to an icon of Suvarna Kumar, the immortal God.

Ihi is regarded a very sacred Newari ritual and it’s a must for all Newar girls. The ceremony is conducted by Priest called “Gubhaju” for Buddhist Newars and “Deobhaju” for Hindu Newars. The rite is held whenever sponsors are prepared to meet the considerable expenses. Though a member of girls are always jointly initiated, the scale can vary from just a few closely related members of the same caste to as many as three or four hundred drawn from a wide range of castes. Ihi is often held in conjunction with other ceremony, such as old age ceremony.

The first day of the Ihi is called dusala Kriya. On this day, the girls prepare at home with the purification bath and dress in new cloths and put on ornaments. The girls then assemble at previously  purified courtyard accompanied by a senior woman of the father lineage. They all sit in a neat line around the edge of the courtyard. And then for the next couple of hours the priest, with the help of his wife, takes the girls through a sequences of ritual actions of purification.

The main event takes place on the second day. Once again girls assemble in the courtyard. Now the girls are dressed elaborately in glittering bridal suit comprising of ankle length skirt, blouse and shawl. They put on more ornaments and red tika on their foreheads to give bridal look. The day begins with the purification rituals and proceeds to Kanyadan. The father gives the girl’s to Suvarna Kumar Kanyadan concludes with the giving of a set of clothes owrn by married women to girl by her parents.

Ihi is performed to save from various dangers, in particular the possibility of attack from malicious spirits. But by far the most commonly given reason is to protect the girl from the awful stigma of widowhood. Ihi links the girl in an eternal marriage with a god. Therefore the death of a mortal human spouse cannot deprive her of her married status thus freeing her from the custom of having to burn on one’s husband’s funeral pyre which was prevalent among Hindu communities a few centuries ago. Ihi rite also enforces the right of the widow’s remarriage in the Newar Community, thus liberating the women form Hindu orthodox viewpoint of one life one marriage system. Though the original rite seems to have been lost with the cultural invasion in the valley, Ihi is still performed among Newars with compulsion.