DECODING MAGAR MIGRATION IN NEPAL

 I have talked a lot about Magars in my blog, the different aspects of the Magar culture I have come across so far, with the available resources to me.

 

But still as the time passes, we come across some new things or information that compels me to think about the articles I have written in the past in my blog. So, again today I thought of re-visiting and rekindle our origin or know more about ourselves in broader way.

 

This very idea comes to me when I was reading a book named “Kirat Limbu Culture” written by Dr. Nawaraj Subba. It fascinated me by two things number one is they have a written book, which gives lot of insight into their history & culture & second thing is mention of Magars in that book.

 

In fact, as far as I know we Magars neither have any written historical documents nor have any oral knowledge that is passed down from generation to generations. The only exception here could be Sorathi dance, which again gives very limited information and only shows some recent events probably 400 to 500 years old. First let’s discuss what could be the possible reason of non-existent of written and oral Magar history. One of the very possible reasons could be the non-existent of the great intellectuals in Magars people in past & second is their isolation from the world & third which is less likely though it got destroyed by Ranas as people talked about. But I am not very fan of the third reason because written or oral history if ever existed cannot simply destroyed by a single ruler, at least there could have some possible traces that could have given some power to this claim. However, Kirati ‘Mundhum’ shows the presence of some great intellectual Kirati people, who thought of preserving their history & ancestors’ story just like Aryans did with Vedas.     

 

Now, the only thing that remain is the culture, the religious practice & traditions. That too got overshadowed by Hinduism in many places & remaining tasks I guess will be completed by Christianity. And at the end we have no true cultural identity of ourselves. The only thing that will remain Magar as an identity is surname. Though continuous change is a part of world cycle, but knowing ourselves & our own identity is a significant aspect of human life.  

 

I have discussed about Magar origins in details in my blog & I have even covered the genetic aspects. Still, with the time I thought that few more information I should share here. The one thing didn’t cover here is Magar origin from the aspects of Kirat chronology. Based on the Kirat Chronology, the Magar people originated in the 5th century from a place called Shin in the northern Himalayas. Led by two leaders, Shing Mangar and Chitu Mangar, they migrated south, with their arrival causing the people of the southern regions to refer to them as Tangsang Thapa, or "people who came from far away in the north". Here, I want to also add that ‘Tangsa’ is the word normally used for ‘people of highlands. Tangsa tribe is also found in Arunachal Pradesh, India & Myanmar.

As their population grew, the Magars split into twelve clans known as Barah Mangar. Iman Singh Chemzong's History and Culture of Kirat People detail that after their arrival in what is now Sikkim, the Magars built fortified settlements called Mangardzong.

 

Before, we go further, it’s important to know who Kirats are. Let’s discuss it in short. Fortunately, there are good number of books available regarding Kirat people, unlike Magar people. However, different scholars have different theories on their origin. Two main theories, one is obvious that they came from Northern region & other says that they came from Southern- West region & has roots in Babylon empire. And the very interesting aspects is mention of Kirati people in Mahabharata, whose timeline is approximately 1000 BC. If we look at the word Kirat, different scholars have different interpretation. But in my opinion it could have linked to a Mongolian region tribe with the similar name. My view on Kirati people is Kirati people is definitely came from Northern or Western region in Nepal, even their DNA can say this loudly. The thing is they are the first Himalayan people (South-East origin) who came in contact with Aryans. And one of the views I want to put here is Aryan invasion theory. Aryans never invaded South Asia, it’s the philosophy and some great intellectual people that have travelled from Caucasian region and they have literally taken their knowledge with them and try to spread it all over the world. The thing which normally happens with any religion, take any big religion Buddhism, Christianity, Islam etc. This thing is as simple as this and I know why people try to make complex. So, lets comeback to our subject, the influence of Vedic people on Kirati people is since Mahabharata era. So, when religious people enter comes, what they will do. They want to keep themselves on top position. By influencing the most powerful man of the region. To remain with Royal people. This is one the very reason why Kirati people have written history “Mundhum” and Magar people don’t have any. So, overall, Kirati are south-eastern people with Aryan influence, so the trace of their Babylon origin is because of Vedic influence.

 

My view, the Mahabharata era Kirat people are one of the first major batches of Magar people. Let’s understand this way. Gandaki & Rapti region are the two main region of Magar settlement. There is no doubt that Magars are the earliest settlers of the region, because majority of the names in the region is in Magar language. Though few people must have been there along Gandaki corridor or major rivers coming from both South & North, the Mahabharata era Kirati people make the first batch of Magar people in the region. When I say Kirati people I mean South-East ethnic people. These are not those Magar people which are mentioned in Kirati Mundum, who came to Sikkim region around 5^th Century CE as mentioned earlier. In fact, the Magar people mentioned in the Mundhum is the 2^nd influx/batch of Magar people. And in my opinion, they are the one who carried the name Mangar with them.    

The Mahabharat era Kirat are also the very ancestors of Tharus & Newars. This we should understand it very clearly. So, in this way Kirats, Tharu, Newar & Magars have joint roots from Mahbharata era.

 

Now let’s discuss some linguistic similarities between Magars & Lepchas. Based on linguistic, historical, and cultural connections, the Magar and Lepcha people share similarities rooted in their shared origin and geographical proximity in the Himalayan region. 

Linguistic similarities

• Both the Magar and Lepcha languages belong to the Sino-Tibetan language family, specifically the Tibeto-Burman subgroup.
• Some linguistic studies have noted affinities and close relationships between Magar and other Tibeto-Burman languages of the "non-pronominalized" Himalayan group, which also includes the Lepcha language.
• Historical accounts suggest periods of interaction and co-existence between the two groups in the Sikkim region, which contributed to some linguistic connections, such as loanwords. 

What does above thing means. It means Magars & Lepchas had some kind of proximity at some point of time. I will consider this with 2^nd influx around 5^th century CE.

 

One of the things that comes in my mind is why Maghe Sankranti is the Major festival of Magars. And what is Maghe Sankranti, just a plain harvesting festival. The answer lies in Tibetan connection. We also know that Maghe Sankranti is also a main festival of Tharus, so is Lohsar main festivals of Sherpas, Tamangs, Gurungs etc. The people who had Tibetan connection or influence at some point of time, a type of harvesting feasting festival which generally comes in Jan or Feb is their main festival. Even in many tribes of Arunchal Pradesh, India festival name Mol, which is again a harvesting festival is their major festival. So, this one harvesting festival shows our common ancient root, one of the oldest tradition, when both religion & Gods were not so developed.

 

The other two names that I come across while reading Magar history is Kanchha Khan and Micha Khan. Though its written Khan its pronunciation is 'Han'. ‘Hang’ is also by Kirats for King. However, if we are talking about Khan of Gengez Khan, that it points towards Gengez Khan era around 12^th century CE, which again many scholars claim the time when Magars came to Nepal. In my opinion, third & small influx of Magars might have entered at this time with Gurungs. Hence, the date. This date also ‘match with Gurung migration.

 

Gurung DNA shows a genetic connection to the Naxi people of China, suggesting a migration from the Tibetan Plateau into Nepal. Genetic studies indicate the Gurung are of the Mongol race, with origins linked to the Naxi through a shared ancestral lineage and migration driven by the Ming Dynasty's expansion 1400 CE. This is supported by linguistic, cultural, and mythological similarities between the two groups. 

• Genetic Ancestry: DNA analysis indicates that the Gurung people are descended from the Naxi people of China.
• Migration and Displacement: Historical events, such as the Ming Dynasty's expansion, are believed to have caused a migration of the Naxi people, ultimately leading to their settlement in Nepal.
• Supporting Evidence: The genetic link is further supported by shared characteristics between the Gurung and Naxi, including:
• Linguistic connections: The Gurung language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language family, which shares roots with the Naxi language.
• Mythological similarities: Both groups have origin stories that feature similar mythical ancestors (nine paternal and seven maternal), according to www.nepjol.info.
• Cultural and spiritual practices: Both populations share certain shamanistic and animistic spiritual practices, and music, dance, and storytelling are important cultural elements in both cultures. 

One thing we need to understand is that genetically we are very close to Gurungs. Even few our traditions specially our dance practice is very similar. Though religiously, Gurungs are more of Buddhist inclined unliked Magars who are Hindu or Shamanic. The above thing only says that either a 3^rd flux of Magars entered Nepal or entry of Gurungs has some influence in Magar life.  

 

So, this is the thing I though I will share with you guys. Which may help in understanding discrepancies or confusion in the history.