India has largest, most experienced mountain army in the world, says Chinese military expert

[Joe Shearer]

Are they cute?

 

[Nilgiri]

And they are all sorts, not just Limbus and Rais, lots of Gurungs, Magars and Tamangs. I am still to meet a Chhetri or a Bhattarai soldier; officers, yes, soldier, no.

Out of interest, where do Dirgha, Deuja and Uchai fit in?

 

[Joe Shearer]

Out of interest, where do Dirgha, Deuja and Uchai fit in?

Where on earth did you get these? I know about Uchai, I know a famous individual named Deuja, and don't know anything about Dirgha.

Uchai are Magars, of 'mixed' descent, a Thakur father with a Magar mother; Thakurs are Khas, so Uchai call themselves Khas as well.

There is this famous film director named Deuja; he became known because he made a film about the Maoists when the Maoist insurrection was raging. In his day life, he is a senior man in the Nepalese Central Bank. I don't know what group he belongs to.

Just a quick aside about Magar Thapas: these are different from the Khas Thapas, and are a sub-clan, one of seven among the Magars. There is a custom that if a family lost three generations in battle, it would start calling itself Rana. That is how the great house of Rana started, with their foundations in battle and warfare.

The great Nepali generals who gave the British a headache were Khas Thapas, afaik. They were politically powerful until the Ranas swept everybody away and established themselves as the Peshwa equivalent in Nepal, or Hyder Ali/Tipu Sultan equivalent, penning up the Shah king and ruling as monarchs in their name. This continued until King Mahindra made a break for it, literally, driving out of his palace and into the Indian Embassy, and staying there till the Rana resigned and let him return as absolute monarch.

 

[Nilgiri]

Where on earth did you get these? I know about Uchai, I know a famous individual named Deuja, and don't know anything about Dirgha.

Uchai are Magars, of 'mixed' descent, a Thakur father with a Magar mother; Thakurs are Khas, so Uchai call themselves Khas as well.

There is this famous film director named Deuja; he became known because he made a film about the Maoists when the Maoist insurrection was raging. In his day life, he is a senior man in the Nepalese Central Bank. I don't know what group he belongs to.

Interesting, because these are a few names I have come across with the Gurkhas/Gorkhas. Some may be transliterated in English as a variant of another I suspect. Because I have come across Mogur instead of Magar etc.

I came across a Dirgha somewhere years ago but I cannot remember where, I think a variant of Durga maybe?... not sure if the name ordering changes a bit (for some ease/preference in foreign English) sometimes when you have 3 names etc. Us southies often go by patronymic leading as you know...this caused some level of confusion in my primary school (in HK) early on especially.

A quick google search of the name reveals this (theres a list on pg 55), along with bunch of other names I never knew:

http://www.gurkhabde.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Kukri-2013.pdf

The Sqn welcomed Capt Dirgha KC