Gurung people

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Manang site (72).JPG
Tamu kwyi, Manang language, Loke, Seke
Majority Buddhism[1]

The Gurung people, also called Tamu ("ཏམུ"), are an ethnic group, indigenous native from different parts of Nepal. They are one of the main Gurkha tribes.[2] They are densely populated in Manang, Mustang, Kaski, Lamjung, Gorkha, Parbat and Syangja district. According to the 2011 Census of Nepal, the total population of Gurung is 522,641.[3]


According to their legend, the Gurung were a wandering tribe that traversed west across Tibet prior to their entry into Mustang. Their Tibetan Sojourn pre-dates the introduction of Buddhism there in the 7th century as the Gurung religious traditions are basically animistic. They celebrate their feasts and festivals and carry out the ceremonies and practices related to worship, birth, death and marriage in accordance with the Bon and Buddhist religion. Losar is the main and biggest festival of Gurung, observed according to the ancient calendar of western Tibet.[4]

Gurung (Ghale) village (Manang)

Geographical distribution[edit]

At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, 522,641 people (2.0% of the population of Nepal) identified as Gurung. The frequency of the Gurung people was higher than national average in the following districts: Manang (52.4%), Lamjung (31.3%), Mustang (21.4%), Gorkha (19.7%), Kaski (16.6%), Tanahun (11.5%), Syangja (9.0%), Dolpa (7.1%), Chitwan (6.8%), Dhading (5.5%), Sankhuwasabha (5.4%), Taplejung (4.6%), Parbat (3.7%), Rasuwa (3.1%), Tehrathum (2.9%), Ilam (2.9%), Kathmandu (2.6%), Nawalparasi (2.4%) and Rupandehi (2.0%).[5]


Priestly practitioners of the Gurung Dharma include Bon Lam (Lama), Ghyabri (Ghyabring) and Pachyu (Paju).[6] Shamanistic elements among the Gurungs remain strong and most Gurungs often embrace Buddhist and Bön rituals in communal activities.[7][8]

According to the 2011 census, the majority of the Gurungs practise Buddhism (62.72%) also Hinduism (32.18%). However, a small minority practises Bonpo religion (2.32%).

See also[edit]


  1. ^ Dr. Dilli Ram Dahal (2002-12-30). "Chapter 3. Social composition of the Population: Caste/Ethnicity and Religion in Nepal". Government of Nepal, Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  2. ^ "Ethnohistory of Gurung People" (PDF). Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  3. ^ "National Population and Housing Census 2011 of Nepal" (PDF). Central Bureau Of Statistics. 2011.
  4. ^ "Indigenous Peoples -Gurung". Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  5. ^ 2011 Nepal Census, Social Characteristics Tables
  6. ^ von Fürer-Haimendorf, Christoph (1985). Tribal populations and cultures of the Christiany from thai. 2. Brill Publishers. pp. 137–8. ISBN 90-04-07120-2. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
  7. ^ Robert Gordon Latham (1859). Descriptive Ethnology. I. London: John Van Voorst, Paternoster Row. pp. 80–82.
  8. ^ Mumford, Stanley Royal (1989). Himalayan Dialogue: Tibetan Lamas and Gurung Shamans in Nepal. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 30–32. ISBN 0-299-11984-X.

Further reading[edit]

  • P. T. Sherpa Kerung, Susan Höivik (2002). Nepal, the Living Heritage: Environment and Culture. University of Michigan: Kathmandu Environmental Education Project.
  • William Brook Northey (1998). The Land of the Gurkhas, or, The Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 81-206-1329-5.
  • Murārīprasāda Regmī (1990). The Gurungs, Thunder of Himal: A Cross Cultural Study of a Nepalese Ethnic Group. University of Michigan: Nirala Publications.

External links[edit]