NepAl

Source: TW

What does “ethnic Nepali” even mean? Nepali is a nationality. Historically speaking, Nepāla Maṇḍala referred to the Kathmandu Valley. Going to “Nepal” generally meant going to urban centers in the valley like Kantipur (Kathmandu), Lalitpur (Patan), Bhaktapur (Bhatgaon), Kirtipur, etc. The natives of this region (“Nepāla” proper) are the Newars. On the other hand, the language we call “Nepālī” today descends from the language of the Khaśa Malla kingdom in the Karnali basin to the Northwest of Nepal. The Khas people later established themselves as the dominant group in “Nepāla” and the stereotypical “Nepali” or “Gorkhali” culture is ultimately rooted in the culture of the Khaśa-Malla kingdom. In terms of history and language, Khas Nepalis are rather close to Eastern Pahari groups like Kumaonis and Garhwalis of Uttarakhand. Regardless of the definition, I don’t see how Gurungs, Tamangs, Magars, Tibetans (Sherpas/Bhotes), Limbus, Rais, etc. in blue are any more “ethnically Nepali” than Madhesis (Maithils, Bhojpuris, Awadhis, Tharus, etc.), though I regard Nepali as a nationality rather than a singular ethnicity.

buddha

Regarding the ethnicity of Buddha, Buddha regarded himself as Kosalan (this is explicitly stated by Prasenajit) and traced the lineage of his Śākya clan to Ikṣvākú (Okkāka in Pāli, Iṣmaho in Gāndhārī), an Indo-Aryan king who is first attested in the tenth maṇḍala of the Ṛgveda (yásyekṣvākúr úpa vraté…)

While Buddha’s first sermon was delivered at Ṛṣipatana (Sarnath) in the Mṛgadāva near Vārāṇasī (capital of the Kāśī kingdom) and he attained enlightenment at Uruvelā (modern Bodh Gayā), which was a small village in Magadha near the banks of the river Nirañjanā, many of his sermons were given at the Jetavana monastery established by Anāthapiṇḍika at Śrāvastī (modern Saheth-Maheth), which was the capital of Kosala at the time of Buddha.

Buddha spent 19 rainy seasons (out of his 45 year teaching career) dwelling at his gandhakuṭī (perfumed cabin) in the Jetavana complex.