KIRANTIES

Kirantis are comprised of Rais and Limbus and are the oldest known peoples of Nepal. They live in the eastern hills of Nepal, the Rais being concentrated in the Solu Khumbu, Dudh Kosi and Arun Valley, while the Limbus are at the east of Arun Valley, in the Katchanjunga region and also extend into Northern parts of West Bengal in India. They are decendents of the Kirati's who first formed the kingdom in the Kathmandu Valley. They now mainly live in far eastern Nepal. Kirati people are well known for their courage and bravery and are often recruited into armies abroad like the more famous Gurkhas. The religious text of Limbu is the Mundhum. Both groups have supplied recruits to Gurkha regiments an reference is made to their fighting spirit in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Of Mongoloid features, both have Tibeti-Burmese languages. The religion of the Limbus incorporates elements of Buddhism and Shamanism, while that of the Rais is more influenced by Hinduism.