Chhetri (Kshetri, Kshettri, Kshetry or Chhettri), ( ; IAST: Kṣetrī) historically called Kshettriya or Kshetriya or Khas are Nepali-speaking people historically associated with the warrior class and administration, some of whom trace their origin to migration from medieval India. Chhetri was a caste of administrators, governors, warriors and military elites in the medieval Khas Kingdom and Gorkha Kingdom (later unified Kingdom of Nepal). The nobility of the Gorkha Kingdom mainly originated from Chhetri families. They also had a strong presence in civil administration affairs. The bulk of prime ministers of Nepal before the democratization of Nepal belonged to this caste as a result of the old Gorkhali aristocracy. Gorkha-based aristocratic Chhetri families included the Pande dynasty, the Basnyat dynasty, the Kunwar family (and their offspring branch, the autocratic Rana dynasty) and the Thapa dynasty. From 1806 to 1951, Chhetri prime ministers wielded absolute rule in the country and the monarchy was reduced to a powerless figurehead.
Khas Chhetris were traditionally considered a division of the Khas people with Khas Brahmin (commonly called Khas Bahun). They make up 16.45% of Nepal's population according to the 2021 Nepal census, making them the most populous caste or ethnic community in Nepal. Chhetris speak an Indo-Aryan Nepali language (Khas-Kura) as mother tongue.
Etymology and background Chhetri is considered a direct derivative of the Sanskrit word Kshatriya from the root kṣatra meaning "rule or authority" which was associated with the ruling and warrior class of Hindu society. According to the 1854 Legal Code (Muluki Ain) of Nepal, Chhetris were a social group among the sacred thread bearers (Tagadhari) and twice-born people of the Hindu tradition.Gurung, H. (2005). Social exclusion and Maoist insurgency. Paper presented at National Dialogue Conference on ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, Kathmandu, 19–20 January 2005. Almost all Chhetris are Hindu.
The term 'Chhetri' was adopted by a lot of the high-ranking Khas after the unification of Nepal, and it was formalized by an order of Bir Narsingh Kunwar(Jang Bahadur Rana), who considered their original name (Khasa) to be derogatory.
The family occupation of Chhetris
The caste system of Nepal was decided according to the occupation they did from the ancestors of their family, known as Dharma (Devanagari: धर्म). The family occupation of Brahmin was guru or the spiritual leader in Hinduism whereas that of Chhetri was military and political leaders. Hence, the majority of military and political positions have been historically occupied by Chhetris until now.
History
They are thought to be connected to the Khasas mentioned in the ancient Indian literature and the medieval Khasa kingdom. In the early modern history of Nepal, Chhetris played a key role in the Unification of Nepal, providing the core of the Gorkhali army of the mid-18th century. Bir Bhadra Thapa was a Thapa of Chhetri group and leading Bharadar during Unification of Nepal. His grandson Bhimsen Thapa became Mukhtiyar (Prime Minister) of Nepal. Swarup Singh Karki, a leading politician and military officer, belonged to Chhetri family. Abhiman Singh Basnyat of Basnyat dynasty, Damodar Pande of Pande dynasty were both members of Chhetri caste, and Jung Bahadur Rana, founder of Rana dynasty also belonged to the Chhetri community.
For 104 years since the middle of the 19th century until 1951, hereditary Rana prime ministers wielded absolute rule in the country relegating the monarchy to a mere figurehead. During the monarchy, Chhetris continued to dominate the ranks of the Nepalese government, Nepalese Army, Nepalese Police and administration.
Chhetri noble families
Most of the political leadership of the Gorkha Kingdom (and later, Kingdom of Nepal) hailed from Chhetri families; primarily from the families of Basnyats, Baniyas, Kunwars, Khatris, Pandes, and Thapas who formed the nobility known as Kazis and Sardars.Kings and Political Leaders of the Gorkhali Empire 1768-1814. Regmi, M (1995). Orient Longman Limited. Available at: https://pahar.in/pahar/Books%20and%20Articles/Nepal/1995%20Kings%20and%20Political%20Leaders%20of%20the%20Gorkhali%20Empire%201768-1814%20by%20Regmi%20s.pdf The political and administrative dominance of Chhetris in the kingdom of Nepal continued with the dynastic rule of the Rana Prime Ministers (1846–1953), the Pande family, the Thapa family, and the Basnyat family, all of whom held the most prominent positions in the country and overwhelmingly monopolized the Chhetri presence in the Government of Nepal, its military and police. In traditional and administrative professions, Chhetris were given favorable treatment by the royal government.
Chhetri and premiership The nobility of Gorkha were mainly from Chhetri families and they had strong presence in civil administration affairs. All of the Prime Minister of Nepal between 1768 and 1950 were Chhetris with the exception of Ranga Nath Poudyal, being a Bahun, and Fateh Jung Shah, being a Thakuri. These number varied after the democratization of Nepal. Between 1951 and 1997, out of the 16 Prime Ministers of Nepal, 5 of them were Chhetris.
+Chhetri Premiers of NepalS.N.NameTook officeLeft officeNotes1Vamsharaj Pande17761779again from 1782-17852Swarup Singh Karki177617773Abhiman Singh Basnyat178517944Kirtiman Singh Basnyat179418015Bakhtawar Singh Basnyat180118036Damodar Pande180318037Bhimsen Thapa180618378Rana Jang Pande18371837again from 1839-18409Mathabar Singh Thapa1843184510Jung Bahadur Rana18461856again from 1857-187711Bam Bahadur Kunwar1856185712Krishna Bahadur Kunwar Rana1857185713Ranodip Singh Kunwar1877188514Bir Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1885190115Dev Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1901190116Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1901192917Bhim Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1929193218Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1932194519Padma Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1945194820Mohan Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1948195121Surya Bahadur Thapa19551955again from 1963-1964; 1965-1969, 1979-1983, 1997-1998, 2003-200422Subarna Shamsher Rana1958195923Kirti Nidhi Bista19691970again from 1971-1973; 1977-197924Sher Bahadur Deuba19951997again from 2001-2002; 2004-2005, 2017-2018, 2021-2022 25Sushila Karki 2025First female prime minister of Nepal
Military achievements
Chhetri had dominated high military positions and monopolized the military force at the times of Chhetri autocratic administrators like PM Bhimsen Thapa and PM Jung Bahadur Rana. There were 12 Basnyats, 16 Pandes, 6 Thapas and 3 Kunwar officers totalling to 51 Chhetri officers in the year 1841 A.D. The most prominent officers at Shah administration were the Kazis which had control over civil and military functions like a Minister and Military officer combined. Rana Jang Pande, the leader of Pande faction, was the Prime Minister of Nepal in 1841 A.D. which might have caused an increase in the number of Pande officers at 1841. After the rise Rana dynasty (Kunwars), the number changed to 10 Basnyats, 1 Pandes, 3 Thapas and 26 Kunwar officers totaling to 61 Chhetri officers in the year 1854 A.D.Chhetris dominated the position of the senior officers of the Nepali Army comprising 74.4% of total senior officers in 1967. Similarly, Chhetris composed 38.1%, 54.3% and 55.3% of the senior officers in the year 2003, 2004 and 2007 respectively.
+Chhetri Heads of Nepalese Army (18th to 21st century)S.N.NameOffice1Shivaram Singh Basnyat1743–17472Vamshidhar "Kalu" Pande1747–17573Vamsharaj Pande????–17854Abhiman Singh Basnyat????–17945Damodar Pande????–18046Bhimsen Thapa1811–18377Rana Jang Pande1837–18378Mathabar Singh Thapa1843–18459Jung Bahadur Rana1846–185610Bam Bahadur Kunwar1856–185711Krishna Bahadur Kunwar Rana1857–186212Ranodip Singh Kunwar1862–187713Jagat Shumsher Rana1877–187914Dhir Shumsher Kunwar Rana1879–188415Jit Jung Rana1884–188516Khadga Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1885–188717Rana Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1887–188718Dev Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1887–190119Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1901–190120Bhim Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1901–192921Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1929–193222Rudra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1932–193423Padma Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1934–194524Mohan Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1945–194825Baber Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1948–195126Kaiser Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1951–195327Kiran Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1953–195628Toran Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1956–196029Nir Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1960–196530Singha Bahadur Basnyat1970–197531Guna Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana1975–197932Arjun Narsingh Rana1983–198733Satchit Jung Bahadur Rana1987–199134Gadul Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana1991–199535Dharmapaal Barsingh Thapa1995–199936Prajwalla Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana1999–200337Pyar Jung Thapa2003–200638Rookmangad Katawal2006–200939Gaurav Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana2012–201540Rajendra Chhetri2015–201841Purna Chandra Thapa2018–202142Ashok Raj Sigdel Chhetri 2024–
Sino-Nepalese, Anglo-Nepalese and Nepal-Tibet wars
Chhetri commanders and generals of the military campaigns of the kingdom of Nepal have shaped the political course of the country overwhelmingly. Among the most prominent battles, the wars fought between Nepal and the empires of Tibet, China and the United Kingdom have highlighted the military strength of the kingdom of Nepal at a time of regional disintegration in South Asia. In 1788, Nepal invaded Tibet and as a consequence, a war was fought between Qing dynasty of China and the Kingdom of Nepal from 1788 to 1792, known as the Sino-Nepalese War. The battle, which was commanded by commanders Damodar Pande, Abhiman Singh Basnyat, and Kirtiman Singh Basnyat resulted in a treaty with Tibet accepting terms dictated by Nepal; as a outcome of which Tibet would pay tribute to Nepal and Nepalese citizens would have the right to visit, trade, and establish industries in any part of Tibet and China. After about two and half decades of the Sino-Nepalese war, with the expansion of the British Empire in India, Anglo-Nepalese War was fought between the British forces and the army of Kingdom of Nepal. The war was commanded by Bhimsen Thapa, Amar Singh Thapa, Ujir Singh Thapa, Ranabir Singh Thapa, Dalbhanjan Pande, Bakhtawar Singh Thapa and Ranajor Singh Thapa from 1814 to 1816 and led to a peace treaty with the British and maintained the independence of Nepal during the British Company rule and British Raj in South Asia from 18th to 20th century.
With the ascent of Rana dynasty, another war broke out between Nepal and Tibet (Nepal–Tibet War of 1855–1856) when Jung Bahadur Rana declared war over Tibet. The battle was commanded by Bam Bahadur Kunwar, Sanak Singh Khatri, Prithvi Dhoj Kunwar, Dhir Sumsher and Krishna Dhoj Kunwar and resulted in the victory of Nepalese troops whereby the Tibetans had to pay an annual subsidy of ten thousand rupees to Nepal and were made to allow the establishment of a Nepalese trading station and agency in Lhasa.
Religion
Almost all the Chhetris are Hindus, and form the largest Hindu adhering sub-group of Nepal representing 99.3% of their population, and those who are Hindus may also follow Buddhism; the Buddha being worshipped as the ninth avatar of god Vishnu. Chhetris have historically practiced Hindu polytheism which included the worship of Khas Masto sect of Shaivism, clan deity (Kuldevta), their personal favorite deity (Ishta-devata), fierce forms of Shiva (such as Virabhadra and Rudra) and goddesses such as Adi Shakti, Kali and Bhadrakali.