1. Origin & Identity

• Origin: Migrated from Tibet; they are not original inhabitants of Himachal Pradesh (HP).
• Name: Related to the word ‘Kham’, which is the name of a state in Tibet.
• Arrival: Came to India about 100 years ago as itinerant traders. Moved into upper Himalayas as nomads.
• Settlement: Khampas who stayed in India are called Gyakhar or Gyagar (Tibetan term for India).
  • Settled in: Kullu, Chamba, Kinnaur, and Lahaul-Spiti.

2. Regional Classifications

3. Demographics & Social Status

• Category: Belongs to ST (Scheduled Tribe) category.
• Population & Growth:
  • 1981 Census: 1221 (Including Jads & Lambas)
  • 2001 Census: 1850 (Growth rate: 2.80%)
  • Represents 0.03% of Total Population.
• Language:
  • Dialect: Khampa.
  • Script: Traditional script is Tibetan, but currently use Devanagari.
  • Communication with outsiders: Hindi & English.
• Social Hierarchy:
  • High acceptance in Lahaul, Spiti & Kinnaur.
  • Low acceptance in Kullu, Chamba & Shimla.
  • Accepted as equal in Buddhist dominated areas; treated with less parity in Hindu dominated regions.
  • General status: Rank at par with local Rajput communities.

4. Marriage Customs

Types of Marriage

• Monogamous: Primarily practiced today.
• Fraternal Polyandry: Prevalent form in the past.
• Polygamy: Only if the first wife is unable to bear a child.

Rules & Preferences

• Practice Endogamy at both village and community levels.
• Prohibitions: Parallel or ortho-cousin marriages are prohibited. Immediate relations on both mother and father side are avoided.
• Preferences: Cross-cousin marriage; Junior Levirate (husband’s younger brother); Sororate (wife’s sister).
• Age: Age gap of 3-4 years; Marriage age is usually early twenties.

The Ceremony (Phanktun)

• Phakatum: Marriage fixer or Negotiator (also called Bachola).
• No Dowry or Bride Price.
• Procession: Bridegroom’s procession is stopped 2 times by the girl’s friends by blocking the road with stones.
• Tit mde-luh: A question-answer song sung by girls. The groom is allowed to pass only after answering correctly.
• Thodkor: White turban which the groom’s father ties on the heads of relatives.
• Desil: A sweet dish of rice and curd fed to the bride and groom.
• Priest: Lama.
• Residence: Patrilocal (bride lives with groom’s family).

5. Divorce & Remarriage

• Local Names: Jatsari-Jha-dal-va, Khatal-je, Kheje, or Jha-cho-che.
• Reasons: Adultery, barrenness, infertility, maladjustment, or maltreatment.
• Process: Initiated by either party with consent of the community council. Alimony is decided by the Panchayat.
• Custody: Infant given to mother; grown-up children usually stay with the father.
• Remarriage: Allowed for widows, widowers, and divorcees.

6. Religion & Beliefs

• Lamaistic Buddhism: Khampas believe in all four sets:
  1. Gyaluka
  2. Ningma-pa
  3. Sakya-pa
  4. Karguda-pa
• Deities:
  • Family Deity: CRhadna-Dorje (Famous Buddhist deity).
  • Other deities: Found in form of boulders (rocks), trees, caves, bushes, etc.
  • Lamas: Serve as sorcerers and sacredotal specialists.
  • Illness Puja: Consulted by Lama; involves reading of Buddhist Pragya Paramita Vajrachhedika etc.
  • Sacred Centres: Buddhist monasteries and Gompas.
  • Pilgrimage Sites: Sarnath, Kushinagar, Nepal, Bodh Gaya, Rewalsar, and Monasteries in Lahaul-Spiti and Chango.
  • Daily Ritual: Stone or slab deities worshipped with smoke of Juniper leaves every day.

7. Dress & Appearance

• Chhuba: A long gown; Black for males and Brown for females.
• Banjug: Shirt.
• Siring Kingar: Cap.
• Ornaments: Both males and females wear earrings made of gold with Red & Blue beads (approx. 2 inches in diameter).
• Modern Trends: Nowadays, outfits include pants, shirts, jeans, and suits.

8. Food & Dietary Habits

• Staples: Chapatti, Rice, and Fruits (Apple, Apricot, Plums).
• Pulses: Urad, Chana, and Malka.
• Non-Veg: Meat of Goat, Sheep, Chicken, Fish, and Eggs.
• Taboos: Meat of Yak, Pork, and Beef is strictly avoided.
• Traditional Dishes: Thugpa and Momo.
• Natural Foraging:
  • Edible roots & tubers: Bhalku, Linger, Nokhi, Chain, and Grachhi (mushrooms).
  • Wild Fruits: Jami, Vami, Aarvi, and Chuli.

9. Social Rituals & Life Cycle

Birth Rituals

• Naming: The child is named by the Dalai Lama or Avtari Lama after consulting sacred texts and the almanac.
• Raldak: Tonsure (hair cutting) ceremony performed by the mother’s brother or parents before the child is two years old.

Death Rituals

• Disposal: Method decided in consultation with the Lama.
• Practices: Adults are cremated; infants are placed in a wooden box and immersed in the river.
• Impurity: Lasts for 1 day; purificatory rites are performed by the Lama.
• Periodic Rituals (After Death):
  • Chizik: 4th day.
  • Duzik: 7th day.
  • Shibchu Shekku: 49th day.
  • Logar: One year mark.
• Alms are given and prayers offered for the peace of the departed soul.

10. Social Structure & Norms

• Family Type: Extended family.
• Avoidances: Parents avoid calling daughters-in-law by name (and vice-versa). Daughters-in-law avoid the husband’s elder male relatives.
• Joking Relations: Permitted with wife’s younger sister, younger brother, and related lines.
• Addressal: Husbands and wives use Teknonymic terms (e.g., Tinku-ki-Papa or Mommy) rather than names.
• Social Units: Divided into several exogamous clans or sects denoting origin from a common ancestor.

Property Inheritance

11. Fairs, Festivals & Art

• LOSAR: The Khampa New Year, celebrated on 24th or 25th February.
• Galde Gamche: Celebrated in May for devotion to the memory of Buddha.
• Fortnight Prayers: Held on Panchami (5th day) and Dashmi (10th day) of each fortnight.
• Fairs: Goetr and Ladarcha in Spiti & Kinnaur (Main participants: Khunu and Piti Khampas).
• Art & Craft:
  • Weaving: Dragon designs on carpets (Red & Black shades), done by both sexes.
  • Suktu: Woolen shawl.
  • Sukdan: Woolen bedsheet for self-use.
  • Knitting: Sweaters and pullovers with beautiful designs.
• Dance/Oral Tradition: Local songs called Yanva or Time Luh (sung at marriages); women perform traditional dances.

12. Traditional Norms & Inter-community Relations

• Food Exchange: Exchange both Kachcha & Pucca food with Brahmins & Rajputs.
• No Kachcha food accepted from other communities unless cooked by a Brahmin or Rajput status person.
• Present Status: No discrimination even amongst Sippi and Lohars. Marital ties now exist with other Rajput communities.
• Access to common water resources and Panchayat Ghars.
• Jajmani Relationships: Exist with communities like Lohar and Beta (services for grain/goods).
• Community help is rendered for construction and forming protective field walls.

13. Occupation & Economy

• Traditional: Sheep herding and wool trade in Tibet.
• Indo-Tibetan Trade: Brought Pashmina wool, sheep, goat, and yak to India; returned with carpets, moonga, etc..
• Post-Conflict Transition: Following Indo-China conflicts, nomadic life ended. Settled in HP as agriculturists and orchardists.
• Modern Business: Shopkeeping, running restaurants, and selling foreign goods (cross-border trade).
• Labor: Involved in road construction or mule taming.
• Regional Split:
  • Garja & Piti Khampas: Own land and work on fields.
  • Thawa & Khunu Khampas: Primarily involved in trade and business.

14. Traditional Council

• Name: Known as Shuzan Chungi.
• Head: Led by the GOVA.
• Composition: Consists of five old and learned persons from the community.
• Participants: Both males and females can participate.
• Functions:
  • Settles divorce and family disputes.
  • Penalizes individuals guilty of breaking traditional norms.
  • Acts as a quasi-judicial organ of Tribal India.
• Khampas Panchayats: Serve as both a law and order maintenance agency and a developmental agency.

15. Role of Women

• Social Position: High status; women are in-charge of the house and manage/control family affairs.
• Decision Making: Formal authority remains with men, but vital decisions are taken after consulting with the wife.
• Representation: Now represented in statutory panchayats (historically, they were not allowed to hold posts in the council).
• Economic Contribution:
  • Enterprising; carry on independent economic activities like running hotels, shops, and foreign goods dealing.
  • Shops and restaurants are often manned by women while men assist by procuring goods.
  • In Gharja and Piti Khampa groups, women assist in all agricultural activities except ploughing.
• Youth: Children below 15 years of age help parents in fields, household work, and business.

16. Contemporary Situation

• Inter-community Relations: Khampas maintain a symbiotic relationship with others.
• Education & Employment: Well-educated community; many have entered professional and government office jobs.
• Social Development: Modern Khampas are at par with the people of lower Himachal Pradesh in terms of social development and political awakening.
• Family Planning: Maintain a highly positive attitude with no prejudice against family planning programmes.

Origin & Identity

• Origin: Migrated from Tibet; they are not original inhabitants of Himachal Pradesh (HP).
• Name: Related to the word ‘Kham’, which is the name of a state in Tibet.
• Arrival: Came to India about 100 years ago as itinerant traders. Moved into upper Himalayas as nomads.
• Settlement: Khampas who stayed in India are called Gyakhar or Gyagar (Tibetan term for India).
  • Settled in: Kullu, Chamba, Kinnaur, and Lahaul-Spiti.

Regional Classifications

Demographics & Social Status

• Category: Belongs to ST (Scheduled Tribe) category.
• Population & Growth:
  • 1981 Census: 1221 (Including Jads & Lambas)
  • 2001 Census: 1850 (Growth rate: 2.80%)
  • Represents 0.03% of Total Population.
• Language:
  • Dialect: Khampa.
  • Script: Traditional script is Tibetan, but currently use Devanagari.
  • Communication with outsiders: Hindi & English.
• Social Hierarchy:
  • High acceptance in Lahaul, Spiti & Kinnaur.
  • Low acceptance in Kullu, Chamba & Shimla.
  • Accepted as equal in Buddhist dominated areas; treated with less parity in Hindu dominated regions.
  • General status: Rank at par with local Rajput communities.

Marriage Customs

Types of Marriage

• Monogamous: Primarily practiced today.
• Fraternal Polyandry: Prevalent form in the past.
• Polygamy: Only if the first wife is unable to bear a child.

Rules & Preferences

• Practice Endogamy at both village and community levels.
• Prohibitions: Parallel or ortho-cousin marriages are prohibited. Immediate relations on both mother and father side are avoided.
• Preferences: Cross-cousin marriage; Junior Levirate (husband’s younger brother); Sororate (wife’s sister).
• Age: Age gap of 3-4 years; Marriage age is usually early twenties.

The Ceremony (Phanktun)

• Phakatum: Marriage fixer or Negotiator (also called Bachola).
• No Dowry or Bride Price.
• Procession: Bridegroom’s procession is stopped 2 times by the girl’s friends by blocking the road with stones.
• Tit mde-luh: A question-answer song sung by girls. The groom is allowed to pass only after answering correctly.
• Thodkor: White turban which the groom’s father ties on the heads of relatives.
• Desil: A sweet dish of rice and curd fed to the bride and groom.
• Priest: Lama.
• Residence: Patrilocal (bride lives with groom’s family).

Divorce & Remarriage

• Local Names: Jatsari-Jha-dal-va, Khatal-je, Kheje, or Jha-cho-che.
• Reasons: Adultery, barrenness, infertility, maladjustment, or maltreatment.
• Process: Initiated by either party with consent of the community council. Alimony is decided by the Panchayat.
• Custody: Infant given to mother; grown-up children usually stay with the father.
• Remarriage: Allowed for widows, widowers, and divorcees.

Religion & Beliefs

• Lamaistic Buddhism: Khampas believe in all four sets: Gyaluka, Ningma-pa, Sakya-pa, and Karguda-pa.
• Deities:
  • Family Deity: CRhadna-Dorje (Famous Buddhist deity).
  • Other deities: Found in form of boulders (rocks), trees, caves, bushes, etc.
• Lamas: Serve as sorcerers and sacredotal specialists.
• Illness Puja: Consulted by Lama; involves reading of Buddhist Pragya Paramita Vajrachhedika etc.
• Sacred Centres: Buddhist monasteries and Gompas.
• Pilgrimage Sites: Sarnath, Kushinagar, Nepal, Bodh Gaya, Rewalsar, and Monasteries in Lahaul-Spiti and Chango.
• Daily Ritual: Stone or slab deities worshipped with smoke of Juniper leaves every day.

Dress & Appearance

• Chhuba: A long gown; Black for males and Brown for females.
• Banjug: Shirt.
• Siring Kingar: Cap.
• Ornaments: Both males and females wear earrings made of gold with Red & Blue beads (approx. 2 inches in diameter).
• Modern Trends: Nowadays, outfits include pants, shirts, jeans, and suits.

Food & Dietary Habits

• Staples: Chapatti, Rice, and Fruits (Apple, Apricot, Plums).
• Pulses: Urad, Chana, and Malka.
• Non-Veg: Meat of Goat, Sheep, Chicken, Fish, and Eggs.
• Taboos: Meat of Yak, Pork, and Beef is strictly avoided.
• Traditional Dishes: Thugpa and Momo.
• Natural Foraging:
  • Edible roots & tubers: Bhalku, Linger, Nokhi, Chain, and Grachhi (mushrooms).
  • Wild Fruits: Jami, Vami, Aarvi, and Chuli.

Social Rituals & Life Cycle

Birth Rituals

• Naming: The child is named by the Dalai Lama or Avtari Lama after consulting sacred texts and the almanac.
• Raldak: Tonsure (hair cutting) ceremony performed by the mother’s brother or parents before the child is two years old.

Death Rituals

• Disposal: Method decided in consultation with the Lama.
• Practices: Adults are cremated; infants are placed in a wooden box and immersed in the river.
• Impurity: Lasts for 1 day; purificatory rites are performed by the Lama.
• Periodic Rituals (After Death): Chizik (4th day), Duzik (7th day), Shibchu Shekku (49th day), and Logar (One year mark).
• Alms are given and prayers offered for the peace of the departed soul.

Social Structure & Norms

• Family Type: Extended family.
• Avoidances: Parents avoid calling daughters-in-law by name (and vice-versa). Daughters-in-law avoid the husband’s elder male relatives.
• Joking Relations: Permitted with wife’s younger sister, younger brother, and related lines.
• Addressal: Husbands and wives use Teknonymic terms (e.g., Tinku-ki-Papa or Mommy) rather than names.
• Social Units: Divided into several exogamous clans or sects denoting origin from a common ancestor.

Property Inheritance

Fairs, Festivals & Art

• LOSAR: The Khampa New Year, celebrated on 24th or 25th February.
• Galde Gamche: Celebrated in May for devotion to the memory of Buddha.
• Fortnight Prayers: Held on Panchami (5th day) and Dashmi (10th day) of each fortnight.
• Fairs: Goetr and Ladarcha in Spiti & Kinnaur (Main participants: Khunu and Piti Khampas).
• Art & Craft:
  • Weaving: Dragon designs on carpets (Red & Black shades), done by both sexes.
  • Suktu: Woolen shawl.
  • Sukdan: Woolen bedsheet for self-use.
  • Knitting: Sweaters and pullovers with beautiful designs.
• Dance/Oral Tradition: Local songs called Yanva or Time Luh (sung at marriages); women perform traditional dances.

Traditional Norms & Inter-community Relations

• Food Exchange: Exchange both Kachcha & Pucca food with Brahmins & Rajputs.
• No Kachcha food accepted from other communities unless cooked by a Brahmin or Rajput status person.
• Present Status: No discrimination even amongst Sippi and Lohars. Marital ties now exist with other Rajput communities.
• Access to common water resources and Panchayat Ghars.
• Jajmani Relationships: Exist with communities like Lohar and Beta (services for grain/goods).
• Community help is rendered for construction and forming protective field walls.

Occupation & Economy

• Traditional: Sheep herding and wool trade in Tibet.
• Indo-Tibetan Trade: Brought Pashmina wool, sheep, goat, and yak to India; returned with carpets, moonga, etc.
• Post-Conflict Transition: Following Indo-China conflicts, nomadic life ended. Settled in HP as agriculturists and orchardists.
• Modern Business: Shopkeeping, running restaurants, and selling foreign goods (cross-border trade).
• Labor: Involved in road construction or mule taming.
• Regional Split:
  • Garja & Piti Khampas: Own land and work on fields.
  • Thawa & Khunu Khampas: Primarily involved in trade and business.

Traditional Council

• Name: Known as Shuzan Chungi.
• Head: Led by the GOVA.
• Composition: Consists of five old and learned persons from the community.
• Participants: Both males and females can participate.
• Functions: Settles divorce, family disputes, and penalizes the guilty for breaking traditional norms. Acts as a quasi-judicial organ of Tribal India.
• Khampas Panchayats: Serve as both a law and order maintenance agency and a developmental agency.

Role of Women

• Social Position: High status; women are in-charge of the house and manage/control family affairs.
• Decision Making: Formal authority remains with men, but vital decisions are taken after consulting with the wife.
• Representation: Now represented in statutory panchayats (historically not allowed to hold posts).
• Economic Contribution:
  • Enterprising; carry on independent activities like running hotels, shops, and foreign goods dealing.
  • Shops and restaurants are often manned by women while men assist by procuring goods.
  • In Gharja and Piti groups, women assist in all agricultural activities except ploughing.
• Youth: Children below 15 years help parents in fields, household work, and business.

Contemporary Situation

• Inter-community Relations: Khampas maintain a symbiotic relationship with others.
• Education & Employment: Well-educated community; many have entered professional and government office jobs.
• Social Development: Modern Khampas are at par with the people of lower HP in terms of social development and political awakening.
• Family Planning: Maintain a highly positive attitude with no prejudice against family planning programmes.