Kirat King Buddhang (Budhanilkantha)
According to a legend from the Kirat Rai Bantawa community, when the Malla and Shah dynasty kings were unable to defeat Kirat King Buddhang in battle, they conspired against him. They invited him to a grand feast as a part of their scheme. Trusting their invitation, King Buddhang attended the feast. Seizing the opportunity, the Malla and Shah dynasty rulers used divine powers to turn Buddhang into stone and submerged him in water.
Later, when the Kirat people offered millet, chilli, and ginger in worship to the stone, it would tremble or shake. When the Malla and Shah kings learned about this, they secretly hid the original stone of Buddhang in an unknown location so that no one could find it. In its place, they installed a fake stone, which is now known as Budhanilkantha.
In the Kirat Changfewa Hang lineage, Yalambar, from the Yellung Hang clan, became the king of the Kathmandu Valley around the 3rd century BCE. He defeated the Maheshpal dynasty rulers and established his own kingdom. He and his descendants ruled the valley for 32 generations.
The Kiratis were indeed tender-hearted. The Kirati girl, trapped in the extraordinary web of love of her husband, gradually shared information about the power centers of her Kirati relatives with her husband. She had considered her husband as her everything. Yet, she still had the love for her Kirati relatives. That's why she had asked her husband to make three promises before revealing the secrets of her relatives' power sources. Those three promises were: 1. Not to kill her father, 2. Not to kill her elder brother, and 3. Not to kill her younger brother. The diplomacy of the Licchavi Aryans succeeded in this way. They learned about the power centers and weaknesses of the Kiratis through the Kirati girl herself. After that, the Licchavis first destroyed the power sources of the Kiratis.
This fact can be found in historical records. At that time, seeing the well-organized rule of the Kirat dynasty, the Lichchhavi Aryans burned with jealousy. They launched multiple attacks on the Kirat kingdom, but each time, they faced defeat.
The reason was that the Kirat people worshiped Naga (serpent deities), trees, wind, water, fire, lightning, Henkhama, and Ninamma. Additionally, they worshiped their three hearths (sacred fireplaces) in the names of Sumniwa Paruhong and the visionary Nirewa Bhumong. Through their deep connection with nature and Suptulung (sacred stone), the Kirats gained immense power.
Later, the Lichchhavis used trickery by casting magical spells (Tunamuna) on Kirati women, deceiving them. This was part of their cunning political strategy, marking the beginning of the downfall of the Kirat kingdom.
After facing repeated military defeats against the Kirats, the Lichchhavis changed their strategy. They married Kirati women under the pretense of love to gain insider knowledge about the Kirat power centers. These women, believing they were deeply loved by their husbands, unknowingly became part of this grand deception.
Budahang and the Destruction of Kirati Heritage
The Lichchhavis began to destroy Budahang and other cultural heritage of the Kirats. They desecrated the ancestral spirits (Kul Pitra) and land deities (Bhumi Devs). Initially, the Kirats did not consume alcohol or practice animal sacrifices. However, to corrupt the Suptulung (sacred stone of Kirats), the Lichchhavis poured alcohol over it and offered pig and chicken sacrifices. This weakened the spiritual power center of the Kirats.
Eventually, they succeeded in defeating the Kirati King Khigu Hang, who is considered the last Kirati ruler of the Kathmandu Valley. He was the 32nd descendant of King Yalambar. After his defeat, the Aryans (Lichchhavis) intensified their dominance over the Kirats.
Gradually, the Lichchhavi rulers imposed restrictions on the Kirati language, culture, and traditions. The Lichchhavi Aryans sought the complete eradication of Kirati identity. To achieve this, they banned Kirati cultural practices, systematically destroyed Kirati Mundum (oral scriptures) and stone inscriptions, and suppressed their beliefs. The Lichchhavis had learned from Kirati women that the core of Kirati power lay in their religion and traditions, leading them to target and dismantle these sacred elements.
The Migration of King Khigu Hang and the Decline of Kirati Identity
As the Lichchhavis intensified their pressure on the Kiratis, King Khigu Hang left the Kathmandu Valley and moved eastward. However, some Kiratis remained in the valley, and there is a belief that the present-day Jyapus are the descendants of the Kirati kings (Mithahong Palun Puma Rai Bansawali, 2062).
After leaving Kathmandu, Khigu Hang established his new kingdom in Banepa. His son, Yokne Hang, became the second king of the region. Yokne Hang had two sons, Lelim Hang and Khamsong Hang. After Yokne Hang's death in the year 600, his sons divided the kingdom.
- Lelim Hang became the king of Limbuwan
- Khamsong Hang became the king of Khambuwan
Khamsong Hang’s son was Jum Hang, and Jum Hang’s son was Khambu Hang. Khambu Hang later moved the kingdom’s center to Belkatari Walikha.
According to history, by the time the Kiratis migrated from the Kathmandu Valley to Banepa and then to Belkatari, they had already transformed into a more forest-dependent community. Even though King Khigu Hang left the valley to protect Kirati language, culture, and traditions, the lack of permanent settlements and inscriptions led to the gradual loss of their originality.
Over time, the Kiratis lost a significant part of their unique identity, becoming fully dependent on forests for survival.
Kirati Survival and the Tragic Incident of Mape Hang and Sekro Hang
There are legends that suggest the Kiratis primarily survived on wild tubers, taro, and fish from rivers. Khambu Hang established his kingdom in Belkatari and married the daughter of Naga from Nahi. They had a total of eleven children—ten sons and one daughter. Their names were:
- MapeHang (eldest son)
- Khinchi Hang (second son)
- Hina Hang (third son)
- Wana Hang (fourth son)
- Khappa Hang (fifth son)
- Kusre Hang (sixth son)
- Chalim Hang (seventh son)
- Seku Hang (eighth son)
- Ramli Hang (ninth son)
- Sekro Hang (youngest son)
- Sayama (only daughter)
Khambu Hang arranged the marriage of his daughter, Sayama, with his minister, Nyohang.
As time passed, the Kiratis became highly skilled in archery. They would often go on hunting expeditions with bows and arrows. One day, Mapa Hang and Sekro Hang ventured east of Saptakoshi from Belkatari for hunting.
While deep in the dense forests, they were tracking their prey. As part of their hunting strategy, they decided to surround the animal from two sides. During this, Mapa Hang suddenly heard a movement in front of him. Without seeing clearly, he mistook the sound for his prey and shot an arrow. Tragically, the arrow pierced the heart of his own younger brother, Sekro Hang, killing him instantly.
The Regret of Mape Hang and the Expansion of Kirati Settlements
Sekro Hang collapsed on the spot. Mape Hang was devastated by guilt and fear, especially of facing his father, Khambu Hang. Overwhelmed by grief, he fled far north, crossing the Arun River, and eventually reached present-day Tibet. There, he married a Bhutia woman in Gyaljung and later settled in Namche and its surrounding areas.
Meanwhile, Khambu Hang, desperate to find his lost sons, used a traditional Kirati method—he cut the rhizome of ginger (kachur) and observed its pattern to determine their direction. This method showed that his sons had traveled north from Belkatari.
He then sent Ramli Hang to search for them. Ramli Hang eventually found Mape Hang. When brought before his father, Mape Hang confessed the tragic accident, and though he faced his father’s anger and scolding, he soon returned to his home in Namche.
After the death of Sekro Hang, Khambu Hong appointed his daughter, Sayama, in his place and named his ten children after the Ten Kirat Clans. Even today, the Kirat people follow the saying, "Ten Kirats, One Kitchen." Sayama and her husband, Nyohong, were also officially included as part of the royal family.
The Lineage of the Ten Kirat Clans
According to Kirati folklore, the descendants of Khambu Hang’s children became the ancestors of different Kirati subgroups:
- Mape Hang's descendants → Khaling
- Khinchi Hang's descendants → Sunuwar
- Hina Hang's descendants → Wayung, Wahaeng, and Wambule (Ambu)
- Khappa Hang's descendants → Kulung
- Kusre Hang's descendants → Tilung
- Chalim Hang's descendants → Chamling, Sangpang, and Puma
- Seku Hang's descendants → Dumi, Nachiring, Lohorung, and Yakkha
- Ramli Hang's descendants → Thulung
- Sayama's descendants → Yamphu and Newahong
The Expansion of Kirati Settlements
Over time, the Kirati population began to expand. Each of the Ten Kirat Clans established their own territories (Bobi regions), selecting places suitable for their settlement. As they spread across Khambuwan, they formed distinct regions for their families.
During this period, Chalim Hang’s sons played a significant role in expanding the settlements.
- Chamling remained in the ancestral home
- Sangpang claimed a separate region
- Puma Hang, seeing his elder brothers securing better lands, moved further south to find a place of his own
Thus, the descendants of Khambu Hong spread across Khambuwan, establishing their own Bobi (ancestral territories) and adapting to new regions.
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