Burmese Gurkha
{{Short description | People of Nepali origin settled in Burma}}{{infobox ethnic group|
|group=Burmese Gurkhas
|native_name = ဂေါ်ရခါးလူမျိုးများ (Burmese)
bamar gu r hk
गोरखाली (Nepali)
Barmī gōrkhā
|image= 200px
|popplace=Myanmar, Yangon, Mandalay, Mogok, Pyin Oo Lwin, Taunggyi, Mandalay Division, Shan State, Kachin State
|related= Nepalese peoples and Indian Gorkhas
}}
Burmese Gurkhas ({{langx|my|ဂေါ်ရခါးလူမျိုးများ}}; {{langx|ne|गोरखाली}}) are a group of Nepali language speaking Burmese people of Khas/Gurkha ethnic group living in Myanmar (formerly Burma). While the Gurkhas have lived in Burma for many centuries, it was during the British rule in Burma, that the majority of the Gurkha migrated from Nepal.{{Cite web |last=Gurung |first=Tim I. |date=2017-06-24 |title=Meet the proud Gurkha community of Myanmar |url=http://asiatimes.com/2017/06/meet-proud-gurkha-community-myanmar/ |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=Asia Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2020-09-24 |title=Emerging dynamics among Southeast Asia's Nepali diaspora |url=https://www.newmandala.org/emerging-dynamics-among-southeast-asias-nepali-diaspora/ |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=New Mandala |language=en-AU}}
The estimated population of Gurkha is nearly 1 million. The majority of Gurkha now reside in Yangon (Rangoon), Mandalay, Pyin U Lwin, Mogok, Tamu, Kalaymyo, Taunggyi, Myitkyina and other parts of the country.{{Cite web |title=Gurkhas in Myanmar |url=https://lostfootsteps.org/en/history/gurkhas-in-myanmar |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=lostfootsteps.org |language=en}}
History and demography
Like many other people who reside in Myanmar and who have their origin in Nepal, the majority of Gurkha came along with the British administration. Many Gurkhas served during the Second World War in the Burma Campaign, especially as rear guard units for the British retreat from Burma.
After Burma's independence in 1948, the Gurkhas joined the new Burma Army. Many Gurkhas have served in the new republic's various campaigns against ethnic insurgents and the Kuomintang invasions. The Gurkha were considered key assets of the Burmese Army in the 1950s.Defence Museum, Yangon There was also a soldier named Suk Bahadur Rai{{KIA}} that won the highest honor of Tatmadaw, The Aung San Thuriya Medal.{{Cite web |last=Lawi Weng |date=May 20, 2014 |title=The Forgotten Gurkhas of Burma |url=https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/forgotten-gurkhas-burma.html |website=Irrawaddy}}
In the Myanmar civil war, many Gurkhas fight for the Kachin Independence Army. [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14442213.2022.2110150 Child-Soldiering: A Nuanced View Through the Eyes of a Gorkha Youth in Kachin State, Myanmar]. Gareth Davy. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology. Volume 24, Issue 1. 2023. [https://doi.org/10.1080/14442213.2022.2110150 doi: 10.1080/14442213.2022.2110150]
Culture
Many of Gurkha in Myanmar practice Hinduism and Buddhism. A very small number of them practice Christianity. There are a few Gurkha Hindu temples Buddhist monastery in the cities around Kachin State, Shan State, Yangon and Mandalay. Gurkha form a large minority in Myitkyina, Mogok, and the hill station of Pyin U Lwin (Maymyo).{{Cite web |last=Tuladhar |first=Pratibha |date=2021-03-09 |title=Memories of a country in transition |url=https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/memories-of-a-country-in-transition |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=nepalitimes.com}}
=Language=
=Education=
The Gurkha place high importance on education, and they represent a disproportionately high share of those with advanced (medical, engineering or doctorate) degrees in Burma.Burma Citizenship Law harsh on ethnic Burma Citizenship Law harsh on ethnic|{{cite web|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/print_article.php?art_id%3D3795 |title=The Irrawaddy News Magazine [Covering Burma and Southeast Asia] |access-date=2013-05-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110123130924/http://www.irrawaddy.org/print_article.php?art_id=3795 |archive-date=2011-01-23 }}Burma Citizenship Law 1982|http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3ae6b4f71b.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117193601/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3ae6b4f71b.html |date=2013-01-17 }}
Notable Gurkha people in Burma
- Private Aung San Thuriya Suk Bahadur Rai – No.4 Burma Regiment (4th Gurkha) Myanmar Army.Defence Museum, Yangon – recipient of the Aung San Thuriya award, the highest gallantry award in Myanmar.{{Cite web|url=http://labourhittai.blogspot.com/2016/02/blog-post_22.html|title=ဆာ့ခ္ဗဟာဒူးရြိဳင္း၊ (ေအာင္ဆန္းသူရိယ)|date=23 February 2016|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-04-19|archive-date=2018-04-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419183311/http://labourhittai.blogspot.com/2016/02/blog-post_22.html|url-status=live}}
- Suk Bahadur (Burmese: ဗဟာဒူး) is a Burmese footballer who served as the captain of Myanmar national football team (1952–1970). He is considered the greatest Burmese footballer that ever lived. He was also a major in Myanmar Army{{Cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/hamromyanmar/|title=Hamro Myanmar|website=sites.google.com|access-date=2018-04-19|archive-date=2016-04-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413013951/https://sites.google.com/site/hamromyanmar/|url-status=dead}}
- Nandar Gyawali, Podcaster, human rights activist and feminist activist
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- May Myo Chit Swe, "Myanmar Pyi Phwar Gurkha", 2000 November (in Burmese).
- Scott of The Shan Hills, Edited by G. E. Mitton (Lady Scott)
- Report of Frontier Areas Committee of Enquiry, Part 2,1947
- Burma Gazetteer,28.6.1948
- Ruby Mines District Gazetteer
- New Times of Burma,7.6.1948
- New Times of Burma,10.6.1948
- The Hundred Days of Burma, Lt.MACHOTON
External links
{{Ethnic groups in Burma}}
{{Asia in topic|Demographics of}}
{{Asia topic|Ethnic groups in}}
Category:Ethnic groups in Myanmar
Category:Nepalese diaspora by country