Tulādhar (Devanagari: तुलाधर) is a Nepali/Nepalese caste from the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. The name Tuladhar is derived from the Sanskrit words "tula" (weighing scale) and "dhar" (possessor), thus meaning scale-bearer or in general, merchant. Tuladhars belong to the Uray group which includes Kansakar, Tamrakar, Sthapit, Bania, Sindurakar, Selalik and other castes.[1][2] They follow Newar Buddhism[3] and speak Nepal Bhasa as a mother tongue.[4]
Traditional Tuladhar neighborhoods are Asan (Newar: असं Nepali: असन), Nyata (Newar: न्यत) (also known as Naradevi) and Jhwa Baha[5] in Kathmandu where they hold a number of cultural performances annually including religious dances and music concerts.[6]
- ^ Lewis, Todd T. (January 1996). "Notes on the Uray and the Modernization of Newar Buddhism" (PDF). Contributions to Nepalese Studies. Retrieved 31 January 2011. Page 110.
- ^ Wright, Daniel (1877). "History of Nepal with an Introductory Sketch of the Country and People of Nepal". Cambridge. Retrieved 23 September 2012. Page 86.
- ^ Locke, John K. (2008). "Unique Features of Newar Buddhism". Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
- ^ Lewis, Todd T. "Buddhism, Himalayan Trade, and Newar Merchants". Retrieved 31 January 2011.
- ^ Lewis, Todd T. (1995). "Buddhist Merchants in Kathmandu: The Asan Twah Market and Uray Social Organization" (PDF). Contested Hierarchies. Clarendon Press, Oxford. Retrieved 9 February 2011. Page 38.
- ^ Lewis, Todd T. (January 1996). "Notes on the Uray and the Modernization of Newar Buddhism" (PDF). Contributions to Nepalese Studies. Retrieved 31 January 2011. Page 112.