Gurung people

The Gurung are a Nepalese people of Tibetan descent. The Gurung live mainly in the Management Zone Gandaki, especially in the districts of Lamjung, Kaski, Tanahu, Gorkha, Parbat and Manang around the Annapurna massif and the region around Pokhara. A few Gurung live all over the country spread all the way to eastern Nepal.

2001 showed a population census, the number of 543 571 Gurung, which represents approximately 2.4 % of the population of Nepal. 338 925 of them speak after Temü -Tan, a Tibeto - Burmese language. In the 1970s, the Gurung said to have numbered about 160,000 people.

The name is derived from the Gurung Tibetan word " Grong " Bauer. The Gurung call themselves Temü ( Tamu ).

Traditionally survived the Gurung of livestock, trade and the weaving of rugs and blankets. Since the 19th century, many Gurung served in Indian and British Gurkha regiments. For these in turn provide their pensions paid by the army a major source of income

Today, the Gurung, particularly in an urban environment, all modern commercial branches go. But agriculture and textile processing are still an important component.

The traditional architecture of the houses is a rectangular floor plan, two-story, stacked from clean dry stone walls and slate roofs. In lower altitudes with an oval ground plan and straw cover. Some houses have a porch on the south side.

Originally, Gurung followers of the Bon religion. Later, many Tibetan Buddhism turned to, still the most Gurung, especially the highlanders belong (Lama - Gurung ). In the southern settlements sat down at a smaller number ( Cho - Gurung ) by Hinduism. For both groups, however, still find echoes of the Bon religion. In the Lama Gurung prevails as a second language before Tibetan, however, the Nepali is at the Cho - Gurung common besides the mother tongue.