“Thapa Shrestha” are Newars

My surname is Thapa Shrestha; everyone asks, “How am I Newa?”

(This piece was translated by Noor Baidya Hada from the original article published in Setopati)

My name is Saurav Thapa Shrestha. Upon hearing my name for the first time, people often raise an eyebrow and ask: How can a Thapa be a Shrestha? And then comes the inevitable follow-up: Are you even a Newa? But the most piercing question I’ve heard — the one that has haunted me since childhood — is when people ask me: Is your mother a Thapa and your father a Shrestha, so you became Thapa Shrestha?

It’s a question that rends deeper than curiosity. It’s the assumption that such a name must come from a mixed background, as if a single person could not naturally carry both identities. As if a Thapa couldn’t be a Shrestha. Moreover, a Thapa could be a Newa. This confusion has followed me since school.

Every time I introduced myself, I had to explain my surname before anyone cared to know what my name actually meant. At times, when the person asking is a Newa themselves, I respond in Nepal Bhasa — the language of the Newa. That usually shifts the conversation from “How are you a Newa?” to something more abject, “Where is your home?”

Lucky for me, I grew up in an environment where Nepal Bhasa was spoken at home, taught in school, and lived in everyday life. So fluency came naturally. But even today, when I reply in our mother tongue with the surname “Thapa” attached to it, people still look surprised. This curiosity about my identity led me to explore the roots of my name — and ultimately, my heritage.

Yes, there are Newa(s) with the surname Thapa. In fact, the Thapa(s) living in Madhyapur Thimi and Bode are both Shrestha(s) and Newa. But how did this come to be?

The Newar identity is not defined by caste but by nationality. Historically, anyone who settled in the Kathmandu Valley and adopted Newa culture and language became part of the Newa community. During the Licchavi period, under King Supushpadeva, class was introduced as a professional classification. Later, under Jayasthiti Malla, it evolved into the four varnas and 64 castes system, which over time transformed into the socially divisive structure we know today.

In Nepal Bhasa, Shrestha are known as Syasya: — divided into two groups: Chathari (छथरि) and Panchthari (पाँचथरि). Among the Panchthari Shrestha, many sub-surnames or Syasya: Bina exist. According to Sylvain Lévi’s book Nepal, during the Malla era, Shrestha substituted the Kshatriya group in Newa society.

So, how did Thapa Shrestha emerge within this framework?

Thapa Shresthas belong to the Panchthari group. In Thimi, surnames evolved based on houses, neighbourhoods, trades, deities, animals, behaviour, nature, and places. “Thapa” is one such example.

Others include Baga (बाग:), Dhantwarsi (धन्तवरसिं), Aduwa (अदुवा), Thiku (थिकु), Nanicha (नानिचा), Maka (माक:), Basan (बासँ), Tha (था), Bhinduwa (भिन्दूवा), and more.

According to Dharma Krishna Chaplichhen Shrestha, author of Thimiya Syasya: Bina (थिमिया स्यस्य: बिनां), there is no single documented origin of these sub-surnames. He believes they developed organically over generations.

My own sub-surname is Thapa. Every time I say my full name, I meet with the same question: How did Thapa Shrestha come to be? This has followed me since childhood. When I didn’t have answers, I asked at home. The only response was: It’s always been like that.

Still, I searched through folklore, oral histories, and written records.

The first written clue I found was in Yetihashik Shahar Bode (ऐतिहासिक सहर बोडे) by Sajib Tha Shrestha. He writes that during the Malla reign, clay pots used in Taleju worship — called Thapanhi (थापंई) in Nepal Bhasa — were carried by specific individuals. These carriers later became known as Thapa (थापा).

Even today, on the ninth day of Dashain, we perform rituals involving a clay pot and a large sword kept in our family treasury. While I don’t know why the sword is there, it likely connects us to the military history of the Malla era. Another theory suggests that some Thapa earned their name from defending against enemy attacks. In Nepal Bhasa, Thapanegu (थापानेगु) means to hold off, and those who blocked enemies came to be called Thapa.

Binod Khambu Shrestha (70) of Bode shares another layer. He says the Thapa of Madhyapur originally lived in Inaylachhi, Thimi. There was once a communal house where an older man named Ashamaru lived for many years, working as a peon at Adarsha Secondary School. After he left, the house was sold around 2045 B.S. (1988 A.D.) for just Rs. 700.

His wife, Vijayalakshmi Thapa Shrestha (68), adds that one branch of the Thapa stayed in Inaylachhi, another moved to Bode, and a third to Bahakha Bazaar in Thimi.

In Thimiya Syasya: Bina (थिमिया स्यस्य: बिनां), Chaplichhen Shrestha cites a line in Nepal Bhasa suggesting that those who lived near the palace (Layaku) were called Thaypat (थाय्पात), which eventually became Thapa. Today, these families reside in Bahakha Bazaar and Bode.

Originally published in Setopati on Jestha 10, 2082

Niranjan Thapa Shrestha (67) of Thimi offers yet another explanation: Thapa was a title given for bravery. Written initially as Tha-Pa (थाँ-पाँ), where Tha (थाँ) means above and Pa (पाँ) means shield, it symbolised ancestors who defended the city from elevated positions during Malla-era invasions. Over time, pronunciation simplified it to Thapa.

Dr. Tulsi Narayan Shrestha, in his book Nepalka Newarharu: Pahichan ra Pristabhumi (नेपालका नेवारहरू: पहिचान र पृष्ठभूमि), mentions a surname called Tharpa (थरपा), possibly linked to regional or military roles. This evolved into Thapa among Newars and merged with the Shrestha community, forming the modern-day Thapa Shrestha. He also suggests that medieval Tharpa may have originated from Khas Thapa Chhetris, who assimilated into Newar culture.

Khambu raises another question: How did Thapa become a surname? He explains that settlements in the valley were built on strategic high ground. Thimi, in particular, was developed with defence in mind. During invasions, Thapa(s) defended the main entrance from higher elevations, leading to the evolution of the name from Thanpan (थांपां) to Thapa.

Even today, Thapa Shrestha(s) who migrated from Thimi to Bahakha Bazaar and Bode continue to worship their ancestral deity at the Digu Bhairav temple in Thimi or at their own home, reaffirming their deep roots in Thimi.

Newa Sanskritik Gyankosh- Newa Mhasika (नेवा सांस्कृतिक ज्ञानकोष- नेवा म्हसिका), published by the Nepal Bhasa Academy, notes that Thaypa (थाय्पा) was once a title given to palace advisors based on seniority. From Thas-Pal (थासपाल) (place-person), it evolved into Thaypal (थाय्पाल), then Thaypa (थाय्पा), and finally Thapa.

These are multiple theories, each offering a different piece of the puzzle. But the core truth remains: Thapa Shrestha is now an integral part of the Newar identity.

So yes, I am Saurav Thapa Shrestha — a Newa by birth, by language, and by heritage — rooted in the soil of Thimi and Bode, shaped by centuries of history, and proud of every syllable in my name.

And if you meet someone like me again, maybe rather than asking me how a Thapa can be a Shrestha. Instead, sit for a cup of tea and ask me where my story begins.

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