Everything about Bhutan Lhotshampa totally explained
Lhotshampa, or
Lhotsampa, means
southerners in
Dzongkha, the national language of
Bhutan, and refers to the
Nepali settlers who reside primarily in the southwest of the country.
The Lhotshampa, who mainly came from
Nepal, are generally classified as
Hindus. However, this is an oversimplification as many groups that including the
Tamang and the
Gurung are largely
Buddhist; the
Kiranti groups that include the
Rai and
Limbu are largely
animist followers of
Mundum (these later groups are mainly found in eastern Bhutan). Whether they're Hindu or
Tibetan Buddhist, most of them abstain from beef, notably those belonging to the orthodox classes who are
vegetarians. Their main festivals include
Tihar, a festival superficially similar to the Indian
Diwali.
The oversimplification also carries over into when they immigrated into Bhutan. The government had accepted all those settlers of Nepalese origin who were there prior to 1958. However, settlers continued to enter Bhutan with a spurt from the 1960s when Bhutan's first modern 5-year plan began. These numbers swelled significantly and later led to a crackdown by the government.
In the late 1980s, over 100,000 Lhotshampa were forced out of
Bhutan, accused by the government of being illegal aliens. Because of this, many of them have either returned to
Nepal, integrating into society, living in one of Nepal's seven refugee camps, or are working in India. According to US State Department estimates, about 28% of the population of Bhutan is Lhotshampa if the displaced refugees are counted as citizens.
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