The Kirat Khambo Rai of Sikkim, Their Lifestyle and Custom at a Glance H.H. Risley, in his book, “The Gazetteer of Sikkim (1884), while reflecting the total population of Sikkim, mentioned ‘Rai’ , ‘Khambu’ and ‘Jimdar’ as different communities, but in reality, these terms denote a single community, which is now, popularly known as Rai community. Rai is also known as Kirata, Khambu, and Jimdar. The term Kirata has a wider connotation and is also found in Puran, Upadnishad, or the old Vedas. It covers Rai, Limbu, Sunwar, Gurung, Manger, Tamang, and others, but only the Rai community uses this term. As per the census of Sikkim in 1884, the total strength of the Rai community was in third position, but Mr. Risley put it at random owing to the reason mentioned already. The majority of Rai people still reside in many parts of the state. They are mainly concentrated in the South and West Districts of the State. Festival: In this former Himalayan kingdom,...
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