The Legend of Yellung Hang.

Still existent in Kathmandu, there is a terra cotta figure of Yellung Hang, circa 3rd Century B.C. Uninformed sources would readily comment that the statue of Yellung Hang is in unfinished form, that is to say, its lower limbs have not been sculpted out.

The legend of Yellung Hang, according to Kirati Folklore goes like this:

Yellung Hang as has been alluded earlier, enjoyed a divine nature and would often walk in and out of Paru, at will. He was welcome in Paru and often times known to have been seen walking with Paru Hang around countryside. Yellung Hang was a good King, he was a benevolent man and would approach Paru Hang with problems of his people, the Kiratis, which he found to be too complicated to resolve himself. And, the Kiratis loved him.

The Kiratis were very fond of their King, Yellung Hang.

According to Kirati folklore, one day the Pancha-Kirat decided to install a statue of Yellung Hang so that they may never be left without their Hang. Although his absence from Kathmandu during his journeys to Paru was never unduly long, they feared their King may one day decide not to return to the mortal world at all. That is the reason the sculptor is known to have left the feet of the statue incomplete to prevent him from walking away from their midst.

Here we come.....

A great deal of intellectualization of the word "Kirati" or "Kiranti" is taking place, both inside and outside the country, clearly not with the intention of simple identification of the people rather than to create disinformation on the subject. It becomes evident when we scrutinize the process that greater emphasis has been placed upon the etymology of the word than on the identification of the people. Creation of this confusion has been possible by the simple fact that all authors of this anomaly are non-Kirati writers.

So, let a Kitai begin writing the accounts of Kiratis of Nepal.

The study of the Kiratis must begin by identifying ourselves as distinctly Mongolian people in contrast to the brahminic elements who belong to Indo-Saracenic race.

As a race, we the Kiratis, as are all Mongolians, fall outside the purview of the brahminic caste system and the Kiratis are not obligated to recognise the brahminic prejudices and may not employ a brahmin to conduct our religious ceremonies.

Although the term Kirati is employed to mean the Rais (or Khambus or Zimdars), Limbus (or Subbas or Yakthumbas), Yak-khas (or Dewans), Sunwars or Sunuwars and Lepchas (or Lapches or Rong-Pas); all inhabitants of Eastern Nepal. However, a careful scrutiny of the term Kirati encourages us to include the entire Mongolian population of Nepal less the brahminic elements.

It is emphasised here that outside Nepal, several tribal peoples residing in areas eastward of the country also traditionally address themselves as Kiratis; tribes which include the Koches, Meches, Bodos and Kacharis of Assam (India) who bear not only distinctive Mongolian features but share several common pre-brahminic vocabulary with the Kiratis of Nepal.