Brahmans are the members of the highest social caste. Two different categories of Brahmans viz. ' Kumai Brahmans' and ' Purbiya Brahmans' are present. They only differ in their derived homeland. The ' Kumai Brahmans' are supposed to have come from the mountainous regions of Kumaon in the northern India west of Nepal. They are mainly confined in the western and central Nepal and the capital city of Kathmandu. The 'Purbiya' Brahmans derive from the eastern part of Nepal and are found scattered across the country with the greater concentration in the eastern part of Nepal and Kathmandu. Brahmans and Chhetris form a major group in Kathmandu and large number of them occupy key posts in the government services and in business.

The Brahmans are priestly caste. The priests in all Hindu temples are exclusively Brahmans.

The Brahmans and Chhetris are orthodox followers of Hinduism and its rites and rituals mentioned in the Vedas, Purans and other scriptures. Their marriages and other rituals are very complex and elaborate. Sometimes the parents hold marriages for their 11 or 12 years old daughters. Though this is punishable by law; one hardly gets persecuted against such crime. Child marriages, however, tend to slow down among the city dwellers and educated families. Inter-caste marriages are looked down upon and cross- cousins marriages are strictly prohibited. The body of deceased is always cremated. Women never attend the cremation. The pyre is lit by the son of the deceased. It is believed that 'doing so' will set the soul in eternal peace after the death.

CHHETRIS AND THAKURIS
In the caste hierarchy, the Chhetris and Thakuris come second to Brahmans. They are rulers, leaders and warriors. The Brahmans are their teachers and family priests. Like Brahmans, they are orthodox Hindus. They are believed to derive from the northern part of India mainly from Rajasthan . They could have migrated to Nepal in the 12th and 13th centuries.

In Nepal , Chhetris and Thakuris are among the most influential and well - to - do social classes. They are mostly in the government services, in high ranked positions in the army and the police. Some of them have remained farmers and are relatively poor and live like any other ethnic group.

The Thakuris resemble the Chhetris in most of the cultural aspects and social status. The cross- cousins marriages are forbidden among the Chhetris. The Thakuris , however, commonly practise it among themselves