The methods and techniques of population census have come a long way since the establishment of “Chhevarel Adda” which was established during the medieval Malla rule in Kathmandu to conduct census.[break]
And with the foundation of the Central Bureau of Statistics under the National Planning Commission, modern census techniques were developed in Nepal.
Long before all that, the Newar communities of the Kathmandu Valley had their own system of keeping records of their demographic changes. However, the mechanism was more cultural than legal. Though not regarded as a formal census, the Newar communities still practice this traditional method of enumeration.
The old Newar settlements used to dig a hole in the ground at crossroads. The significant ones are seen at Nachhe Galli in Naya Sadak (now known as New Road) and Lukhusi in Patan.
One might easily dismiss them as some random stones worshipped as gods, like many similar stone images in the Kathmandu Valley. However, these are important holes, and are known as “Chhwasha” in the Newar language.
These holes are made offering of a placenta, a pair of cloth items, and some raw bricks. Offerings are also made during a Newar feast, on the occasion of births, deaths, or marriages – important events that take place in the community.
According to the Newari dictionary “Nepal Bhasha Tah Khagwa Dhuku” published by Nepal Bhasha Academy, “Chhwasha” refers to two things. First, it is regarded as a place to dispose of the placenta of a newborn child in a mud basin, and a pair of cloth pieces of a recently deceased person. According to the second meaning, it is also a hole located at crossroads.
And “Chhwasha Ajima” refers to the Goddess Ajima residing in that hole, and “Chhwasha” also refers to the record keeper/s of births and deaths in the community.
Indra Mali, editor of the dictionary and culture expert, says that there are two types of Chhwasha Ajima—Matangi Ajima and Dhumawati Ajima – residing in every Chhwasha.
The two Ajimas differ in the following ways: Matangi is offered leftovers, while Dhumawati is offered a sacred share. However, this difference pointed out by Mali has not yet been properly researched.
“Chhwasha Ajima is an abstract concept with no specific image, but it symbolizes a very powerful goddess in the Newari community,” says Satya Mohan Joshi, a cultural analyst. He adds that new settlements do not have any more of those holes, but they still remain important in various rituals.
Tejeshwar Babu Gongah, another Newar cultural anthropologist, on the other hand, interprets Chhwasha Ajima as a way to recognize the importance of women.
“As women have the power to give birth to a new life, thus, Chhwasha Ajima is informed about the births, deaths, weddings and other events and rituals,” says Gongah.
In a Newar community, apart from disposing of the placenta of a newborn baby in Chhwasha and a pair of a deceased person’s cloths along with three raw bricks to inform about births and deaths in the community, feasts and other important functions are also held in society which need to be kept records of.
The objects thrown in the Chhwasha are cleaned up by a particular caste of people known as Kusle. Since they are also in charge of keeping tabs on the births, deaths and marriages in a certain area, they are known as “twa-jo,” according to Gongah. Literally, “twa-jo” means the “person who holds the town.”
Though the origins of Chhwasha cannot be properly tracked, Gongah believes that it was started to keep records of births and deaths by the community itself.
“At present, our country needs a lot of fund for population census, but the Chhwasha indicates the social responsibility of the citizens before there was any formal official survey,” says Gongah.
The budget of one billion and one hundred and eighty million US dollars allocated to the current population census supports Gongah’s opinion. The participation of community and the spirit of “twa-jo” are always required to help the country in its current transitional phase.
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