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CENTRAL PAH (KUMAUN).

　Kumaun is the Aryan language spoken in the sub-Himalayan tract known as Kumaun, which may be taken as including the whole of the Almora District and the northern part of the Naini Tal Dis- trict of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. It is spoken by an estimated number of 436,788 people. To the north are the higher ranges of the Himlaya, inhabited by people speaking Tibeto-Burman languages which are dealt with in Vol. III, Part I, of this Survey. South of the district of Naini Tal lies the native state of Rampur, in the north of which, in the tract known as the Bhbar, or sub-montane forest lowlands, a few speakers of Kumaun (300 in number) are reported to exist. Their speech is locally known as Bhbar, and may be looked upon as an overflow from Naini Tal.

　 In the south-east of the Almora District, there is a peak over 7,000 ft. high named Kndo, the old name of which was Krmchala. Here the god Vishu is said to have resided for three years in his Krma, or Tortoise, incarnation, and whilst there to have been worshipped by Indra, Nrada, and the ishis. The name 'Kumaun' is said to be connected with this word 'Krmchala.' 'Kumaun' is an adjective formed from "Kumaun."

　 The original inhabitants of Kumaun, so far as history takes us, as elsewhere in the sub-Himalayan tract, were the Khaas, and the Khas, or Khasiy tribe still forms an important element of the popu- lation. In Kumaun, most of these are now classed as Brhmas or as Rjpts. As described in the General Introduction to Central Pah, immigrants, not Khaas, have for many centuries been entering this sub-montane tract, Gjars coming from the West, and Rjpts coming from Rajputana (using this word in its widest sense). In Kumaun, the earliest historical, or semi-historical, Rjpt name that we come across is that of Sm Chand, a Chandrabans Rjpt of Kanauj, who immigrated at the head of his followers about the year 950 A.D., and established himself at Champawat. He found the country divided into a number of small pas, in each of which there was a semi-independent ruler. Taking advantage of internal dissensions existing between these, he eventually brought the whole country under his sway. He thus founded the "Chand" dynasty, which ruled Kumaun with varying fortunes till the year 1790 A.D., when it was conquered by the Gorkhs of Nepal. These Gorkhs were themselves of Rjpt origin, and claimed Udaipur as their former home (see p. 17, ante). They held Kumaun till it was taken by the English in the year 1815, as a sequel of the second Nepal war. It will thus be seen that for at least nine centuries Kumaun was under Rjpt rule. During this period there was also continual immigration from Rajputana, which was materially hastened by the pressure of Musalmn conquest in the plains.

　These Rjpt rulers imposed their own language and customs upon the Khaas and Gjars whom they conquered. The Khaas, themselves, claimed to be Rjpts by origin, and intermarriages resulted that further tended to assimilate their tribal customs and language to those of their con- querors. One result of this has been the complete disappearance of the old Khaa

　 This, and what follows, are taken from Vol. II, pp. 497 ff., of Atkinson's Himalayan Gazetteer.