खस | |
|---|---|
 Khas man from Nepal wearing daura with a tucked khukuri, c. 1868 | |
| Total population | |
| 15.3+ million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Nepal | 15,300,000+ (2021 census) |
| India | Unrecorded (significant minority) |
| Bhutan | Unrecorded (significant minority) |
| Languages | |
| Northern Indo-Aryan languages | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
The Khas people (Nepali: खस जाति) are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group native to the Himalayan region of South Asia. They are predominantly concentrated in Nepal, with significant minority populations in the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, West Bengal, and Assam. They are the native speakers of Khas Kura ("Khas speech"), which evolved into the modern Nepali language.
Due to their geographic distribution across the lower Himalayas, they are also commonly referred to as Parbatiya or Pahadi. Modern Khas society encompasses several traditional subgroups, including Bahun, Chhetri, Thakuri, Sanyasi, and Dalit communities such as Kami, Damai, Sarki, Gaine, Badi, etc.
Under the Constitution of Nepal, citizens belonging to the Bahun (Hill Brahmin), Chhetri, Thakuri, and Sanyasi (Dasnami) communities are legally categorized as "Khas-Aryas" for electoral and representational purposes.
