The Magar people are one of the indigenous ethnic groups of Nepal. The Magar is a tribe widely distributed in the country with its firm demographic grip over a vast tract of land around Kaligandaki region. Historically the magar are considered to be the settlers of magarat on Kaligandaki and northern region. Now the Magar community is over mid and far west Nepal: Dailekh, Jajarkot, Rukum, Dolpa, Rolpa, Salyan, Puthan, Surkhet, Palpa, Gorkha, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, Syanja, Kaski, Tanahun, Nawalparasi, Myagdi, and Baglung. After the unification of Nepal, the Magar moved to the eastern part of country and today Magar population is also found in several east Nepal's hilly districts such as Sarlahi, Mahottari, Dhanusha, Udaypur, Khotang, Bhojpur, Sankhuwasabha, Dhankuta, Panchthar Terathum, Illam etc.
There are different arguments about the origin of Magar. Some classify them under Indo-Aryan group and other into Tibeto-Burman. Though in terms of religious following and rituals, they have close contact with indo-Aryan group of people, they are linguistically, physically and ethnically related to the Tibeto-Burman. According to John Hitchcock, an anthropologist, some Magars have no such legend regarding their origin.
