traditionally, the khas people were divided into "khas brahmins" (also called bahuns in nepal) and "khas rajputs" (also called chhetris in nepal). in garhwal regions of uttarakhand in india, the khas brahmins and khas rajputs had a lower social status than the other brahmins and rajputs. however, in present-day western nepal, and in uttarakhand they had the same status as the other brahmins and rajputs, possibly as a result of their political power in the khasa malla kingdom.