The Gadaria or Gadariya (also known as Baghel, Pal, Baghela,Dhangar, Gadri,[1] Gayri,[1] or Gaari[2]) is a herding caste that was traditionally involved professionally in livestock breeding, especially sheep.[3] They are primarily found in Uttar Pradesh and in some parts of Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.[4] In Gujarat, they are called Bharwad.[5]

Etymology

The word Gadaria is derived from the old Hindi word Gadar, which means sheep.[6]

History

In the early 1910s, an educated class of Gadarias formed All India Pal Kshatriya Mahasabha. There were debates within the community whether to add Kshatriya suffix to the community name. In the 1930s, they started referring to themselves as "Pali Rajput", a synonym of Pal Kshatriya.[7] They started caste magazines like "Pal Kshatriya Samachar" and "Shepherd Times". Later the community went through the process of de-sanskritisation and dropped the suffix Kshatriya. Among the reasons cited for de-sanskritization were losing autonomy of their caste identity and avoiding being submerged into the identity of high castes.[8]

Sub-castes and clans

There are two major subdivisions amongst Gadarias, namely Dhangar and Nikhar. They share the same gotras. Chauhan, Parihar, Sisodiya, Shirashwar, Chandel, Mohania,Kula etc. are some of the gotras amongst them.[9]

Classification

In Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi they are classified as Other Backward Class in the Indian System of Reservation.[10][11][12][13][14]

Religion

They practice Hinduism, worship family deities and various other deities including Ram, Krishna, Shiva, Vishnu, Hanuman, Kali, Chandi and Lakshmi. Some of them wear sacred thread. Majority of them are vegetarians.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 Census of India, 1921: Rajputana and Ajmer-Merwara, Part III Administrative Volume. 1921. p. Appendix L, pg xxi.
  2. ↑ Mehta, S. C.; Vij, P. K.; Nivsarkar, A. E.; Sahai, R. (1995). "Sheep husbandry practices in Sonadi and Malpura breeding tract". Indian Journal of Small Ruminants. 1: 1–7.
  3. ↑ Sharma, V.P.; Köhler-Rollefson, I (2003). Pastoralism in India: A scoping study. Ahmedabad: Centre for Management in Agriculture, IIM (Indian Institute of Management). S2CID 67805358.
  4. ↑ Shashi (2011), p. 29-30.
  5. ↑ Hebbar, Nistula (4 December 2017). "OBCs to play kingmaker in battle for Gujarat". Extrapolating on the 1931 Census, the OBCs, excluding Muslim OBCs, comprise 35.6% of the total population, with the Koli-Thakore block the largest, followed by artisan castes at 6.1%; Bharwad (Gadaria) at 2%; and other middle castes at 3.3%.
  6. ↑ Ghurye, G.S. (2008). Caste and race in India (5th ed.). Bombay: Popular Prakashan. p. 32. ISBN 9788171542055. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  7. ↑ Singh (2020), p. Caste organisations in the pre-Independence period/Sanskritization phase (Roughly the 1920s-1950s).
  8. ↑ Singh (2020), p. Phase II (1956 onwards): De-sanskritization towards an alternative culture.
  9. ↑ Shashi (2011), p. 29.
  10. ↑ Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Madhya Pradesh (Report). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
  11. ↑ Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Chattisgarh (Report). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
  12. ↑ Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Uttar Pradesh (Report). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
  13. ↑ Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Uttarakhand (Report). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
  14. ↑ Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Delhi (Report). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
  15. ↑ Shashi (2011), p. 32.

Bibliography

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