Baria Koli

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The Baria Koli, [1] or Baraiya Koli, [2] Bareeya Koli [3] and Bariya Koli [4] is a clan (Gotra) of the Koli caste found in the Indian State of Gujarat [5] and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. [6] the Devgad Baria was their Stronghold or given their name to Baria State in Gujarat. [7] according to the historian Y.V.S Nath, the ruling royal family of Baria State is original Koli by caste but later they claimed to be of Kshatriya origin to be in high status among other Princely States. [8]

Contents

Baria Koli
બારીયા કોલી
Clan (Gotra) of Koli caste
Koli popular in 1931.jpg
Koli population in Gujarat in 1931 including Baria Kolis
Ethnicity Koli people
Location
Varna Warrior
Parent tribe
  • Talapada Koli
  • Chunvalia Koli
  • Ghedia Koli
  • Palia Koli
  • Divecha Koli
Demonym Kolis
Branches
  • Baria Koli
  • Bariya Koli
  • Baraiya Koli
  • Baraia Koli
Language
Religion
Surnames

According to the census records of 1931, there were 1,03,769 Hindu Baria Kolis and 5 Baria Kolis were converted to Jain religion in the Baroda State of Gaekwars. [9]

Tax collection

The Koli Vero was a type of tax collected by Koli chiefs of villages from other caste people for living in Koli village. [10]

System

Here are some important points of Koli vero:, [11]

Origin

The Baria Kolis got their name from the Devgadh Baria of Gujarat which was ruled by them and it was their Stronghold as well as they were lawless and turbulent people. [13]

Piracy

Historically, the Baria Kolis were well known pirates of Gujarat and the Piram island of Gujarat was stronghold of Baria Koli pirates but later they were defeated by Mokhadaji Gohil in 1325. [14]

Rawal Bhavsinhji of Bhavnagar died in 1764, leaving behind him five sons, and the eldest of and these, Akherajji I, succeeded as Ruler of the State. At this juncture the fort of Talaja was in the hands of Baria Koli pirates, a ment lawless band of pirates who infested the western littoral from Cambay to the Indus. Their unjust exactions pressed so heavily upon merchants in that locality that the large trade previously carried on was almost entirely ruined, even British ships falling ment then sent troops, which were assisted by Rawal Akherajji and his army, and it was their combined forces which captured the stronghold of Talaja and defeated the Baria clan of Koli pirates. [15]

History

During the British Raj in Gujarat, The Baria Kolis were holders of Vanta lands (private estates). [16] the Bariya Kolis were formerly known as Bandits because of their anti-social activities but later settled as agriculturist in villages. [4]

Around 1950, Kolis of Baria clan joined the Gujarat Kshatriya Sabha which was started by Koli elite Natwarsinh Solanki for upliftment of Koli society. [17] after joining the Sabha, Baria Kolis were not in conflicts against Rajputs but Kolis of Saurashtra didn't join the Sabha because they thought that 'Patidar wasn't their enemy and they didn't need to be Rajputs to be called as Kshatriya'. [3]

Pre Independence

The Patidars of Central and North Gujarat were agricultural labour on the lands of Koli landlords or Koli chieftains but after Independence of India, Patidars enchraoched the lands of Kolis through land ceiling act of Independent India and reduced the Kolis in social status. [18] after that, Kolis thought that they ruled the area but have no rights, so Kolis often plunders the Patidar villages in midnight in gangs. [19] The Rajputs of Gujarat strongly allied with Kolis because Rajputs also were against Patidars because of their land rights. [20] In central and north Gujarat, the Kolis had several battles with the Patidars on the issue of land tenancy, land rights and use of common village resources. It may be mentioned here that in order to win the elections in 1962 and 1967 the Gujarat Swatantra Party, dominated by the Patidars, won over some of the Koli leaders of the Gujarat Kshatriya Sabha and Sabha was dominated by Kolis of North Gujarat . The Party evolved a strategy referred to by the acronym PKASH; that is the 'party of Patidars and Koli Kshatriyas.' Party nominated a large number of the Kolis as party candidates and also gave them positions within the party organization. But that alliance did not last. The party and the Kshatriya Sabha's Koli leaders could not resolve ground-level conflicts between the Koli peasants and well Patidar peasants. [21] The grievances of Patidar were resolved by Gujarat Kshatriya Sabha by several time meetings but it was not enough because Kolis were double in number of population if Gujarat and Patidars often targeted by influenced Kolis. [22] most of the Patidar's children were engaged in collage study but Kolis not and it was a big beneficial point of Patidars. [23] [24]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baria State</span> Princely state in India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chunvalia Koli</span> Subcaste of Koli caste

The Chunvalia Koli, or Chuvalia Koli, Chunwalia Koli is a subcaste of the Koli caste, found in the Indian state of Gujarat. The Chunvalia Kolis were the first Indian caste to adopt the game of cricket in India. Chunvalia Kolis were classified as a Criminal Tribe under Criminal Tribes Act by government of the British Raj because of their purported anti-social behaviour and activities, such as alleged dacoity in Gujarat. During the First World War, Chunwalia Kolis were enlisted as soldiers in British Indian Army by the Bombay government of British India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talpada Kolis</span> Subcaste of Koli caste of Gujarat

The Talapada Koli, or Talpada Koli, is a subcaste of the Koli caste of Gujarat state in India. Talapada Kolis are agriculturists by profession. they were members of the Gujarat Kshatriya Sabha, an organisation launched by Natwarsinh Solanki who was a Koli elite. In 1907, they were classified by the British as a Criminal Tribe, ascribing to them a range of anti-social activities such as highway robbery, murder, and theft of animals, cattle and standing crops. They were also alleged to be blackmailers and hired assassins.

The Koli is a native caste of India, Pakistan and Nepal. But a largest number of Kolis lives in Gujarat and Kathiawar of Gujarat has always been famous for its Koli Piracy. In times of unsettled British government, the coasts of Kathiawar have swarmed with Koli pirates, who, from the shelter of every creek and headland, took toll on all merchandise Ships that was carried on the Arabian Sea. Along the southern coast the leading pirates were Shial Koli, Baria Kolis, while, in the Gulf of Cutch and near Dwarka and Porbandar, from an early date, Other Kolis made their names a terror to merchants.

The Chauhan Koli is a clan (gotra) of the Koli caste living in the Gujarat and Rajasthan states in India.

The Palia Koli, is a subcaste of the Koli caste found in the Indian state of Eastern Gujarat. Palia Kolis were related to the Rajputs of Gujarat by marrying poor or lower Rajput girls.

References

  1. ↑ Enthoven, Reginald Edward (1990). The Tribes and Castes of Bombay. New Delhi, India: Asian Educational Services. p. 65. ISBN   978-81-206-0630-2.
  2. ↑ Yājñika, Acyuta; Sheth, Suchitra (2005). The Shaping of Modern Gujarat: Plurality, Hindutva, and Beyond. New Delhi, India: Penguin Books India. p. 304. ISBN   978-0-14-400038-8.
  3. 1 2 Dominance and State Power in Modern India: Decline of a Social Order. New Delhi, India: Oxford University Press. 1989. p. 104. ISBN   978-0-19-562098-6.
  4. 1 2 Plunkett, Hugh Sheridan (1972). Leadership and Social Change in a District of Rajasthan, India. New Delhi, India: University of California, Berkeley. p. 191.
  5. ↑ "A community called Koli - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  6. ↑ Gopal, Krishna (2003). Fairs and Festivals of India: Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra. New Delhi, India: Gyan Publishing House. p. 35. ISBN   978-81-212-0811-6.
  7. ↑ Desai, Anjali H. (2007). India Guide Gujarat. New Delhi, India: India Guide Publications. p. 184. ISBN   978-0-9789517-0-2.
  8. ↑ Nath, Y. V. S. (1960). Bhils of Ratanmal: An Analysis of the Social Structure of a Western Indian Community. New Delhi, India: Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. pp. 65: presence in these regions, by explaining that they came in the wake of the founders of the present ruling houses of Bariya State and other estates in the area. The latter however claim to be Rajputs today, though the local traditions give them a Koli extraction." Till recently, most of the thakurdari and ankadi rights in these States were held by Bariya Kolis. Some of them even claim kinship with the Rulers of Baria and the Thakurs of Ratanmal.
  9. ↑ Lobo, Lancy (1995). The Thakors of North Gujarat: A Caste in the Village and the Region. New Delhi, India: Hindustan Publishing Corporation. p. 188. ISBN   978-81-7075-035-2.
  10. ↑ Clark, Alice Whitcomb (1979). Central Gujarat in the Nineteenth Century: The Integration of an Agrarian System. New Delhi, India, Asia: University of Wisconsin--Madison. p. 354.
  11. ↑ Clark 1979, p. 372.
  12. ↑ Clark 1979, p. 72.
  13. ↑ Shah, A. M.; Desai, Ishwarlal Pragji (1988). Division and Hierarchy: An Overview of Caste in Gujarat. New Delhi, India: Hindustan Publishing Corporation. p. 7. ISBN   978-81-7075-008-6.
  14. ↑ Singhji, Virbhadra (1994). The Rajputs of Saurashtra. New Delhi, India: Popular Prakashan. p. 39. ISBN   978-81-7154-546-9.
  15. ↑ Bond, J. W.; Wright, Arnold (2006). Indian States: A Biographical, Historical, and Administrative Survey. New Delhi, India: Asian Educational Services. pp. 371–376. ISBN   978-81-206-1965-4.
  16. ↑ Clark 1979, pp. 354–355.
  17. ↑ Ghosh, Buddhadeb; Kumar, Girish (2003). State Politics and Panchayats in India. New Delhi, India: Manohar Publishers & Distributors. p. 95. ISBN   978-81-7304-487-8.
  18. ↑ Franco, Fernando (2002). Pain and Awakening: The Dynamics of Dalit Identity in Bihar, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. New Delhi, India, Asia: Indian Social Institute. p. 252. ISBN   978-81-87218-46-3.
  19. ↑ Hardiman, David (1981). Peasant Nationalists of Gujarat: Kheda District, 1917-1934. New Delhi, India, Asia: Oxford University Press. p. 45. ISBN   978-0-19-561255-4.
  20. ↑ DA COSTA, DIA (2016). Politicizing Creative Economy: Activism and a Hunger Called Theater. University of Illinois Press. ISBN   978-0-252-04060-3. JSTOR   10.5406/j.ctt1ws7wgk.
  21. ↑ Wood, John R. (2008). "Review of India's 2004 Elections: Grass-Roots and National Perspectives". Pacific Affairs. 81 (1): 138–140. ISSN   0030-851X. JSTOR   40377511.
  22. ↑ Bardhan, Pranab; Brass, Paul R.; Cohen, Stephen P.; Gupta, Jyotirindra Das; Frankel, Francine R.; Hart, Henry C.; Manor, James; Shah, Ghanshyam; Lewis, John P. (1988). India's Democracy: An Analysis of Changing State-Society Relations. Princeton University Press. JSTOR   j.ctt7zv3bg.
  23. ↑ Bhattacharya, Sabyasachi, ed. (2002). Education and the disprivileged: nineteenth and twentieth century India. Hyderabad, India: Orient Longman. ISBN   978-81-250-2192-6.
  24. ↑ Mehta, Haroobhai; Patel, Hasmukh (1985). Dynamics of Reservation Policy. Patriot Publishers. p. 119. ISBN   978-0-8364-1818-7.
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