Total population | |
---|---|
c. 1.9 million (2011, census) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
India | |
West Bengal | 1,228,635 [1] |
Odisha | 523,127 [2] |
Jharkhand | 186,356 [3] |
Bihar | 2,233 [4] |
Languages | |
Regional languages (Bengali, Odia) | |
Religion | |
Hinduism |
Bauri is a community of indigenous people primarily residing in Bengal & Odisha and considered as one of the Scheduled Castes of India. [5] [6] The Bauris belong to the Bhil tribe. [7] [ better source needed ] They are usually involved in activities like farming. The Bauris of Purbo Tila Moulvibazar in Bangladesh are usually involved in medicinal practices . The prime festivals they celebrate are known as Mansa Puja, Durga Puja and Kali Puja.
Bauris numbered 1,091,022 in the 2001 census in the state of West Bengal. 37.5 per cent of the Bauris were literate - 51.8 per cent males and 22.7 per cent females were literate. Only 4.7 per cent of the Bauris were matriculates or completed schooling. [8]
They are primarily residing in Bengal found in large numbers in Bankura, Birbhum, Purulia and other districts in Indian state of West Bengal, Assam, Tripura and Orissa. [9] The village of Purbo Tila in Chatlapur Tea Garden, Kulaura and Dakchara Tea Garden, Srimangal, Moulvibazar District are also home to Bauri communities in Bangladesh.[ citation needed ] They are also found in many villages like Chhatna and Beliatore.
Bauris are divided into the following subcastes: Mallabhumia, Sikharia or Gobaria, Panchakoti, Mola or Mulo, Dhalia or Dhulo, Malua, Jhatia or Jhetia, and Pathuria. Some of these subcastes appear to be territorial subdivisions. Mallabhumia, Malua and perhaps also Mola, were residents of Mallabhum, the central and eastern parts of Bankura district. Sikharia were Bauris who hailed from Shikharbhum, the tract between the Kasai and Barakar rivers. The Dhulia subcaste is supposed to be from Dhalbhum, which is the area in Khatra subdivision. Panchakoti refers to the central area of Panchet estate now in Purulia district.[ citation needed ]
Traces of totemism still survive in their reverence for the red-backed heron. The heron is looked upon as the emblem of the community. [10]
The Bauri caste is categorized as a Scheduled Caste in West Bengal, [6] Odisha, Jharkhand, and Bihar, while in Assam, they are recognized as an Ex Tea garden community and the Bauri of Assam and Tripura placed within the Other Backward Classes. [11] [12] [13]
East Singhbhum is one of the 24 districts of Jharkhand, India. It was created on 16 January 1990. More than 50% of the district is covered by dense forests and mountains, where wild animals once roamed freely. It is known for being a centre of industry since Jamshedpur, the most populous city in Jharkhand, is located here.
Seraikela Kharsawan district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state in eastern India. Seraikela town is the district headquarters of Saraikela Kharsawan district. The district is well known for Seraikela Chhau, one of the three distinctive styles of the chhau dance. This district was carved out from West Singhbhum district in 2001. The district was formed from the princely states of Seraikela and Kharaswan, after the independence of India.
The Kharia are an Austroasiatic tribal ethnic group from east-central India. They originally speak the Kharia language, which belong to Austroasiatic languages. They are sub-divided into three groups known as the Hill Kharia, Delki Kharia and the Dudh Kharia. Amongst them, the Dudh Kharia is the most educated community.
Purulia district is one of the twenty-three districts of West Bengal state in Eastern India. Purulia is the administrative headquarters of the district. Some of the other important towns of Purulia district are Raghunathpur-Adra, Manbazar,Jhalda, Anara and Balarampur.
Bishnupur is a city and a municipality and in the district of Bankura in the state of West Bengal, India. It is famous for its terracotta temples built by the Malla rulers, historic Radha Krishna temples built during 1600–1800 CE and the Baluchari sarees. Since 1997, the temples of Bishnupur is on the UNESCO World Heritage Site's Tentative list.
Tanti is a Hindu surname of weaving and cloth merchant community in India. The greatest concentration is believed to be in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura and Odisha. Tanti is a Hindu surname used only by the weaving and cloth trading communities across India.
Bandwan is a census town in the Bandwan CD block in the Manbazar subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Chik Baraik or Baraik are a tribal community originally from the Chota Nagpur plateau and neighbouring states of Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.
Sarenga is a community development block that forms an administrative division in the Khatra subdivision of the Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Bhumij is a Munda ethnic group of India. They primarily live in the Indian states of West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Jharkhand, mostly in the old Singhbhum district and also in states like Bihar and Assam. There is also a sizeable population found in Bangladesh. Bhumijas speak the Bhumij language, an Austroasiatic language, and use Ol Onal script for writing.
Kurmali or Kudmali is an Indo-Aryan language classified as belonging to the Bihari group of languages spoken in eastern India. As a trade dialect, it is also known as Panchpargania, for the "five parganas" of the region it covers in Jharkhand. Kurmali language is spoken by around 550,000 people mainly in fringe regions of Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal, also a sizeable population speak Kurmali in Assam tea valleys. Kurmali is one of the demanded languages for enlisting in Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India.
The Bhuiyan or Bhuiya are an indigenous community found in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. They are not only geographically disparate but also have many cultural variations and subgroups.
Khatra is a community development block that forms an administrative division in the Khatra subdivision of the Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Kenda is a village, with a police station, in the Manbazar I CD block in the Manbazar subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Boro is a village, with a police station, in the Manbazar II CD block in the Manbazar subdivision of Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Bargoria is a village in the Manbazar II CD block in the Manbazar subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Susunia is a village in the Manbazar II CD block in the Manbazar subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Kuruktopa is a village in the Puncha CD block in the Manbazar subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Pakbirra is a village in the Puncha CD block in the Manbazar subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Rajwars or Rajuar is a shifting cultivation community. The people of this community mainly live in Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal. In Odisha, they are recognized as a Scheduled Tribe, while in Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, they are classified as Scheduled Caste. In other states, the community is considered part of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) or general population.