Deha

Last updated

The Deha, sometimes pronounced as Dahiya, Dhaya, Dhea, Daiya and Dheya are a caste found in India, and have other backward caste status in Haryana. They forms the largest jat community in Haryana. [1]

Contents

Origin

According to some traditions, the community are a branch of the Balmiki community. Community myths refer to their descent from two brothers, Chhaju and Raju. Chhaju's daughter took to scavenging, and as such was ostracised. Over time her descendants came to form a distinct community. Other traditions make references to the fact the community emigrated from Sargodha in what is now Pakistan. The Deha speak their own dialect, although most also speak Haryanvi. [2]

Present circumstances

The Deha were traditionally a nomadic community, that have only recently settled down. Many are now found in encampments at the outskirts of towns and villages. They are strictly endogamous community, and consists of a number of exogamous clans. Their main clans are the Kalyana, Kandara, Sarsar, Jhung, Thual, Chanal, and Ghussar. [3]

A majority of the Deha are now day labourers, with many working in the construction industry. A small number have been given land as part of government schemes to settle the community. But these plots are extremely small, and most supplement their income by working as agricultural labourers. Most live in multi-caste villages, often working for Jat or Brahmin patrons. They are an extremely marginalized community, suffering from severe poverty. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Bangali may refer to a Scheduled Caste found in northern India. They are distinct from the Bengali ethnic group of West Bengal. The Bangali are one of the many nomadic groupings found in India, and have customs similar to other nomadic communities such as the Kanjar.

Bazigar, or Goaars, are an ethnic group of north-western India. They are primarily found in Punjab and in Pakistan's Punjab, but there are also communities in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Rajasthan. They were previously nomadic with their main occupation the performance of acrobatics and other forms of entertainment, but they are now settled and engaged mainly in agricultural and similar forms of labour.

Nomads are known as a group of communities who travel from place to place for their livelihood. Some are salt traders, fortune-tellers, conjurers, ayurvedic healers, jugglers, acrobats, actors, story tellers, snake charmers, animal doctors, tattooists, grindstone makers, or basketmakers. Some anthropologists have identified about 8 nomadic groups in India, numbering perhaps 1 million people—around 1.2 percent of the country's billion-plus population. Aparna Rao and Michael Casimir estimated that nomads make up around 7% of the population of India.

Sunar is a Hindu caste in India referring to the community of people who work as goldsmiths. The community is primarily Hindu, and found usually in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat and other Northern States. in nepal sunar is also use soni as a caste.

The Muslim Teli are members of the Teli caste who follow Sunni Islam. They are found in India and Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sapera (Hindu)</span>

The Sapera are a Hindu caste found in North India. They are also known as Barwa Sampheriya in West Bengal, Sapela in Punjab and Sparera in Madhya Pradesh.

The Nat are a sunni Muslim community found in North India. A few are also found in the Terai region of Nepal. They are Muslim converts from the Hindu Nat caste.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nat (caste)</span> Hindu Social group in India

The Nat are a Hindu caste found in northern India.

The Rai, or sometimes pronounced as Rain, Raeen or Rayeen is a Hindu caste found in the state of Haryana and Punjab in India. They are also known as Chaudhary, Rao, Rai and Rana.

The Perna are a Hindu caste found mainly in the state of Haryana in India.

The Bharbhunja/ Bhurji/ Bhojwal/ bhujwa are a largely Hindu caste found in North India and Maharashtra. They are also known as Kalenra in Maharashtra, Mehra in Punjab and in Uttar Pradesh. A small number are also found in the Terai region of Nepal.

Lakhera are a community native to Hindi Belt.

The Sirkiband are a Hindu caste found in the states of Haryana and Punjab in India. They have scheduled caste status in Haryana. A small number in Punjab are now Sikh.

The Singikat are a Hindu caste found in the state of Haryana, India. They are known as Gyarah.

The Gandhila sometimes pronounced as Gandhil and Gandola, are a Hindu caste found in North India. They have scheduled caste status in Punjab and Haryana.

The Kuchband are a Hindu caste found in the state of Haryana in India. They are also known as Gihara. The name Kuchband is derived from the Hindi word kuch, meaning a weavers brush, on account of their traditional occupation of manufacturing kuches. According to their traditions, the community emigrated from Rajasthan some three centuries ago. They are now found throughout Haryana, and speak Haryanvi. According to other traditions, the Kuchband are a sub-group of the Singikat community. Like other Hindu artisan castes, they no longer practice their traditional craft. Most Kuchband are now landless agricultural labourers.

The Heri are a Hindu caste found in the states of Haryana and Punjab in India.

The Ghasiara are a Khatri Hindu caste found in the states of Punjab and Haryana in India. They are also known as Ghasi and Lodha.

The Rai Sikh is a Sikh community mainly found in the states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Delhi and Punjab in India. They practice clan exogamy despite being endogamous.

The Chirimar are a Hindu caste found in the state of Haryana in India. They are also known as Baheliya.

References

  1. ↑ People of India Hayana Volume XXIII edited by M.L Sharma and A.K Bhatia pages 137 to 141 Manohar
  2. ↑ People of India Hayana Volume XXIII edited by M.L Sharma and A.K Bhatia pages 137 to 141 Manohar
  3. ↑ People of India Hayana Volume XXIII edited by M.L Sharma and A.K Bhatia pages 137 to 141 Manohar
  4. ↑ People of India Hayana Volume XXIII edited by M.L Sharma and A.K Bhatia pages 137 to 141 Manohar
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.