Gopal (Gauda) | |
---|---|
Classification | Ahir (Yadav) |
Religions | Hinduism |
Languages | Odia |
Populated states | Odisha |
Population | 431,474 (1901 census) [1] 890,702 (1931 census) [2] |
Subdivisions | Mathurapuria Gopapuria Magadhaa |
Related groups | Ahir, Sadgope |
Gopal or Gauda is an Indian caste, [3] [4] [5] from Odisha State in East India. Their traditional occupations include dairy farming, cattle herding, cultivation and carrying palanquins of deities. [6] [7] They also worked as Paikas (soldiers) under the kings. [8] [9] Gopal is the name of the milkmen or herdsmen caste in Odisha, which is known by other names (such as Ahir, Yadav, Goala etc.) in various parts of India. [10] [11]
According to 1931 census of India, they are second largest caste by numbers and comprise around 9% of Odisha's population. [12]
The word Gopal derived from vedic "Gopala", which "Go" refers to cow and "Pala" refers to protector or herder. Hence "Gopala" literally means "cow herder" [13] [14]
The Gopalas (Gaudas) like all Yadavs claim that they are descendants from Krishna of the ancient Yadava clan after the Sanskritisation process by Arya Samaj in 1930. [6] [15] In the Mahasabha held in 1930, Dairy faming castes such as Ahirs, Gaudas, Gopalas etc were advised to Identify themselves as "Son of Krishna" and hence they can identify themselves as martial caste. [16]
Since 1930 during the Sanskritisation of castes in India, The Gopalas started to be incorporated into a newly established Yadav Kshatriya community, along with Ahir, Gops, Goalas, and Sadgops. [17]
The Gopalas (Gaudas) are three types:- Mathurapuria, Gopapuria and Magadhaa, [18] where Mathurapurias and Gopapurias are superior to Magadha classes. [19] Which symbolically refer to their ancestral land of Mathura and Gokul (Gopa) of Uttar Pradesh and Magadha of Bihar. [20] While the Magadha Gauda are inhabitants of Singhbhum and western Mayurbhanj, they possibly represent an accretion of some aboriginal tribes. [21] [22] There are minor differences among them, some area of odisha the Gopalas are also known as their other names including: Mahakud, Sholakhandia, Sadgope and Gopal Baishnab [23] [24] [25] among them.
The Gopalas uses surnames like Behera, Das, Palei, Palai, Pandab, Yadav, Hati, Kabi, Bhutia, Mahakul, Mahakhud, Mohapatra, Sasmal, Rout, Parida, Barik , Podh, Jal, Bhujabal, [33] Khilar, Singh, Routray, Samantray, Pratihari, [34] [35] [36] Chaudhuri, Mandei, Senapati, Dalua, Apata, Nayak [37] Bagarti, Pradhan, Khuntia, Bag/Bagh, Hansha, Dalchhatra, Kharsel, Karuan, Nag and Shandh, Banchhor among others. [38]
Gopalas are followers of Vaishnavism. [39] Among them Gopapurias and Sadgops are the relics of Bala Gopala cult. [40] They are one of a caste of Panikhia Jati group of Odisha. [41] They assist Brahmins on ritual occasion and also serve as priests in some temples. [42] [43] [44] They are included in the SEBC/OBC list of the state. [45] [46]
Dola Purnima, also popularly known as Dolo Jatra, Doul Utsav or Deul, is a Hindu swing festival celebrated during the Holi festival of Braj region, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Odisha, Assam, Tripura and Bengal region. This festival is dedicated to the divine couple of Radha and Krishna. It is usually celebrated on the full moon night or fifteenth day of the Falgun month mainly by Gopal community.
Ahir or Aheer are a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most members of which identify as being of the Indian Yadav community because they consider the two terms to be synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a caste, a clan, a community, a race and a tribe.
The Odia (ଓଡ଼ିଆ), formerly spelled Oriya, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group native to the Indian state of Odisha who speak the Odia language. They constitute a majority in the eastern coastal state, with significant minority populations existing in the neighboring states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Yadav, Jadam, or Jadav refers to a grouping of traditionally non-elite, peasant-pastoral communities or castes in India that since the 19th and 20th centuries have claimed descent from the mythological king Yadu as a part of a movement of social and political resurgence. The term Yadav now covers many traditional peasant-pastoral castes such as Ahirs of the Hindi belt and the Gavli of Maharashtra.
Dumal, also called as Dumala, is a community found mostly in western Odisha, India.
Sadgop, also spelled as Sadgope, is a Bengali Hindu Yadav (Gopa) caste. Traditionally they are engaged in dairy-farming and cultivation. However, historically the Sadgop kings had ruled some parts of Rarh region in western Bengal such as Gopbhum, Narajole, Narayangarh and Balarampur. As of late nineteenth century they were one of the fourteen castes belonging to 'Nabasakh' group. As per census report of 1931, Sadgops predominantly lived in the Western Bengal districts of Midnapore, Burdwan and Birbhum.
The Ahirs(Sanskrit: Abhira) are a Hindu caste of Northern India. The Ahir clans are spread almost all over country. They are a tribe of Yadubansi stock. There are three main divisions among Ahirs: Jadubans, Nandbans and Gwalbans. All Ahirs, no matter where they reside, were originally of the same ethnic stock; and it is probable that they were originally a tribe of pastorals, probably Scythian, who entered India, via Persia and Baluchistan.
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The Kamar or Kamara is an Indian caste found in the Odisha states of India. They are similar to Karmakar caste of Bengal. Historically, they were blacksmiths by profession, commonly forging agricultural equipments like: sickles, axes, spades, crowbars etc. As per Mayurbhanj state 1931 census and Mayurbhanj district Gazetteers 1961, the Kamar are recorded as;
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