जाटव | |
---|---|
Languages | |
Hindi, Awadhi, Rajasthani, Haryanvi | |
Religion | |
Hinduism [1] (majority) [2] and Buddhism & Ravidassia Panth (minority) |
Jatav, also known as Jatava/Jatan/ Jatua/Jhusia /Jatia/Jatiya, is an Indian Dalit community that are considered to be a subcaste of the Chamar caste, who are classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's system of positive discrimination.
According to the 2011 Census of India, the Jatav community of Uttar Pradesh comprised 54% of that state's total 22,496,047 Scheduled Caste population. [3]
Some Jatav authors have disputed being Scheduled. In the 1920s, Jatavs claimed to be survivors of the ancient war between Parashuram, the legend of the Brahmins, and Kshatriyas, forced into hiding. Their proof of ancestry is a series of correspondences or status similarities between Jatav and other Kshatriya clans. According to Owen Lynch, "These included identical gotras, and such Kshatriya-like ceremonies as shooting a cannon at weddings and the use of the bow and arrow at the birth saṃskāra". [4] [5]
According to M. P. S. Chandel
Jatavs pressed hard for their (Kshatriya) claim. But as is said many times earlier that in the caste federal system of India, changes seldom occur and in case of scheduled castes as also established by M. N. Shrinivas there are no chances at all. So the caste of Jatavs went to a predestined end. It is unfortunate that such a powerful effort (Lynch 1969) could result in nothing but the result in other fields were rewarding and exemplary. Jatav elites using cultural sentiments and striking the chord of psyche succeeded in pursuing several strategies in getting political successes. [6]
In the early part of the 20th century, the Jatavs attempted the process of sanskritisation, claiming themselves to be historical of the Kshatriya varna. They gained political expertise by forming associations and by developing a literate cadre of leaders, and they tried to change their position in the caste system through the emulation of upper-caste behavior. As a part of this process, they also claimed not to be Chamars and petitioned the government of the British Raj to be officially classified differently: disassociating themselves from the Chamar community would they felt, enhance their acceptance as Kshatriya. These claims were not accepted by other castes and, although the government was amenable, no official reclassification as a separate community occurred due to the onset of World War II. [4] An organisation of young Jatavs, called the Jatav Vir, was formed in Agra in 1917, and a Jatav Pracharak Sangh was organised in 1924. They joined with local Banias to establish a front and thus one of them won the seat of the mayor in Agra, and another became a member of the Legislative Council. [6]
Under the leadership of Jatav Mahasabha in the 1931 census, he took an aggressive stand for his demand to include Jatavs in the Kshatriya class and to rename them as 'Jatav' from Chanwar Chamar. They were successful and in the new census of India the Tanners were called 'Jatav'.
Earlier pressing for the Kshatriya status, the new issues emerged among Jatavs in 1944–45. The Jatavs formed the Scheduled Caste Federation of Agra having ties with the Ambedkar-led All India Scheduled Caste Federation. They started recognizing themselves as Scheduled Caste and hence "Dalit". [7] This acceptance is attributed to the protections available to the scheduled castes. [6]
According to Owen Lynch:
The change is due to the fact that Sanskritisation is no longer as effective a means as is political participation for achieving a change in the style of life and a rise in the Indian social system, now composed of both caste and class elements. [7]
Most of the Jatavs belongs to the Hindu Religion. Some Jatavs also became Buddhists in 1956, after B. R. Ambedkar converted him to Buddhism. On September 5, 1990, around a thousand members of the Jatav community from village Jaunpur near Agra converted to Sikhism in a protest against the upper caste people who halted the marriage procession taken out by Jatav Chamar Community [8] .
Along with the mainstream religious identity, the Jatav community follows Guru Ravidas as well and gathered in tens of thousands as protestors in Delhi against the demolition of Ravidas Temple [9] .
Jatavs are often combined with Chamar, Ahirwar, Ravidassia and other subcastes and are given Scheduled Caste in major North Indian states under India's positive reservation system. [10]
As of the 2011 Census, there were 22,496,047 Jatav/Chamars in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, of whom 22,371,352 declared themselves as Hindu, 113,765 declared themselves as Buddhist, and 10,930 declared themselves as Sikh. According to this census, Jatavs make 11.25% of the State's population [11] .
Districts | 2011 India census | |
---|---|---|
Jatav, Chamar, Jhusia, Dhusia Caste Population | % | |
Agra | 698,052 | 15.8% |
Aligarh | 448,957 | 12.22% |
Ambedkar Nagar | 476,378 | 19.87% |
Amroha | 272,548 | 14.81% |
Ayodhya | 82,033 | 3.32% |
Auraiya | 252,284 | 18.29% |
Azamgarh | 918,153 | 19.9% |
Bagpat | 101,703 | 7.81% |
Bahraich | 209,787 | 6.01% |
Ballia | 312,313 | 9.64% |
Balrampur | 36,929 | 1.72% |
Banda | 260,450 | 14.47% |
Barabanki | 253,468 | 7.77% |
Bareilly | 285,956 | 6.43% |
Basti | 390,962 | 15.86% |
Bijnor | 664,676 | 18.05% |
Budaun | 395,763 | 12.65% |
Bulandshahr | 543,381 | 15.53% |
Chandauli | 326,088 | 16.7% |
Chitrakoot | 151,148 | 15.24% |
Deoria | 310,322 | 10.01% |
Etah | 158,640 | 8.94% |
Etawah | 230,849 | 14.59% |
Farrukhabad | 150,180 | 7.97% |
Fatehpur | 234,667 | 8.91% |
Firozabad | 274,968 | 11.01% |
Gautam Buddha Nagar | 140,049 | 8.5% |
Ghaziabad | 552,299 | 16.52% |
Ghazipur | 551,443 | 15.23% |
Gonda | 80,635 | 2.35% |
Gorakhpur | 551,785 | 12.43% |
Hamirpur | 132,171 | 11.97% |
Hardoi | 568,601 | 13.89% |
Hathras | 256,879 | 16.42% |
Jalaun | 274,763 | 16.26% |
Jaunpur | 682,060 | 15.18% |
Jhansi | 296,345 | 14.83% |
Kannauj | 169,938 | 10.26% |
Kanpur Dehat | 263,541 | 14.67% |
Kanpur Nagar | 338,979 | 7.4% |
Kasganj | 163,835 | 11.4% |
Kaushambi | 105,054 | 6.57% |
Kushinagar | 313,738 | 7.8% |
Lakhimpur Kheri | 427,978 | 12.01% |
Lalitpur | 168,109 | 13.76% |
Lucknow | 281,541 | 6.13% |
Maharajganj | 289,658 | 10.79% |
Mahoba | 142,036 | 16.21% |
Mainpuri | 173,017 | 9.26% |
Mathura | 363,698 | 14.28% |
Mau | 366,689 | 16.62% |
Meerut | 468,170 | 13.6% |
Mirzapur | 318,382 | 12.75% |
Moradabad | 567,243 | 18.14% |
Muzaffarnagar | 419,594 | 14.62% |
Pilibhit | 119,926 | 5.9% |
Pratapgarh | 249,075 | 7.76% |
Prayagraj | 442,938 | 7.44% |
Rae Bareli | 253,489 | 8.73% |
Rampur | 205,052 | 8.78% |
Saharanpur | 640,625 | 18.48% |
Sant Kabir Nagar | 249,254 | 11.33% |
Sant Ravidas Nagar | 212,174 | 12.37% |
Shahjahanpur | 229,487 | 7.63% |
Shravasti | 41,129 | 3.68% |
Siddharthnagar | 271,095 | 10.59% |
Sitapur | 525,845 | 11.73% |
Sonbhadra | 217,580 | 11.68% |
Sultanpur | 319,156 | 14.19% |
Unnao | 325,301 | 10.47% |
Varanasi | 325,036 | 8.84% |
Chamar is a community classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's system of affirmative action that originated from the group of trade persons who were involved in leather tanning and shoemaking. They are found throughout the Indian subcontinent, mainly in the northern states of India and in Pakistan and Nepal.
Chuhra, also known as Bhanghi and Balmiki, is a Dalit caste in India and Pakistan. Populated regions include the Punjab region of India and Pakistan, as well as Uttar Pradesh in India, among other parts of the Indian subcontinent such as southern India. Their traditional occupation is sweeping, a "polluting" occupation that caused them to be considered untouchables in the caste system.
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.
Ravidassia or the Ravidas Panth is a religion based on the teachings of Guru Ravidas. It was considered a sect within Sikhism until 2009. However, some Ravidassias continue to maintain Sikh religious practices, including the reverence of the Guru Granth Sahib as their focal religious text, wearing Sikh articles of faith (5Ks), and appending Singh or Kaur to their names.
The Mallaah are the traditional boatmen and fishermen tribes or communities found in North India, East India, Northeastern India and Pakistan. A significant number of Mallaah are also found in Nepal and Bangladesh. In the Indian state of Bihar, the term Nishad includes the Mallaah and refers to communities whose traditional occupation centred on rivers. It is also spelled Mallah.
The Ramdasia were historically a Sikh, Hindu sub-group that originated from the caste of leather tanners and shoemakers known as Chamar.
Ravidas or Raidas (1267–1335) was an Indian mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement during the 15th to 16th century CE. Venerated as a guru in the modern regions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana, he was a poet, social reformer and spiritual figure.
Kushwaha is a community of the Indo-Gangetic Plain that has traditionally been involved in agriculture, including beekeeping. The term has been used to represent different sub-castes of the Kachhis, Kachhvahas, Koeris and Muraos. The Kushwaha had worshipped Shiva and Shakta, but beginning in the 20th century, they claim descent from the Suryavansh (Solar) dynasty via Kusha, one of the twin sons of Rama and Sita. At present, it is a broad community formed by coming together of several caste groups with similar occupational backgrounds and socio-economic status, who, over the time, started inter-marrying among themselves and created all India caste network for caste solidarity. The communities which merged into this caste cluster includes Kachhi, Kachhwaha, Kushwaha, Mali, Marrar, Saini, Sonkar, Murai, Shakya, Maurya, Koeri and Panara.
The Ahirwar, or Aharwar are Dalit members of a north Indian caste categorised among the Scheduled Castes of Chamar. Predominantly are members of the Scheduled Castes with a higher population in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh.
The Dhanuk is an ethnic group found in India. In Bihar where they are significantly present, they have been categorised as the "lower backwards", along with several other castes constituting 32% of the state's population. In recent times they have been identifying themselves with the Kurmi caste along with the Mahto of Chhotanagpur. In Bihar, they are considered as a sub-caste of the Mandal caste and are often found using Mandal surname. In recent times, there has been attempt to forge a socio-political alliance between them and the twin castes of Koeri and the Kurmi, as a part of Luv-Kush equation.
Yadavs are 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 legendary 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.
The Pasi is a Dalit (untouchable) community of India. Pasi refers to tapping toddy, a traditional occupation of the Pasi community. The Pasi are divided into Gujjar, Kaithwas, and Boria. They are classified as an Other Backward Class in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They live in the northern Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
The Gadaria or Gadariya is a herding caste that was traditionally involved professionally in livestock breeding, especially sheep. They are primarily found in Uttar Pradesh and in some parts of Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. In Gujarat, they are called Bharwad.
The Ad-Dharmi is a sect in the state of Punjab, in India and is an alternative term for the Ravidasia religion, meaning Primal Spiritual Path. The term Ad-Dharm came into popular usage in the early part of the 20th century, when many followers of Guru Ravidas converted to Sikhism and were severely discriminated against due to their low caste status. Many of these converts stopped attending Sikh Gurdwaras controlled by Jat Sikhs and built their own shrines upon arrival in the UK, Canada, and Fiji Island. Ad-Dharmis comprise 11.48% of the total of Scheduled Caste communities in Punjab.
Kori is an Indian caste, who were traditionally weavers. They are descendants of Ishvakuwanshi Raja Mandhata ji and Saint Kabir Das Ji Maharaj. KORI and KOLI are same Castes!!But Due to Sanskrit Translate of Pali Words, The L (ला) is Written and Spoken as R (र)!!
Chambhar is caste from Indian state of Maharashtra, and Northern Karnataka. Their traditional occupation was leather work. Historically subject to untouchability, they were traditionally outside the Hindu ritual ranking system of castes known as varna. Castes with similar traditional occupation are found throughout the Indian subcontinent such as Chamar in Northern india, and Mochi in Gujarat.
Akhil Bharatiya Jatav Mahasabha was founded in 1917 under the leadership of Manik Chand Jatav and Swami Achootanand. It was formed to promote the interests of Chamars for seeking social upliftment into Kshatriya varna.
Khemchand Bohare was a Dalit activist and social reformer.
Ramnarayan Yadavendu (1909–1951) was a Hindi writer, storyteller, essayist and social reformer.
De-Sanskritisation is a term that denotes opposition to the cultural influence propagated through Sanskritisation.