Dhobi known in some places as Dhoba or Rajaka, Madivala is a group of community in India and the greater Indian subcontinent whose traditional occupations are washing, ironing, cultivator and agricultural work.
In Hindu culture, the term gotra is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotra forms an exogamous unit, with marriage within the same gotra being regarded as incest and prohibited by custom. The name of the gotra can be used as a surname, but it is different from a surname and is strictly maintained because of its importance in marriages among Hindus, especially among castes. Pāṇini defines gotra as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram, which means "the word gotra denotes the descendance, apatya, of a couple consisting of a pautra, a son and a bharti, a mother, i.e. a daughter-in-law." When a person says "I am Vipparla-gotra", he means that he traces his descent to the ancient sage Vipparla by an unbroken male descent.
Kunbi is a generic term applied to castes of traditional farmers in Western India. These include the Dhonoje, Ghatole, Hindre, Jadav, Jhare, Khaire, Lewa, Lonare and Tirole communities of Vidarbha. The communities are largely found in the state of Maharashtra but also exist in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala and Goa. Kunbis are included among the Other Backward Classes (OBC) in Maharashtra.
Deshastha Brahmin is a Hindu Brahmin subcaste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra and northern area of the state of Karnataka. Other than these states, according to authors K. S. Singh, Gregory Naik and Pran Nath Chopra, Deshastha Brahmins are also concentrated in the states of Telangana (which was earlier part of Hyderabad State and Berar Division), Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh (Which was earlier part of Central Provinces and Berar) Author Pran Nath Chopra and journalist Pritish Nandy says, "Most of the well-known saints from Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh were Deshastha Brahmins".
Parihar is a Rajput clan. the clan is also found among Koli caste. The Parihar clan found mainly in India Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana, Bihar, Punjab, etc.
Dhangar is a herding caste of people found in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. They are referred as Gavli in southern Maharashtra, Goa and northern Karnataka, Golla in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and Ahir in northern Maharashtra. Some Gavlis live in forested hill tracts of India's Western Ghats. Gavli, also known as Dange or Mhaske, and Ahir are a sub-caste of Dhangar. However, there are many distinct Gavli castes in Maharashtra and Dhangar Gavli is one of them.
Denotified Tribes are the tribes that were listed originally under the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871, as Criminal Tribes and "addicted to the systematic commission of non-bailable offences." Once a tribe became "notified" as criminal, all its members were required to register with the local magistrate, failing which they would be charged with a "crime" under the Indian Penal Code.
Vokkaliga is a community, or a group of closely-related castes, from the Indian state of Karnataka. They are also present in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.
Kongu Vellalar is a community found in the Kongu region of Tamil Nadu, India. The Kongu Vellalar were classified as a Forward Caste at the time of Indian independence but they successfully requested to be reclassified as an other Backward Class in 1975.
Maravar are a Tamil community in the state of Tamil Nadu. These people are one of the three branches of the Mukkulathor confederacy. Members of the Maravar community often use the honorific title Thevar. They are classified as an Other Backward Class or a Denotified Tribe in Tamil Nadu, depending on the district.
Gurjar or Gujjar is an ethnic agricultural and pastoral community, spread mainly in India, Pakistan, Kashmir and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. Although traditionally they have been involved in agriculture, Gurjars are a large heterogeneous group that is internally differentiated in terms of religion, occupation, and socio-economic status. The historical role of Gurjars has been quite diverse in society, at one end they have been founder of several kingdoms, dynasties, and at the other end, they are also nomads with no land of their own.
The Banjara are a historically nomadic trading caste who may have origins in the Mewar region of what is now Rajasthan.
Maharashtra is famous for its varied fresh water resources, including lakes, tanks and rivers. A number of fishing communities have developed in response to these favorable factors. These communities can be divided into:
Since the 1870s, various pieces of colonial legislation in India during British rule were collectively called the Criminal Tribes Act (CTA), which criminalized entire communities by designating them as habitual criminals. Under these acts, ethnic or social communities in India were defined as "addicted to the systematic commission of non-bailable offences" such as thefts, and were registered by the government. Adult males of the groups were forced to report weekly to local police, and had restrictions on their movement imposed.
The Lonia or Nonia are Hindu other backward caste, found in Uttar Pradesh and adjoining areas, who were traditionally involved in salt-digging and salt-making activities. The Lonia or Nonia are listed as extremely backward caste or Mahadalits along with Mallah, Bind and Beldar communities, by state governments. The community leaders have been seeking Scheduled Tribe status for the socially deprived community.
The Bind' are a caste found in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal and Tripura. Bind are under the OBC category of the central list. The Assam government and Madhya Pradesh government categorise them as a Schedule Caste. The nearest name which comes closer for them is Nishad. The Bind are originally from the Vindhya.
The Rathwa are an adivasi community mostly living in the state of Gujarat, India.
The Koli is an Indian caste found in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Odisha and Jammu and Kashmir states in India. Koli is a Agriculturist caste of Gujarat but in coastal areas they also work as fisherman and agriculturist. In the beginning of 20th century, the Koli caste was recognised as a Criminal Tribe under Criminal Tribes Act by British Indian government because of their anti-social activities but during the World War I.
The Mang, or Matang, community is an Indian caste mainly residing in the state of Maharashtra. The Mang typically live in the northern reaches of villages. The community was historically believed to be associated with village security and professions such as rope making, broom making, musicians, cattle castration, leather curing, midwifery, executioners, and funeral directors. In modern day India, they are listed as a Scheduled Caste, Their origins lie in the Narmada Valley of India, and they were formerly classified as a criminal tribe under the Criminal Tribes Acts of the British Raj. Like Mahar, Mang also served as soldier in king Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's Army and British Army.
Waddar, sometimes called Vodra, Odde, or Boyi, is a community from the Deccan Plateau whose traditional occupation is construction. Their major concentration is in Maharashtra, but there are also populations in northern Karnataka and Telangana.
