Kori (caste)

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Kori or Koli is an Indian caste, who were traditionally Fishermen (in Coastal Areas), Weavers (in Northern States) and Farmers (especially in Gujarat).

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Other names for this caste include Banodha, Vaish, Koli, Mahour, Mahawar, Anuragi, Kabirpanthi and Julaha [1]

The Kori are classified as a Scheduled Caste in the states of, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Uttarakhand as well as in the Union Territory of Chandigarh. [2] [3] In the past the Kori had "OBC" status in Meerut, Agra, Rohil khand and its neighbouring cities.[ citation needed ]

In Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Southern States the Kori caste is known as Koli. [4]

The Kori scheduled caste population in Uttar Pradesh at the 2011 census of India was 2,293,937. [5] The Kori's traditional caste councils, plans and implements welfare activities and also settles disputes. Imposition of cash fine is a form of punishment inflicted by the council. [6]

Etymology

The name "Kori" is associated to "kol" which is a tribe mainly in UP, MP and Jharkhand. [7]

History

Harold Gould noted in his research of the jajmani system in Uttar Pradesh that by the 1960s, all of the Koris in the villages studied by him had adopted roles as agriculturist, ploughmen, and midwives, because industrialisation had made their traditional occupation as weavers redundant. [8]

References

  1. Badri Narayan (2006). Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India: Culture, Identity and Politics. SAGE. p. 119. ISBN   978-81-321-0280-9. Archived from the original on 12 July 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  2. "LIST OF SCHEDULED CASTES" (PDF). socialjustice.gov.in. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  3. "State wise / UT wise list of Scheduled Caste (updated)". Department of Social Justice and Empowerment. 7 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  4. Chandel, M. P. S. (1 January 1991). Democratic Transformation of a Social Class. New Delhi, India: Mittal Publications. p. 49. ISBN   978-81-7099-314-8.
  5. "A-10 Individual Scheduled Caste Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix - Uttar Pradesh". Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  6. Chanchreek, K. L. (2007). Sant Kabir: life and philosophy. New Delhi, India: Shree Publications. p. 190. ISBN   978-81-8329-161-3. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  7. K. S. Singh (1998). India's Communities. Oxford University Press. p. 1822. ISBN   978-0-19-563354-2. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  8. Gould, Harold A. (January 1964). "A Jajmani System of North India: Its Structure, Magnitude, and Meaning". Ethnology. 3 (1): 12–41. doi:10.2307/4617554. JSTOR   4617554.