| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 162,000 [1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
•  India | |
| Languages | |
| • Haryanvi • Hindi | |
| Religion | |
| • Hinduism 100% • | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| • Chundrigar • Manihar |
The Lakhera are a Hindu caste found in North India. They are a community traditionally associated with bangle making. [2]
The Lakhera get their name from the Sanskrit laksha kuru meaning a worker in lac. According to their mythologies, the community was created by the dirt washed from the body of the goddess Parvati.Other traditions make them out to be Yaduvanshi Rajputs. They are said to have originated in Bulandshahr District in Uttar Pradesh, and then spread to Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab. The community in Uttar Pradesh speak Hindi, while in Haryana they speak Haryanvi. [3]
The Lakhera community consists of a number of clans, the main ones being the Chauhan, Bhati, Nainvaya, Bagri, Nagoriya, Parihar, Solanki, Hatadiya and Atariya etc. They are an endogamous community, and each clan is exogamous. The majority of the Lakhera are still involved in the manufacture and sellng of bangles. Some members of the community are now shopkeepers. The Lakhera are Hindu, and have customs similar to other North Indian Hindus. They live in multi-caste villages, occupying their own distinct quuarters. [4]
In Uttar Pradesh, the community is found mainly in the south and east of the state. They are found mainly in Jalaun, Hamirpur, Lalitpur and Jhansi. [5]
The Bangali may refer to a Scheduled Caste found in northern India. They are distinct from the Bengali ethnic group of West Bengal and Bangladesh. 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, storytellers, 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 0.12 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.
The Swarnkar is a Hindu caste in India. The Sonar community work as traders of gold or as goldsmiths. The community is primarily Hindu, and found all over India.
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 Patharkat are a Hindu caste found in North India. They are also known as Sangtarash.
The Nat are a Hindu caste found in northern India.
The ' Rain, Raeen or Rayeen is a Muslim found in the state of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh 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 are an occupational caste found in North India and Maharashtra. They are also known as Kalenra in Maharashtra. A small number are also found in the Terai region of Nepal.
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 Deha, sometimes pronounced as Dahiya, Dhaya, Dhea, Daiya and Dheya are a caste found in India, and have Scheduled caste status in Haryana.
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 Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Delhi and Haryana in India.
The Hurkiya are a caste found in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand in India. They have been granted Scheduled Caste status in both these states. In fact, there are two distinct communities that go by the name Hurkiya, those of Uttarakhand, who are Hindu by religion, and those found in western Uttar Pradesh, who are Muslim. Both Hurkiya are of common origin, being a sub-group within the Dom ethnic group, and are one of the many gypsy like grouping found in North India.
The Chirimar are a Hindu caste found in the state of Haryana in India. They are also known as Baheliya.