Murao people

Last updated

Muraos are a community of agriculturists found in parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. They are also known as Maurya. [1] They form a part of a wider community called the Kushwaha, which includes Koeri and Kachhi castes. The All India Kushwaha Kshatriya Mahasabha is an organisation of these sub-castes, which also represents the interests of the Murao community. [2] In Uttar Pradesh, a section of the community called Kunjra amongst Muslims, classified as an Other Backward Class, was formed due to conversion of Muraos to Islam. The Kunjra are also called Sabj Farosh and like Muraos, they grew vegetables. In recent times, the community produced educated individuals engaged in white collar jobs. The Kunjras are an urban based and landed community in Uttar Pradesh, a group among them, now called Kabaria has distinguished itself from the community by adopting the profession of dealing in scrap. However, vast majority of them are now involved in trade, business and are employed in service sector. [3]

During 1919-1920, in the villages like Rure, Arkha and Rasulpur of Uttar Pradesh, large population of superior cultivating castes like Muraos and Kurmis resided. These castes had age old tradition of independence and caste solidarity and it was among them that the Kisan Sabha movement of early twentieth century took its initial roots. These cultivating castes followed the traditional method of Nai-Dhobi band (or disallowing the service of barber and washerman to non cooperators in their struggle against the landlords) and used their robust caste panchayats to give initial support to Kisan Sabha politics, which worked for solving peasant grievances against the landlords and also blended with Non-cooperation movement under Mahatma Gandhi. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

Saini is a caste of North India who were traditionally landowners (zamindars) and farmers. Sainis claim to be descendants of a king, Shurasena, as well as of Krishna and Porus, and to be related to the ancient Shoorsaini clan, noted in Puranic literature. The Saini community is given representation in government jobs and educational institutes as an Other Backward Class (OBC) in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chamar</span> Dalit caste of the Indian subcontinent

Chamar is a Dalit community classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's system of affirmative action. They are found throughout the Indian subcontinent, mainly in the northern states of India and in Pakistan and Nepal.

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, Koeris and Muraos. Under the Indian governments system of positive discrimination, the Kushwahas are classified as a "Backward" or Other backward class. 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. In Bihar, many Koeris, who possess land, education and government jobs have become upwardly mobile and demonstrate upper-caste characteristics.

Bhumihars, also locally called Bhuinhar and Babhan, are a Hindu caste mainly found in Bihar, the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, and Nepal.

The Kunjra are a community found in North India, Central India and Nepal. They are also known as Sabzi Farosh or Mewa Farosh. Kunjra, by definition, means a vegetable seller or greengrocer. It denotes an occupation rather than a caste.

The Kachhi are a Hindu caste of vegetable cultivators found in the regions of Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baghban</span> Ethnic group

The Baghban are a Muslim community, found in North India and in Pakistan. In the Deccan region they are known as Bagwan.

The Bhatiara are a Pashtun community found in North India.

The Kabaria, sometimes pronounced as Kabariya are a Muslim community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, mainly in the Awadh region. A small number of Kabaria are also found in the Terai region of Nepal. They now have Other Backward Class status in Uttar Pradesh.

The Koeri, also referred to as Kushwaha and more recently self-described as Maurya in several parts of northern India are an Indian non-elite caste, found largely in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, whose traditional occupation was agriculture. According to Arvind Narayan Das they were horticulturist rather than agriculturists. They are also recorded as performing the work of Mahajan in credit market of rural parts of Bihar and Bengal in 1880s. Koeris have attempted Sanskritisation— as part of social resurgence. During the British rule in India, Koeris were described as "agriculturalists" along with Kurmis and other cultivating castes. They are described as a dominant caste in various opinions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hari Kewal Prasad</span> Indian politician

Hari Kewal Prasad alternatively known as Hari Kewal Prasad Kushwaha was an Indian politician and Member of Parliament for four terms. He was a member of the 9th, 10th, 12th and the 14th Lok Sabhas of India. In all four terms, he represented the Salempur constituency of Uttar Pradesh and was a member of the Samajwadi Party political party before his death. and his son Ravindra Kushwaha is also currently Member of Parliament 2014 till now

Mahan Dal is an Indian political party founded by Keshav Dev Maurya based in Uttar Pradesh, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keshav Prasad Maurya</span> Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh

Keshav Prasad Maurya is an Indian politician, currently serving as the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Maurya was associated with right wing Hindu organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, before entering active politics through BJP. He was also involved in cow protectionism in his early life. Before 2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections, he was made state president of the BJP, and after the victory of BJP, he was appointed as Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in the first Yogi Adityanath Government. Maurya again contested the legislative assembly elections in 2022 from Sirathu Assembly constituency, losing to Pallavi Patel of Samajwadi Party. However, he was given second term as Deputy CM in the second Yogi Adityanath government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swami Prasad Maurya</span> Indian politician

Swami Prasad Maurya is an Indian politician and was a member of the 17th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh of India. He represented the Padrauna constituency of Uttar Pradesh. He is a member of Samajwadi Party. Maurya has been a Member of the legislative assembly for five terms, has been minister in the government of Uttar Pradesh, Leader of the house and Leader of opposition. He was serving as Cabinet Minister for Labour, Employment and Co-ordination in Yogi Adityanath ministry. Until 2021, he was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party which he joined after a long stint with Bahujan Samaj Party.

Sirathu is a constituency of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly covering the city of Sirathu in the Kaushambi district of Uttar Pradesh, India.

The Backward Caste movement in Bihar can be traced back to the formation of Triveni Sangh, a caste coalition and political party, in the 1930s, which was revived after the introduction of land reforms in the 1950s aimed at removing intermediaries from agrarian society. But, this drive could not succeed in bringing long-lasting changes in the condition of lower strata of society, as they lacked political representation and economic power. The period since land reform included caste conflicts and the class struggle which eventually led to a transfer of absolute political power in the hands of Backward Castes, who had been kept away from it earlier. The class struggle succeeded the struggle of some of the Upper Backward Castes against the sacerdotal authorities for improvement in their ritual status. By the 1990s, the conflict between upper-castes and the lower-castes continued, with nearly 17 massacres taking place during this time period. But with the advent of politics of social justice and the Janata Dal in the 1990s, the lower caste became more active politically.

Maurya is a surname used by Kushwaha caste in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The community called Kushwaha are also known as Koeri, Kachhi, Shakya, Murao and Saini in various parts of the state of Uttar Pradesh. They are second largest OBC group in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh after Yadavs and are one of the most politically organised peasant community in India after Jats, Yadavs and Kurmis. In Rajasthan, due to lack of numerical preponderance in assembly constituencies like Jats, they are underrepresented in politics; however, in Bihar, they are a dominant caste, comprising approximately 9 percent of the population of state. They wield influence over 63 assembly constituencies and half a dozen Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.

Kushwaha is a surname used by people of Koeri caste in Bihar. The Kushwahas are also known as Maurya, Shakya, Saini in various parts of north India. As per one opinion, the Kushwaha surname is also common among members of Kachhi caste, who later merged with the Koeris to become a single homogeneous community. They are a dominant OBC community, who comprise about 9% of the population of state of Bihar.

Shakya is an Indian surname and is part of the broader Kushwaha (Koeri) community including other surnames like Maurya, Kachhi and Saini, who collectively assert descent from Kusha, a son of the avatar of Vishnu, Rama. This caste group is considered as one of the most numerous OBC castes in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It is estimated that they are distributed across the states, in almost all assembly constituencies. In Uttar Pradesh, they have preponderance in Etah Lok Sabha constituency.

Saini is an Indian surname, used by various communities in North India. In Uttar Pradesh, it is used by people of Kushwaha or the Koeri caste. In Rajasthan and Haryana, it is most often associated with Mali caste.

References

  1. ↑ Vij, Shivam. "Caste groups are burning Rajnath Singh's effigies as he called Chandragupta Maurya shepherd". theprint.in. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  2. ↑ Christophe Jaffrelot (2003). India's Silent Revolution: The Rise of the Lower Castes in North India. United Kingdom: Hurst. p. 199. ISBN   9781850653981. Archived from the original on 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  3. ↑ Nadeem, Hasnain (2016). The Other Lucknow: An Ethnographic Portrait of a City of Undying Memories and Nostalgia. India: Vani Prakashan. The Kabaria group of Kunjra has become a distinct and endogamous community dealing in scrap. It is believed that they are converts who once belonged to Hindu Murao caste. They speak both Awadhi and Urdu.The Kunjras are an urban based community and a substantial number of Kunjras own lands and are engaged in agriculture and growing vegetables. In the city they sell vegetables and fruits. Apart from their traditional occupation they are also indulged in business, trade, industry, service or are self-employed. This community also has scholars, white collar employees and political leaders at the regional level.
  4. ↑ The Rise and Fall of Modern Empires, Volume IV: Reactions to Colonialism. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis. 2016. p. 210-211.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.