| Suthar/Sutar | |
|---|---|
 Two Sutar men from Baroda State, 1911 | |
| Kuladevta (male) | Vishwakarma |
| Religions | Hinduism, [1] Islam [2] |
| Region | Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Pakistan |
Suthar (or Sutar) [3] is a caste within the Vishwakarma community found primarily in India and Pakistan. [3] [4] Its traditional occupation is mostly carpentry. [5] Suthar community predominantly found in Gujarat and Rajasthan is a mixture of various castes.
The origins of the Suthar community traces back to the construction of the Rudra Mahalaya Temple, commissioned by King Mularaja of Chaulukya dynasty (now Gujarat and southern Rajasthan) [6] . Ancient Indian temple construction required a blend of skill-set ranging from astronomy and geometry to architecture, Vastu shastra and engineering [7] . The king invited Brahmins with such skill-set from northern India to design the temple and undertake this project. After designing the temple as per King's requirements, the Brahmins assembled a massive workforce of skilled artisans of different ethnicity and converted them into Brahmin varna through the Hindu ritual purification [6] , to maintain the sanctity of the temple. After the temple's completion, King Mularaja urged the original Brahmins to settle in his kingdom. To facilitate the resettlement, the king suggested forming a new community that combined the converted workers and the original Brahmins . This proposal led to the creation of the Suthar community in the Chaulakya kingdom (now Gujarat and southern Rajasthan), a unique blend of Brahmins, Kshatriyas and artisans. [6]
King Mulraja later invited additional learned Brahmins from northern India to join the Suthar community and serve as the priests of the Rudra Mahalaya Temple. [8] The migrant Brahmins who did not join the newly formed Suthar community and served as the priests of the temple, are now known as the Audichya Brahmins. [8]
The Suthar community of Gujarat and Rajasthan community comprises a diverse mix of subcommunities and ethnic groups, resulting in a rich demographic tapestry despite its relatively small population. Currently, the community is divided into several subcastes, each associated with distinct occupations, varnas, and ethnic identities. Notable subcastes include Vanshaj Suthar, Vaishya Suthar, Mewada Suthar, Gurjar Suthar, Jangid-Brahmin Suthar , Mistri, Mistri Suthar, Luhar Suthar.
Each subcaste practices different faiths, yet they share a common heritage and a reverence for deities such as Lord Vishwakarma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva, with a predominant adherence to Vaishnavism. Common surnames within this community include Suthar, Gajjar, Sharma, Acharya, Rathore, Pancholi, Mistri, Jangid, Panchal [9]
Some subcastes of Suthar are classified as OBC in states like Rajasthan, [10] Haryana, [11] Gujarat. [12] Some subcastes of Suthar community, like Suthars of Brahmin varna, either do not take or get reservation or are willingly demanding to give up their reservation status. [13]
The Other Backward Class (OBC) is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify communities that are "educationally or socially backward". It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with general castes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The OBCs were found to comprise 52% of the country's population by the Mandal Commission report of 1980 and were determined to be 41% in 2006 when the National Sample Survey Organisation took place. There is substantial debate over the exact number of OBCs in India; it is generally estimated to be sizable, but many believe that it is higher than the figures quoted by either the Mandal Commission or the National Sample Survey.
Patidar, formerly known as Kanbi, is an Indian land-owning and peasant caste and community native to Gujarat. The community comprises at multiple subcastes, most prominently the Levas and Kadvas. They form one of the dominant castes in Gujarat. The title of Patidar originally conferred to the land owning aristocratic class of Gujarati Kanbis; however, it was later applied en masse to the entirety of the Kanbi population who lay claim to a land owning identity, partly as a result of land reforms during the British Raj.
The Tarkhan is a caste found in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. They are traditionally carpenters by occupation.
Lohar is considered to be a caste among Hindus and a clan among Muslims and Sikhs in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, and in Nepal. They form traditionally artisanal castes. Writers of the Raj period often used the term Lohar as a synonym for blacksmith, although there are other traditional smiting communities, such as the Ramgarhia and Sikligar, and numerous non-traditional communities, including the Kayastha, Rajput and Brahmin.
The caste system in Goa consists of various Jātis or sub-castes found among Hindus belonging to the four varnas, as well as those outside of them. A variation of the traditional Hindu caste system was also retained by the Goan Catholic community.
Khati is a Hindu sub-caste of Vishwakarma community which mainly resides in the northern Indian states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the National Capital Region-Delhi. Apart from Khati, they are also addressed as Jangid, Jangra-Brahmin and are classified as an Other Backward Class caste in the central list of National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).
The Gurjar are an agricultural ethnic community, residing mainly in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were traditionally involved in agriculture, pastoral and nomadic activities and formed a large heterogeneous group. The historical role of Gurjars has been quite diverse in society: at one end they have been founders of several kingdoms and dynasties and, at the other end, some are still nomads with no land of their own.
Bania is a mercantile caste mainly from the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan, with strong diasporic communities in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra and other northern states. Traditionally, the main occupations of the community are merchants, bankers, money-lenders, and owners of commercial enterprises.
Rajasthani people or Rajasthanis are a group of Indo-Aryan peoples native to Rajasthan, a state in Northern India. Their language, Rajasthani, is a part of the western group of Indo-Aryan languages.
Kutch Gurjar Kshatriya are a minority Hindu community of Gujarat in India, In Rajasthan, many people lost their lives in battles against Muslim rulers, and after suffering defeats, the surviving some Kshatriyas Rajputs moved towards Gujarat to keep their identity, Those Kshatriyas. Those known as Gurjar Kshatriya During the Islamic period, As Many Kshatriya Rajputs of Rajasthan who migrated towards Gujarat but they faced a lack of land and weapons there. As a result, they engaged in labor and various skilled work, They started artisan community related with masonry, artistic carvings, sculpting and building and construction works. Due to their occupation they known as Kshatriya They are also known as the Architect of Kutch.
The Mistri are a Hindu caste found in state of Gujarat, India.
Mistry, or Mistri, is an Indian surname. The name can be found among people from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Bangladesh. This surname is used by Vishwakarma communities of India. It is an occupational surname.
Sagatada or Sagatra is a village located in Salumbar district, Rajasthan, India. This village is near Chawand, which was the third capital of Mewar at the time of Maharana Pratap.
The Vishwakarma community are a social group of India, sometimes described as a caste. They claim themselves to be Brahmin or of high-status in the caste hierarchy, although these claims are not generally accepted outside the community. The community comprises five subgroups—carpenters, blacksmiths, bronze smiths, goldsmiths and stonemasons— claim to be descendants of Vishvakarma, the builder and architect of heavenly realm, a Hindu deity.
The Gurav are an occupational community comprising several castes. They are among the traditional service providers found in villages, for whom they are in a priest role, and are found in several states of India.
Mularaja was the king of Gujarat and the founder of the Chaulukya dynasty. Also known as the Chaulukyas of Gujarat or Solanki, this dynasty ruled parts of present-day Gujarat. Mularaja supplanted the last Chavda king, and founded an independent kingdom with his capital in Anahilapataka in 940-941 CE.
The Rudra Mahalaya Temple, also known as Rudramal, is a destroyed/desecrated Hindu temple complex at Siddhpur in the Patan district of Gujarat, India. Its construction was started in 943 CE by Mularaja and completed in 1140 CE by Jayasimha Siddharaja, a ruler of the Chaulukya dynasty. The Hindu temple was destroyed by the Sultan of Delhi, Alauddin Khalji, and later the Sultan of Gujarat, Ahmed Shah I (1410–1444) desecrated and substantially demolished the temple, and also converted part of it into the congregational mosque of the city. Two torans (porches) and four pillars of the former central structure still stand along with the western part of the complex used as a congregational mosque.
Sai Suthar is a Hindu artisan community from India. The name of the community derives from the main occupation of the community of a tailor -sai and carpenter - suthar. They are included in other backward class of Gujarat. They are also among one the other backward castes of Maharashtra. They are classified as a sub-caste of Shimpis in Maharashtra.
Audichya Brahmins are a Hindu Brahmin sub-caste mainly from the Indian state of Gujarat. They are the most numerous Brahmin community in Gujarat. A minority of them reside in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
Suthar Tarkhans , though Hindus , are in fact more closely allied with the Multani lohars than with the Khatis...
According to Rose ( 1919 ) , the tradition runs that the Suthars , who are now Muslims , were originally Hindu Tarkhans of the Suthar tribe and that Akbar took 12,000 of them from Jodhpur to Delhi...
Hindus from the border villages belonging to the Bhil, Meghwal, Lohar and Suthar community had now become nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan...