Sutradhar (caste)

Last updated

Sutradhar'is a Sanskrit word which means the narrator in english', also known as Sutar or Suthar is a Hindu caste within the Indian subcontinent. Their traditional occupation is farming, architecture and Interior designing. [1] [2] The great majority of Hindu sutradhars belong to the Vaishnava sect. [3]

Contents

AbbreviationSutar
Suthar
Gotra 120
Kuladevta (male) Vishwakarma
CountryIndia
Pakistan
Sutradhar
Total population
629,000
Languages
  • Marathi
  • Gujarati
  • Bengali
  • Telugu
  • Odia
  • Rajasthani
  • Tamil
Religion
Hindus

Origin

The word Sutradhar literally means thread-holder. Sutra in sanskrit means thread (which is used to mark the course of a saw), and dhara means to hold. [3] The names Sutar [4] and Suthar [5] [6] are abbreviated versions of Sutrahadar.

Sutradhars, according to legend, are the carpenters descended from Maya, son of Vishwakarma. From the Rigveda , Vishwakarma is the divine engineer of the universe. In the Skanda Purana he had five children — Manu, Maya, Tvastar, Shilpi and Visvajna — and these are believed by the Vishwakarma community to have been the forebears of their five sub-groups, being respectively the gotras (clans) of blacksmiths, carpenters, bell metalworkers (metal casters), stonemasons and goldsmiths. [1] [7] Together, these sons are known as Rathakar, or builders of Chariots. [1]

The Gotra of Suthar's is rathore(rathod),chauhan,parmar,solanki,bhati,tavar,sisodiyaetc. It refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. It Means if any person who is from suthar community it means their traditional occupation is carpentry but by blood they belong to there gotra(They share a common ancestor).

There is evidence that Sutradhars were performing other tasks besides carpentry in ancient times. A stanza from Chandimangal notes them puffing and frying rice, as well as painting. Agricultural tasks were historically done by castes of Austric origins, so the stanza may refer to a period of transition as the Sutradhar caste was forming and still performing other tasks. [4] They were also engaged in making monuments, temples, palaces, chariots and sculpting rock structures. They are believed to have built the Konark Sun Temple, Jagannath Temples, and the terracotta temples of Bengal. [8]

Demography

While some Sutradhars practice Shaktism, the vast majority are members of the Vaishnava sect. They worship Vishwakarma and offer sacrifices to him on Vishwakarma Day and Vasant Panchami. [3]

The Sutradhar caste is subdivided into a number of subcastes including Bardhamenya, Mandaranya, Khadipeda, Astakul, and Airy. [4] The Bardhamenya, Mandaranya, and Astakul are best known as carpenters but are also known as painters, clay image makers, stone carvers as well as constructors of buildings and temples. The Khadipeda were essentially architects, known as designers of temples, palaces and building. [9]

Sutradhars are also subdivided into various clans, or gotras. All these clans are totemic. Common Sutradhar surnames include Dutta, Chanda, De, Pal, Sil, Kundu, Mena, Manna, Maharana, Rana, Bandra, Rakhsit, Sutradhar, Sutar, Bhandari, Fouzdar, Das, and Kar. [9]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Ghosh & Ghosh 2000, p. 96.
  2. Atal, Yogesh (2012). Sociology: A Study of the Social Sphere. Pearson Education India. p. 242. ISBN   978-8-13179-759-4.
  3. 1 2 3 Faroqi 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Ghosh & Ghosh 2000, p. 97.
  5. India. Office of the Registrar General (1967). Census of India, 1961: Gujarat (Volume 5, Part 6 ed.). Manager of Publications. p. iv.
  6. India Planning Commission (1976). Yojana (Volume 20 ed.). Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. p. 10.
  7. Varghese K., George (8–14 November 2003). "Globalisation Traumas and New Social Imaginary: Visvakarma Community of Kerala". Economic and Political Weekly. 38 (45): 4794–4802. JSTOR   4414253.
  8. Ghosh & Ghosh 2000, p. 99.
  9. 1 2 Ghosh & Ghosh 2000, p. 98.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iyengar</span> Tamil Brahmin community

Iyengars are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, whose members follow Sri Vaishnavism and the Visishtadvaita philosophy propounded by Ramanuja. Found mostly in the Southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, Iyengars are divided into two denominations, the Vadakalai and the Tenkalai. The community belongs to the Pancha Dravida Brahmana classification of Brahmins in India.

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."

<i>Smarta</i> tradition Tradition in Hinduism linked to Advaita Vedanta

The Smartatradition, also called Smartism, is a movement in Hinduism that developed and expanded with the Puranas genre of literature. It reflects a synthesis of four philosophical strands, namely Uttara Mīmāṃsā, Advaita, Yoga, and theism. The Smarta tradition rejects theistic sectarianism, and is notable for the domestic worship of five shrines with five deities, all treated as equal – Ganesha, Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu and Surya. The Smarta tradition contrasted with the older Shrauta tradition, which was based on elaborate rituals and rites. There has been a considerable overlap in the ideas and practices of the Smarta tradition with other significant historic movements within Hinduism, namely Shaivism, Brahmanism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agrawal</span> A Bania community in the Indian subcontinent

Agrawal is a Hindu Bania community. The Banias of northern India are really a cluster of several communities, of which the Agarwal Banias, Maheshwari Banias, Oswal Banias, and Porwal Banias are mentioned separately in connection with certain They are found throughout northern and central India, mainly in the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and kashmir, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. They are also found in Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Sindh, though at the time of the partition of India, most of them migrated across the newly created border to independent India. The majority religions followed by the Agrawals include Vaishnava Hinduism and Jainism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shri Kalika Devi Temple</span> Hindu temple in Karnataka, India

Kalika Devi Temple is a Hindu temple in Belgaum, Karnataka dedicated to Shaktism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarkhan (Punjab)</span> Caste in Punjab region of India and Pakistan

The Tarkhan is a caste found in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. They are traditionally carpenters by occupation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramanandi Sampradaya</span> Branch of the Vaishnava Hinduism

The Ramanandi, also known as Ramavats, is one of the largest sect of Vaishnavas. Out of 52 gates of Vaishnavism divided into 4 Vaishnava Sampradayas, 36 are held by Ramanandi. The sect mainly emphasizes the worship of Rama, Sita, and Hanuman and avatars of Vishnu. They consider Rama and Sita as Supreme Absolute who are non different from each other. It is considered to have been founded by Ramananda, a 14th-century Vaishnava saint.

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.

Panchal or Panchal-Brahmin is a Master Craftsman caste of India. Panchal is a collective term for class of engineers, architects, priests, sculptors and temple builders. They are Brahmins and belong to Poursheya Brahmins sect. They belong to the Vishwakarma sect and are also known as Panchal Brahmin.

<i>Shilpa Shastras</i> Ancient umbrella term for numerous Hindu texts

Shilpa Shastras literally means the Science of Shilpa. It is an ancient umbrella term for numerous Hindu texts that describe arts, crafts, and their design rules, principles and standards. In the context of Hindu temple architecture and sculpture, Shilpa Shastras were manuals for sculpture and Hindu iconography, prescribing among other things, the proportions of a sculptured figure, composition, principles, meaning, as well as rules of architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Vaishnavism</span> One of the major Vaishnava traditions

Sri Vaishnavism is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi, as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vishnu, who are together revered in this tradition.

Padmasali is a Hindu caste residing in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. In coastal Karnataka they called Shettigar. Their traditional occupation is weaving.

Valluvar is a sub-caste belonging to the Paraiyar community in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. They are the hereditary priests of the Pallars and Paraiyars of Tamil Nadu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinduism in Kerala</span> Overview of Hinduism n Kerala

Hinduism is the largest religion in Kerala and Hindu lineages together make up 54.8% of the population of the state according to the 2011 census.

Vijayvargiya is a merchant or (Vaishya-Baniya) community mainly from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Rajopadhyaya also called Newari Brahmin is the main division of Newar Brahmins in Nepal. The Rajopadhyayas claim to be originated in Kānyakubja or modern day Kannauj, in the north of India, a city with a prestigious history from where the Bahuns also claim to come. They along with Bahuns claim to be sub-division of Kānyakubja Brāhmins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Komati (caste)</span> Indian trading community

The Komati is a Telugu-speaking trading community which is Vaishya comunity that is currently organised as a caste. They are primarily found in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and in smaller numbers in neighbouring states. The members of the Komati caste are commonly engaged as moneylenders, businessmen, and shopkeepers. The community consists of many sects who are followers of Hinduism, namely the Gomata, the Thrivarnika, and the Kalinga, along with the Jaina Komatis who are followers of Jainism. Traditionally, most Komatis are vegetarian due to their belief in ahimsa (nonviolence).

The Vishwakarma community are a social group of India, sometimes described as a caste. They prefer the alternate name, Vishwabrahmin, and 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.

Jangid is a Master Craftsman caste of India, specializing in Painting and wooden work. They belong to the Vishwakarma sect. They have a notable presence in the states of Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab. Jangid are usually known for painting and decorative works such as making seats or chariots for religious figurines.

Chari/Achari/acharyulu/Acharya is a Hindu surname of vishwakarma caste that encompasses various communities across India, with regional modifications as consistent with the local languages.

References