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Gadaria people

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gadaria [1]
ReligionsHinduism[2]
LanguagesHindi, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Bihari, Chhattisgarhi, Gujrati language, Bengali language, Gaddi language, Northern Indo-Aryan languages,[2]
Country India
Populated statesUttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu & Kashmir[2]
RegionNorth India[1]
Family namesPal/Rajpali, Baghel, Holkar, Hatkar, Mohaniya, Sisodiya, Chaudhary, Ghosh, Mandal, Bhagat, Dhangar, Chandel, Chauhan, Moria, Pradhan, Rathore, Singh, Prasad, Patel e.t.c.[2]
SubdivisionsNikhar and Dhangar[2]
Related groups• Pal - Rajpali Rajput

• Dhangar

• Rabari/Raika

• Gaddis

• Bharwad/Bharvad[3]

• konar/Idaiyar

• Kuruba

• Hatkar

• Sagar Rajput

• Holkar

• Kurumba Gounder

• Kurumbas[2]

The Gadaria, Gadariya or Gaderiya (Rajpali Rajput) [4] is a herding caste of North India that was traditionally involved professionally in livestock breeding, especially sheep. They are primarily found in Uttar Pradesh and in some parts of Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar[5][2][1]

Etymology & Origin.

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The name Gadariya is rooted in the Prakrit as well as hindi word Gadar, meaning “sheep,” with the suffix -ya denoting “pertaining to.” This etymology directly reflects the community’s ancestral occupation of shepherding. Scholars have also proposed that the name evolved from Garharya—a compound of Garh and Arya (noble)—which means the protector of forts and underscores a claim to a high, even royal, status.[6][5][2]

The Gadariya's are also linked with the Sanskrit term Gandhara (or Kandahar), the legendary source from which the people of this caste was said to have arrived into India. This connection cements their ancient presence and hints at an early nomadic, Central Asian or Even Indo-Aryan origin.[7]

Ancient genealogists mentions one of the 36 royal Rajput clans, i.e., Rajpali - Rajpalaka, or simply Pal. The derivation of Rajpali (meaning "royal shepherd") and hints at a Scythic origin and is thought to represent a branch of the ancient Pali. Notably, Palitana in Gujarat is considered an early abode of these people,[8][9] and the Hindi word for shepherd is Gadariya,[10] which strengthens the conclusion that Gadariya were Rajpali Rajputs.[4] This is further supported by the fact that they were enumerated as Pali Rajput/Kshatriya in the British India censuses,[11][12] and the Rai Sahib dina nath in British India belonged to the Nikhar subcaste of the Gadariya caste where this caste was described as having Scythic origin, being ancient Rajpali Rajputs, and belonging to the Chandravanshi Kshatriya lineage[13]. This claim is most strongly supported by the gotra and genealogy of this caste, which resembles 80 percent of Rajputs.[6][4]

History

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In the early 1910s, an educated class of Gadarias formed All India Pal Kshatriya Mahasabha. There were debates within the community whether to add Kshatriya suffix to the community name. In the 1930s, they started referring to themselves as "Pali Rajput", a synonym of Pal Kshatriya.[14] They started caste magazines like "Pal Kshatriya Samachar" and "Shepherd Times". Later the community went through the process of De-Sanskritisation and dropped the suffix Kshatriya. Among the reasons cited for de-sanskritization were losing autonomy of their caste identity and avoiding being submerged into the identity of high castes.[15]

Sub-castes and clans

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There are two major subdivisions amongst Gadarias, namely Dhangar and Nikhar. They share the same gotras such as Chauhan, Parihar, Sisodiya, Shirashwar, Chandel, Mohania, Kula etc are some of the gotras amongst them.[16]

Classification

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They are classified as Other Backward Class in the Indian System of Reservation.[17][18][19][20][21]

Notable

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Notable of Gadaria caste

Religion

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They generally practice Hinduism, worshipping various popular deities including Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Vishnu, Hanuman, Kali, Chandi and Lakshmi, as well as various Kuladevata, or family deities. Some of them wear the sacred thread. A majority of them are vegetarians.[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Russell, R. V. (Robert Vane) (1916). The tribes and castes of the Central Provinces of India. University of California Libraries. London : Macmillan and Co., limited.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Sashi, Dr. Shyam singh (1982). Shepherds of India: A Socio-Cultural Study of Sheep and Cattle-Rearing Communities. Archaeological survey of india (1st ed.). Delhi: Sundeep publication. pp. 13–73. OCLC 4322453.
  3. ^ "National Commission for Backward Classes". www.ncbc.nic.in. Archived from the original on 18 July 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "BJP in UP woos Dalits with 'jayantis'". The Times of India. 21 April 2015. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 4 February 2025. Amit Shah's programme on Rani Ahailya Bai Holkar, a queen from Rajpali (known Gaderiya in UP) community, has been arranged, confirmed BJP leader and former BSP Rajya Sabha member SPS Baghel.
  5. ^ a b Ghurye, G.S. (2008). Caste and race in India (5th ed.). Bombay: Popular Prakashan. p. 32. ISBN 9788171542055. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  6. ^ a b Shashi, Shyam Singh (1977). The Shepherds of India: A Socio-cultural Study of Sheep and Cattle-rearing Communities. Sundeep Prakashan.
  7. ^ Choudhury, Mamata (1977). Tribes of Ancient India. Indian Museum.
  8. ^ Balfour, Edward (1976). Encyclopaedia Asiatica, Comprising Indian Subcontinent, Eastern and Southern Asia: O-Rhamneae. Cosmo Publications.
  9. ^ Metclfe, C. t (1982). Rajput Tribes Vol.1.
  10. ^ Gopal, Ram (1987). India Its People And Their Secular State.
  11. ^ Calcutta Government Of India (1932). Indian Franchise Committee Vol Ii.
  12. ^ E.a.h Blunt C.i.e. The Caste System Of Northern India.
  13. ^ Imperial coronation durbar 1911. The Imperial Publishing, Lahore. 1911.
  14. ^ Singh (2020), p. Caste organisations in the pre-Independence period/Sanskritization phase (Roughly the 1920s-1950s).
  15. ^ Singh (2020), p. Phase II (1956 onwards): De-sanskritization towards an alternative culture.
  16. ^ Shashi (2011), p. 29.
  17. ^ Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Madhya Pradesh (Report). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
  18. ^ Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Chattisgarh (Report). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
  19. ^ Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Uttar Pradesh (Report). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
  20. ^ Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Uttarakhand (Report). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
  21. ^ Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Delhi (Report). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
  22. ^ Shashi (2011), p. 32.

Bibliography

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