Dhangar
Encyclopedia
The Dhangar also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: धनगर, or Dhangad, Dhanpal. ) caste is primarily located in the Indian state of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. Dhangars of the Northern and Southern India are reasonably considered to belong to the same race.Dhangar are the descendants of Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
who took to herding sheep and cows in the forest in times of hardship.
Their original home is said to be Gokul
Gokul
-In Vedic Scripture:-Geography:Gokul is located at . It has an average elevation of 163 metres .-Demographics: India census, Gokul had a population of 4041. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Gokul has an average literacy rate of 60%, higher than the national average of...
Vrindavan
Vrindavan
Vrindavan also known as Vraj is a town in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India...
near Mathura. From Gokul they are said to be moved to Mewar
Mewar
Mewar is a region of south-central Rajasthan state in western India. It includes the present-day districts of Pratapgarh, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara and some of the part of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The region was for centuries a Rajput kingdom that later...
and from Mewar to have spread into Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Etymology
The word Dhangar may be associated with a term for "cattle wealth", or be derived from the hills in which they lived (Sanskrit dhang). Ul Hassan noted that some of his time believed the term to come from the Sanskrit dhenugar (cattle herder) but dismissed that etymology as "fictitious".The term Hatkar is popularly believed to be derived from the Marathis hat (obstinacy) and kar (doer), thus "obstinate". Ul Hassan, however, terms this etymology "fictitious" and states that it "throws no light upon the origin of the caste."ghndu
Origin and history
Captain Fitzgerald had observed that "the general idea is that originally there were Twelve Tribes of Bargi-Dhangars, who came from Hindustan, and the country about Hingoli was called Bara Hatti (Hatkar)." The term Bara-Hatti could thus mean a country of the Dhangars of twelve hattis. The term HatkarHatkar
-History:A British commentator, Captain Fitzgerald, once an assistant commissioner in Berar Division, made the following observation:...
is derived from hatti. According to the Dravidian
Dravidian languages
The Dravidian language family includes approximately 85 genetically related languages, spoken by about 217 million people. They are mainly spoken in southern India and parts of eastern and central India as well as in northeastern Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, and...
Etymological Dictionary, h(p)atti has the following meanings: pen (Kannada), hamlet (Malayalam), cowstall, sheepfold (Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
). A hatti would therefore mean a sheep pen or a camp or a settlement of sheep-keepers. In the old Kannada lexicon hattikara occurs as a synonym of govali, or cowherds. These etymological linkages indicate a connection between the sheep and cattle keepers. The term means a camp of sheep-cattle keepers. Bara-hatti means a village consisting of twelve vadis. The vadi constitutes 20-23 Dhangar families.
They were described by British colonial researchers as industrious, honest and sincere, and it was noted that "truthful as a Dhangar" was a proverb among Indians.
Military history
The armies of Shivaji, founder of the Maratha empireMaratha Empire
The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian imperial power that existed from 1674 to 1818. At its peak, the empire covered much of South Asia, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km²....
, were composed of recruits mainly drawn from this caste who were the most trusted by Shivaji. The bravest Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
leaders, among whom the Holkar
Holkar
The Holkar dynasty , whose earliest known clan-man was Malhar Rao, who joined the service of the Peshwa in 1721, and quickly rose to the ranks of Subedar...
s are the most distinguished, are of this tribe. The Dhangars furnished a valuable contingent to Sivaji's guerilla soldiery.
Dynasties
The Dhangar have originated several ruling dynasties, most recently the HolkarHolkar
The Holkar dynasty , whose earliest known clan-man was Malhar Rao, who joined the service of the Peshwa in 1721, and quickly rose to the ranks of Subedar...
s of Indore
Indore
Indore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...
. Prominent Dhangars have been Hakkaraya
Harihara I
Harihara I , also called Hakka ಹಕ್ಕ and Vira Harihara I, was the founder of the Vijayanagara empire. He was Bhavana Sangama’s eldest son, belonged to the Kuruba clan and was founder of the Sangama dynasty, the first among the four dynasties that ruled Vijayanagara...
and Bukkaraya, founders of the Vijayanagara Empire
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
. At the time of his coronation, Shivaji showed that he belonged to the Gahlot
Gahlot
Gahlot is a Rajput clan in India, which traces its ancestry to the Suryavanshi Kshatriyas. The variations of the name include Gehlot, Guhila, Gohil or Guhilote. As a clan name, Gahlot and its variations are found among a number of communities which includes the Rajputs,& GurjarsThe royal Gahlots...
clan, and was a Hattikara-Dhangar. Dhangars have founded the Hoysalas, Holkar
Holkar
The Holkar dynasty , whose earliest known clan-man was Malhar Rao, who joined the service of the Peshwa in 1721, and quickly rose to the ranks of Subedar...
, Rashtrakutas, Maurya, Pallava
Pallava
The Pallava dynasty was a Tamil dynasty which ruled the northern Tamil Nadu region and the southern Andhra Pradesh region with their capital at Kanchipuram...
dynasties. In addition the poets Kalidasa
Kalidasa
Kālidāsa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language...
and Kanakadasa were also Dhangars. The famous Vithoba
Vithoba
Vithoba , also known as Vitthala and Panduranga , is a Hindu god, worshipped predominantly in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and Andhra Pradesh. He is generally considered a manifestation of the Hindu god Vishnu or his Avatar Krishna...
temple at Pandharpur
Pandharpur
Pandharpur is an important pilgrimage city on the Bhimā river in Solāpur district, Maharashtra, India. The Vithoba temple attracts about half a million Hindu pilgrims during the major yātrā in the month of Ashadh ....
was built by Vishnuvardhana
Vishnuvardhana
Vishnuvardhana was an emperor of the Hoysala Empire in present day Indian state of Karnataka. Vishnuvardhana took the first step in consolidating the Hoysala Empire in South India through a series of battles against his overlords, the Western Chalukya empire...
, a Dhangar from the Hoysala Dynasty. The Meenakshi temple was built by Pallavas who were Dhangars. There is a tradition that Deoghur or Daulatabad
Daulatabad
Daulatabad , is a 14th century fort city in Maharashtra, India, about 16 kilometers northwest of Aurangabad...
was built in 1203 AD by a Dhangar or herdsman who, acquiring by some unusual good fortune and vast wealth was named by his brother shepherds Rajah Ram and soon after assumed the rank of a Raja. This warrior community, in the districts of Nanded
Nanded
Nanded is the second largest city in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, India. It is also headquarters of Nanded district in the Marathwada Division of the state. It is an important holy place for the Sikh faith and is famous for the Hazur Sahib Gurudwara. It is the district headquarters once...
, Parbhani
Parbhani
Parbhani is a city in Parbhani district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Parbhani, formerly known as “Prabhavatinagar”, is a city in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Parbhani District.Parbhani is approximately situated at the centre of Maharashtra...
and Berar
Berar Province
Berar Province, known also as the Hyderabad Assigned Districts, was a province of British India. The province, formerly ruled by the Nizam of Hyderabad, was administered by the British after 1853, although the Nizam retained formal sovereignty over the province...
, across the Painganga River
Painganga River
The Penganga River is the chief river of the Yavatmal district and Washim district in the Maharashtra state in India and flows along the south east boundaries of the district in a winding, meandering course. It is deeply entrenched and not able to be navigated...
, were in open rebellion from 1798 A. D. till 1820 A. D. under the leadership of Novsaji Naik and had taken possession of a number of strongholds.
Current situation
Traditionally being warriors, shepherds, cowherds, buffalo keepers, blanket and wool weavers, butchers and farmers, Dhangars were late to take up modern day education. Though it has a notable population not only in Maharashtra but also in India, had a rich history, today it is still politically highly disorganized community and is socially, educationally, economically and politically backward. They lived a socially isolated life due to their occupation, wandering mainly in forests, hills and mountains.Social status
Some believe the Dhangar to be of the Kshatriya varna, a status reaffirmed, confirmed and declared in 1933 in the conference of Hindu Mahasabha which was held at AjmerAjmer
Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
. The Dhangar, as a Kshatriya caste, originally were unified with and dined and intermarried with the Rajputs and Marathas. However Ethoven notes that the Jativiveka (Examination of Castes) asserts that they are descended from a Shudra father and Mahisya women.
For the affirmative action or the Reservation in India
Reservation in India
Reservation in India is a form of affirmative action designed to improve the well being of socially backward and underrepresented communities of citizens in India. There are laws in place, wherein a certain percentage of total available slots in Jobs and Education are set aside for people from...
they are distributed into Advanced Class, Other Backward Class, Nomadic Tribe, Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste throughout India. In Maharashtra though they were classified as extremely backward since Independence in 1947, the Dhangar achieved reservation in 1990 after peaceful and non-violent agitation in 1989. The then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India . He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira...
told the State Government to immediately implement their Scheduled Tribe status but the Sharad Pawar
Sharad Pawar
Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar , popularly known as SAHEB , is the president of the Nationalist Congress Party which he founded in 1999, after separating from the Indian National Congress...
led State government deprived the ST status and included them as Nomadic Tribe in 1990. The Creamy layer
Creamy layer
The creamy layer is a term used in Indian politics to refer to the relatively wealthier and better educated members of the Other Backward Classes who are not eligible for government sponsored educational and professional benefit programs...
is excluded from reservations. In 2004, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee is an Indian statesman who served as the tenth Prime Minister of India three times – first for a brief term of 13 days in 1996, and then for two terms from 1998 to 2004. After his first brief period as Prime Minister in 1996, Vajpayee headed a coalition government from...
in a rally at Pandharpur
Pandharpur
Pandharpur is an important pilgrimage city on the Bhimā river in Solāpur district, Maharashtra, India. The Vithoba temple attracts about half a million Hindu pilgrims during the major yātrā in the month of Ashadh ....
declared that if BJP lead NDA comes to power they would immediately confer the ST status. The All India Dhangar Association is still fighting to get the ST status.
Dhangar community in Maharashtra has been agitating for the implementation of Scheduled Tribe status. According to them Dhangar and Dhangad is one and the same and Dhangar community is included in the state's list of Scheduled Tribes at Sr. no 36 Oraon
Oraon
The Oraon उरांव or Kurukh कुड़ुख tribe , also spelled Uraon, Oran, or Oram, are tribal aborigines inhabiting various states across central and eastern India as well as Bangladesh...
, Dhangad. State of Maharashtra had twice recommended the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
to include the Dhangar community in the list of Scheduled Tribe. Even in 1989, the CAG report recommended the inclusion of Dhangar community in the list of Scheduled Tribe. However, the State of Maharashtra has not implemented the Scheduled Tribe status as according to them Dhangar and Dhangad are two distinct communities of Maharashtra.
Culture
The Dhangar produce a type of poetry known as ovi, often inspired by the forests and pastures where they graze their flocks. The ovi are formed of couplets, and can include legendary tales such as those of their god Biruba. Also in honour of Biruba, they perform the Dhangari Gaja dance.Religion
Dhangars worship various forms of god including ShivaShiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
, Parvati
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
and Mahalaxmi
Mahalaxmi
Mahalaxmi can refer to:* Mahalaxmi : the Hindu goddess of wealth and patron goddess of the city of Kolhapur, Maharashtra.* Mahalaxmi : a location in the city of Mumbai....
as their kuldaivat. These forms include Khandoba
Khandoba
Khandoba, also known as Khanderao, Khanderaya, Malhari Martand and Mallu Khan is a regional Hindu deity, worshipped as Mārtanda Bhairava, a form of Shiva, mainly in the Deccan plateau of India, especially in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. He is the most popular family deity in Maharashtra...
, Beeralingeswara
Beeralingeswara
Beeralingeswara / Biroba / Birappa, a form of the Hindu god Shiva, is the main deity worshiped by the Dhangar/Kuruba Gowda caste.Most villages in Karnataka has a Berappa temple, the deity is not only worshipped by Kuruba Gowdas but also people from other caste and communities...
(Biroba), Mhasoba
Mhasoba
Mhasoba, pronounced "MUH-SO-BAA", is a horned buffalo deity of pastoral tribes in Western and Southern India. In Maharashtra, many Gawlis have been worshipping this deity for hundreds of years.Some experts have connected Mhasoba with Shiva, who may have been a pre-Hindu deity adopted by...
, Dhuloba (Dhuleshwar), Vithoba
Vithoba
Vithoba , also known as Vitthala and Panduranga , is a Hindu god, worshipped predominantly in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and Andhra Pradesh. He is generally considered a manifestation of the Hindu god Vishnu or his Avatar Krishna...
, Janai-Malai, Tulai
Bhavani
Bhavani is a ferocious aspect of the Hindu goddess Parvati. Bhavani means "giver of life", the power of nature or the source of creative energy. In addition to her ferocious aspect, she is also known as Karunaswaroopini, "filled with mercy"....
, Yamai
Yamai
Yamai devi or Shree Yamai devi temple is situated in a hill complex in the town of Aundh, Satara district, Maharashtra. It is said that Goddess Mahalaxmi of Kolhapur and Lord Jyotiba called her as "Ye Mai" which means "Come mother" in English. Hence, She is known as Yamai Devi. There are steps...
, Padubai
Padmavati
-Mythology:* Alamelu, aka Padmāvatī, Hindu goddess and consort of Sri Venkateshwara of Tirupati* Another name for the Hindu serpent goddess Manasa* Padmavati , Jain goddess-Given name:...
, and Ambabai. They generally worship the temple of these gods that is nearest to their residence which becomes their kuladev and kuladevi. The god of Jejuri
Jejuri
Jejuri is a city and a municipal council in Pune district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is famous for the main temple of god Khandoba.-Geography:Jejuri is located at . It has an average elevation of 718 metres ....
, a temple in Mahrashtra, is Khandoba
Khandoba
Khandoba, also known as Khanderao, Khanderaya, Malhari Martand and Mallu Khan is a regional Hindu deity, worshipped as Mārtanda Bhairava, a form of Shiva, mainly in the Deccan plateau of India, especially in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. He is the most popular family deity in Maharashtra...
(Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
), the husband of Banai
Banai
Banai is an Israeli and Persian surname. It may refer to the following people:*The well-known Banai family of actors and musicians:**Ehud Banai**Elisha Banai**Eviatar Banai**Gavri Banai**Hayim Banai**Meir Banai**Ori Banai**Orna Banai**Ya’akov Banai...
(from the Dhangar caste), and is popular amongst the Dhangars as it is their Kuladaivat. Khandoba (literally "swordsman's father") is the god of shepherd community and guardian deity of Deccan.
Tribes
Initially there were twelve tribes of Dhangar and they had a division of labourDivision of labour
Division of labour is the specialisation of cooperative labour in specific, circumscribed tasks and likeroles. Historically an increasingly complex division of labour is closely associated with the growth of total output and trade, the rise of capitalism, and of the complexity of industrialisation...
amongst brothers of one family. This later formed three sub-divisions and one half division. These three being Hatkar
Hatkar
-History:A British commentator, Captain Fitzgerald, once an assistant commissioner in Berar Division, made the following observation:...
Gadari or GAYARI (shepherds), Ahir (cowherds) or Mhaskar (Gujar buffalo keepers), and Khutekar (wool and blanket weavers)/Sangar. The half division is called Khateek
Khateek
The Khatik is a Kshatriya, Rajput ancestry and the etymology of the word Khatik comes from Sanskrit Khat+eek, which means orders of Priest in the Yaga Mandapam to stroke sacrifice of animal during Vedic Yagas by none other than Rajput, Kshatriya i.e...
or Khatik (butchers). All sub-castes fall in either of these divisions. All sub-divisions emerge from one stock and all sub-divisions claim to be a single group of Dhangars. Studies have revealed that they are genetically the closest. The number three and a half is not a random selection but has a religious and cosmological significance. Subsets of Dhangar, also shepherds, are known as Bharwad
Bharwad
The Bharwad are a Hindu caste found in the state of Gujarat in India. Those of Saurashtra use Ahir as a surname, Bharwad consider themselves as Nandvanshi Ahirs.Enthoven writes that Bharwads numbered 95,832 according to 1901 census.-Origin:...
in Gujrat and Goa. Dhangars are also called as Gauli in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
and Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
.
All Dhangars of Western Maharashtra and Konkan / Marhatta country
Marhatta country
Marhatta or Maratha country was some region in the Western Maharashtra or Desh or Deccan region and Konkan region of present day Maharashtra.The Prakrit word Marhatta is found in Jain Maharashtri literature. In tenth century Al-Biruni mentions the Marhatta region with Thane as its capital...
, like Holkar
Holkar
The Holkar dynasty , whose earliest known clan-man was Malhar Rao, who joined the service of the Peshwa in 1721, and quickly rose to the ranks of Subedar...
s, can be termed Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
s, but all Marathas are not Dhangars.
Famous Kuruba Dhangars
- Sangolli RayannaSangolli RayannaSangolli Rayanna was a prominent freedom fighter from Karnataka, India. He fought the British till his death. He was the army chief of the Kingdom of Kittur ruled at the time by Rani Chennamma. Rayanna was born in the small village of Sangolli, he belonged to the Kuruba / Dhangar caste and hence...
(Kannada ಸಂಗೊಳ್ಳಿ ರಾಯಣ್ಣ )(B: 15-Aug-1798 – D: 26-Jan-1831) was a prominent freedom fighter from Karnataka, India. He fought the British till his death. He was the army chief of the Kingdom of Kittur ruled at the time by Rani Chennamma. Rayanna was born in the small village of Sangolli, he belonged to the Kuruba / Dhangar caste and hence a warrior. A film was made on his life and achievements.
They are found mainly in southern part of country.
Karnataka, Andhara Pradesh, Kerela, Tamil Nadu,
- Mailara Mahadevappa, Freedom Fighter
- Kollur Mallappa, Freedom Fighter
MILITERY
General Satyawant Mallannah Shrinagesh.(1903–1977) was the second Indian to become Chief of Army Staff.TOLLYWOOD/SANDALWOOD
- B.V. Radha - Veteran Character Actor in Kannada Movies.
- Duniya Vijay - Actor in Kannada Movies, Duniya Moview.
Gadari [Gadderia] Dhangars
They are found mainly in northern part of the country.U.P., M.P., Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand They are also referred to as Royal Dhangars. Rambabu Gadderia Dayaram Gadderia
Pal Dhangars
they are found mainly in uttar pradesh, madhya pradesh, rajasthan, haryana, uttarakhandNekhar Dhangars
they are found mainly in uttar pradesh, madhya pradesh, rajasthan, haryana, uttarakhandClans in India
Enthoven in his observations listed 22 endogamous groupEndogamous group
Endogamous group is a community in which the members generally marry within the group. The caste in India and the tribes in many of the cultural regions of the world form endogamous groups....
s (sub-castes) and 108 exogamous group
Exogamous group
Exogamous group is a section of society within which marriages are prohibited. A marriage within an exogamous group is regarded as incestuous.Examples of exogamous groups are:* Gotras and Clans in the castes in India.* "Fis" among the Albanians...
s (clans) of Dhangars, though other scholars state that this is not exhaustive.
Genetic studies
The widespread Palaeolithic mtDNA haplogroups and analysis of Y-DNA haplogroupHaplogroup
In the study of molecular evolution, a haplogroup is a group of similar haplotypes that share a common ancestor having the same single nucleotide polymorphism mutation in both haplotypes. Because a haplogroup consists of similar haplotypes, this is what makes it possible to predict a haplogroup...
in Dhangar clans highlight their Proto-Asian genetic ancestries. Dhangar heterogeneity is ascribable to predominantly South-Asian males and West-Eurasian females. Dhangar have a significant Pleistocene gene pool, corroborating their "Proto-Asian" origin. As per J. H. Hutton they are Proto-Australoid
Proto-Australoid
The Proto-Australoids are a hypothesized group of ancient hunter-gather people descended from the first major wave of modern humans to leave sub-Saharan Africa ~100,000 years ago...
. Kashyap (2006)
designates 23 out of 54 Indian populations studied as Australoid
Australoid
The Australoid race is a broad racial classification. The concept originated with a typological method of racial classification. They were described as having dark skin with wavy hair, in the case of Veddoids from South Asia and Aboriginal Australians, or hair ranging from straight to kinky in the...
, of which one speaks an Indo-European language (Dhangar of Maharashtra).
See also
- OraonOraonThe Oraon उरांव or Kurukh कुड़ुख tribe , also spelled Uraon, Oran, or Oram, are tribal aborigines inhabiting various states across central and eastern India as well as Bangladesh...
- Ahir
- GujjarGujjarThe Gurjar are an ethnic group in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Alternative spellings include Gurjara, Gujar, Gurjjara and Gūrjara. The spelling Gurjara or Gurjar is preferable to the rest....
- Yadav caste
- Jats
- List of Scheduled Tribes in India#Maharashtra
- Reservation in IndiaReservation in IndiaReservation in India is a form of affirmative action designed to improve the well being of socially backward and underrepresented communities of citizens in India. There are laws in place, wherein a certain percentage of total available slots in Jobs and Education are set aside for people from...
External links
- Dhangar.org
- Pal-Baghel-Samaj.com
- Dhangar-Samaj.com
- Khatik Samaj Community
- Pastoral People Worldwide at Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Molecular insight into the genesis of ranked caste populations of western India by Sonali Gaikwad and VK Kashyap
- Gene differentiation among the Dhangar caste-cluster of Maharashtra, India at National Center for Biotechnology Information (USA)
- Matrimonial distance, inbreeding coefficient and population size: Dhangar data at National Center for Biotechnology Information (USA)
- The Warlis and the Dhangars at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA)