Kahar
Encyclopedia
Kahar is an ancient community of India. They are divided in to Hindu ,Muslim and Sikhs respectively. The muslim kahar chiefly found in Punjab,Haryana and western belt of Uttar Pradesh. Sikh kahar were they who have turned in sikhism from Hinduism.
In Gujarat, a large section of Kahar community(known as Bhoy community) are found in Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Porbandar, Rajpipla, Bharuch, Surat and are known as Bhoy.Their surname like Godia, Gudia(Porbandar), Pardeshi, Kithoria etc. They are mainly engaged with fishing business, govt. & private job.
In Jammu and Himachal, they are known as Dogra and Kashyap Rajpoot. In Punjab, they are Jhinwar or Jhimmar.
In Central India they are known as Keer, Bhoi, Dhimmar, Dimmar, Dhevar, Dewar, Naavda .
of the western District and the Punjab are fishermen, Gharuk-Housemen or choukidaar, Jaiswar take their name from the old town of Jais, Kamkar are the hard worker and near to kharwar, Kharwar act as scullions and attendants, Mahar are agicultural labours and fisherman of western district of United Province, Mallah are the well known boatmen, Raikwar are also boatmen but works with rajpoot, Rawani are well performed personal attendants, Singhariya are the cultivators of singhara nut (Water caltrop) and Turaha are the fishermen, Green grocers and cultivators of Rohilkhand, Agra and Benares divisions of United Province. This description shows that Kahar is not a caste, but group of endogamous sub-castes. The detailed census of 1891 returns give 823 sections of the Hindus and 24 of the Muhammadan branch.
They are found mainly in the districts of Gorakhpur
, Lucknow
, Kanpur, Basti
, Gonda
, Farrukhabad
, and Shahjahanpur
districts in UP and most parts of Bihar and W. Bengal. Although they are present in most parts of India but mainly concentrated in North India. Their main occupation is to officiate at the various holy occasions which occur along the banks of the Ganges river. With changing times, this community has also abandoned its ancestral work and shifted to new avenues of modern living.
In Rajasthan
, the Kahars have three sub-divisions, the Budana, Turaha and Mahara. These sub-divisions consist of clans, the prominent ones being the Kashyap, Pindwal, Bamnawat, Katariya, Badgujar, Bilawat, and Oatasaniya. They have abandoned their traditional occupation of palanquin bearing, and now involved mainly in petty trading and wage labour.
The Hindu Kahar
A numerous & widely scattered community in Northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jammu region of J&K,Himanchal Pradesh and Bihar.They are also found in Maharashtra.In Gujarat, a large section of Kahar community(known as Bhoy community) are found in Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Porbandar, Rajpipla, Bharuch, Surat and are known as Bhoy.Their surname like Godia, Gudia(Porbandar), Pardeshi, Kithoria etc. They are mainly engaged with fishing business, govt. & private job.
In Jammu and Himachal, they are known as Dogra and Kashyap Rajpoot. In Punjab, they are Jhinwar or Jhimmar.
In Central India they are known as Keer, Bhoi, Dhimmar, Dimmar, Dhevar, Dewar, Naavda .
Internal Organisation
According to the first census held in 1891, Kahars recorded themselves under fifteen sub- castes. These sub -castes are 1. Dhuriya 2. Bot 3. Dhinwar or Dhimar 4. Batham 5. Gharuk 6. Gondiya or Gond 7. Jaiswar 8. Kamkar 9. Kharwar 10. Mahar 11. Mallah 12. Rawani 13. Singhariya 14. Turai. These illustrate the various elements out of which the present caste has been organised. Of these Batham ,take their name from the city of Sravasti are grain-parchers, and domestic servants, Dhuriya (Create Mahadev by dust,in hindi Dhool) are carrier of burdens , Gondiya or Gond are the Stone cutter of Eastern Districts, the Bot are hill tribe, Dhimar , who correspond to the JhinwarJhinwar
Bold text°The Jhinwar are a Hindu caste and Sikh caste found in the states of Haryana and Punjab in India. They are also known as Dhimar, Jhimar and Kashyap Rajputs...
of the western District and the Punjab are fishermen, Gharuk-Housemen or choukidaar, Jaiswar take their name from the old town of Jais, Kamkar are the hard worker and near to kharwar, Kharwar act as scullions and attendants, Mahar are agicultural labours and fisherman of western district of United Province, Mallah are the well known boatmen, Raikwar are also boatmen but works with rajpoot, Rawani are well performed personal attendants, Singhariya are the cultivators of singhara nut (Water caltrop) and Turaha are the fishermen, Green grocers and cultivators of Rohilkhand, Agra and Benares divisions of United Province. This description shows that Kahar is not a caste, but group of endogamous sub-castes. The detailed census of 1891 returns give 823 sections of the Hindus and 24 of the Muhammadan branch.
Social Changes
In census 1931 it was recorded by Mr. A. C. Turner (Census Of India 1931) that many endogamous group or sub-castes form distinct caste broke away from Kahars like Gond, Dhimar, Kharwar, Mallah and Turaha. This separation was made due to the occupational differences which differentiate their endogamous groups. Now these separate castes have their different occupational and ethnological status with Kahars. At present main large groups of Kahars are Dhuriya, Batham, Godiya and Rawani.Occupation and Social Status
It can be seen from enumertion of the sub-castes that the occpation of the Kahars are diverse. Of the Western Kahars Mr. Ibbetson writes :- "He is a carrier, waterman, fisherman, and basket maker of the east Punjab, he carries palanquins and all such burdens as are borne by a yoke on the shoulders, and he is specially concerned with the water, in so much that the cultivation of water nuts and the netting of water-fowls are for the most part in his hands, and he is the well-sinker of the Province.Present circumstances
With the decline in their traditional occupations, the Kahars are now a community of landless agricultural labourers. Many have also emigrated to the cities, where they now engage in wage labour. They have Other Backward Caste(O.B.C.) status in U.P. In Tripura, Kahars are listed in Schedule Caste.They are found mainly in the districts of Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur is a city in the eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, near the border with Nepal. It is the administrative headquarters of Gorakhpur District and Gorakhpur Division. Gorakhpur is one of the proposed capitals of the Purvanchal state which is yet to be formed...
, Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
, Kanpur, Basti
Basti
Basti district , is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state, India and Basti town is the district headquarters. Basti district is a part of Basti Division.-Origin of name:Basti was originally known as Vaishishthi...
, Gonda
Gonda
Gonda may refer to:* Gonda district* Gonda, Uttar Pradesh* Gonda * Gonda, Aligarh...
, Farrukhabad
Farrukhabad
Farrukhābād , is one of the important cities of Central Doab Region in the State of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. The city was founded in 1717 by Mohammed Bangash who named it after the Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar. Farrukhabad is situated on the bank of sacred river Ganges.-Demographics: India...
, and Shahjahanpur
Shahjahanpur
Shahjahanpur is a municipal board, town and district headquarters of Shahjahanpur District in Uttar Pradesh, India.-History:During the reign of Shahjahan, Mughal forces demolished the city of Kant...
districts in UP and most parts of Bihar and W. Bengal. Although they are present in most parts of India but mainly concentrated in North India. Their main occupation is to officiate at the various holy occasions which occur along the banks of the Ganges river. With changing times, this community has also abandoned its ancestral work and shifted to new avenues of modern living.
In Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, the Kahars have three sub-divisions, the Budana, Turaha and Mahara. These sub-divisions consist of clans, the prominent ones being the Kashyap, Pindwal, Bamnawat, Katariya, Badgujar, Bilawat, and Oatasaniya. They have abandoned their traditional occupation of palanquin bearing, and now involved mainly in petty trading and wage labour.