Kalbi
Encyclopedia
The Kalbi are a Hindu
caste
found in the state of Rajasthan
in India
. They are also known as Patel or Chowdhary.
, which was corrupted to Kalbi. These Kurmi
s are said to have settled in Mewar
in the twelfth century. Other traditions refer to the Kalbi being descendents of Brahmin
s women of Gujarat, who sought refuge with the Rajput
s of Udaipur
. They intermarried with the Rajput
s, and the Kalbi community was born.
, Barmer
, Udaipur
and Chitor districts. They speak the Marwari
dialect of Rajasthani
. also in M.P.and Gujrat,
Like other North India
n communities, the Kalbi follow gotra
exogamy. They have nine gotras, the main ones being the Parmar, Solanki, Sisodia and Chauhan. These gotras are further subdivided in two hundred sub-clans, such as the Fak, Kadli Silan and Kurad.
The traditional occupation is farming, and the Kalbi are a community essentially community of small peasant farmers. They have a traditional caste council, which settles disputes regarding land and matrimonial disputes. The Kalbi are Hindu
, and their chief deity is Ajanimata, whose shrine is situated at Mount Abu.
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
found in the state of 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...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. They are also known as Patel or Chowdhary.
History and origin
According to some traditions, the term is Kalbi is derived from KurmiKurmi
The Kurmi are a Hindu agricultural Jāti in India.The group has been associated with the Kunbi, though scholars differ as to whether the terms are synonymous. In 2006, the Indian government announced that Kurmi was considered synonymous with the Kunbi and Yellam castes in Maharashtra...
, which was corrupted to Kalbi. These Kurmi
Kurmi
The Kurmi are a Hindu agricultural Jāti in India.The group has been associated with the Kunbi, though scholars differ as to whether the terms are synonymous. In 2006, the Indian government announced that Kurmi was considered synonymous with the Kunbi and Yellam castes in Maharashtra...
s are said to have settled in 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...
in the twelfth century. Other traditions refer to the Kalbi being descendents of Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
s women of Gujarat, who sought refuge with the Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s of Udaipur
Udaipur
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...
. They intermarried with the Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s, and the Kalbi community was born.
Present circumstances
The Kalbi are distributed in Jalor,pali, sirohi, JodhpurJodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
, Barmer
Barmer, Rajasthan
Barmer is the headquarters of the Barmer district in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is a city and a municipality.-Origin of name:...
, Udaipur
Udaipur
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...
and Chitor districts. They speak the Marwari
Marwari language
The Marwari language , also variously Marvari, Marwadi, Marvadi), is spoken in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Marwari is also found in the neighboring state of Gujarat and Haryana and in Eastern Pakistan...
dialect of Rajasthani
Rajasthani language
Rajasthani Rajasthani Rajasthani (Devanagari: , Perso-Arabic: is a language of the Indo-Aryan languages family. It is spoken by 50 million people in Rajasthan and other states of India and in some areas of Pakistan. The number of speakers may be up to 80 million worldwide...
. also in M.P.and Gujrat,
Like other North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
n communities, the Kalbi follow gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
exogamy. They have nine gotras, the main ones being the Parmar, Solanki, Sisodia and Chauhan. These gotras are further subdivided in two hundred sub-clans, such as the Fak, Kadli Silan and Kurad.
The traditional occupation is farming, and the Kalbi are a community essentially community of small peasant farmers. They have a traditional caste council, which settles disputes regarding land and matrimonial disputes. The Kalbi are Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
, and their chief deity is Ajanimata, whose shrine is situated at Mount Abu.