Kapadi or Kapdi is one of the minority 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...

 community of 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...

, who are followers of Kapadi Sampradaya.

History

Origin of Kapadi community, as per folk fore, is connected with Lord Rama

Rama

Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

. It is said Rama

Rama

Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

 visited a place called Hingadajki ( now in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...

 ), dressed as a Kapadi, to get rid of the sin of killing the Ravana

Ravana

' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...

, who was a Brahmin

Brahmin

Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...

 by birth.

This dress was given by Rama to one Laljusraj, who accompanied him on the trip. Laljusraj is said to be founder of Kapadi sect. It is believed that it is the same dress, that is preserved at Mekan Dada Temple at Dhrang

Dhrang

Dhrang or Dhrung is a small village located in Kutch District of Gujarat State of India. The village is located at about distance of 40 km from Bhuj Taluka & District Headquarter. The village is on border to Pakistan...

.

Kapadi community are mainly found in Kutch, Gujarat, where they are held in very high regards and there are many followers of this sect. Kapadi are considered to be descendant 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...

 princes.
A Kapadi priest or saint is called Dada as a mark of respect. In Kutch, Kapadi priests, hold the post of chief priest of temple of Ashapura Mata

Ashapura Mata

Ashapura Mata is one of aspect devi. Her temples are mainly found in Gujarat.In Rajasthan, her temples are in Modran and Nadol.She is considered as kuldevi of Jadeja...

 at Mata no Madh

Mata no Madh

Mata no Madh is name of the place, where the famous temple of Ashapura Mata, the head deity of Kutch and kuldevi of Jadeja rulers stands. It is located about 80 km from Bhuj, the capital of erstwhile Princely State of Cutch and now headquarter of Kutch District.in Gujarat State of India.The...

, which is chief deity or Kuldevi of Jadeja

Jadeja

Jadeja belong to the Yaduvanshi rajputs or Chandravanshi rajputs. They are one of the 36 royal dynasties of old tracing their origins to Lord Krishna...

 rulers of Kutch. They are known as Rajabawa and were given villages as an estate by the rulers of Kutch.

Divisions of Kapadi Sect

There are main four groups of Kapadi Sampradaya.

1. Ramsnehi Kapadi - who worship Rama
   Rama
   Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
   
    as their chief deity and are found 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...
   
   , Madhya Pradesh
   Madhya Pradesh
   Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
   
    & Uttar Pradesh
   Uttar Pradesh
   Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
   
   
2. Ashapuri Kapadi - who worship Ashapura Mata
   Ashapura Mata
   Ashapura Mata is one of aspect devi. Her temples are mainly found in Gujarat.In Rajasthan, her temples are in Modran and Nadol.She is considered as kuldevi of Jadeja...
   
   , and were originally located in Kutch but have now migrated to other areas.
3. Sravani Kapadi - who are mainly found in Banaskantha district of Gujarat
4. Makadbanth Kapadi - who are followers of Mekan Dada, and are the most recent sect of Kapadi community.

Customs

The community consider themselves at par with other upper caste community and this is accepted by others also.
The dead among Kapadi are given samadhi

Samadhi

Samadhi in Hinduism, Buddhism,Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools is a higher level of concentrated meditation, or dhyāna. In the yoga tradition, it is the eighth and final limb identified in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali....

. Only Raja Bawas are cremated.

The agriculture is main occupation of Kapadi community, others being involved in small business and jobs.