Kisan (caste)
Encyclopedia
The Kisan are a Hindu
caste
found in the state of Uttar Pradesh
in India
. They are also known as Kisan Mahur and Mahato. They have been granted Other Backward Class status.
The Kisan get their name from the Hindi word kisan, which literally meanns a farmer. They are a community of cultivators found in Rohilkhand
, Farrukhabad District
, and the Awadh
districts of Kheri
and Hardoi
. The Kisan are simply an endogamous sub-group of the Kurmi
community. Like other neighbouring Hindu
communities, they practice clan and village exogamy. There clans, which are known as gotra
s, are the Haldiya, Saksena, Kanaujiya, Khagi, Lodha and Patariya. Each of these clans in of equal status, and intermarry.
As a community of cultivators, they tend to live in villages dominated by their own community. Their villages contain caste
councils, known as biradari panchayats, which act as instruments of social control.
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 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...
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 Kisan Mahur and Mahato. They have been granted Other Backward Class status.
The Kisan get their name from the Hindi word kisan, which literally meanns a farmer. They are a community of cultivators found in Rohilkhand
Rohilkhand
Rohilkhand is a region of northwestern Uttar Pradesh state of India.Rohilkhand lies on the upper Ganges alluvial plain and has an area of about 25,000 km²/10,000 square miles...
, Farrukhabad District
Farrukhabad District
Farrukhabad district is a district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The town of Fatehgarh is the district headquarters. The district is part of Kanpur Division....
, and the Awadh
Awadh
Awadh , also known in various British historical texts as Oudh or Oude derived from Ayodhya, is a region in the centre of the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh...
districts of Kheri
Lakhimpur Kheri
Lakhimpur Kheri is a district of Uttar Pradesh in the Lucknow division. It is located in India along the border with Nepal. The headquarters of the Lakhimpur Kheri District are situated in the city of Lakhimpur....
and Hardoi
Hardoi District
Hardoi disctrict is a district of Uttar Pradesh, India, and Hardoi town is the district headquarters. Hardoi district is a part of Lucknow division.-Economy:...
. The Kisan are simply an endogamous sub-group of the 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...
community. Like other neighbouring 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...
communities, they practice clan and village exogamy. There clans, which are known as 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"...
s, are the Haldiya, Saksena, Kanaujiya, Khagi, Lodha and Patariya. Each of these clans in of equal status, and intermarry.
As a community of cultivators, they tend to live in villages dominated by their own community. Their villages contain 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...
councils, known as biradari panchayats, which act as instruments of social control.