The Koshti are a Hindu caste mainly found in the states 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...

, Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000....

, 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....

 and 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...

 with a smaller population in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

 and Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

  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...

.

The Koshti's are Kshtriyas which were serving as soldiers in Peshwa's and Tipu Sultan kingdom. Currently they are weaving community 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...

 who make sarees from silk and cotton .

History and Origin

There are various theories to their origin. Some Koshtis believe that they are the descendants of Markandeya

Markandeya

Markandeya is an ancient rishi from the Hindu tradition, born in the clan of Bhrigu Rishi. He is celebrated as a devotee of both Shiva and Vishnu and is mentioned in a number of stories from the Puranas...

 Rishi . The Koshti believe they are the descendants of the King Rajhans. Rajhans was the king of Devagiri (Berar) and died in battle with Ilober. The word koshti stands for a man of virtues, a title that the king Rajhans was honoured with in the year 1111 A.D. It is believed that after this episode, Koshti took jobs as soldiers in different erstwhile princely states, including the armies of the Peshwas and Tipu Sultan .

Language

Koshti people speak the language Koshti which is a distinct language with words derived from Sanskrit in either their tatsama or tadbhava form. Koshti also contains words borrowed from languages like Marathi, Khari-boli, Bundeli, Chattisgarhi and variants of Hindi . There are local dialects of Koshti which differ considerably with region. Lately, the Koshti people have begun speaking the major languages of their individual states, i.e. Koshtis settled in Maharashtra speak Marathi, while those settled in Karnataka speak Kannada.

Present Circumstances

Industrialisation and the introduction of power looms from the late 1800s (and continuing into late 1900s) heavily impacted the traditional handloom community; who lost their primary means of livelihood. Since then, koshti weavers have started to accept work in diverse industries -- from bidi making, brass cutlery and utensils, tile and brick making and construction work .

Subcastes

The following subcastes exist within the Koshti community . The names in the brackets denote alternate names for these castes. For example, Devang Koshti's (as known in the western part of Maharashtra) are known as Deulwada in Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

 and Lingayat Koshti in the Nanded district of Maharashtra .

• Ahir - Former herdsmen.
• Aukule (Vidurs) - they are of mixed descent from Koshtis and other castes.
• Bhoyar
• Burad - Former bamboo workers.
• Deshkar - Meaning 'One belonging to the country' to state that they haven't migrated from another region but have been indigenous for sometime.
• Devang (Lingayat)
• Gadhewal (Gadhere) - Former donkey-keepers.
• Garhawala (Garhewar) - Former residents of Garha, a old town near Jabalpur
• Gujar
• Hatghar
• Halba
• Jain Koshti - Former Jains
• Koskati (Kachibandhe)
• Lad - From the Lad territory of Gujarat.
• Larhia (Beldar) - Former residents of Chattisgarh.
• Malwi
• Maratha (Mattha) - Former Marathas.
• Nikhar - Former Rajputs.
• Onkule
• Padmasale
• Pawar - Former Rajput clan.
• Patwis - Deriving from patwa - a dyer who colours the silk thread which weavers use to border their cotton cloth.
• Saade
• Sagunsale - A group of illegitimate descent.
• Salewar - Weavers. People of this subcaste have been weavers for the longest.
• Sutsale
• Swakul Sali
• Rawat

Further reading

• People of India: Maharashtra, Volume 2 By Kumar Suresh Singh, B. V. Bhanu, Anthropological Survey of India, p. 1130-1134
• Edgar Thurston. Castes and Tribes of Southern India Vol. 4
• Caste and race in India By G.S. Ghurye p. 324
• Poona, a socio-economic survey, Volume 2 p. 200