The Shenva are a 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...

  scheduled caste found in the state of Gujarat 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 Sindhwa and Chenva.

History and origin

According to some of their traditions, the community was born out of the union of 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...

 men and tribal women. There are also other traditions which refer to the Shenva being descended from 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 who fled into the forests fleeing Muslim

Muslim

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

 invaders. They are found throughout Gujarat, with their main concentrations are in the districts of Mehsana

Mehsana

Mahesana is a city and municipality in Mehsana district, in the Indian state of Gujarat.-City and surrounding area:Situated near Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, Mehsana is one of the largest cities in North Gujarat; followed by Patan and Palanpur. A number of primary industries including dairy, oil...

, Ahmedabad, Sabarkantha, Kaira, Rajkot, and Jamnagar

Jamnagar

Jamnagar is a city and a municipal corporation in Jamnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city was built up substantially by Maharaja Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji in the 1920s, when the district was known as Nawanagar. The district lies just to the south of the Gulf of Kutch and is...

. The community have scheduled caste status. They speak Gujarati

Gujarati language

Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...

 with no particular dialect.

Present circumstances

The Shenva community consists of several clans, each of whom is exogamous. Their main clans are the Vatukia, Gangadia, Morakia, Zalia, Vaghela, Solanki, Makwana, Parmar, Chauhan and Rathore. The Shenva are traditionally agricultural labourers. Some of them are engaged in the manufacturing of brooms and mats. Like other scheduled caste communities, they suffer from social and economic disabilities.