Sondhia
Encyclopedia
The Sondhia are a Hindu
caste
found in the state of Rajasthan
in India
.
community, although this claim is not accepted by the other Rajput
groups. The Sondhia occupy a tract of territory known as Sondhwad, named after the community. They speak their own dialect of Rajasthani
known as Sondhwadi.
s, such as Chauhan, Rathore, Parmar and Solanki. Each clan has equal status, and the community do not practice clan hypergamy.
They are a community of small farmers, although the community is now being urbanized. They are a Vaishnavi
Hindu
community, and have no particular customs. The Sondhia are generally considered to belong to the Backward caste category.
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...
.
History and origin
The term Sondhia has its origin in the word Sindh, which means river. They claim to belong to the RajputRajput
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...
community, although this claim is not accepted by the other 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...
groups. The Sondhia occupy a tract of territory known as Sondhwad, named after the community. They speak their own 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...
known as Sondhwadi.
Present circumstances
The Sondhia are divided into a number of exogamous clans. There clan's names are similar to the RajputRajput
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, such as Chauhan, Rathore, Parmar and Solanki. Each clan has equal status, and the community do not practice clan hypergamy.
They are a community of small farmers, although the community is now being urbanized. They are a Vaishnavi
Vaishnavi
Vaishnavi is a legendary figure in the Hindu tradition and the Consort of Lord Vishnu. According to the legend, she was an incarnation of the Divine Mother, or Shakti....
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, and have no particular customs. The Sondhia are generally considered to belong to the Backward caste category.