Khandayat (caste)

Khandayats are a martial caste of Odisha in India. Khandayat means "master of the sword". The word, "Khanda" means sword and "Ayata" means control. Khandayats are the kshatriya caste in Odisha and constitute 22% of the state's population. Khandayats mainly involved in ruling and operating the body of society in ancient era. See Indian name#Oriya names.

Introduction

Khandayats are the single largest and the highest caste of Orissa throughout history except for last century where Brahmins dominated caste in Orissa, constituting over 22% of the state’s population. With pass of time, education became prominent part of life and educated people have depicted the term Kshatriyas next to them in literature and books. After Muslim invasion of Northern India, when North Indian Kshatriyas almost lost their power and dominance and mostly concentrated in cultivation to survive at that time, Khandayats in Odisha were still prosperous politically and protected the land of Odisha free from foreign incursions. They are known to daring and brave and still it can can be noticed in their ceremonies such as Paika akhada and ritualisms. They are a regional subcaste of the warrior caste (Kshatriya) such as Rajputs or Khatris.

History

Traditionally they are martial caste or people belonging to the warrior class also known as "Kshatriyas". The name Khandayat is originated from the term "khanda" in Oriya which means the sword and "ayata", which means control in specific area. So according to the order of Shree Gajapati Maharaja, literally Khandayat means a person having complete control over rules, regulations & satya dharma (discipline). This caste has a history of over 2500 years, and have been noted in historical events such as the famous Kalinga War and the Khurda Revellion, where Khandayats along with the East Indian Company Khands regiment fought strenuously against British Rule. The Khandayats are supposed to have ruled Orissa and several adjoining parts in 16th century with the death of last Gajapati ruler Mukunda Dev, who was killed by Govinda Vidyadhara in 1541. Govinda Vidyadhara was the founder of Bhoi (Bhoumyokar) dynasty in Orissa. Since then the ruling families such as Singh Deo, Bhanj Deo, Singha Deb are limited to their rule in Odisha. The advent of land holding came as a central issue for Khandayats in the medieval ages, as feudalism became an important factor in the common Indian society. Hence, after each battle or war, Khandayats who had fought were given lands or "jagirs" according to their rank and success in the battlefield. Because of this, by the end of 19 century, most landholdings became part and parcel of people from the Khandayat community. However, with all of Odisha and India coming under East India Company rule, land was minutely distributed among people of other castes such as Brahmin and Karanam, so as to not make Khandayat the only dominant force, politically, in Odisha. Also by the mid 20th century, Khandayats were at a complete loss when Zamindari system was removed forcibly by the Indian Republican Constitution and government took the possession of their extra lands in Independent India. Though this action irrevocably destroyed feudalism and the land backbone for Khandayat community, however, secular education became a greater issue for the upper castes. Khandayats, like brahmins of Odisha asserted their power of civil education with producing educators, civil officers, and astute politicians not just after Indian independence, but also prior in British era.

Overview

Khandayats are divided into various clans. The main four are listed as Agnivanshi, Suryavanshi, Nagavanshi and Chandravanshi. Though it is considered that Khandayats are one homogeneous community, however this community is divided into various class strata, though these divisions are of a social nature and has no effect on religious customs or rituals. At the first are Rajputia Khandayats, which consists of the erstwhile royal families, next is Sresth-Khandayats, who are generally people related to the royal family or people whose forefathers' actions have been of noteworthy to the kingdoms in the medieval ages, and then the normal Khandayats, who are traditionally warriors, and at peacetime, educators, agriculturalists, and distinguished leaders of towns and villages. Earlier, they were concentrated in the coastal districts like Cuttack, Kendrapara, Khurda, Puri, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Nayagarh, Bhadrak, Baleswar, Dhenkanal,Sambalpur with some pockets in central Orissa. However, this has changed over the years due to increased movement of people within the state. They strictly adhere to North Indian Brahminical customs and rituals and are very caste conscious in regards to marriage as the saying follows, "that only Khandayat father and mother will have Khandayat children". Also, marriage is followed according to determination of one's Gotra/lineage and Kundali/horoscope. Common Gotras are Bhardawaj, Bachasya, Kashyap, Nageshya or Ballabhadra. Common Titles and surnames include Biswal, Dhal, Nayak, Gadanayak, Indrasingh, Mishra, Swain, Pal, Bishoyi, Dalai, Patro, Jena, Baral, Routaray, Paikaray, Singhdeo, BhanjDeo, Sundaray, Deo, Dhir, Mohanty, Maharathi, Singh, Sinha, Pradhan, Samantaray, Samanta, Parida, Khandayatray, Chhotray, Dalasinghray, Srichandanray, Champatiray, Choudhary, and Mahapatra.

Paika Akhada

Paika means fighter or warrior in Odia language. Paika Akhada is a place where the Paikas were getting their military training. The Paikas were mostly Khandayats, who had tremendous control over swords.

Further reading

• Ernst, Waltraud; Pati, Biswamoy, eds. (2007). India's Princely States: People, Princes and Colonialism. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-13411-988-2.
• Pati, Biswamoy (2001). Situating Social History: Orissa, 1800-1997. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 978-8-12502-007-3.
• Senapati, Fakir Mohan (2005). Six Acres and a Third: The Classic Nineteenth-century Novel about Colonial India. Mishra, Rabi Shankar (trans.). University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-52022-883-2.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070419/asp/jamshedpur/story_7665365.asp