Bhumihar: Difference between revisions
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==Etymology== |
==Etymology== |
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Gorakh Rai, a scion of the Brahmin Shahi(Brahmin Shahi dynasty) family, was killed while fighting alongside [[Prithvi Raj Chauhan]] against [[Mohammad Ghauri]] at [[Taraori]], in 1192 CE. Gorakh Rai’s descendants are among the present day Vaid Caste of [[Mohyal]] Brahmins and they still prefix the honorific [[Raizada]] (prince) to their names. Another branch of this clan, that first set up residence at a place called Jai Theriya near [[Lucknow]], later moved east and established a state at [[Bettiah]] in Bihar. They were known as Jaitheriyas, now a sect of [[Bhumihar]] Brahmins.<ref>Raizada Harichand Vaid, ''Gulshane Mohyali'', Part I, p. 53 and Part II, pp. 134–135.</ref>Some Dutt Brahmins migrated eastward and mingled with [[Bhumihar]]s and became one with them.<ref name="Hindus participate in Muharram" /> An eminent example was [[Sir Ganesh Dutt]] Singh. Sir Ganesh Dutt Singh, who was a freedom fighter, administrator and educationist in which capacity he did a lot for improving education and health services in the state in the pre-independence era.<ref>{{cite news |
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The word ''Bhumihar'' is of relatively recent origin, being derived from ''bhoomi'' (land) and first recorded in 1865. It was adopted as part of a process of upward social mobility.<ref name="Kumar125">{{cite book |title=Community Warriors: State, Peasants and Caste Armies in Bihar |first=Ashwani |last=Kumar |publisher=Anthem Press |year=2008 |isbn=9781843317098 |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=num2I4NFGqIC&pg=125 |pages=125-126}}</ref> |
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| url = http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-03-03/patna/27286273_1_bhumihars-swami-sahajanand-saraswati-tenants |
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| title = Sir Ganesh Dutt's contributions recalled |
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| publisher = [[The Times of India]] |
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| date = 2003-01-14 |
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| accessdate = 2008-04-04 |
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| first1=Pranava K |
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| last1=Chaudhary |
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}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |
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| url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/39109373.cms |
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| title = Rishis, Maharshis, Brahmarshis... |
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| author = Pranava K Chaudhary |
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| publisher = [[The Times of India]] |
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| date = 2003-03-03 |
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| accessdate = 2008-03-25 |
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}}</ref> |
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==Origins and migration== |
==Origins and migration== |
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Revision as of 14:49, 23 June 2014
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 6 % of Bihari population[1] plus significant population in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and West Bengal | |
| Languages | |
| Hindi, Bhojpuri, Magadhi, Maithili, Angika, Vajjika, Bundeli | |
| Religion | |
 Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Kanyakubja Brahmins, Jujhautiya Brahmins, Saryupareen Brahmins | |
Commonly called Babhan |
Bhumihar Brahmin (sometimes shortened to Bhumihar and also known as Babhan)[2] is a Hindu Brahmin community mainly found in the Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bengal, Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and Nepal.[3][page needed]
There is also a significant migrant population of Bhumihars in Mauritius,[4] Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and others.
Etymology
Gorakh Rai, a scion of the Brahmin Shahi(Brahmin Shahi dynasty) family, was killed while fighting alongside Prithvi Raj Chauhan against Mohammad Ghauri at Taraori, in 1192 CE. Gorakh Rai’s descendants are among the present day Vaid Caste of Mohyal Brahmins and they still prefix the honorific Raizada (prince) to their names. Another branch of this clan, that first set up residence at a place called Jai Theriya near Lucknow, later moved east and established a state at Bettiah in Bihar. They were known as Jaitheriyas, now a sect of Bhumihar Brahmins.[5]Some Dutt Brahmins migrated eastward and mingled with Bhumihars and became one with them.[6] An eminent example was Sir Ganesh Dutt Singh. Sir Ganesh Dutt Singh, who was a freedom fighter, administrator and educationist in which capacity he did a lot for improving education and health services in the state in the pre-independence era.[7][8]
Origins and migration
"Kanyakubj Vanshavali" mentions five branches of Kanyakubja Brahmins as Saryupareen, Sanadhya, Bhumihar Brahmin, Jujhautiya and Prakrit Kanaujia:
Saryupari Sanadhyashcha Bhumiharo Jijhoutayah
Prakritashcha Iti Panchabhedastasya Prakartitah[9]
In the 19th (held at Prayag) and 20th (held at Lucknow) national convention of Kanyakubja Brahmins by Kanyakubja Mahati Sabha, in 1926 and 1927 respectively, it appealed for unity among Kanyakubja Brahmins whose different branches included Sanadhya, Pahadi, Jujhoutia, Saryupareen, Chattisgarhi, Bhumihar Brahmins and different Bengali Brahmins.[10] On the Jijhoutia clan of Bhumihar Brahmin, William Crooke writes, "A branch of the Kanaujia Brahmins (Kanyakubja Brahmins) who take their name from the country of Jajakshuku, which is mentioned in the Madanpur inscription.[11]
Occupations
A part of the Bhumihar belief that they are more privileged than other Brahmins is based on their perceived kingly roles.[12] In late-nineteenth century British India, Bhumihars were significant landholders in the Saran district of Bihar. Particularly notable among these zamindars was the Hathwa Raj, for which extensive records survive, but there were also many among the caste who had less elevated social standing, being ryots or even agricultural labourers. The lower-status members were not, however, treated as poorly as, say, the Chamars: the expansion in production of indigo at this time was reported by administrators to have caused a land shortage that resulted in increased rents being charged but the Bhumihar ryots suffered to a lesser extent from these than some other communities, presumably because they were favoured.[13] Nirmal Sengupta describes the Bhumihars of Bihar as then comprising some zamindars with "fairly big" estates, such as Ganesh Dutt, and of the rest the majority "constituted the substantial tenantry which, in economic terms, would constitute a section of the upper-middle and rich peasants"; other agriculturalist caste groups in the area, such as the Yadavs and Kurmis, were significantly less diverse in their status.[14]
Some Bhumihars served as soldiers in the Bengal Army, which comprised a greater number of upper caste recruits after the Indian Rebellion of 1857 but had fewer Brahmins from that time because it was believed that they had been significant players in the rebellion. As early as 1842, there had been 28,000 Rajput and 25,000 Brahmin members among the 67,000 Hindus in the force, with Bhumihars being classified as Brahmins.[15]
Unlike other Brahmin groups, the Bhumihars would not accept alms.[12]
Political and social movements
The Permanent Settlement introduced by the East India Company in 1793 to secure revenue from land rents dramatically affected land ownership and social standings in Bihar, giving considerable power to the zamindar class in whom the land was vested. These people became more and more alienated from the traditional village structure and were not generally known for their benevolence, even on the mostly small estates: they led profligate lifestyles, engaged in conspicuous consumption, attempted to extract money and services by illegal as well as licit means and, according to Mitra, were "ignorant idlers, slothful, devoid of education and abilities and therefore totally unable to play the role expected of them". The change in emphasis from rents based on production to rents based on ownership gave them no incentive to invest in such things as irrigation and every incentive in times of economic hardship to seek evictions of tenants so as to achieve higher rents from new occupants. A change in official tack from 1885, when the Bengal Tenancy Act was introduced and first guaranteed some tenant rights, served to annoy the zamindars and increase expectations among lesser groups. Agrarian tensions were thus not uncommon and further tensions were caused by the British census administrators, whose desire to categorise the numerous castes in terms of their standing socially and in the ritual varna system led to a politicisation of communities in the quest for a favourable official recognition.[16]
The Brahmanic status of the Bhumihars was a matter of debate. They were accepted socially as such but not in ritual terms because they were cultivators. They were not allowed, for example, to perform priestly duties and they had no knowledge of Sanskrit but as they made economic gains it was this recognition that they sought. Their principle means of campaigning for this was the Bhumihar Brahmin Mahasabha,[a] of which one significant figure was the sanyasi (mendicant) Swami Sahajanand Saraswati.[12][18][b]
In 1899, the Bhumihar Brahmin Mahasabha, with financial aid from a zamindar, established a college at Muzaffarpur in northern Bihar. This was accredited to award degrees in the following year and it was a significant development because education in the area was improving rapidly but students desirous of furthering it had to travel to Bhagalpur, Calcutta or Patna. By 1920, 10 per cent of Bhumihars in Bihar were literate, making them one of the few castes of whom this could be said; in this achievement, however, they were well behind the Kayasthas (33 per cent) and some other groups.[19]
As with the Rajputs, Kayasthas and other high castes of Bihar — and as opposed to the methods used by most lower castes — neither the Mahasabha nor any other formal body exercised power to make and enforce caste rules.[20]
Bhumihars are considered a politically volatile community.[21][22] Sri Krishna Sinha, born into a Bhumihar Brahmin family is considered the architect of modern Bihar.[23] Barring the war years, Sinha was Chief Minister of Bihar from the time of the first Congress Ministry in 1937 until his death in 1961.[24] He led Dalit’s entry into the Baidyanath Dham temple (Vaidyanath Temple, Deoghar), reflecting his commitment to the upliftment and social empowerment of dalits.[1] He was the first Chief Minister in the country to abolish the zamindari system.[25]
See also
References
Notes
- ^ The name of Pradhan Bhumihar Brahman Sabha is also used and appears to refer to the same organisation as the Bhumihar Brahmin Mahasabha.[17]
- ^ Some sources say that Swami Sahajanand Saraswati was in fact of the Jujhautiya Brahmin community but his involvement in the Bhumihar Brahmin Mahasabha is not doubted.[18]
Citations
- ^ a b Arun Kumar (25 January 2005). "Bhumihars rooted to the ground in caste politics". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 April 2008. Cite error: The named reference "Kumar05" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Yang, Anand A. (1989). The Limited Raj: Agrarian Relations in Colonial India, Saran District, 1793-1920. University of California Press. p. 44. ISBN 9780520057111.
- ^ Nedumpara, Jose J. Political Economy and Class Contradictions: A Study. Anmol. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ^ Thapan, Meenakshi, ed. (2005). Transnational Migration and the Politics of Identity. SAGE. p. 320. ISBN 978-0-7619-3425-7.
- ^ Raizada Harichand Vaid, Gulshane Mohyali, Part I, p. 53 and Part II, pp. 134–135.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Hindus participate in Muharramwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Chaudhary, Pranava K (14 January 2003). "Sir Ganesh Dutt's contributions recalled". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
- ^ Pranava K Chaudhary (3 March 2003). "Rishis, Maharshis, Brahmarshis..." The Times of India. Retrieved 25 March 2008.
- ^ Saraswati, Swami Sahajanand (2003). Swami Sahajanand Saraswati Rachnawali in Six volumes (in Volume 1 at p. 518, Parishist by Acharya Tarineesh Jha, 515-519). Prakashan Sansthan. ISBN 81-7714-097-3.
- ^ Saraswati, Swami Sahajanand (2003). Swami Sahajanand Saraswati Rachnawali in Six volumes (in Volume 1). Delhi: Prakashan Sansthan. pp. 519 (at p 68–69) (Volume 1). ISBN 81-7714-097-3.
- ^ Crooke, William (1999). The Tribes and Castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh. Vol. 4. 6A, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi-110049, India: Asian Educational Services. ISBN 81-206-1210-8.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
Kumar125was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Yang, Anand A. (1989). The Limited Raj: Agrarian Relations in Colonial India, Saran District, 1793-1920. University of California Press. pp. 46, 49–50. ISBN 9780520057111.
- ^ Sengupta, Nirmal (1982). "Agrarian Movements in Bihar". In Das, Arvind N. (ed.). Agrarian Movements in India: Studies on 20th Century Bihar. Psychology Press. pp. 20, 51. ISBN 9780714632162.
- ^ Yang, Anand A. (2007). "(A) Subaltern's Boxer(s): An Indian Soldier's Account of China and the World in 1900-1901". In Bickers, Robert A.; Tiedemann, R. G. (eds.). The Boxers, China, and the World. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 51, 63. ISBN 978-0-7425-5395-8.
- ^ Sengupta, Nirmal (1982). "Agrarian Movements in Bihar". In Das, Arvind N. (ed.). Agrarian Movements in India: Studies on 20th Century Bihar. Psychology Press. pp. 17–20. ISBN 9780714632162.
- ^ Kumar, Ashwani (2008). Community Warriors: State, Peasants and Caste Armies in Bihar. Anthem Press. p. 126. ISBN 9781843317098.
- ^ a b Sengupta, Nirmal (1982). "Agrarian Movements in Bihar". In Das, Arvind N. (ed.). Agrarian Movements in India: Studies on 20th Century Bihar. Psychology Press. p. 51. ISBN 9780714632162.
- ^ Pandey, Shreedhar Narayan (1975). Education and Social Changes in Bihar, 1900-1921: A Survey of Social History of Bihar from Lord Curzon to Noncooperation Movement. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 6–7, 161, 172–173. ISBN 9780842609869.
- ^ Pandey, Shreedhar Narayan (1975). Education and Social Changes in Bihar, 1900-1921: A Survey of Social History of Bihar from Lord Curzon to Noncooperation Movement. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 171. ISBN 9780842609869.
- ^ Abhay Singh (6 July 2004). "BJP, Cong eye Bhumihars as Rabri drops ministers". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 March 2008.
- ^ These days, their poster boys are goons. Asia Africa Intelligence Wire. 16 March 2004
- ^ Dipak Mishra (29 September 2004). "Parties 'use' Legendary names as caste icons". The Times of India. India. Retrieved 5 April 2008.
- ^ Walter Hauser (February 1997). "Changing images of caste and politics". Retrieved 8 April 2008.
- ^ Abhay Singh (6 July 2004). "BJP, Cong eye Bhumihars as Rabri drops ministers". The Times of India. India. Retrieved 21 March 2008.
Further reading
- Gupta, N. L. (1975). Transition from capitalism to socialism, and other essays. Kalamkar Prakashan. ASIN B0000E7XZP.
- Guha, Ranajit (2000). A Subaltern studies reader, 1986–1995 (2nd ed.). South Asia Books. ISBN 978-0-19-565230-7.
- Maitra, R. K. (1959). Indian Studies: past & present. ASIN B0000CRX5I.
- Sharma, R. S. (2009). Rethinking India's Past. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-569787-2.
- Ram, Bindeshwar (1998). Land and society in India: agrarian relations in colonial North Bihar. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 978-81-250-0643-5.
- Diwakar, Ranganath Ramachandra (1959). Bihar through the ages. Orient Longman.
- Saraswati, Swami Sahajanand (2003). Swami Sahajanand Saraswati Rachnawali in Six volumes. Vol. 1. Prakashan Sansthan. p. 518, Parishist by Acharya Tarineesh Jha, 515–519).
- Yang, Anand A. (1999). Bazaar India: Markets, Society, and the Colonial State in Bihar. University of California Press. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-520-21100-1.
- Bayly, Christopher Alan (2011). Recovering Liberties: Indian Thought in the Age of Liberalism and Empire (Ideas in Context). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-10-760147-5.
- Bhadra, Gautam (2008). Subaltern Studies: Writings on South Asian History and Society. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-565125-6.
- Sinha, Gopal Sharan; Ramesh Chandra Sinha (September 1967). "Exploration in Caste Stereotypes". Social Forces. 46 (1). University of North Carolina Press: 42–47. doi:10.1093/sf/46.1.42. JSTOR 2575319.
- Alavi, Seema (2007). The Eighteenth Century in India. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-569201-3.
- Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli (2009). The Hindu View of Life. Harper Collins. p. 81. ISBN 978-81-7223-845-2.
- Brown, Judith Margaret (1972). Gandhi's Rise to Power, Indian Politics 1915–1922: Indian Politics 1915–1922. New Delhi: Cambridge University Press Archive. p. 384. ISBN 978-0-521-09873-1.
- Nicholas, Ralph W. (2003). Fruits of worship: practical religion in Bengal. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 978-81-8028-006-1.
- Bayly, Susan (2001). Caste, Society and Politics in India from the Eighteenth Century to the Modern Age. Cambridge University Press. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-521-79842-6.
- Bayly, C. A. (1988). Rulers, Townsmen and Bazaars: North Indian Society in the Age of British Expansion, 1770–1870. Cambridge University Press. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-521-31054-3.
- Pandurang Vaman Kane, History of Dharmasastra (P.V. Kane)|History of Dharmasastra, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute.
- Govind Prasad Upadhyay, Brahmanas in Ancient India: A Study in the Roles of the Brahmana Class from 200 BC to AD 500, Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi (1979).
- Rajbali Pandey, Hindu Samskaras: Socio-Religious Study of the Hindu Sacraments, Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi (2006).
- Radha Kumud Mukherjee, Ancient Indian Education: Brahmanical and Buddhist, Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi (2011).
- M. N. Srinivas, Social Change in Modern India, Orient Longman, Delhi, 1995.