Lodhi (caste)

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Lodhi is a Hindu community in India. They are Kshatriya.The Lodhi (or Lodha, Lodh) is a community of agriculturalists, found in India. There are many in Madhya Pradesh, to where they had emigrated from Uttar Pradesh.[1] The Lodhi are categorised as an Other Backward Class but claim Rajput ties and prefer to be known as "Lodhi-Rajput",[2]

Etymology

Lodhi Rajput ruler of Ramgarh.Lodhi, Lodha and Lodh Rajputs derived their name from word Yodha meaning warrior.They are spread mostly in North India. 

History

The word Lodham first originates in Rigveda (The oldest literature of Sanatan/ Hindu dharma), Mandal-3,Sukta-53, sloka-23 [2] [3], then the word again shows its presence in Manusmriti, Chapter VII- 54 [3] [4] and in Parashuram sahitya. In all the slokas depicted, the word Lodham is used for Shoorveer / warrior/ brave. Lodh were the first Kshatriyas of the earth.

When Parashuram killed The Chakravarti King Sahastrabahoo (A Lodham) the then left over leaders of Kshatriyas (Lodham) went to The Lord Mahesh. The Lord Mahesh saved them from Parashuram and ordered all the Khastriyas (Lodham) to choose farming instead of Kshatra (weapons). As The Lord Mahesh saved the Lodhams from the atrocities of Parashuram the then he is also worshiped as The Lodheswar Mahadev. Lodhi Rajput are Chandravanshi from the lunar deity Chandra.

The Sanskrit word Rajputra is found in ancient texts, including the Vedas, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata. It was used by the ancient Sanskrit grammarian Pāṇini in the 4th century BCE. The word Kshatriya (“warrior”) was used for the Vedic community of warriors and rulers.

To differentiate royal warriors from other Kshatriyas the word Rajputra was used, which literally means “Son of King” Rajputra eventually was shortened to Rajput. Rajputs belong to one of three great patrilineages, which are Suryavanshi, Chandravanshi and Agnivanshi.

The names Lodhi, Lodh, Lodha are synonymous to Lodhi Rajput. Lodhi Rajput community is diversified in many parts of India. A part of community is very much prominent in North and central India, especially in Westen UP, Vidarbha and its area near Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat and Rajasthan.

A MARTYR OF 1857 WAR

Avanti Bai, was the queen of Ramgarh in Mandla District of Madhya Pradesh. She was the wife of Vikramaditya singh a Lodhi Rajput ruler of Ramgarh.Lodhi, Lodha and Lodh Rajputs derived their name from word Yodha meaning warrior.They are spread mostly in North India. He died issueless and she was looking after the affairs of the State. The British took over the administration in 1851 by the doctrine of lapse. She vowed to win back her land, organised the local zamindars ( Land lords) and rulers and raised an army of about four thousand men. In 1857, the Rani led her army and in the first encounter with the British, defeated Wadington, their commander. However, in subsequent engagements, despite her courage and skill, the Rani could not hold out against the large and well-equipped British army.

Faced with the prospect of defeat and surrender, Rani Avantibai chose to sacrifice her life. She joined the ranks of martyrs on 20 March 1858 by killing herself with her own sword.

20th century caste politics

Following the 1911 census of India, the Lodhi began to further organise politically, and prior to the 1921 census of India claimed the name Lodhi-Rajput at a conference in Fatehgarh.[3] At the 1929 conference, the Akhil Bharatiya Lodhi-Kshatriya (Rajput) Mahasabha was drafted.[4] The first part of the century also saw the publication of various books outlining Lodhi claims to the status of Rajput and Kshatriya, including the 1912 Maha Lodhi Vivechana and 1936 Lodhi Rajput Itihas.[5]

Notables

  • Avanti Bai, a Lodhi queen of Ramgarh who opposed the British in 1857[6]

    Customs

  • The Lodha are an endogamous community, i.e. marriage alliances are conducted only within the Lodha community. They have a number of subgroups in the numerous regions they inhabit which have specific names. In Uttar Pradesh there are two subgroups, Jaria and Patharia, which are territorial in nature, while in Delhi there are four – Maharia, Mathuria, Jaria and Patharia. In Rajasthan, the Lodha have four subgroups, which arranged in descending order are – Mathuria, Patharia, Narbania and Jaina. Previously these subgroups were also endogamous but inter-group marriages are now tolerated. There are also a number of exogamous clans. The Lodha of Rajasthan are very proud of the existence of 84 clans – believed to be a legendary number. The Jati Purana (caste text) of the Lodha of Madhya Pradesh mentions about 515 clan names. Marriages are between adults and are settled through negotiations between elders of both sides. Monogamy is common, although a second spouse is allowed if the first wife remains childless. Lac and glass bangles, toe-rings, vermilion in the hair parting and coloured dot on the forehead are worn by women to indicate that they are married. Dowry is demanded in both cash and goods. Divorce is permitted and so is the remarriage of widows, widowers and divorcees. Marriages between a man and his deceased wife’s younger sister or between a woman and her deceased husband’s younger brother are permitted and in many cases preferred. In Uttar Pradesh, however, only men are allowed to remarry. They live in both extended and nuclear families. Ancestral property is inherited equally by all the sons. Though modern laws give the daughters this right too, they often do not claim their share in order to maintain good relations with their brothers. The eldest son succeeds as the head of the family. The status of women is low. Many of them, in addition to doing all the housework, also help in the work that the men do to earn a living except in conservative Rajasthan where they are confined to domestic work only. Only women can sing and dance to the accompaniment of the dholak (indigenous, barrel-shaped, double-sided drum) on special occasions. The Lodha have a caste council at the village level to maintain social control and settle disputes. They also have larger associations at regional levels called ‘the Assembly’ in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi Regional Friends Association in Delhi, Lodheswar Society in Gujarat and the Lodhi Kshatriya Rajput Society in Maharashtra. These associations actively promote the welfare and economic improvement of the community as well as function as lobby groups. Additionally, they provide a sense of identity to its members.

References

  1. ^ Sharma, Jagdish Saran (1981). Encyclopaedia Indica. Vol. 2. p. 737.
  2. ^ Opposition in a Dominant-Party System. University of California Press. p. 27. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  3. ^ Chauhan, Brij Raj (1980). Extending frontiers of sociological learning. Meerut University. Institute of Advanced Studies. Dept. of Sociology, Institute of Advanced Studies, Meerut University. p. 63. The claim of a new caste name 'Lodhi-Rajput' was made at an All India conference, held at Fathegarh before 1921. The history of Lodhi organization is about 57 years old.
  4. ^ Chauhan, Brij Raj (1980). Extending frontiers of sociological learning. Meerut University. Institute of Advanced Studies. Dept. of Sociology, Institute of Advanced Studies, Meerut University. p. 55.
  5. ^ Narayan, Badri (2009). Fascinating Hindutva: Saffron Politics and Dalit Mobilisation. SAGE Publications. p. 25. ISBN 978-8-17829-906-8.
  6. ^ Gupta, Charu (18 May 2007). "Dalit 'Viranganas' and Reinvention of 1857". Economic and Political Weekly. 42 (19): 1742. JSTOR 4419579. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)

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