The Padhar () are a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

caste A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...

found in the state of

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

.R. B. Lal, P. B. S. V. Padmanabham, G. Krishnan, M. Azeez Mohideen: ''People of India Gujarat'', Volume XXI, Part 3, p. 1054-1060

History and origin

The Padhar are distributed in six villages in Surandarnagar and four villages in Ahmadabad District. Their main villages are Shahpur, Sahiyal, Dharji, Devadthal, Nam Katechi, Ranagadh, Ralol, Parali, Parnala, Godi and Anandpur. They claim to have originated in

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

, and their existence is due to the grace of Hinglaj mata, a

goddess. The Padhar have been given scheduled tribe status, and speak Gujarati. According to some traditions, they were originally

Koli people The Koli is an Indian caste that is predominantly found in India, but also in Pakistan and Nepal. Koli is an agriculturist caste of Gujarat but in coastal areas they also work as fishermen along with agriculture. In the beginning of 20th ce ...

, although this claim is denied by the Kolis.

Present circumstances

The Padhar community consists of a number of clans, each of which are exogamous. Their main clans are the Domda, Bhuvatra, Samatiya, Pachani, Devthala, Lalni, Tanhada, Sapra, Kanotra, and Dharjiya. The Vatra, Pachani and Lalni clans do not intermarry, as they descend from common ancestor. They are strictly endogamous, and are a not share her daughter with dalit community. The Padhar are mainly small scale peasant farmer, with many are now landless. Many Padhar are fishermen, as their villages lie on the shores of Nal Sarovar lake. Other occupations include grass cutting, root digging which they sell to neighbouring villages. As the Nal Sarovar lake attracts tourists, many also rent out their boats to the tourists. They are also known for their folk dance form

Padhar dance The Padhar dance is a folk dance of Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Guja ...

References

{{reflist Social groups of Gujarat Indian castes Tribal communities of Gujarat Sindhi tribes in India Sindhi tribes