The Vagri (Vaghri, Waghri or Baghri) (

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

: , ) are a

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

and

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

states State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

and

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 ...

, and in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

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 ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

.People of India Rajasthan Volume XXXVIII Part Two edited by B.K Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N Vyas pp. 975 to 979 Popular Prakashan The Vaghari community, named after “Vagh Ari” (tiger hunter ), has a rich legacy of fearlessness, hunting, and warrior spirit. Originally settled in the South Aravalli region and most part of Gujarat, they lived near dense forests and remote villages, thriving in the wilderness. Known as skilled hunters, they specialized in tracking and hunting wild animals, especially tigers, using arrows, spears, and swords. Their expertise also extended to guerrilla warfare, using stealth and deep knowledge of the terrain in battles. The men and women were physically robust, built for survival and strength in harsh conditions. Their diet was mainly non-vegetarian, rich in meat from hunting, which contributed to their strength and endurance. Spiritually, the Vagharis are devoted followers of Vihat Mata, Meladi Mata, and Kali Ma—powerful forms of Goddess Durga-Parvati. As followers of Shaktism, they worship the divine feminine as a source of protection and power. Today, their legacy continues as a symbol of bravery, physical strength, cultural pride, and spiritual devotion. During the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

, the Vagri were listed under the

Criminal Tribes Act Since the 1870s, various pieces of colonialism, colonial legislation in India during British Raj, British rule were collectively called the Criminal Tribes Act (CTA). This criminalised entire communities by designating them as habitual criminals ...

of 1871 as a

"addicted to the systematic commission of

non-bailable Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Court bail may be offered to secure the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when r ...

offences." In 1952, they were " denotified", meaning that they were no longer listed as criminals.

Origin

Ancient Origins: Waghri word originally derived from sankrit word 'Wagh' (which means tiger) + 'Ari' (which means to hunt). Basically, Waghri means hunter of tiger or who are dexter in hunting. The Waghri community, also known as Devipujak/ Devi-Poojak (Worshippers of Goddesses/ Deities), is historically rooted in the worship of Goddess Shakti and has preserved rich cultural traditions tied to religious rituals and community service. Devipujaks are deeply spiritual and renowned for their devotion to local deities, particularly Devi(Goddess), symbolizing feminine strength and resilience. Their religious festivals and rituals continue to be vital elements of their cultural identity.

Present circumstances

In India

In India, the Waghri are mainly located in the Gujarat District. Like many other

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 ...

communities, they are

endogamous Endogamy is the cultural practice of marrying within a specific social group, religious denomination, caste, or ethnic group, rejecting any from outside of the group or belief structure as unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relatio ...

but maintain

gotra In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotr ...

exogamy Exogamy is the social norm of mating or marrying outside one's social group. The group defines the scope and extent of exogamy, and the rules and enforcement mechanisms that ensure its continuity. One form of exogamy is dual exogamy, in which tw ...

. Their main clans are the Devipujak
Dantani
Badgujar, Vaghela,

Solanki Solanki may refer to: *Solanki dynasty, alternate name for the Chaulukya dynasty The Chaulukya dynasty (), also Solanki dynasty, was a dynasty that ruled parts of what are now Gujarat and Rajasthan in north-western India, between and . Their ...

, Kharwa, Godara, etc. They were landless community in the

but now many are well settled, well educated and participating in the growth of the country

. They have an effective

council, which acts as a

quasi-judicial body A quasi-judicial body is a non-judicial body which can interpret law. It is an entity such as an arbitration panel or tribunal board, which can be a public administrative agency (not part of the judicial branch of government) but also a contra ...

and deals with intra-community disputes. They are a

community, with their main tribal deities being

Bahuchara Mata Bahuchara Mata (; ) is a Hindu goddess of chastity and fertility in her maiden aspect, of the incarnation of the Hinglaj. The goddess grants favours, especially to male children, and cures diseases. Like other divinities in Gujarat and Rajastha ...

, Charbayu Mata (Chandika Mata), Shitla Mata, Hadak Mata, Khodiyar Mata, Mogal Mata, and Meldi Mata. Also, follow Pavani (Maa Kali), Mata Shakti, Runvali Mata (Devi of desert), Bhutdi Maa. In

, the Waghri are found mainly in the districts of

Sabarkantha Sabarkantha district is one of the 33 districts of Gujarat state of India, located in the northeastern part of the state. The administrative headquarters of the district are located in Himatnagar and the National Highway no. 48 passes though thi ...

Banaskantha Banaskantha district is one of the thirty-four districts of the Gujarat state of India. The administrative headquarters and largest city is Palanpur. The district is in northeastern Gujarat where the West Banas River runs through the valley betw ...

Panchmahal Panchmahal, also rendered as Panch Mahal, is a district in the eastern portion of Gujarat State western India. ''Panch-mahal'' means "five tehsils/talukas" (5 sub-divisions), and refers to the five sub-divisions that were transferred by the Mahar ...

Kheda Kheda is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of Gujarat. Kheda was known as Kaira during the British Raj. It was the former administrative capital of Kheda district. The city is known for tobacco farming. The nearest railway statio ...

, and

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

. They speak Gujarati language among themselves and normal language with outsiders. Economic Shifts: Traditionally involved in occupations like trading and crafts, modern Devipujaks have gradually transitioned into various business sectors, with many pursuing education and professional careers to improve socio-economic standing. Currently, several members of the community are highly educated and hold prestigious professional positions, including that of Chartered Accountants and participating in the growth of nation

. Commitment to Education: In recent decades, members of the Waghri community have made significant strides in education, breaking barriers to seek better employment opportunities and societal participation. For the higher education few of the community youth have been heading towards countries like USA,Canada,Uk,Australia and New Zealand Jay Maa Meldi...

In Pakistan

The Vagri in

are found mainly in the districts of

Umerkot Umerkot (Urdu: ; Dhatki language, Dhatki : عمرڪوٽ; Sindhi language, Sindhi: عمرڪوٽ; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, �mərkoːʈ formerly known as Amarkot) is a city in the Sindh province of Pakista ...

and

Tharparkar Tharparkar (Dhatki language, Dhatki/; , ), also known as Thar, is a district in Sindh province in Pakistan, headquartered at Mithi. Before Indian independence it was known as the Thar and Parkar (1901⁠–⁠1947) or Eastern Sindh Frontier Distr ...

. They are landless, and have been subject to

discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...

at the hands of the locally powerful Sodha

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

community. A recent study showed that the majority of scheduled caste population of

, which includes the Vagri, are practically landless. The survey conducted showed that in

Rahim Yar Khan Rahim Yar Khan (; ) is a city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 21st most populous city in Pakistan and is the capital of the Rahim Yar Khan District. The city's administration is div ...

, and

Bahawalpur Bahawalpur (Urdu: ; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 13th largest city of Pakistan and List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, 8th most populous city of Punjab. Bahawalpur is the capital of Bahawalpur Division. Founded in ...

districts revealed that an overwhelming majority of 83 per cent Scheduled Caste population did not own even a small piece of land. The land ownership by the remaining 17 per cent is also very small as 90 per cent of the Scheduled Caste land owners have a very small piece of land between one and five acres. Like those in

, the

Vagri are

, and speak both Sindhi and their own language, Bagri, which is distantly related to

Rajasthani Rajasthani may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Rajasthan, a state of India * Rajasthani languages, a group of Indic languages spoken there * Rajasthani people, the native inhabitants of the state * Rajasthani architecture, Indian ar ...

References

{{Reflist Social groups of Rajasthan Dalit communities Sindhi tribes Hindu communities of Pakistan Denotified tribes of India Sindhi tribes in India