Bauri is a caste primarily residing in the state of

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

, India where it is considered as one of the Scheduled Castes. There are significant populations in the states of

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...

and

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

. They are usually involved in activities like

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, mainly as agricultural labourers. Bauris numbered 1,091,022 in the 2001 census in the state of West Bengal. 37.5 per cent of the Bauris were literate - 51.8 per cent males and 22.7 per cent females were literate. Only 4.7 per cent of the Bauris were matriculates or completed schooling.

Distribution

They are primarily residing in Bengal found in large numbers in

Bankura Bankura () is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura district. Etymology It comes from the old Austric word ráŕhá or ráŕho which means “land of red soil”.P.R. Sarkar Rarh - ...

, Birbhum, Purulia and other districts in Indian

state 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 ...

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

, Tripura and Orissa. The village of Purbo Tila in Chatlapur Tea Garden, Kulaura and Dakchara Tea Garden, Srimangal, Moulvibazar District are also home to Bauri communities in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. They are also found in many villages like

Chhatna Chhatna is a village and a gram panchayat in the Chhatna (community development block), Chhatna Community development blocks in India, CD block in the Bankura Sadar subdivision of the Bankura district in the state of West Bengal, India. History ...

and

Beliatore Beliatore is a Census Town and a Gram Panchayat in the Barjora CD block in the Bankura Sadar subdivision of the Bankura district in the state of West Bengal, India. Beliatore is the birthplace of artist Jamini Roy. History Binoy Ghosh vis ...

Practices

Traces of

totem A totem (from or ''doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage (anthropology), lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system. While the word ...

ism still survive in their reverence for the red-backed heron. The heron is looked upon as the emblem of the community.

Classification

The Bauri caste is categorised as a Scheduled Caste in

, and

, while in

, they are recognised as an Ex Tea garden community and the Bauri of Assam and

Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...

placed within the Other Backward Classes.

Notable people

* Sandhya Bauri, MP from Bishnupur (Lok Sabha constituency) * Susmita Bauri, MP from Bishnupur (Lok Sabha constituency) * Amar Kumar Bauri, MLA in

Jharkhand Legislative Assembly The Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, commonly known as the Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha is the unicameral state legislature of Jharkhand state in India. The seat of the Legislative Assembly is at Ranchi, the capital of the state. List of assemblies ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{Scheduled Castes in West Bengal Bengali Hindu castes Scheduled Castes Social groups of West Bengal Social groups of Odisha Social groups of Jharkhand Social groups of Bihar Indian castes Ethnic groups in India