The Bhambi Rohit 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 ...
in
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 ...
. They are a sub-group within the
Bhambi
The Bhambi are a Hindu caste. Those from Gujarat are Chamar. Those found in the state of Maharashtra and Punjab in India. Bhambis from Punjab region are Saraswat Brahmin.People of India Maharshtra
Bambi's from Punjab are Gaud Saraswat Brahmin. V ...
community.
Origin
The community gets its name from Rohidas, 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 ...
saint, and Rohit are followers of this saint. They broke away from the
Bhambi Khalpa community, when they decided to abandon the traditional occupation of the Bhambi, which was shoemaking. According to other traditions, the Rohit are a sub-group of the
Chamar
Chamar (or Jatav) is a community classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's Reservation in India, system of affirmative action that originated from the group of trade persons who were involved in leather tanning and shoemaking. They a ...
community. They are found in the districts of
Kaira,
Surat
Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...
,
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 ...
, and
Baroda
Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...
. The Rohit are a
Gujarati speaking community.
Present circumstances
The Rohit are an endogamous community, and practice clan exogamy. Historically, they used to intermarry with the
Bhambi Khalpa, but this has been discontinued. Historically, the Rohit were tanners and shoemakers, but like other artisan communities are abandoning their traditional occupation. Many are now employed as wage labourers.
[People of India Gujarat Volume XXII Part One edited by R.B Lal, S.V Padmanabham & A Mohideen page 162 to 166 Popular Prakashan]
See also
*
Bhambi Sindhi Mochi
The Bhambi Sindhi Mochi are a Hindu caste found in the state of Gujarat in India. They are also known as Sindhi Mochi. The Bhambi Sindhi Mochi are sub-group within the Bhambi community.
Origin
The community is said to have originated from Si ...
*
Bhambi Khalpa
*
Ravidassia
Ravidassia or the Ravidas Panth is a religion based on the teachings of Ravidas, Guru Ravidas. It was considered a sect within Sikhism until 2009. However, some Ravidassias continue to maintain Sikh religious practices, including the reverence of ...
*
Madiga
Madiga is a Telugu caste from southern India. They mainly live in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, with a small minority in Tamil Nadu. Madigas are historically associated with the work of tannery, leatherwork and smal ...
*
Jatav
*
Arunthathiyar
*
Chambhar
Chambhar is caste from Indian state of Maharashtra, and Northern Karnataka. Their traditional occupation was leather work. Historically subject to untouchability, they were traditionally outside the Hindu ritual ranking system of castes know ...
*
Mahar
Mahar is one of the Indian caste found largely in the state of Maharashtra and neighbouring areas. Most of the Mahar community followed B. R. Ambedkar in converting to Buddhism in the middle of the 20th century. As of 2017 the Mahar caste w ...
*
Bairwa
References
{{Social groups of Gujarat
Indian castes
Tribal communities of Gujarat
Scheduled Castes of Rajasthan
Scheduled Castes of Gujarat