Bihari Mauritians are descendants of predominantly

Bhojpuri Bhojpuri may refer to: * Bhojpuri language, an Indo-Aryan language of India and Nepal * Bhojpuri grammar, grammatical rules of the language * Bhojpuri nouns, nouns of the language * Bhojpuri people, people who speak the language * Bhojpuri region ...

-speaking migrants from the Bihar State of

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 ...

who moved to

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

. A majority of Indo-Mauritians of which they are a subgroup of are of Bihari origin, and most

Mauritians Mauritians (singular Mauritian; ; Creole: ''Morisien'') are nationals or natives of the Republic of Mauritius and their descendants. Mauritius is a melting pot of multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious peoples. Mauritian is made up ...

are Indo-Mauritians. Caste-wise, many Bihari Mauritians are

Vaishyas Vaishya (Sanskrit: वैश्य, ''vaiśya'') is one of the four varnas of the Vedic Hindu social order in India. Vaishyas are classed third in the order of Varna hierarchy. The occupation of Vaishyas consists mainly of agriculture, takin ...

, with notable groups including Bhumihars,

Brahmins Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

Rajputs 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 ...

, Koeris,

Chamars Chamar (or Jatav) is a community classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's system of affirmative action that originated from the group of trade persons who were involved in leather tanning and shoemaking. They are found throughout ...

, Yadavs,

Kurmis Kurmi is traditionally a non-elite tiller caste in the lower Gangetic plain of India, especially southern regions of Awadh, eastern Uttar Pradesh and parts of Bihar and Jharkhand. The Kurmis came to be known for their exceptional work ethic, ...

Banias Banias (; ; Judeo-Aramaic, Medieval Hebrew: , etc.; ), also spelled Banyas, is a site in the Golan Heights near a natural spring, once associated with the Greek god Pan. It had been inhabited for 2,000 years, until its Syrian population fle ...

, and Kayasthas. Except for one, all Mauritian Prime Ministers have been of Bihari Vaishya descent.Some 'castes' in Mauritius in particular are quite unrecognizable from a subcontinental perspective, and may incorporate mutually antagonistic castes from an Indian setting into a single group. A '

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 ...

' in Mauritius is of a

Shudra Shudra or ''Shoodra'' (Sanskrit: ') is one of the four varnas of the Hindu class and social system in ancient India. Some sources translate it into English as a caste, or as a social class. Theoretically, Shudras constituted a class like work ...

caste, the title having been usurped by this group in the nineteenth century. Ethnolinguistic distinctions differentiate

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

speakers from

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

speakers and

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

speakers despite all being Hindus they maintain certain regional endogamy. Even Gujarati speakers are seen as a separate community, from a trading rather than an indenture background, and maintain a social distance from descendants of 'coolies'. The former

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

elite are referred to as the 'Maraz' and together with the former

and other

Kshatriyas Kshatriya () (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority"; also called Rajanya) is one of the four varnas (social orders) of Hindu society and is associated with the warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

, now called 'Babujis', enjoy the prestige conferred by high-caste status, whilst politically they complain of marginalization. Bihari Mauritians primarily originated from the Bhojpur, Gaya, Chhapra (Saran), Gopalganj,

East Champaran East Champaran or Purvi Champaran is an administrative district in the Tirhut division of the state of Bihar in India. The district headquarter is located at Motihari. Prior to 1971, there was a single Champaran District. On 1 December 1971, ...

and

West Champaran West Champaran is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India, located just west of Birgunj. It is the largest district in Bihar with an area of 5,228 km2(2,019sq mi). It is a part of Tirhut Division. The district headquart ...

districts of

Bhojpuri region Bhojpur is a ethnolinguistic and cultural area in the Indian subcontinent where the Bhojpuri language is spoken as a mother tongue. The Bhojpuri region encompasses parts of the Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand, and the Madhe ...

in Bihar. During the early period of migration, the

indentured labourers Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract called an "indenture", may be entered voluntarily for a prepaid lump sum, as payment for some good or serv ...

referred to Mauritius as "Marich".

Amitav Ghosh Amitav Ghosh (born 11 July 1956)Ghosh, Amitav
, ''

's novel, Sea of Poppies, is set in this era and depicts the plight of impoverished Bihari migrants who undertook journeys to Mauritius and other distant

colonies A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their '' metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often or ...

of the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

Notable people

Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (18 September 1900 – 15 December 1985), often referred to as Chacha "Uncle" Ramgoolam or SSR, was a Mauritian physician, politician, and wikt:statesman, statesman. He served as the island's only chief minister, first ...

Navin Ramgoolam Navinchandra Ramgoolam (born 14 July 1947) is a Mauritian politician and physician who is the current prime minister of Mauritius, serving since 2024. He previously held the office from 1995 to 2000 and from 2005 to 2014 and intermittently serve ...

Anerood Jugnauth Sir Anerood Jugnauth, GCSK, (29 March 1930 – 3 June 2021) was a Mauritian statesman, politician and barrister who served both as President and Prime Minister of Mauritius. He was Member of Parliament for Piton & Riviere Du Rempart. The c ...

Pravind Jugnauth Pravind Kumar Jugnauth (born 25 December 1961) is a Mauritian politician and former Prime Minister, succeeding, Aneerood Jugnauth, his father, who retired as leader of the majority in 2017. Following the victory of his, Alliance Morisien, coali ...

* Lall Jugnauth * Kailesh Jagutpal * Bhinod Bacha * Heeralall Bhugaloo * Basdeo Bissoondoyal *

Sookdeo Bissoondoyal Sookdeo Bissoondoyal (25 December 1908 – 18 August 1977) was a Mauritian politician and one of the leading figures in the nation's independence movement. Early life Sookdeo Bissoondoyal was born in Tyack, Rivière des Anguilles in 1908. He h ...

* Nando Bodha *

Harish Boodhoo Harisun Boodhoo more commonly known as Harish Boodhoo, (born in Belle Terre, Vacoas-Phoenix, Mauritius on 12 September 1946) is a Mauritian political figure who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius from 11 June 1982 to 21 August 1983. H ...

Satcam Boolell Sir Satcam Boolell GCSK QC (11 September 1920 – 23 March 2006) was a Mauritian politician who served as member of the Legislative Assembly in Mauritius. He died on 23 March 2006, in Curepipe. He was also known as "Somduth" by his peers and f ...

Arvin Boolell Arvin Boolell (Bhojpuri : आर्विन बूलेल; May 26, 1953) is a Mauritian doctor and politician currently serving as Minister of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries. Boolell formerly served as the Leader of ...

Anil Gayan Anil Kumarsingh Gayan (born 22 October 1948 in Triolet, Mauritius) is a Mauritian politician and lawyer. Early life, education and marriage Anil Gayan's ancestors migrated from India when the island was a British colony. He is the son of Socile ...

* Hurrylall Goburdhun *

Ramchundur Goburdhun Ramchundur Goburdhun (15 August 1911 – 29 November 1992) was an Indo-Mauritian diplomat best known for his role in the " Maneli Affair" of 1963, an attempt to end the Vietnam War. Early life and family Goburdhun was born in a middle class ...

* Vasant Bunwaree * Kailash Ruhee *

Kailash Purryag Rajkeswur Purryag, GCSK (12 December 1947 – 21 June 2025), also known as Kailash Purryag, was a Mauritian politician who served as the fifth president of Mauritius from July 2012 to May 2015. He was elected president of Mauritius by the Nati ...

Kishore Deerpalsing Kishore Deerpalsing (1947–2018) was a Mauritian politician, academic and former minister. Early life, education & career Kishore Deerpalsing worked as Senior Lacturer at The University of Mauritius after completing his university studies ...

Lutchmeeparsadsing Ramsahok Lutchmeeparsadsing Ramsahok (1948-2017) was a Mauritian trade unionist, politician and minister. Early life Lutchmeeparsadsing Ramsahok (also known as ''Lutchmeeparsad Ramsewak'' or ''Lutchmeeparsad Ramsewok'') was born in a Hindu family in Mare ...

* Dayendranath Burrenchobay *

Sheila Bappoo Sheilabai Bappoo (born Rama on 16 June 1947 in Beau Bassin, Mauritius) is a Mauritius politician, Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity and Senior Citizens Welfare & Reform Institutions in Mauritius from 2005 to 2010. She also held th ...

Maya Hanoomanjee Santi Bai 'Maya' Hanoomanjee GCSK (Hindi:माया हनुमानजी Born GHOSE, on 5 October 1952) is the High Commissioner of Mauritius to India. She is a Mauritian politician and former Civil Servant who was the speaker of the Nati ...

Prithvirajsing Roopun Prithvirajsing (Pradeep) Roopun GCSK (; born 24 May 1959) is a Mauritian politician who served as the seventh president of Mauritius from 2019 to 2024. Early life, education, career and family life Prithvirajsing Roopun was born in an Indian ...

* Vijaya Teelock *

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim Dr. Bibi Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim () GCSK (born 17 October 1959) is a Mauritian politician and biodiversity scientist who served as the sixth president of Mauritius from 2015 to 2018. In December 2014, she was selected to be the presidential ...

Social stratification

Though the island is divided on ethnic and religious grounds, '

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 ...

' Mauritians follow a number of original custom and tradition, quite different from those seen in the Indian subcontinent. The Indian Brahminical caste structure is based on the varna system, which categorizes society into four main groups:

, and

Shudras Shudra or ''Shoodra'' (Sanskrit: ') is one of the four varnas of the Hindu class and social system in ancient India. Some sources translate it into English as a caste, or as a social class. Theoretically, Shudras constituted a class like work ...

. Within this system,

(referred to as Maraz),

(referred to as Babujee), and

(referred to as Vaish) are classified as "grand nasyon" or high castes. These groups correspond to the Hindu concept of dvija, or "twice-born." In contrast, all other castes are classified as

, also known as "ti nasyon" or low castes, which include groups such as the Ravived. This classification can apply to individuals, neighborhoods, or shrines. In certain contexts,

may also be regarded as intermediary castes.

References

{{Clear

Mauritian Mauritians (singular Mauritian; ; Creole: ''Morisien'') are nationals or natives of the Republic of Mauritius and their descendants. Mauritius is a melting pot of multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious peoples. Mauritian is made up ...

* Indian diaspora in Mauritius