The Boria, also known as Baurasi, 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
North India
North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...
.
Origin
The Boriya are a sub-group of the
Pasi
Pasi may refer to:
* Pasi (caste), a Hindu caste of northern India
* Pasi (film), ''Pasi'' (film), a 1979 Tamil film
* Pasi (given name)
* Pasi (surname), a surname of the Pasi community
* Pasi, Papua New Guinea, a settlement near the coast of San ...
community. Although of Pasi origin, the two communities are now quite distinct and do not intermarry. They are found mainly in the
Awadh
Awadh (), known in British Raj historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a historical region in northern India and southern Nepal, now constituting the North-central portion of Uttar Pradesh. It is roughly synonymous with the ancient Kosala Regio ...
region, mainly in the districts of
Gonda,
Faizabad
Faizabad (Hindustani pronunciation: ɛːzaːbaːd is a city located in Ayodhya district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated on the southern bank of the River Saryu about 6.5 km from Ayodhya City, the district headquarter, ...
, and
Barabanki
Barabanki is a city and a municipal board in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Barabanki district and a part of Ayodhya division. The city is about 30 km east of Lu ...
. The Boria speak the
Awadhi
Awadhi may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Awadh or Oudh region in Uttar Pradesh, northern India
** Awadhi people, ethnic group of India
*** Awadhi language
Awadhi, also known as Audhi, is an Indo-Aryan language belonging ...
dialect.
[People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part One edited by A Hasan & J C Das pages 340 to 344 Manohar Publications]
History
The Pasi are endogamous and in their native places in
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
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 ...
their sub-groups are also endogamous but here in
Nagpur
Nagpur (; ISO 15919, ISO: ''Nāgapura'') is the second capital and third-largest city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is called the heart of India because of its central geographical location. It is the largest and most populated city i ...
only three, namely, the Baurasi, Kaithwas, and Gujar sub-groups are found, who have migrated from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Baurasi Pasi are locally known as Bahoriia which is used as their
surname
In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
. They are reported to have higher
social status
Social status is the relative level of social value a person is considered to possess. Such social value includes respect, honour, honor, assumed competence, and deference. On one hand, social scientists view status as a "reward" for group members ...
and are economically well off. The other two sub-groups in the social hierarchy are the Kaithwas and the Gujar. They do not have surnames in their native place but they have adopted various surnames such as Baharla, Gujar, etc., which are in fact their sub- caste names. They also have titles like.
Choudhury
Chowdhury (also: Choudhuri, Chaudhuri, Choudhury, Chaudhri, Chaudhary) is a title of honour, usually hereditary, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is an adaption from Sanskrit. During the Mughal rule, it was a title awarded to emine ...
Vikal, Raahi etc. The sub-castes were endogamous initially, but later on due to non-availability of suitable spouses in their own sub-caste locally and the involvement of big expenditure in bringing a wife from the native place, the three sub-groups have started inter-marrying with each other. They consider themselves to be
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 ...
in the
varna
Varna may refer to:
Places Europe
*Varna, Bulgaria, a city
** Varna Province
** Varna Municipality
** Gulf of Varna
** Lake Varna
**Varna Necropolis
* Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy
* Varna (Šabac), a village in Serbia
Asia
* Var ...
order but in their native villages they were considered to be
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 ...
.
Present circumstances
The Boria are a strictly
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 ...
community, and prefer marrying close kin. Most Baria belong to the
Kabirpanthi sect, a sect based on teachings of
Kabir
Kabir ( 15th century) was a well-known Indian devotional mystic poet and sant. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Gar ...
.
The Boria are mainly a community of landowners and cultivators. They grow wheat and pulses, with animal husbandry being an important secondary occupation. Historically, the community were mainly tenant farmers, working on land owned by
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 ...
s and
Banias. They live in multi-caste and multi-religious villages, but occupy their own quarters. Each of their settlement contains an informal caste council, known as a biradari panchayat. The panchayat acts as an instrument of social control, dealing with issues such as divorce and adultery.
The
2011 Census of India for Uttar Pradesh showed the Boria population as 4558.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boria (Caste)
Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh