The Dogra Jheevar 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 found in the

Jammu Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...

region of Jammu and Kashmir, India.

Origin

The word is said to be a corruption of the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

''dheevara'', which means someone of mixed origin. Dheevaras receive a mention in the

Mahabharat The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, a war of succes ...

. In the

Dogri language Dogri (Devanagari: ; Name Dogra Akkhar: ; Nastaliq: ; ) is an Indo-Aryan language of the Western Pahari group, primarily spoken in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, India, with smaller groups of speake ...

, the term ''jheer'' was often used for a cook. This community may have acquired the name Jheer because members of the community were employed as cooks. The Jheer are a caste associated with water-carrying and may be connected with the Jhinwar caste of

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

. Like the Jhinwar and the Kahar of

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 ...

, the Jheer were also employed as palanquin bearers.People of India Jammu and Kashmir Volume XXV edited by K.N Pandita, S.D.S Charak & B.R. Rizvi page 292 to 301 Manohar Publications The homeland of the Jheer is a region historically known as Duggar Des, an area stretching from Udhampur in the north and Kathua in the south. They speak the

, and their customs and traditions are similar to the locally dominant

Dogra __NOTOC__ Dogras, or Dogra people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic community of Pakistan and India. Dogra, Dogras or Dogri may also refer to: * Dogra dynasty, a Hindu dynasty of Kashmir * Dogri language, a language spoken by Dogras and other ethnic commu ...

community.

Present circumstances

Like most other

North Indian 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 ...

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 ...

s, the Jheer consists of number of clans, with strict rules of clan

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 major clans are the Balgota, Bamotra, Khisku, Pounti, Bera, Doe, Athgotra, Sukhajange, Manhotra, Baspurie, Allar, Manni, Sarmutre, Chikkardubbe, Lunjh, Jallandhari, Dain, Bahri, Seotre, Malgotre, Maski, Koonj, Gadari, Pekoe, Sagoch, and Poonchi. They are also 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 ...

and occupy their own quarters in villages. This was historically a landless community, traditionally associated with fishing, water carrying and palanquin bearing. Many were granted lands as part of the

land reform Land reform (also known as agrarian reform) involves the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership, land use, and land transfers. The reforms may be initiated by governments, by interested groups, or by revolution. Lan ...

carried out by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

, just after independence in 1947. Most of them are involved in small businesses, especially restaurant/dhaba businesses, a trade in which the Jhinwar/Dhimar/Jheer have a monopoly in North India.

References

{{reflist Dogra Indian castes Social groups of Jammu and Kashmir