The Gaddi is a semi-pastoral community living mainly in the high remote areas of
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...
and
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir may refer to:
* Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019
* Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019
* Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...
in India.
Population
According to the
2011 Census of India, the Gaddi population was 178,130 in Himachal Pradesh and 46,489 in Jammu Kashmir. The Gaddis of Himachal Pradesh had an adult sex ratio of 1014 and literacy rate of 73.3, whereas those of Jammu and Kashmir had a sex ratio of 953 and literacy of 53.5.
reservation system.
Classification
The castes within the Gaddi community are variously categorised as
Scheduled Tribes,
Scheduled Castes and
Other Backward Classes by the
Government of Himachal Pradesh
The Government of Himachal Pradesh also known as the State Government of Himachal Pradesh, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It consists of an executive branch, led by th ...
. The castes that are not listed as Scheduled Tribe, especially the Brahmins, Rajputs and Khatris, fall under Other Backward Classes, with the remaining within Scheduled Castes.
The Gaddis are dominant in the districts of
Kangra,
Chamba and
Una district
Una district is a District (India), district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Una shares its border with the Hoshiarpur district, Hoshiarpur and Rupnagar district, Rupnagar districts of Punjab, India, Punjab and Kangra district, Kangra ...
s, having significant hold on the local politics.
Tradition
Gaddis' traditional practices and habits are changing rapidly with India's modernisation. In 2024, an exhibit "Journey across the Himalayas" was held in New Delhi, sharing about Gaddis' way of life and modernity.
Gallery
File:Gaddi woman cutting grass c. 1980.jpg, Gaddi woman mowing, Alfred Hallett
Alfred W. Hallett (1914–1986) was an English painter, who spent most of his adult life in north India.
Life Early life
Hallett wanted to study art from the time he was young but his parents were members of the Exclusive Brethren sect and hi ...
File:Gaddi village men with hookah, on mountain path, 1980.jpg, Gaddi men near Dharamshala
Dharamshala (, ; also spelled Dharamsala) is a town in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It serves as the winter capital of the state and the administrative headquarters of the Kangra district since 1855. The town also hosts the Tibeta ...
, 1980
File:Gaddi artisans at Suraj Kund fest.jpg, Gaddi artisans at Suraj Kund fest
File:Gaddi_Couple_1940.jpg, alt=Gaddis in bharmour, Gaddi Couple
References
External links
*
Further reading
* Verma, V. 1996. ''Gaddis of Dhauladhar: A Transhumant Tribe of the Himalayas''. Indus Publishing Company, New Delhi.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaddi (Tribe)
Scheduled Tribes of Jammu and Kashmir
Scheduled Tribes of Himachal Pradesh
Transhumant ethnic groups