Ghasi is a caste found in

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

and

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

. They are traditionally caretakers of horses and village musicians. They are known as Ghasiya 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 ...

Etymology

The name ''ghasi'' derive from ''ghas'' which means grass. In past, they were cutting grass to feed horses.

History

The Ghasi caste is found in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal. They are also found in Uttar Pradesh known as Ghasiya. They were serving

Nagvanshi Nagavanshi (IAST: Nāgavaṃśī) refers to several Indian Kshatriya dynasties or ruling groups claiming descent from the mythical Nāgas. Along with Suryavanshi, Agnivanshi and Chandravanshi, the Nagavanshi clans form a part of the Kshatriya cl ...

as militia, musician and ritual specialist. They also worked as agricultural worker and palanquin bearers. The title of ''Naik'' was bestowed upon them by Nagvanshi kings due their expertise in music. The word ''Naik'' derived from ''Naikha'' which means leader of a band. The title of Sahani or Sohani Rajput was given to them by a Nagvanshi king because they had quenched his thrist by providing water. According to Dr.Ball, they are known for their gold washing and playing musical instruments in

Singhbhum district Singhbhum was a district of India during the British Raj, part of the Chota Nagpur Division of the Bengal Presidency. It was located in the present-day Indian state of Jharkhand. Chaibasa was the district headquarters. Located in the southern ...

. They were treated as untouchable due to their profession of beating drums and disposing dead animals.

Present Circumstances

They are found in the state of

and

. In West Bengal, they are concentrated in

Purulia district Purulia district () is one of the twenty-three districts of West Bengal state in Eastern India. Purulia is the administrative headquarters of the district. Some of the other important towns of Purulia district are Raghunathpur- Adra, Manbazar ...

. They are an endogamous group. They are patrilocal and patrilinial. They practice clan exogamy. They have number of clans such as Bagh (tiger), Bangar, Bhainsa (buffalo), Hathi (elephant), Kachhua (turtle), Kasriar (bronze), Katihari, Maltiar (a flower), Mohdiar (honey bee), Nag (Cobra), Pandki (dove), Sindur (vermillion), Simarlasa (simal tree gum), Sonwan (gold water) etc.

Culture

They speak Nagpuri and

Kurmali Kurmali or Kudmali (ISO: Kuṛmāli) is an Indo-Aryan language classified as belonging to the Bihari group of languages spoken in eastern India. As a trade dialect, it is also known as Panchpargania ( Bengali: পঞ্চপরগনিয� ...

in Jharkhand and Odia in Western Odisha. Their traditional occupation was caretaker of horses along with village musician. They along with

Mahli Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) is one of seventeen cameras on the Curiosity rover, ''Curiosity'' rover on the Mars Science Laboratory mission. Overview The instrument is mounted on the rover's robotic arm. It is primarily used to acquire micr ...

community are the traditional maker of musical instruments such as

dhol Dhol () can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent. Its range of distribution in Indian subcontinent primarily includes northern areas such ...

, mandar, nagara and dhak etc. They play musical instruments in weddings. They have an important role in the preservation of ethnic music. Their folk dance are

Jhumar Jhūmar or Jhoomar (also called Ghūmbar in Sandal Bar) is a traditional Punjabi folk dance in Pakistan, originating from the Sandal Bar and Chaj Doab regions of Punjab. The word "Jhūmar" comes from ''Jhūm'', which means 'to sway' in Pu ...

and

Domkach Domkach or Damkach is a folk dance of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Madhesh province of Nepal. In Bihar and Nepal, Domkach is performed in Mithila and Bhojpur regions. In Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and un ...

. They practice Nacni dance and

Chhau dance ''Chhau'', also spelled ''Chhou'', is a semi classical Indian dance with martial and folk traditions. It is found in three styles named after the location where they are performed, i.e. the ''Purulia Chhau'' of West Bengal, the ''Seraikella Chh ...

Purulia Purulia, officially Purulia Sadar, is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Purulia district. It is located on the north of the Kangsabati River. Geography Location Purulia is locate ...

of West Bengal. They observe the festivals of

Holi Holi () is a major Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring.The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...".Yudit Greenberg, Encyclopedia of Love in World ...

Diwali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...

Karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

Sarhul Sarhul is a spring festival celebrated in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Jharkhand, marking the commencement of the new year. The festival lasts for three days, from the third day of the Chaitra month in Shukla Paksha to ...

Ramnavami Rama Navami () is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Rama, one of the most popularly revered deities in Hinduism, also known as the seventh avatar of Vishnu. He is often held as an emblem within Hinduism for being an ideal king and h ...

. They practice animism with a mixture of Hinduism.

Official classification

In 1931, during British Period, they were listed as semi hinduised aboriginal. In 1936, they were listed as Backward tribe in Chotanagpur division of Bihar. In Patna division, Palamu, Hazaribagh, Manbhum and Bengal, they were included in Scheduled Caste. They are included in the list of Scheduled Castes in

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 ...

and

Notable people

Mukund Nayak Mukund Nayak (born 15 October 1949), is an Indian artist. He is a folk singer, songwriter and dancer. Nayak is an exponent of Nagpuri folk dance Jhumar. He is recipient of the Padma Shri and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. Early life and family ...

, folk artist * Nandlal Nayak, music composer and director

References

{{Reflist Hindu communities Dalit communities Social groups of Jharkhand Scheduled Castes of Odisha Scheduled Castes of Chhattisgarh Scheduled Castes of Jharkhand Musician castes Social groups of West Bengal Social groups of Odisha Indian castes