The Halpati are found mainly in the

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

state of India. Minor populations are also found in surrounding states and union territories. They are also known as Talvia or Talvi Rathode.

Origin

They get their name from the

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 ...

agricultcher farmer, which means a small farmer. The Halpati claim that they were Rathore

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, who acquired this nickname on account of their taking to cultivation. They are also known as Halpati, which in Gujarati means a cultivator. The halpati are found in the districts of

Surat Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...

Valsad Valsad (Pronunciation: �alsɑɖ, historically known as Bulsar, is a town and a municipality in Valsad district of the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the district headquarters of Valsad district. Valsad is located north of Vapi and shares bor ...

Bharuch Bharuch () is a city at the mouth of the river Narmada in Gujarat in western India. Bharuch is the administrative headquarters of Bharuch District. The city of Bharuch and surroundings have been settled since times of antiquity. It was a shi ...

and

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...

. In

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

the Halpati also claim descent from the Rathore . They are found mainly in

Thane District Thane district (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, �ʰaːɳe previously named Taana or Thana) is a districts of Maharashtra, district in the Konkan Division of Maharashtra, India. At the 2011 Census it was the most populated district in the c ...

, and speak Gujarati.

Present circumstances

They are classified as scheduled tribes in 4 states and 2 union territories:

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

Dadra and Nagar Haveli Dadra and Nagar Haveli is a district of the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu in western India. It is composed of two separate geographical entities: Nagar Haveli, wedged in between Maharashtra and Gujarat states; and ...

and

Daman and Diu Daman and Diu (; ) was a union territory in northwestern India. With an area of , it was the smallest administrative subdivision of India on the mainland. The territory comprised two districts, Daman and Diu Island, geographically separated ...

In Gujarat

The community consist of twenty sub-divisions, the main ones being the Talavia,

Rathodia The Rathodia are a Hindu caste found in the state of Gujarat in India. Origin and present circumstances The Rathodia are sub-division of the Halpati tribe. They are found mainly in the districts of Surat and Baroda. They speak Gujarati and Hindi ...

, Vohariya, Damaria, Valsadia, Olpadia, Mandavia, Umberia, Ghanghodia, Khodia, Choria, Ukharia, Baramia, Baria, Narda, Haevia, Thakura, Karcha, Watal, Parsi rathod and Laldatwala rathod. These clans are of equal status, and intermarry, except the Talavia, who consider themselves superior to the other clans on account of their

ancestry. The Halpati speak Gujarati. The Halpati are marginal cultivators and landless agricultural labourers. They also possess buffaloes, cows and goats and are often involved in selling milk, which is a subsidiary occupation. A small number are petty traders, and are often village shopkeepers. Many Halpati have also moved to

and

Ahmadabad Ahmedabad is the largest city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Ahmedabad or Ahmadabad may also refer to: Pakistan * Ahmedabad, Punjab, a city in Punjab * Ahmedabad, Gilgit Baltistan, a village in Gilgit-Baltistan * Fort Ahmadabad, or Kot Di ...

, where they are employed in the diamond cutting industries.

In Maharashtra

Halpati society consists of several endogamous sub-divisions which do not marry. Some of their sub-divisions include the Bhahmaniya, Garasia, Karcha, Mandvia, Ratjod, Rajput, and Taravia. Their primary occupation is agriculture. The community is divided between small landowners and landless agricultural labourers. They are

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 ...

, and customs similar to neighbouring tribal communities such as the

Dhodia Dhodia are an Adivasi people who have been placed in the Indian communities recognition, under Schedule Tribes. The majority of the Dhodia tribes are located in the southern part of Gujarat (Navsari, Surat and Valsad districts), Dadra and Nagar H ...

and

Warli The Warli or ''Varli'' are an indigenous tribe (Adivasi) of western India, living in mountainous as well as coastal areas along the Maharashtra-Gujarat border and surrounding areas. They have their own animistic beliefs, life, customs and tradi ...

. People of India Maharshtra Volume XXX Part One edited by B.V Bhanu, B.R Bhatnagar, D.K Bose, V.S Kulkarni and J Sreenath pages 571-577

References

{{Scheduled Tribes in Maharashtra Social groups of Gujarat Indian castes Hindu communities Tribal communities of Gujarat Tribal communities of Maharashtra Social groups of Maharashtra