The Kanjarbhat are a

nomadic Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...

community primarily residing in the state of

Maharashtra, India 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 the so ...

. They are part of the

Kanjar The Kanjari are a tribe with significant populations in India and Pakistan. The Kanjari language is spoken mostly by the Kanjari people living in Punjab. Kanjari is a lesser-known Indo Aryan language, but almost all also speak Punjabi.''Kanj ...

ethnic group, which is also found in parts 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 ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. One of the most controversial practices associated with this community is the

virginity test A virginity test is the pseudoscientific practice and process of determining whether a woman or girl is a virgin; i.e., to determine that she has never engaged in, or been subjected to, vaginal intercourse. The test typically involves a check for ...

conducted on brides during wedding ceremonies. They have faced social stigma and marginalisation due to their classification as a “criminal tribe” under

British colonial rule The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts establish ...

, a label that persisted until its repeal in 1952.

Controversial custom

One of the most controversial customs associated with the Kanjarbhat is the “

,” a ritual practiced during weddings where a bride’s purity is assessed based on physical evidence of

virginity Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereo ...

, typically involving a white bed-sheet inspected after the wedding night. The practice, defended by some elders as a 400-year-old tradition preserving family honor, has drawn criticism for its misogynistic and unscientific nature. Failure to “pass” the test can result in public humiliation, fines, or punishment, though specifics vary by family and region.

References

{{reflist Indian castes Social groups of Maharashtra Hindu communities Ethnic groups in India Denotified tribes of India