Kharwar is a surname used by
odh found in the Indian states of
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Orissa
Odisha (), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is a state located in Eastern India. It is the eighth-largest state by area, and the eleventh-largest by population, with over 41 million inhabitants. The state also has the thir ...
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 ...
in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Sindh
Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
in
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# ...
.
Etymology
The ''Khar'' grass is totem of the Kharwar. They don't cut or injure it while growing. Kharwar tribe of present-day may be enlarge totem sept which broke off from some larger group and in course of time developed a separate organisation.
History
The Kharwar have various putative origins. Some may be traced to
Palamu region, now in the state of
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 ...
, while others may have lived in the
Sone Valley. Those of Uttar Pradesh claim to have come from
Rohtas and to be descended from the mythological
Suryavansha dynasty.
According to an inscription dated 1169 AD found at Phulwari in
Rohtas district
Rohtas District is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar States and territories of India, state, India. It came into existence when Shahabad district, Shahabad District was bifurcated into Bhojpur & Rohtas in 1972. Administrative headquart ...
, which refers to road construction by Nayak
Pratapdhavala
Pratap Dhavala was Khayaravala king in 12th century. There are inscription of Pratapdhavala in Phulwaria, Tutrahi fall rock inscription of Vikram Samvat 1214, Tarachandi rock inscription of Vikram Samvat 1225.
References
{{Reflist
12th-ce ...
, the chief of Japila(modern
Japla). Pratapdhavala is also known for his inscription of
Tarachandi temple in
Sasaram
Sasaram (), also spelled as Shahasaram, is a historical city and a municipal corporation region in the Rohtas district of Bihar state in eastern India.
The city served as the capital of the Sur dynasty during Sher Shah Suri's rule over India in ...
and Tutla Bhawani in Tilothu. According to an inscription dated to 1223 AD at Lal Darwaja of
Rohtas fort
Rohtas Fort (; ) is a 16th-century citadel located near the city of Dina in Jhelum district of the Punjab, Pakistan. Commissioned by Sur Emperor Sher Shah Suri, its construction was supervised by Raja Todar Mal and is now one of the largest ...
, the descendant and successor of Pratapdhavala was
Shri Pratapa
Shri Pratapa was Khayaravala king in 13th century. There are inscription of Shri Pratapa in Rohtas of Vikram Samvat 1279. According to inscription he defeated a "Yavana" army; the "Yavana" here probably refers to a Muslim general. According ...
. In inscription Shri Pratapa is referred to as belong to Khayaravalavansha or
Khayaravala dynasty
The Khayaravala dynasty, was a tribal kingdom that ruled parts of the present-day Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand, during the 11th and 12th centuries. Their capital was located at Khayaragarh in Shahabad district. The dynasty ruled the Japila ...
. Probably Khayaravala survives as modern day Kharwar.
Present circumstances
The primary traditional economic activity of the Kharwar has been
agriculture
Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
but their reliance on a single annual crop and on suitable weather means that it is barely enough to sustain themselves for a part of the year. Thus, they also engage in work based on forest activities, livestock, fishing, hunting and trapping.
They have totemic clans such as Kansi (
Kans grass), Nilkanth (
Indian roller
The Indian roller (''Coracias benghalensis'') is a bird of the family Coraciidae. It is long with a wingspan of and weighs . The face and throat are pinkish, the head and back are brown, with blue on the rump and contrasting light and dark bl ...
), Hansgadhia,
Besra (sparrowhawk), Sahil, Tirkey (eagle), Chandiyar, Lohwar etc. They are patrilinial. Their village chief know as Pradhan. Group of four village called Chatti and its chief known as Chatti Pradhan. Group of five village known as Panchora and chief Panchora Pradhan. Group of seven villages called Satora and its chief known as Satora Pradhan. They employ both Brahmin and Pahan for religious function.
Kharwar speak
Sadri
Sadri is a municipality in the Pali district of Rajasthan, India. Before it was formally founded, there were various settlements in the area which fell under the Jagir of the Rajput clan Sindhal Rathore who still reside in the central part of ...
, an Indo-Aryan language, at home, and Hindi with others.
Kharwar have six endogamous division which are
Surajbanshi, Daulat bandi, paraband, Kharia bhogti and Mauijhia.
Risley(1891) records Bania, Ba Bahera, Bael(Aegle marmelos), Bair(berry), Bamria, Bandia and few more septs among Kharwar of
Chotanagpur. He further reports that in
Palamu Kharwar have Pat bandh, Dulbandh and khairi sub tribes where as in southern Lohardaga the community has Deshmari, Kharwar, Bhagta, Rout and Manjhia sub tribes. They consider themselves
Kshatriya
Kshatriya () (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority"; also called Rajanya) is one of the four varnas (social orders) of Hindu society and is associated with the warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...
, often consider themselves Athara Hazari and claim descent from Surajvanshi Rajput.
Birth pollution observed for six days. They cremate or bury the dead and observe death pollution for ten days.
Official classification
The
Government of Uttar Pradesh
The Government of Uttar Pradesh (International Organization for Standardization, ISO: ''Uttara Pradēśa Sarakāra''; often abbreviated as GoUP) is the subnational government of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh with the governor as its appoin ...
had classified the Kharwar as a
Scheduled Caste but the community members disliked this. preferring to think of themselves as a tribe.
By 2007, they were one of several groups that the Uttar Pradesh government had redesignated as
Scheduled Tribes. As of 2017, this designation applied only in certain districts of the state. The Kharwar Scheduled Caste population in Uttar Pradesh at the
2011 Census of India was 14,796. Kharwar are classified as Scheduled Tribes 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 ...
.
Notable people
*
Lakshman Acharya, Governor of Sikkim
*
Nilamber and Pitamber, freedom fighter in 1857 rebellion
*
Chhotelal Kharwar, former M.P from Robertsganj
*
Satyanand Bhogta
Satyanand Bhogta is an Indian Politician and a member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal political party. He is the ex cabinet minister for ministry of Labour Resources in Government of Jharkhand and a member of Jharkhand Legislative Assembly from Chat ...
, labour minister of Jharkhand
*
Nikki Pradhan, hockey player
See also
*
Agori Fort
*
Ramgarh Raj
Ramgarh Raj was the major ''Zamindari'' estate in the era of the British Raj in the former Indian province of Jharkahnd.
Territories which comprised the Ramgarh Raj presently constitute districts of Ramgarh, Hazaribagh,
Chatra, Giridih, ...
*
Kanhachatti
*
Singrauli district
Singrauli district () is one of the districts in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is a significant hub for energy production due to its vast coal reserves and power plants, earning it the title "Energy Capital of India."
Historically ruled ...
*
Sidhi district
Sidhi district () is one of the districts of Madhya Pradesh state of India. The town of Sidhi is the district headquarters. The district is part of Rewa Division.
History Rulers of Sidhi
In the 1800s, there were three separate rulers of Sidhi ...
References
Works cited
*
*
Further reading
* http://www.new.dli.ernet.in/handle/2015/150067
{{authority control
Scheduled Tribes of Uttar Pradesh
Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh
Ethnic groups in Jharkhand
Sonbhadra district