Lodha people are one of Schedule Tribes and PVTGs of India, primarily living in

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the four ...

and

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sc ...

. Lodhas of West Bengal mostly live the Paschim Medinipur and Jhargham districts. A section of the Lodha has converted to Islam, and formed a distinct community called the

Lodha Muslims The Lodha Muslim are a tribal or Adivasi community found in the state of West Bengal in India. They are a Muslim tribe. Origin The exact circumstances of the conversion of the Lodha Muslims to Islam remains shrouded in mystery, but the conversion ...

Demographics

As per 2001 census, Lodhas numbered 84,966 and formed 1.9 per cent of the

scheduled tribe The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

population of West Bengal. They had a literacy rate of 34.8 per cent. As per the 2011 census, Lodhas now have a population of ~100,000 in West Bengal and almost 10,000 in Odisha. They are found in Suliapada and Morada blocks of Baripada sub-division of Mayurbhanj district of Orissa.

Focus

Lodha means piece of flesh named after their ancestor. Lodhas have been in the focus of anthropologists and social activists. During the early period of their rule, the British government in India oppressed the tribal people of Jungle Mahals, who were traditionally dependent upon the forests for a living. They had revolted but were ruthlessly suppressed. Having been deprived of their livelihood and without any alternatives, they took to criminal ways of life and were subsequently branded a criminal tribe. They should properly be labelled as uprooted rebels. Lodha titles are Nayek, Mallick, Digar, Sardar, Bhokta, Kotal, Dandapat, Bhunya etc. These titles were also used by the Sabars. One of the most important research on the Lodhas was done by a Calcutta University faculty, Professor Prabodh Kumar Bhowmick. Much later, researchers from the Department of Anthropology at Vidyasagar University have done empirical studies on the development scenario of the Lodha tribe in Mendinpur district who were by that time declared as a 'Primitive Tribal Group' (PTG) by the Government of India.

Demographics

Focus

See also

References

Further reading