Saini () is a farming and landowning
caste
A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...
of
northern 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 ...
. The community is given
representation in government jobs and educational institutes as an
Other Backward Class (OBC) in the 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 ...
,
Punjab
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
,
Haryana
Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...
,
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...
and
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...
. Sainis, like other farming castes such as the
Jats
The Jat people (, ), also spelt Jaat and Jatt, are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in ...
, play a dominant role in shaping the social and cultural life of rural villages in Punjab. Their size, farming and political visibility, strengthens their position in local society.
[
As both a statutory agricultural tribe and a designated martial race during the ]British Raj
The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent,
*
* lasting from 1858 to 1947.
*
* It is also called Crown rule ...
era that followed the Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...
, Sainis had been chiefly engaged in both agriculture and military service. Since the independence of India, they have diversified into white-collar professions.
History
Mythology
The Sainis of Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts claim to be the descendants of kings of the Yaduvanshi or Surasena lineage who ruled these kingdoms, who came to these areas to avoid forced conversion to Islam.["Surasena refers to an ancient region named after a Jadu raja who is believed to have lived before Krishna. Bayana (near Mathura) from where the Jadus ruled ..." ''Against History, Against State: Counterperspectives from the Margins'', p 54, Shail Mayaram, published by Permanent Black, 2004]
Academic
Gahlot and Banshidhar indicate some commonality in origin with Rajput Malis of Rajputana, who also claim to be of Rajput descent.
British era
During the British period Sainis were classified as both a statutory agricultural tribe and, later, a martial race.scientific racism
Scientific racism, sometimes termed biological racism, is the pseudoscience, pseudoscientific belief that the Human, human species is divided into biologically distinct taxa called "race (human categorization), races", and that empirical evi ...
: ethnic communities were categorised as being either martial or non-martial, with the latter being those who were thought to be unfit to serve in armies due to their sedentary lifestyles.Chenab Colony
The Punjab Canal Colonies is the name given to parts of western Punjab (region), Punjab which were brought under cultivation through the construction of canals and agricultural colonisation during the British Raj. The Punjab underwent an agricultu ...
following the introduction of the Punjab Land Alienation Act, 1900
The Punjab Land Alienation Act of 1900 was a piece of legislation introduced by the British Raj with the aim of limiting the transfer of land ownership in Punjab Province. It created an "agricultural tribes" category, the membership of which was ...
.
Some Saini landlords were also appointed as ''zaildar
Zaildar was an officer in charge of a Zail which was an administrative unit of group of villages during the Sikh Empire, British Indian Empire in Punjab and Dogra dynasty rule in Jammu and Kashmir (princely state). The Settlement Officer, with ...
s'', or revenue-collectors, in various districts.[History of Hisar: From Inception to Independence, 1935–1947, p 312, M. M. Juneja, Published by Modern Book Co., 1989]
Post Independence India
Castes similar to Sainis in north India are Koeri
The Koeri (spelt as Koiry or Koiri), also referred to as Kushwaha and more recently self-described as Maurya in several parts of northern India are an Indian non-elite caste, found largely in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, whose traditional oc ...
, Kushwaha
Kushwaha (sometimes Kushvaha), is a community of the Indo-Gangetic Plain that has traditionally been involved in agriculture, including beekeeping. The term has been used to represent different sub-castes of the Kachhis, Kachhvahas, Koeris ...
, Maurya
The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sourc ...
and Shakya
Shakya (Pali, Pāḷi: ; Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indo-Aryan clan of the northeastern region of South Asia, whose existence is attested during the Iron Age in India, Iron Age. The Shakyas were organised into a Gaṇasaṅgha, (an Aristocrac ...
. Over the time, these communities have come together and started inter-marrying among themselves for caste consolidation.
Marriage
According to the Anthropological Survey of India
The Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) is an Indian government organisation involved in anthropological studies and field data research, primarily engaged in physical anthropology and cultural anthropology, while maintaining a strong focu ...
, "The Saini are endogamous community and observe exogamy at village and gotra level." Remarriage after the death of a spouse is permitted nowadays, as is divorce.
Notable people
Armed Forces
* Joginder Singh (Param Vir Chakra)
Indian National Freedom Movement
*Gurdan Saini
Gurdan Saini (also known as Gurdas Saini) was a Rajput military general who died in the battle of Jhain between the forces of Jalal ud din Firuz Khalji and the Chahamana forces of Hammiradeva in the 13th century CE.
Career
According to Kishor ...
(Rajput General- died in Ranthambore also known as Rana Gurdan Saini)[A Comprehensive History of India : The Delhi Sultanat, A.D. 1206–1526, pp 318, Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri, Indian History Congress, 1957]
* Harnam Singh Saini
Harnam Singh Saini (died March 16, 1917) was a notable Revolutionary movement for Indian independence, Indian revolutionary who participated in the Ghadar Conspiracy and was hanged by British colonial government on 16 March 1917 in Lahore for i ...
(Ghadar movement, died - hanged on March 16, 1917 after Lahore Conspiracy Case trial)
Religious and political leaders
* Labh Singh Saini (Akali dal president)
* Jathedar Sadhu Singh Bhaura (Akal Takht Jathedar)
Sports
* Sandeep Singh a Field Hockey
Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...
player from Shahabad town of Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra () is a city and administrative headquarters of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Realm of duty") and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita".
Legends
According to the Puranas ...
,Haryana
Civilians with titles
* Chaudhari Nand Ram Saini (Zaildar
Zaildar was an officer in charge of a Zail which was an administrative unit of group of villages during the Sikh Empire, British Indian Empire in Punjab and Dogra dynasty rule in Jammu and Kashmir (princely state). The Settlement Officer, with ...
from Hissar Division)[History of Hisar: From Inception to Independence, 1935–1947, pp 312, M. M. Juneja, Published by Modern Book Co., 1989]
* Sardar
Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar (, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royal family, royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other Aristocracy (class), aristocrats. It ha ...
Nanu Singh Saini(Sikh army General and well Known Jagirdar in Phulkian Rayast)
Others
* Sumedh Singh Saini (former Director general of police of Punjab, India
Punjab () is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. Forming part of the larger Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, the state is bordered by the States and union territories of India, Indian states ...
References
External links
SainiOnline.comSainiInfo.com
{{Rajput Groups of India
Indian castes
Punjabi tribes
Social groups of Punjab, India
Social groups of Haryana
Articles containing video clips