The Turaiha are a

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 ...

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 ...

found in the state 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 ...

in India.

Origin

The Turaiha are a sub-group within the Nishadha, fishermen community caste of India.The terms Turaiha , Turaha, Turha and Tureha refer to the same ethnic community, with variations arising from regional dialects, transliteration differences. According to the traditions of the community, aside from fishing, they were traditionally employed to play musical instruments, known as a ''turaihi''. Over time they formed a distinct endogamous group within the fishing community. They are found mainly in

, principally in the western districts.

Present circumstances

The Turaiha are still employed to play the turaihi (turha) and other musical instruments on several occasions. However, the majority of the Turaiha are landless agricultural labourers. The Turaiha remain one of the most marginalised communities in the Uttar Pradesh. They live in multi-caste villages, but occupy their own distinct quarters. They often suffer from societal discrimination. Each of their settlement contains an informal caste council, known as a biradari panchayat. The panchayat acts as instrument of social control, dealing with issues such as divorce and adultery.People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part One edited by A Hasan & J C Das pages 460 to 464 Manohar Publications The Turaiha were recorded as a Scheduled Caste in Uttar Pradesh in the 2011 Census of India. Their population was then 28,055.

References

{{reflist Fishing castes Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh