The Valmikis are a variety of communities throughout India who all claim descent from the legendary author of the ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

'',

Valmiki Valmiki (; , ) was a legendary poet who is celebrated as the traditional author of the epic ''Ramayana'', based on the attribution in the text itself. He is revered as ''Ādi Kavi'', the first poet, author of ''Ramayana'', the first epic poe ...

. The Valmikis can be classified as a

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 ...

or ''

sampradaya ''Sampradaya'' (/ səmpɾəd̪ɑjə/,; ), in Indian-origin religions, namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, can be translated as 'tradition', 'spiritual lineage', 'sect', or 'religious system'. To ensure continuity and transmissi ...

'' (tradition/sect). In the north-west

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 ...

region, this caste had adopted Sikhism. During 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 ...

, many Valmiki were prominent rebels. Notable examples include Matadin Bhangi, Gangu Mehtar and Bhura Singh Valmiki. According to the

2001 Census of India The 2001 census of India was the 14th in a series of censuses held in India every decade since 1871. The population of India was counted as 1,028,737,436 consisting of 532,223,090 males and 496,514,346 females. The total population increased b ...

, the Valmikis formed 11.2 per cent of the Scheduled Caste population in the Indian state of

and were the second-most populous Scheduled Caste in Delhi National Capital Region. The 2011 Census of India for

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 ...

showed the Valmiki population, which was classified as a Scheduled Caste, as 1,319,241.

Demographics

Notable people

Om Prakash Valmiki Omprakash Valmiki (30 June 1950 – 17 November 2013) was an Indian writer and poet. Well known for his autobiography, ''Jootan'', considered a milestone in Dalit literature. He was born at the village of Barla in the Muzzafarnagar district of ...

Hans Raj Hans Hans Raj Hans is an Indian singer and politician. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and a recipient of the civilian honour of Padma Shri. He sings Punjabi folk and Sufi music as well as in movies and has also released his own 'Pun ...

Navraj Hans Navraj Hans is an Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer. He is the son of Hans Raj Hans and son-in-law of Daler Mehndi. Musical career Navraj Hans has done playback singing for several Bollywood and Punjabi movies. Hi ...

Yuvraj Hans Yuvraj Hans is an Indian Punjabi-language actor. He is the son of singer-turned politician and Bharatiya Janata Party MP Hans Raj Hans Hans Raj Hans is an Indian singer and politician. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and a rec ...

Sudeepa Sudeep Sanjeev (born 2 September 1971), also known as Kichcha Sudeepa, is an Indian actor, director, producer, screenwriter, singer and television presenter, who primarily works in Kannada cinema. He has also worked in Hindi, Telugu and Tami ...

* Devi Das Nahar * Sabar Koti

Other countries

In the UK, the Council of Valmiki Sabhas UK claims to represent the Valmiki.

References

{{reflist Dalit communities Hindu communities Scheduled Castes of Punjab Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh Scheduled Castes of Gujarat Scheduled Castes of Madhya Pradesh Scheduled Castes of Delhi Scheduled Castes of Haryana Scheduled Castes of Chhattisgarh Scheduled Castes of Assam Scheduled Castes of Jammu and Kashmir Scheduled Castes of Bihar Scheduled Castes of Himachal Pradesh Scheduled Castes of Odisha Scheduled Tribes of Andhra Pradesh

Demographics

Notable people

Other countries

See also

References