>Closingbracket at 15:13, 11 May 2021

2021-05-11T15:13:22Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2019}}
{{ethnic group|
|group= Bansphor
|poptime =
|popplace = India
|langs = • [[Hindi language|Hindi]] • [[Awadhi language|Awadhi]] • [[Khari Boli]]
|rels= [[Hinduism]] 100%
|related-c= • [[Muslim Bansphor]] • [[Domba|Dom]]
}}

The '''Bansphor''' are a [[Hindu]] [[Caste system in India|caste]] found in the state of [[Uttar Pradesh]], India. <ref name="poi">People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part One edited by A Hasan & J C Das page 172 to 176 Manohar Publications</ref>

==Origin==

The community get their name from the [[Hindi]] words ''bans'', meaning bamboo and ''phorna'' which means to split. They are a community that were traditionally involved in the manufacture of bamboo items for household usage. According to traditions, they are one of the seven sub-groups of the [[Domba|Dom]] community. Their own traditions refer to a Bans Rajah, a prince who said to have ruled in the [[Awadh]] region, from whom the community descend. They are found throughout Uttar Pradesh, with special concentrations in the districts of [[Farrukhabad District|Farrukhabad]], [[Saharanpur District|Saharanpur]] and [[Pilibhit District|Pilibhit]] in western Uttar Pradesh, and [[Sitapur District|Sitapur]], [[Lakhimpur Kheri District|Kheri]], [[Hardoi District|Hardoi]], [[Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh|Pratapgarh]] and [[Lucknow District|Lucknow]] in Awadh, and [[Mirzapur District|Mirzapur]] and [[Lalitpur district, Uttar Pradesh|Lalitpur]] in southern Uttar Pradesh. The western Bansphor speak [[Khari boli]], while those in Awadh speak [[Awadhi]]. A section of the Bansphor in Saharanpur and [[Moradabad District|Moradabad]] have converted to [[Islam]], and now form a distinct community of [[Muslim Bansphor]].<ref name="poi"/>

==Present circumstances==

The Bansphor practice strict community endogamy, as well as clan exogamy, which a common practice among most [[North India]]n Hindus. Their clans are called [[gotra]]s, the main ones being the Mahawati, Chamkel, Gaushal, Samudra, Nahar, Kalai and Saraiha. Marriages do not occur with the Muslim Bansphor community. The Bansphor live in multi-caste villages, but occupy their own distinct quarters. Each of their settlement contains an informal caste council, known as a [[panchayat]]. The panchayat is headed by a pradhan, a position which is heredity. In addition, there is an overarching [[panchayat]] of between three and four villages, which headed by a chaudhary. The panchayat resolves any intra-community dispute, as well as acting an instrument of social control. They are Hindus, except for the now-distinct community of Muslim Bansphor, and have [[Hanuman]] as their tribal deity.<ref name="poi"/>

The Bansphor are still involved in their traditional occupation, which is the manufacture of bamboo furniture. These are then sold at the local market. A significant number of Bansphor are agricultural labourers, while other often migrating to [[Mumbai]] and [[Delhi]] to work as daily wage labourers. Like other scheduled caste communities, they live an extremely marginal economic existence.{{cn|date=February 2017}}

The [[2011 Census of India]] for Uttar Pradesh showed the Bansphor population as 59,804.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/SC_ST/PCA-A10/SC-0900-PCA-A-10-ddw.xlsx |title= A-10 Individual Scheduled Caste Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix - Uttar Pradesh |publisher=Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |accessdate=2017-02-04}}</ref>

==References==

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Dom in India]]
[[Category:Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh]]

Bansphor - Revision history

>Closingbracket at 15:13, 11 May 2021