Rsingh at 20:55, 5 February 2026

2026-02-05T20:55:46Z

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{{Short description|Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Bhojpuri people
| native_name = भोजपुरिया सब<br>𑂦𑂷𑂔𑂣𑂳𑂩𑂲𑂨𑂰 𑂮𑂥
| native_name_lang = bh
| image =
| flag =
| caption =
| population = '''{{Circa|51 million|lk=yes}}'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/Language_MTs.html|title=Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011|publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|website=www.censusindia.gov.in|access-date=3 December 2019}}</ref>
| popplace = [[India]] ([[Bhojpuri region]]; Western [[Bihar]], [[Purvanchal|Eastern Uttar Pradesh]], Northwestern [[Jharkhand]]) and [[Nepal]] (Western [[Madhesh Province|Madhesh]], Eastern [[Lumbini]])
| pop1 = {{Flagcountry|Nepal}} 1,820,795
| ref1 = <ref>{{cite report |date=2021 |title=National Population and Housing Census 2021, Caste/Ethnicity Report |author=National Statistics Office |work=Government of Nepal |url=https://censusnepal.cbs.gov.np/results/downloads/caste-ethnicity}}</ref>
| rels = '''Majority:'''<br />[[File:Om.svg|15px]] [[Hinduism]]<br />
'''Minority:'''<br />{{hlist
|[[File:Star and Crescent.svg|18px]] [[Islam]]|[[File:Dharma Wheel.svg|18px]] [[Buddhism]]|[[File:Christian cross.svg|12px]] [[Christianity]]|[[File:Jain Prateek Chihna.svg|12px]] [[Jainism]]}}
| langs = [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]]
| related_groups = other [[Indo-Aryan peoples]]
}}

The '''Bhojpuri people''', also known as '''''Bhojpuriya-sawb''''' ([[Devanagari]]: भोजपुरिया सब; [[Kaithi]]: 𑂦𑂷𑂔𑂣𑂳𑂩𑂲𑂨𑂰 𑂮𑂥; [[Romanized]]: bhojapuriyā sab) are an [[Indo-Aryan peoples|Indo-Aryan]] ethnic group from the [[Indian subcontinent]] who speak the [[Bhojpuri language]] and inhabit the [[Bhojpuri region|Bhojpur]]-[[Purvanchal]] region. This area is now divided between the western part of the Indian state of [[Bihar]], the eastern part of the Indian state of [[Uttar Pradesh]], western part of the Indian state of [[Jharkhand]], along with some neighbouring districts in the Indian state of [[Madhya Pradesh]] as well as the [[Madhesh Province|Madhesh province]] and [[Lumbini Province|Lumbini province]] of [[Nepal]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2e3kAAAAMAAJ&q=bhojpuri+ethno | title=Economic and Socio-cultural Dimensions of Regionalisation: An Indo-U.S.S.R. Collaborative Study | accessdate=18 March 2017 | pages=392–409| last1=Roy Burman | first1=B. K. | last2=Chandra Sekhar | first2=A. | year=1972 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SylBHS8IJAUC&dq=Bhojpuri+ethnic+group&pg=PA69 | title=Language, Religion and Politics in North India | accessdate=18 March 2017 | page=69| isbn=9780595343942 | last1=Brass | first1=Paul R. | year=2005 }}</ref> A significant population of the [[Bihari diaspora]] of Bhojpuris can be found in [[Trinidad and Tobago]], [[Guyana]], [[Suriname]], other parts of the [[Caribbean]], [[Fiji]], [[Natal (province)|South Africa (Natal)]], [[Seychelles]], [[Mauritius]], [[United States]], [[Canada]], [[Netherlands]], [[United Kingdom]], [[Australia]], and [[New Zealand]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yH8MAQAAMAAJ&q=Bhojpuri+ethnic+group | title=Journal of Mauritian Studies, Volume 2, Issue 1 | year=2003 | accessdate=18 March 2017 | pages=34–37}}</ref>

==Culture==
===''Language and literature''===
{{Main|Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri literature}}
'''Bhojpuri language''' is spoken by around 50 million people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/Language_MTs.html|title=Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011|publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|website=www.censusindia.gov.in|access-date=27 August 2019}}</ref> It is native to the [[Bhojpuri region]] of [[Bihar]] and [[Uttar Pradesh]] in [[India]] as well as the [[Terai|Terai region]] of [[Madhesh Province|Madhesh]] and [[Lumbini Province|Lumbini]] in [[Nepal]]. Bhojpuri is sociolinguistically considered as one of the "[[Hindi dialects]]" although it linguistically belongs to the geographic [[Bihari languages]] branch derived from the larger branch of [[Eastern Indo-Aryan languages]]. The first Bhojpuri novel ''Bindiyã'' was written by [[Ram Nath Pandey]] in 1955. It was published by Bhojpuri Sansad, Jagatganj, [[Varanasi]]. [[Bhikhari Thakur]] was a famous writer of Bhojpuri language and founder of [[Bhojpuri music|Bhojpuri songs]]. His famous book is ''Bidesiya''.<ref>Dr. [[Viveki Rai]], ''Bhojpuri Katha Sahity ke vikaas''</ref><ref>[http://hindi.webdunia.com/literature-remembrance/%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF-%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%87-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%A4-%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5-%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%A1%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%AF-1140616058_1.htm भोजपुरी साहित्य के संत-रामनाथ पांडेय] Webduniya.</ref>

===''Cuisine''===
{{Main|Bhojpuri cuisine}}

'''Bhojpuri cuisine''' is part of [[North Indian cuisine]]. It is mild and spice is less used, [[Awadhi cuisine]] and [[Mughlai cuisine]] have largely influenced it. On the other side, it has majorly influenced cuisines of the [[Caribbean]], [[Fiji]], [[Mauritius]], and [[South Africa]].

==Influence and reputation==
According to [[G.A. Grierson]], Bhojpuri people have influence all over India and called them people from energetic race and also the ''Civilizer of Hindostan''. In order to compare Bhojpuriyas with [[Maithils]] and [[Magahi people|Magahis]] he writes:<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Linguistic Survey of India |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/books/lsi/lsi.php?volume=5-2&pages=466#page/18/mode/1up |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=dsal.uchicago.edu}}</ref>

{{Quote box |width=300px |align=right |quoted=true |
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|quote={{lang|en|Maithili and Magahi are the dialects of nationalities which have carried conservatism to excess of uncouthness, while Bhojpuri is the practical language of an energetic race, which is ever ready to accommodate itself to circumstances, and has made it influence felt all over the Indian. Bengali and Bhojpuri are the two civilizer of Hindostan, the former with his pen and latter with his cudgel.

George Abraham Grierson
Linguistic Survey of India
Vol V. Part II
}}
}}
He further writes that Bhojpuri people form the fighting nation of Hindostan, and has praised for grab any opportunity. He writes:<ref name=":0" />

{{Quote box
| width = 300px
| align = right
| quoted = true|
| salign = right
| quote = {{lang|en|The Bhojpuri-speaking country is inhabited by a people curiously different from people who speak Bihari dialects. They form the fighting nation of Hindostan. An alert and active nationality, with few scruples, and considerable abilities, dearly loving a fight for fighting's sake, they have spread all over Aryan India, each men ready to carve his fortune out of any opportunity which may present itself to him. They furnish a rich mine of recruitments to the Hindostani Army, and on the other hand they took a prominent part in the mutiny of 1857. As fond as an Irishman, is of a stick, the long-boned, stalwart, Bhojpuri, with a staff in hand, is a familiar object striding over fields far from his home. Thousands of them emigrated to british colonies and have returned rich-men, every year still larger numbers wander over Northern Bengal and seek employment, either honestly, as palki bearers, or otherwise as dacoits. Every Bengali Zamindar keeps a pose of these men, eumphistically termed 'darwans', to keep his tenants in order.

George Abraham Grierson
Linguistic Survey of India
Vol V. Part II
}}
}}

==Notable people==
{{See also|List of Bhojpuri people}}
*[[Mangal Pandey]], Freedom fighter from Ballia
*[[Anand Satyanand]], First ethnic Indian, non-white, non-Maori, Roman Catholic, Asian and ethnic minority [[Governor General of New Zealand]] from 2006 to 2011
*[[Kabir]]das, Poet and saint
*[[Ravidas]], Poet and saint
*[[Ravindra Kishore Sinha]], Billionaire businessman and politician
*[[Suryakumar Yadav]], Indian Cricketer
*[[Yashasvi Jaiswal]], Indian Cricketer
*[[Krushna Abhishek]], Bollywood actor and comedian
*[[Manoj Bajpayee]], Bollywood actor
*[[Vinay Pathak]], Bollywood actor
*[[Pankaj Tripathi]], Bollywood actor
*[[Rajpal Yadav]], Bollywood actor
*[[Akhilendra Mishra]], Actor and comedian
*[[Daya Shankar Pandey]], Actor
*[[Aditya Lakhia]], Actor
*[[Raghubir Yadav]], Actor and singer
*[[Rajesh Vivek]], Actor and comedian
*[[Ravi Kishan]], Actor and politician
*[[Manoj Tiwari (Delhi politician)|Manoj Tiwari]], Actor, singer and politician
*[[Pawan Singh]], Actor, singer and politician
*[[Dinesh Lal Yadav]], Actor, singer, producer and politician
*[[Khesari Lal Yadav]], Actor, singer, dancer and model
*[[Sudhanshu Pandey]], Actor, singer, writer, producer and model
*[[Siddhant Chaturvedi]], Bollywood actor
*[[Amita Suman]], Actress
*[[Vindhya Tiwari]], Actress
*[[Rati Pandey]], Actress
*[[Divyanka Tripathi]], Actress
*[[Surbhi Tiwari]], Actress
*[[Jayaprakash Narayan]], Indian independence activist and politician (Bharat Ratna)
*[[Dr. Rajendra Prasad]], First [[President of India]]
*[[Lal Bahadur Shastri]], Second [[Prime Minister of India]]
*[[Chandra Shekhar]], Former [[Prime Ministers of India|Prime Minister of India]]
*[[Lalu Prasad Yadav]], Politician and former [[List of chief ministers of Bihar|Chief Minister of Bihar]]
*[[Bhikhari Thakur]], Author
*[[Heera Dom]], Poet
*[[Raj Mohan]], Singer
*[[Dinesh Bhramar]], Poet
*[[Bindeshwari Dubey]], Freedom fighter and politician
*[[Om Prakash Rajbhar]], Politician
*[[Saryu Rai]], Politician
*[[Medini Ray]], King of Palamu in 17th century
*[[Kunwar Singh|Babu Veer Kunwar Singh]], [[Maharaja]] of [[Jagdishpur estate]]
*[[Parichay Das]], Author
*[[Manoj Bhawuk]], Poet
*[[Anjana Om Kashyap]], Journalist
*[[Chandan Tiwari]], Folk singer
*[[Nitish Kumar]], [[Chief Ministers of Bihar|Chief Minister of Bihar]] and politician
*[[Munshi Premchand]], Author
*[[Bahadur Prasad]], Olympian
*[[Manoj Sinha]], Former Member of Parliament, Lt. Governor of Jammu and Kashmir
*[[Ajay Rai]], Politician
*[[Seewoosagur Ramgoolam]], Doctor, first Prime Minister of [[Mauritius]]
*[[Aneerood Jugnauth]], Barrister, second Prime Minister of [[Mauritius]]

== See also ==
* [[Indo-Caribbeans]]
**[[Indo-Trinidadians]]
**[[Indo-Surinamese]]
**[[Indo-Guyanese]]
**[[Indo-Jamaicans]]
* [[Indo-Fijians]]
* [[Mauritians of Indian origin]]
**[[Bihari Mauritians]]
* [[Indo-Seychellois]]
* [[Indian South Africans]]
** [[Natal (province)|Natalians]] ([[:fr:Sud-Africains_indiens|Natal Indians]])

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Indo-Aryan peoples]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in India]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups divided by international borders]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Nepal]]

Bhojpuri people - Revision history

Rsingh at 20:55, 5 February 2026