Ajay Kumar at 14:36, 23 July 2023

2023-07-23T14:36:04Z

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{{short description|Indian caste}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}

{{infobox ethnic group|
| group = Chambhar
| poptime =
| popplace = {{plainlist |
[[Maharashtra]], [[Karnataka]], [[Goa]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|jammu and kashmir]], [[Himachal pradesh]], [[West Bengal]]}}
| langs = {{plainlist |
[[Marathi language|Marathi]], [[Konkani language|Konkani]], [[Varhadi dialect]], [[gurmukhi]], [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo aryan]]
}}
| rels = {{plainlist |
[[Hinduism]], [[Ravidasia]], [[Lingayatism]], [[Sikhism]], [[Buddhism]]
}}
}}

{{EngvarB|date=June 2020}}

'''Chambhar''' is [[Caste system in India|caste]] from Indian state of Maharashtra, and Northern [[Karnataka]]. Their traditional occupation was [[Tanning (leather)|leather]] work.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sharma|first=C. L.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3JvmObMC4ZMC&pg=PA9|title=Social Mobility Among Scheduled Castes: An Empirical Study in an Indian State|date=1996|publisher=M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd.|isbn=978-81-7533-015-3|language=en}}</ref> Historically subject to [[untouchability]], they were traditionally outside the Hindu ritual ranking system of [[Caste|castes]] known as [[Varna (Hinduism)|varna]]. Castes with similar traditional occupation are found throughout the [[Indian subcontinent]] such as [[Chamar]] in [[North India|Northern india]], and Mochi in [[Gujarat]].
== History ==
Chambhars have made many contributions in religious and reform movements by Santbai.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Nadkarni|first=M. V.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uB-eDwAAQBAJ&dq=chambhar+saints+maharashtra&pg=PT30|title=Socio-Economic Change and the Broad-Basing Process in India|date=18 June 2019|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-000-08477-1|language=en}}</ref>
=== Maratha era ===
Chambhars as the cobbler of the village formed one of the twelve hereditary village servants under the [[Bara Balutedar]] system of [[Maharashtra]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Deshpande |first=Arvind M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79sS_w_bOQYC&pg=PP15 |title=John Briggs in Maharashtra: A Study of District Administration Under Early British Rule |date=1987 |publisher=Mittal Publications |location=New Delhi, India |pages=127: The Chambhar or cobbler was found only in the larger villages. They held almost no rent-free land. Their total holding of rent free land in Khandesh was only 14 bighas. They had grain perquisites at the rate of the claim of the Sutar |language=en}}</ref><ref>Patil, S., 2020. Hegemonic Past: Exclusion of Subaltern Histories in NCERT Textbooks. ANTYAJAA: Indian Journal of Women and Social Change, 5(1), pp.9-21.</ref> Historically, Chambhars are related to leather work and are landless but gradually their women engaged in midwifery and agricultural labour.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sinha |first=Surajit |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pjVdJMBeXU8C&pg=PA311 |title=Anthropology of Weaker Sections |date=1993 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |isbn=978-81-7022-491-4 |pages=311|quote= In the village the Beldar, Jain, Koli-Mahadeo, Lingayat, Chambhar, Muslim, and Panchal families are landless and among them the Jain, Koli-Mahadeo, Lingayat, and Panchal families and one Muslim are immigrants. Except these immigrants, one Brahman family, two Mali families, a few Maratha families, one Sonar, one Dhangar and one Teli are also immigrants. The head of the Jain, Koli-Mahadeo, Lingayat, Panchal, Brahman, one Mali and Maratha immigrant families are school teachers, another Mali is a village doctor, one Muslim is a forest rounder, one Maratha is a veterinary doctor and one Dhangar is an attendant in the veterinary hospital in the village. These employees are not considered as poor villagers because, they are having landed property at their native places. Formerly, the Beldar family was moving from one village to another wherever they used to get traditional jobs. In this village this family has settled for the last six years. And they get job from the villagers every month. But by this income they cannot maintain their family properly. The Muslim and the Chambhar are living in this village for generations together but they are not having cultivable land. The Muslim are traditionally butchers and get balut (annual payment) from the villagers for their job. They are also the agricultural labourers in this village. Through these two sources of income they cannot maintain their family properly and are passing days under hardships. These three Muslim families come under poorer section in the village. The Chambhar also are not having cultivable land in the village. They are still practicing their traditional occupation i.e., making new shoes or repairing the old ones. For performing traditional jobs in the village they get balut per year from the villagers. They also work as farm servants to the landowning cultivators in the village and perform their traditional jobs outside the village. Whatever they earn through traditional occupation and agricultural labour, is not sufficient for them to maintain their families. They are very poor in the village. |language=en}}</ref>

== Culture and society ==
Chambhars in Maharashtra follow [[Hinduism]]. They also revere Bhakti [[Ravidas| Sant Rohidas]] who is also a holy saint of [[Sikhs]], and his 41 hymns are incorporated in [[Guru Granth Sahib]].<ref>Waghmare, B.S., 2009. Political Inequality Among Dalits: A Case of Maharashtra. Voice of Dalit, 2(2), pp.177-200.[https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0974354520090204?journalCode=vodb]</ref>

== Social status ==
Chambhars enjoyed better position unlike their counterparts of other states, e.g – [[Chamar]]s of North India, [[Madiga]]s of [[Andhra Pradesh]], etc. Even they were part of mainstream business of local markets and economically well-off.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sadangi|first=Himansu Charan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=maFRVrOe1PQC&dq=chambhar+caste+leaders&pg=PA207|title=Emancipation of Dalits and Freedom Struggle|date=2008|publisher=Gyan Publishing House|isbn=978-81-8205-481-3|language=en}}</ref>

Currently, Chambhars are in different fields and after the introduction of the [[Reservation in India|reservation policy]] in India it helped a lot of them to improve their lifestyle.

They fall under [[Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes|Scheduled Caste]] category in the states of [[Maharashtra]] and Karnataka.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The rising Dalit anger|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/653644/rising-dalit-anger.html|author=DH News Service|date=13 January 2018|newspaper=Deccan Herald|access-date=20 May 2020}}</ref>

== Notables ==
* [[Milind Kamble]], founder of the [[Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry]] and chairman of Fortune Constructions (Mumbai)<ref>{{Cite news|title=Dalit Inc gets leg up from Milind Kamble|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/business/india/story/dalit-inc-gets-leg-up-from-milind-kamble-146410-2011-11-21|date=21 November 2011|first=B. S.|last=Srinivasalu Reddy|website=India Today|access-date=20 May 2020}}</ref>
* [[Vithal Palwankar]], cricketer who captained an Indian team at [[Bombay Quadrangular|Bombay Quadragular]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Guha|first=Ramachandra|editor1-first=James|editor1-last=Mills|title='The Moral that can be Safely Drawn from the Hindus' Magnificent Victory': Cricket, Caste and the Palwankar Brothers|work=Subaltern Sports: Politics and Sport in South Asia|year=2012|pages=83–106|publisher=Anthem Press|doi=10.7135/upo9781843317609.005|isbn=978-1-84331-760-9}}</ref>
* [[Palwankar Baloo]], cricketer of India and leader of Hindu Mahasabha.<ref>{{Cite web|title=India's first Dalit cricketer Palwankar Baloo fought against caste barriers on the field and off it|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/sports/india-s-first-dalit-cricketer-palwankar-baloo-fought-against-caste-barriers-on-the-field-and-off-it/story-Cz10GUgvkQoLI4b7fhNVEO.html|date=16 September 2018|website=Hindustan Times|access-date=20 May 2020}}</ref>
* [[Palwankar Ganpat]], Indian cricket player
* [[Palwankar Shivram]], Indian cricket player of [[Hindu Gymkhana, Mumbai|Hindu Gymkhana]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The 'Untouchable' Cricketer Who Challenged the British & His Fellow Countrymen|url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/159608/palwankar-baloo-cricket-dalit-hero/|date=18 September 2018|website=The Better India|access-date=20 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604012230/https://www.thebetterindia.com/159608/palwankar-baloo-cricket-dalit-hero/|archive-date=4 June 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Ramanand Dass]], was a leader of the Dera Sach Khand, and a follower of Guru Ravidas.
* [[Ashok Khade]], Chairman of DAS Offshore (Mumbai), one of the biggest oil platform makers of India<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ashok Khade, Son of a Cobbler Now Owns a Firm with Rs 500 Cr Turnover|url=https://corporatebytes.in/ashok-khade-son-of-a-cobbler-now-owns-a-firm-with-rs-500-cr-turnover/|last=Bytes|first=Corporate|date=4 May 2017|website=Corporate Bytes|access-date=20 May 2020}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Guru Ravidass]]
*[[Utpala dynasty]]
*[[Ravidasia]]
*[[Adi Jambava]]
*[[Ad-Dharmi]]
*[[Chamar]]
*[[Jatav]]
*[[Ramdasia]]
*[[Shri Khuralgarh Sahib]]
*[[Dera Sach Khand]]
*[[Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan]]
*[[Shri Guru Ravidas Gurughar]]
*[[List of Ravidassia people]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Indian castes]]
[[Category:Scheduled Castes of Maharashtra]]

Chambhar - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 14:36, 23 July 2023