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{{Use Indian English|date=July 2017}}<br />
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The '''Ghirth''' (also known as Ghirath, Ghrit or Chaudhary) is an agricultural [[Indian caste system|Indian]] [[caste]] found in the state of [[Himachal Pradesh]] in [[North India]].{{sfn|B R Sharma|A R Sankhyan|1996|p=237}}<br />
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== History ==<br />
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According to a legend, the Ghirths are so-called because the Hindu god [[Shiva]] made them out of [[ghee]] (''ghrita'' in [[Sanskrit]]). This etymology is reflective of the community's traditional occupation of [[animal husbandry]] and [[agriculture]]. However, some members of the community trace their ancestry to a sage called Ghrit Rishi, and claim connections to the legendary [[Kauravas]] mentioned in the ''[[Mahabharata]]''.<br />
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At the beginning of the 20th century, the Ghirths were the dominant low-caste cultivators and marginal landholders in the Himachal region.{{sfn|Mahesh Sharma|2001|p=68}} Since they were considered as a 'clean' (not [[untouchability|untouchable]]) low caste, they were employed as domestic servants by the higher castes: their 'clean' status allowed them to perform tasks such as fetching water or cleaning cooking utensils, which the untouchable servants were not allowed to do.{{sfn|Mahesh Sharma|2001|p=74}} Nevertheless, the [[Rajput]], who were the dominant landholding caste of the region, had imposed social restrictions on them. Around 1926, the Ghirths started a movement to achieve upward [[social mobility]], and started opposing these restrictions.{{sfn|Mahesh Sharma|2001|p=68}} They refused menial work, creating difficulties for the higher castes that earlier employed them as servants.{{sfn|Mahesh Sharma|2001|p=74}}<br />
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== Related groups ==<br />
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British colonial administrator [[Denzil Ibbetson]], in his ''Panjab Castes'' (1916), considers Ghirth same as the people that are known as Chahang (or Chang) and Bahti in the eastern and western portion of the lower Himalayan range respectively.{{sfn|Kumar Suresh Singh|2003|p=130}} The [[Anthropological Survey of India]]'s ''People of India'' series (1996) describes Chahang and Bahti as sub-groups of the Ghirths.{{sfn|B R Sharma|A R Sankhyan|1996|p=237}}<br />
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The Ghirth, including the Chahang and Bahti, are classified among the [[Other Backward Class]]es by the government of India.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/User_Panel/GazetteResolution.aspx?Value=mPICjsL1aLvnHHKZ9t8g%2BEgijzJVQthoZ1sm9YcGu7qq4lrERyBbQdJcY9VJUSnQ |title=Central List of OBCs |publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes |access-date=2 May 2018 }}</ref> The ''Ghirth, Chahang, Bahti Mahasabha'', established in 1932, represents the interests of these three communities.<ref>{{cite news |author=Lalit Mohan |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/community/obc-committee-members-put-up-united-front/294865.html |title=OBC committee members put up united front |newspaper=The Tribune |date=14 September 2016 }}</ref><br />
==Politics==<br />
After the Rajput and Brahmans, there is another dominant caste Girth in the Politics of Himanchal.<br />
<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cdDkAAAAMAAJ&q=girth+|title = Administrative Problems of Rural Development in India|isbn = 9788185475158|last1 = Sud|first1 = Onkar Chand|year = 1992}}</ref><br />
==See also==<br />
*[[Jat people]]<br />
*[[Anjana Chaudhary]]<br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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== Bibliography ==<br />
{{ref begin}}<br />
* {{cite book |editor1=B R Sharma |editor2=A R Sankhyan |title=Himachal Pradesh |series=People of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XEduAAAAMAAJ |year=1996 |publisher=Anthropological Survey of India |isbn=9788173040948 |oclc=471782049 }}<br />
* {{cite book |editor=Kumar Suresh Singh |title=People of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uw8wAQAAIAAJ |year=2003 |publisher=Anthropological Survey of India |isbn=978-81-7304-123-5 }}<br />
* {{cite book |author=Mahesh Sharma |title=The realm of faith: subversion, appropriation, and dominance in the Western Himalaya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jAwRAQAAIAAJ |year=2001 |publisher=Indian Institute of Advanced Study |isbn=978-81-85952-92-5 }}<br />
{{ref end}}<br />
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[[Category:Social groups of Himachal Pradesh]]<br />
[[Category:Indian castes]]</div>CleanupBot