Aryakin2021 at 21:42, 21 November 2025

2025-11-21T21:42:21Z

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{{Short description|Tribal group of West Bengal and Odisha}}
{{For|the social group in Rajasthan and Gujarat|Lodha}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| native_name = Lodha
| image =
| image_caption =
| region1 = [[West Bengal]]
| pop1 = 108,707{{efn|name=Lodha-Kharia}}<ref name=Stat2013>{{Cite report |title=Statistical profile of scheduled tribes in India 2013 |url=http://www.tribal.nic.in/ST/StatisticalProfileofSTs2013.pdf |publisher=Minister of tribal affairs: statistics division, Govt of India |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250522175435/https://tribal.nic.in/ST/StatisticalProfileofSTs2013.pdf |archive-date=22 May 2025}}</ref>
| region2 = [[Odisha]]
| pop2 = 9,785<ref name=Stat2013/>
| region3 =
| pop3 =
| languages = [[Lodhi language|Lodhi]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Odia language|Odia]], [[Kharia language|Kharia]], [[Sadri language|Sadri]]{{efn|name=Lodha-Kharia}}
| religions = [[Hinduism]], [[Islam]]
| related = [[Munda people|Munda]], [[Lodha Muslims]], [[Sabar people|Sabar]], [[Kharia people|Kharia]]
}}

The '''Lodha people''' (often [[Honorific| honorifically]] '''Sabar''' and '''Savar''')<ref>{{cite web|first=Proggya |last=Ghatak |date= January 2011|title=PROBLEMS OF TRIBAL IDENTITY: A Case Study of Savara & Lodha Tribes of West Bengal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286238788}}</ref> are a [[Scheduled Tribe]] and [[particularly vulnerable tribal group]] of India, inhabiting primarily [[West Bengal]] and [[Odisha]]. Lodhas of West Bengal mostly live in the [[Paschim Medinipur district|Paschim Medinipur]] and [[Jhargram district|Jhargham]] districts. A section of the Lodha has converted to [[Islam]], and formed a distinct community called the [[Lodha Muslims]].

==Demographics==
As per 2001 census, Lodhas numbered 84,966 and formed 1.9 per cent of the [[Scheduled castes and scheduled tribes|scheduled tribe]] population of West Bengal. They had a literacy rate of 34.8 per cent.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_st_westbengal.pdf |title=West Bengal: Data Highlights the Scheduled Tribes |access-date=26 September 2009 |work=Census of India 2001 |publisher=Census Commission of India}}</ref> As per the 2011 census, the Lodhas population is 108,707 and 9,785 in West Bengal and Odisha respectively.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Historical number of Lodha tribe
! Census year
! West Bengal{{efn|name=Lodha-Kharia|The Lodha tribe primarily inhabits in undivided [[Paschim Medinipur]] and [[Mayurbhanj]], with populations of 51,772 and 5,523 respectively, according to the 2011 Census. Linguistically, they lack a distinct mother tongue and typically speak Bengali or Odia. Their total population is recorded as 108,707 in West Bengal and 9,785 in Odisha. The elevated figure in West Bengal includes the [[Kharia people|Kharia tribe]], who are not separately recognised as a [[Scheduled Tribes in West Bengal|Scheduled Tribe]] and are listed alongside the Lodha.{{sfn|Bhowmick|1963|at=Introduction pp. xii}}<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kolay |first1=Swapan Kumar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HAVjEQAAQBAJ |title=Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups of India: Livelihood Patterns and Development Strategies (Volume 1) |last2=Khatua |first2=Nilanjan |date=2024-01-01 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |isbn=978-93-5594-863-2 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Pati |first=Rabindra Nath |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FySTvgsdkM0C&pg=PA119 |title=Reproductive Child Health |date=2002 |publisher=APH Publishing |isbn=978-81-7648-323-0 |language=en}}</ref> A large number of Kharia migrated to West Bengal, particularly to [[Jalpaiguri district|Jalpaiguri]] , where they number 34,481, including 3,180 Kharia speakers and 29,004 Sadri speakers.}} !! {{Tooltip|±%|Decadal growth rate}}
! Odisha !! {{Tooltip|±%|Decadal growth rate}}
|-
!1901<ref>{{Cite book |last=Commissioner |first=India Census |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=06YJAAAAIAAJ |title=Census of India, 1901: Bengal (4 v.) |date=1902 |publisher=Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India |language=en}}</ref>
| colspan="3" |8,173 || —
|-
!1911<ref>Census of India, 1911, Vol. V; Bengal; Part II.-Tables</ref>
|colspan="3" |7,403 || —
|-
!1921<ref>{{Cite web |title=Estimated Population by Castes, 4 West Bengal - Census 1951 |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/30197/download/33378/21104_1951_POP.pdf}}</ref>
|colspan="3" style="background:#ebecf0" | n/a || —
|-
!1931<ref>{{cite web|title= Tables, Part II, Vol-V, Bengal & Sikkim - Census 1931|publisher= |page=234 |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/32437/download/35618/25392_1931_TAB.pdf}}</ref>
|11,001 || —
|{{n/a|n/a}} || —
|-
!1941<ref>{{cite web|title=Census Of India 1941, Vol-IV, Bengal - Census 1941 |url= https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/28410/download/31592/25425_1941_CAS.pdf|page=5}}</ref>
|11,641 || 5.8
|{{n/a|n/a}} || —
|-
!1951<ref>{{cite web|title= The Tribes and Castes of West Bengal, Land and Land Revenue Department - Census 1951|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/32381/download/35562/41834_1951_TRI.pdf}}</ref>
|8,346 || -28.4
|{{n/a|n/a}} || —
|-
! 1961<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tables on Scheduled Tribes, Part V-A (ii), Vol-XVI, West Bengal & Sikkim |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/32455/download/35636/21541_1961_ST.pdf}}</ref>
| 40,898 || 390.7
| 2,370 || —
|-
! 1971
| 45,906 || 12.2
| 3,891 || 64.2
|-
! 1981
| 53,718 || 17.0
| 5,100 || 31.1
|-
! 1991
| 68,095 || 26.8
| 7,458 || 46.2
|-
! 2001
| 84,966 || 24.7
| 8,905 || 19.4
|-
! 2011
| 108,707 || 27.9
| 9,785 || 9.9
|}

The Lodhas of Odisha are primarily found in Suliapada and Morada blocks of Baripada sub-division of Mayurbhanj district of Orissa.<ref>{{cite web |url =http://mayurbhanj.nic.in/tribe.htm
|title = Mayurbhanj, Tribal languages, festivals and culture| access-date = 26 September 2009 }}</ref>

{{Pie chart
| caption = Religions of Lodhas (census 2011)<ref>{{cite web|title=ST-14 Scheduled Tribe Population By Religious Community|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/SCST-Series/ST14.html|access-date=3 November 2019|website=census.gov.in |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191114034625/https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/SCST-Series/ST14.html |archive-date=14 November 2019}}</ref>
| label1 = Hinduism
| value1 = 86.58
| color1 = orange
| label2 = Christianity
| value2 = 12.06
| color2 = dodgerblue
| label3 = Sarna
| value3 = 0.83
| color3 = saddlebrown
| label4 = Islam
| value4 = 0.23
| color4 = green
| label5 = Sari Dharma
| value5 = 0.06
| color5 = goldenrod
| label6 = Religion not stated
| value6 = 0.15
| color6 = pink
| other = yes
| other-color=grey
}}

{{Pie chart
| caption = Languages spoken by Lodhas (census 2011)<ref>{{cite web|title=ST-15: Scheduled tribe by mother tongue (for eac astribe separately) (State/UT level), West Bengal - 2011 |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/12551/download/15664/ST-19-00-15-DDW-2011.XLSX |publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India}}</ref>
| label1 = [[Bengali language|Bengali]]
| value1 = 57.61
| label2 = [[Sadri language|Sadan/Sadri]]{{efn|name=Lodha-Kharia}}
| value2 = 26.53
| label3 = [[Kharia language|Kharia]]{{efn|name=Lodha-Kharia}}
| value3 = 6.59
| label4 = [[Odia language|Odia]]
| value4 = 5.51
| label5 = [[Santali language|Santali]]
| value5 = 0.71
| label6 = [[Hindi]]
| value6 = 0.63
| label7 = [[Kurukh language|Kurukh/Oraon]]
| value7 = 0.36
| label8 = [[Savara language|Savara]]
| value8 = 0.27
| other = yes
| other-color=grey
}}

==Focus==
Lodha means piece of flesh named after their ancestor. Lodhas have been in the focus of anthropologists and social activists.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c3TqmBoQnf4C&q=Lodha+tribe&pg=PA219 |title = Rise of anthropology in India: a social science orientation, Volume 1 By Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi |access-date=26 September 2009 |last1=Vidyarthi |first1=Lalita Prasad| year=1978}}</ref> During the early period of their rule, the British government in India oppressed the tribal people of [[Jungle Mahals]], who were traditionally dependent upon the forests for a living. They had revolted but were ruthlessly suppressed. Having been deprived of their livelihood and without any alternatives, they took to criminal ways of life and were subsequently branded a criminal tribe. They should properly be labelled as uprooted rebels. Lodha titles are Nayek, Mallick, Digar, Sardar, Bhokta, Kotal, Dandapat, Bhunya etc. These titles were also used by the [[Sabar people|Sabars]].<ref>Ghosh, Binoy, ''Paschim Banger Sanskriti'', (in Bengali), part I, 1976 edition, pp. 201-203, Prakash Bhaban</ref> One of the most important research on the Lodhas was done by a Calcutta University faculty, [[Prabodh Kumar Bhowmick]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bhowmick |first1=P. K. |title=Rehabilitation of a 'Denotified Community': The Ex-Criminal Lodhas of West Bengal |journal=RAIN |date=1981 |issue=44 |pages=6–8 |doi=10.2307/3032233 |jstor=3032233 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bhowmick |first=P. K. |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.220392 |oclc=582340536 |title=The Lodhas of West Bengal. A Socio-Economic Study |publisher=Punthi Pustar Publishing |year=1963 }}</ref> Much later, researchers from the Department of Anthropology at Vidyasagar University have done empirical studies on the development scenario of the Lodha tribe in Mendinpur district<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.academia.edu/7999059|title = Lodhas of West Bengal : A Case Study|journal = Tribal Tribune |volume=6 |issue=2 |year=2014|last1 = Guha|first1 = Abhijit}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Panda |first1=Santanu |last2=Guha |first2=Abhijit |title=Ground realities of Development among the Lodhas in West Bengal |journal=South Asian Anthropologist |date=31 March 2013 |volume=13 |pages=75–84 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257221844}}</ref> who were by that time declared as a 'Primitive Tribal Group' (PTG) by the Government of India.

==See also==
* [[Chuni Kotal]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite web|last1=Ota|first1=A.B|last2=Sahoo|first2=A.C|year=2010|title=Lodha|url=https://tribal.nic.in/repository/ViewDoc.aspx%3FRepositoryNo%3DTRI28-08-2017115420%26file%3DDocs/TRI28-08-2017115420.pdf|access-date=10 February 2019|website=tribal.nic.in|series=Photo handbook|publisher=Scheduled castes and scheduled Tribes Research Training Institute, Bhubaneswar}}

==External links==
*{{YouTube|title=Lodha Tribe {{pipe}} Tribes of India |id=lk4X-Yd5TjU }}

{{Scheduled tribes of India}}
{{Scheduled tribes of West Bengal}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ethnic groups in India]]
[[Category:Indigenous peoples of South Asia]]
[[Category:Scheduled Tribes of Odisha]]
[[Category:Scheduled Tribes of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Scheduled Tribes of Bihar]]
[[Category:Scheduled Tribes of Jharkhand]]

Lodha people - Revision history

Aryakin2021 at 21:42, 21 November 2025