AntoniettaWhitco at 00:45, 5 May 2026

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{{Short description|Caste or clan in India and Nepal}}
{{distinguish|Lohara dynasty}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}

{{Infobox caste|
|caste_name= Lohar
|image=File:Blacksmiths, Hindoos, Lahore (NYPL b13409080-1125469).jpg
|country = [[India]], [[Nepal]], [[Pakistan]]
| religions = [[Hinduism]], [[Islam]], [[Sikhism]]
| languages = [[Hindi]]-[[Urdu]], [[Awadhi language|Awadhi]], [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]], [[Maithili language|Maithili]], [[Nepali language|Nepali]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]
|
}}
'''Lohar''' or '''Lohra''' is considered to be a [[Caste system in India|caste]] among [[Hindu]]s and a [[clan]] among [[Muslim]]s and [[Sikhs]] in the Indian states of [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Jharkhand]], and in [[Nepal]].<ref>Bhattachan included the Lohar among the [[Madhesi people|Madhesi]] [[Dalit]] in his report on minorities in Nepal, listing some 82,000. {{Cite book|author=Bhattachan, Krishna B.|year=2008|title=Indigenous Peoples & Minorities of Nepal|publisher=Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN)|page=49|url=http://www.nefin.org.np/hppics/42562_MRG-Nepal-Final%20Report%20by%20Bhattachan.doc|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130312053146/http://www.nefin.org.np//hppics/42562_MRG-Nepal-Final%20Report%20by%20Bhattachan.doc|archivedate=2013-03-12|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>In Annex I, Bhattarai lists the Lohar as ''iron-workers'' under the Madhesi as 0.36% of the Nepalese population. {{Cite journal|last=Bhattarai |first=Hari Prasad|year=2004|title=Cultural Diversity and Pluralism in Nepal: Emerging Issues and the Search for a New Paradigm|journal=Contributions to Nepalese Studies|volume=31|issue=2|pages=293–340, page 339|url=http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/contributions/pdf/CNAS_31_02_05.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515214450/http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/contributions/pdf/CNAS_31_02_05.pdf|archivedate=2011-05-15|url-status=live}}</ref> They form traditionally artisanal castes.<ref>{{cite book |title=Kings and Untouchables: A Study of the Caste System in Western India |first=Rosa Maria |last=Perez |publisher=Orient Blackswan |year=2004 |isbn=978-8-18028-014-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GDRWAglUumEC&pg=PA80 |page=80}}</ref> Writers of the [[British Raj]] period often used the term ''Lohara'' as a synonym for ''[[blacksmith]]'', although there are other traditional smiting communities, such as the [[Ramgarhia]] and [[Sikligar]], and numerous non-traditional communities, including the [[Kayastha]], [[Rajput]] and [[Brahmin]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Strategies of social change in India |first1=Paramjit S. |last1=Judge |first2=Gurpreet |last2=Bal |publisher=M.D. Publications |year=1996 |isbn=978-81-7533-006-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7lKM4aWhIH0C |page=54 |accessdate=2012-03-21}}</ref>

==Distribution==
===Uttar Pradesh===

Lohara are one of the most widespread communities in Uttar Pradesh. They are divided along religious lines, with Hindu Lohars known as [[Bishwakarma|Vishwakarma]], [[Sharma]], [[Panchal]] and [[Karmakar]]. Hindu Lohars are further divided into a number of [[exogamy|exogamous]] groupings, the main ones being the Kanaujiya, Purbia, Bahai, Moulia and Magajia.

Most Lohara are still engaged in their traditional occupation of [[metal]] [[Metal fabrication|fabrication]], although the majority of those in [[western Uttar Pradesh]] are cultivators. The assimilated Lohara speak [[Hindi]] and its various dialects such as [[Awadhi language|Awadhi]];{{cn|date=July 2020}} other speak the [[Ho language]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Ho|publisher=Ethnologue|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/language/hoc |accessdate=2013-05-02}}</ref>

===Bihar===
In [[Bihar]], Lohara caste comes under [[Other Backward Class|schedule]] tribe. As per a ruling by [[Supreme Court of India]], ‘Lohra or Lohara’, which belongs to the Schedule Tribe ([[Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes|ST]]) category in several districts.

===Jharkhand===
Lohara in Jharkhand are locally known as Lohar. They speak regional language such as Hindi.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://slideplayer.com/slide/4455653/|title=1 Paper for 3 rd SCONLI 2008 (JNU, New Delhi) Comparative study of Nagpuri Spoken by Chik-Baraik & Oraon’s of Jharkhand Sunil Baraik Senior Research Fellow.|website=slideplayer.com|access-date=2023-07-19}}</ref> They are classified as ST in Jharkhand.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/ST%20Lists.pdf |page=12 |title=List of notified Scheduled Tribes |publisher=Census India |accessdate=15 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107225208/http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/ST%20Lists.pdf |archivedate=7 November 2013 }}</ref>

==Muslim Lohar==

Muslim Lohar are divided in two castes '''Multani Lohar''' and '''Deshwal Lohar'''.

[[Multani Lohar]], Muslim [[blacksmith]] community originally from [[Multan]] and widely spread all over the World. Mostly found in the state of [[Gujarat]] and Western [[Uttar Pradesh]] in India.

Deshwal Lohar, or sometimes pronounced [[Muslim Barhai]] are Muslim community, found in North India. They are also known as Saifi. which denotes the Muslim sub-caste of blacksmiths and carpenters. A small number are also found in the Terai region of [[Nepal]].

==See also==
* [[Kuchband]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Cite web|title=Indigenous Communities from India: Lohara|publisher=Native Planet|url=http://www.nativeplanet.org/indigenous/ethnicdiversity/asia/india/indigenous_data_india_lohara.shtml}}
*[https://www.lohars.org lohars.org]

{{smiths}}

[[Category:Social groups of Nepal]]
[[Category:Social groups of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Scheduled Tribes of Jharkhand]]
[[Category:Blacksmith castes]]
[[Category: Muslim communities of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category: Muslim communities of Gujarat]]
[[Category: Muslim communities of Nepal]]

Lohar caste - Revision history

AntoniettaWhitco at 00:45, 5 May 2026