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Lohar or Lohra is considered to be a caste among Hindus and a clan among Muslims and Sikhs in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, and in Nepal.[1][2] They form traditionally artisanal castes.[3] 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.[4]
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 Vishwakarma, Sharma, Panchal and Karmakar. Hindu Lohars are further divided into a number of exogamous groupings, the main ones being the Kanaujiya, Purbia, Bahai, Moulia and Magajia.
Most Lohara are still engaged in their traditional occupation of metal fabrication, although the majority of those in western Uttar Pradesh are cultivators. The assimilated Lohara speak Hindi and its various dialects such as Awadhi;Template:Cn other speak the Ho language.[5]
Bihar
In Bihar, Lohara caste comes under schedule tribe. As per a ruling by Supreme Court of India, ‘Lohra or Lohara’, which belongs to the Schedule Tribe (ST) category in several districts.
Jharkhand
Lohara in Jharkhand are locally known as Lohar. They speak regional language such as Hindi.[6] They are classified as ST in Jharkhand.[7]
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
References
- ↑ Bhattachan included the Lohar among the Madhesi Dalit in his report on minorities in Nepal, listing some 82,000. Indigenous Peoples & Minorities of Nepal{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN)(2008)
- ↑ In Annex I, Bhattarai lists the Lohar as iron-workers under the Madhesi as 0.36% of the Nepalese population. Cultural Diversity and Pluralism in Nepal: Emerging Issues and the Search for a New Paradigm. Contributions to Nepalese Studies({Template:Year).
- ↑ Kings and Untouchables: A Study of the Caste System in Western India{{#if:Perez|, Perez}. Orient Blackswan(2004). ISBN 978-8-18028-014-6
- ↑ Strategies of social change in India{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. M.D. Publications(1996). ISBN 978-81-7533-006-1
- ↑ Ho. Ethnologue.
- ↑ 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.. slideplayer.com. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- ↑ List of notified Scheduled Tribes. Census India.
External links
- Indigenous Communities from India: Lohara. Native Planet.
- lohars.org