The Kahars, also known as Ravani or Rawani[1][2] are a community of palanquin bearers originating from the Gangatic region.[3]
Kahars are present in most parts of India, but are concentrated in North India. They are found mainly in West Uttar Pradesh, in Sarsawa, Saharanpur, Farrukhabad, Kanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Shahjahanpur, Sultanpur, Faizabad, Jaunpur and Ambedkar Nagar districts of Uttar Pradesh and most parts of Bihar and West Bengal.[4] They were engaged to officiate at the various holy occasions which occur along the banks of the Ganges river.
In Rajasthan, the Kahars have three sub-divisions, the Budana, Turaha and Mahara. These sub-divisions consist of clans, the main ones being the Pindwal, Bamnawat, Katariya, Bilawat, Kashyap and Oatasaniya. The origins of most of these sub-divisions are rooted in Rajasthan.[5][6][7][8]
Classification
They are currently classified as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the state of Uttar Pradesh.[9]
References
- ↑ Census of India, 1981: Bihar, Volume 1{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Controller of Publications, 1983(1983)
- ↑ Handicraft Survey Report: Carpet Craft of Obra Village. Bihar. series-4{{#if:Saxena|, Saxena}. Controller of Publications, 1989(1989)
- ↑ People of India: Rajasthan{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Popular Prakashan(1 January 1998). ISBN 978-81-7154-769-2
- ↑ India's communities{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Oxford University Press(1998). ISBN 978-01-9563-354-2
- ↑ People of India Rajasthan Volume XXXVIII Part Two edited by B.K Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N Vyas page 467 to 470 Popular Prakashan
- ↑ Caste certificate of Bajrang Dal convener cancelled. The Hindu(24 September 2004).Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore
- ↑ Setback for Akhilesh government as High Court stays their order to include 17 sub-castes in the SC category. Financial Express(24 January 2017).
- ↑ UP govt to include 17 other backward castes in SC list. Hindustan Times(22 December 2016).
- ↑ Inclusion of Castes in SC Category. Press Information Bureau. Retrieved 2021-12-30.