Gadaria

Herding caste of Uttar Pradesh

Gadaria or  Gadariya are Kshatriyas who belong to the Chandravanshi lineage and they are (also known as, Dhangar, Kuruba, Pal,[1][2]Gayri,[2] Gari, choudhary [3]) are a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most members of which identify as being of the Indian Dhangar community because they consider the two terms to be synonymous. They were traditionally involved professionally in livestock breeding, especially sheep.[4] They are primarily found in Uttar Pradesh,[5] Karnataka,[6] Goa,[7] Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh,[8] Telanga[9] and in some parts of Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.[10] In Gujarat, they are called Bharwad.[11], In Karnataka, they are called Kuruba.

RAJA MATA AHILYABAI HOLKAR

[12]

## Etymology and names[edit]

The word Gadaria is derived from the old Hindi word Gadar, which means sheep.[13]

Alternative names for the caste include Gadariya and Gari; in Uttar Pradesh, they are also known as Gareria.[14]

Gadarias travelling in Chambal, India

### Sub-castes and clans[edit]

There are two major subdivisions amongst Gadarias, namely Dhangar and Nikhar. They share the same gotras. Bais(Baniya), Bhindwar, Pindwar, Hindwar, Chauhan, Tawar Parihar, Sisodiya, Sikarwar, Chandel, Riyar, Rotella, Mohania, Maurya etc. are some of the gotras amongst them.[15]

## Classification[edit]

In Punjab, Bihar,[16] Uttar Pradesh,[5] Uttarakhand,[17] Maharashtra,[18] Madhya Pradesh,[19] Chhattisgarh,[20] Rajasthan[21] and Delhi[22] they are classified as Other backward class, and in Haryana[23] they are classified as Scheduled caste in the Indian System of Reservation.

## Religion[edit]

They practice Hinduism, worship family deities and various other deities including Ram, Krishna, Shiva, Vishnu, Hanuman, Kali, Chandi and Lakshmi. Some of them wear sacred thread. Majority of them are vegetarians.[24]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Who are the Gadaria?". People Groups of India. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
2. ^ a b Census of India, 1921: Rajputana and Ajmer-Merwara, Part III Administrative Volume. 1921. p. Appendix L, pg xxi.
3. ^ Mehta, S. C.; Vij, P. K.; Nivsarkar, A. E.; Sahai, R. (1995). "Sheep husbandry practices in Sonadi and Malpura breeding tract". Indian Journal of Small Ruminants. 1: 1–7.
4. ^ Sharma, V.P.; Köhler-Rollefson, I (2003). Pastoralism in India: A scoping study. Ahmedabad: Centre for Management in Agriculture, IIM (Indian Institute of Management). S2CID 67805358.
5. ^ a b Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Uttar Pradesh (Report). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
6. ^ S, Shyam Prasad; Kaggere, Niranjan (25 October 2014). "Vokkaliga, Lingayat leaders oppose state's caste census". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
7. ^ Madhav Gadgil; K. C. Malhotra (March 1982). "Ecology of a pastoral caste: Gavli Dhangars of peninsular India". Human Ecology. 10: 107–143. doi:10.1007/BF01531107. S2CID 154253698.
8. ^ Singh, K. S. (1996). Communities, Segments, Synonyms, Surnames and Titles. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN 978-0-19-563357-3.
9. ^ Census of India, 1961. Manager of Publications. 1961.
10. ^ Shashi (2011), p. 29-30.
11. ^ Hebbar, Nistula (4 December 2017). "OBCs to play kingmaker in battle for Gujarat". "Extrapolating on the 1931 Census, the OBCs, excluding Muslim OBCs, comprise 35.6% of the total population, with the Koli-Thakore block the largest, followed by artisan castes at at 2%; and other middle castes at 3.3%."
12. ^ "Who are the Kuruba?". Drishti IAS.
13. ^ Ghurye, G.S. (2008). Caste and race in India (5th ed.). Bombay: Popular Prakashan. p. 32\. ISBN 9788171542055. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
14. ^ Dirk Bronger, ed. (2021). Das Kastenwesen - die Identität Indiens?. Asien - Wirtschaft und Entwicklung. LIT Verlag. p. 257\. ISBN 9783643141026.
15. ^ Shashi (2011), p. 29.
16. ^ "CENTRAL LIST OF OBCs FOR THE STATE OF BIHAR" (PDF). NCBC. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
17. ^ Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Uttarakhand (Report). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
18. ^ "CENTRAL LIST OF OBCs FOR THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA" (PDF). NCBc. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
19. ^ Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Madhya Pradesh (Report). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
20. ^ Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Chattisgarh (Report). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
21. ^ "CENTRAL LIST OF OBCs FOR THE STATE OF RAJASTHAN" (PDF). NCBC. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
22. ^ Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Delhi (Report). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
23. ^ Service, Tribune News. "Now, Gadaria in Scheduled Caste category". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
24. ^ Shashi (2011), p. 32.

### Bibliography[edit]

* Singh, Jagpal (2020). Caste, State and Society Degrees of Democracy in North India. Routledge India (Taylor & Francis Group). ISBN 9780429343063.
* Shashi, Shyam Singh (2011). The Shepherds of India (PDF). Sundeep Prakashan, 1978. ASIN B003UD017Q.