Kahar

Community from the Gangatic region

The Kahars are a community of palanquin bearers originating from the Gangatic region.[1]

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.[2] 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 and Turaha. 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.[3][4][5][6]

## Classification

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They are currently classified as Other Backward Class in the state of Uttar Pradesh.[7]

## Subdivisions

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Kahar has been described as a social community rather than a caste. It is formed by coming together of several castes and tribes, who shared the same traditional occupation. The traditional occupation of Kahars has been palanquin bearing, but, they have also worked as water carriers and producers of water chestnut in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. On these occupational grounds, they are divided in eleven sub-clans. These are Bhoi, Dhimar, Dhuriya, Guria, Gond, Kaleni, Kamlethar, Hurka, Machhera, Mahara, Panbhara and Singhariya. In the recent time, Kahar community of Uttar Pradesh has been demanding inclusion into Schedule Caste category from the Other Backward Caste category.[8]

## References

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1. ^ Kumar Suresh Singh (1 January 1998). People of India: Rajasthan. Popular Prakashan. pp. 467–. ISBN 978-81-7154-769-2. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
2. ^ Kumar Suresh Singh (1998). India's communities. Oxford University Press. pp. 1443–1448\. ISBN 978-01-9563-354-2.
3. ^ 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
4. ^ "Caste certificate of Bajrang Dal convener cancelled". The Hindu. 24 September 2004. Retrieved 13 February 2019.[dead link]
5. ^ "Setback for Akhilesh government as High Court stays their order to include 17 sub-castes in the SC category". Financial Express. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
6. ^ "UP govt to include 17 other backward castes in SC list". Hindustan Times. PTI. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
7. ^ "Central List of OBCs for the State of Uttar Pradesh" (PDF). Government of India - National Commission for Backward Classes. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
8. ^ "ओबीसी सूची से बाहर होना चाहते हैं डोली उठाने वाले कहार, हाईकोर्ट ने केंद्र और राज्‍य से मांगा जवाब". Hindustan. Retrieved 9 September 2024.