Nayak (caste)

Hindu caste

Not to be confused with Nayak (title).

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The Nayak are a Hindu caste; also some Nayak are Punjabi found in India and Pakistan. Mainly Nayak follows Hindu.[1] According to Vinay Krishin Gidwani, the Nayaks claim that they were, historically, Brahmins.[2]

## Demographics and occupation

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The Nayaks reside in Haryana,[3] Punjab, Odisha, Rajasthan and West Bengal.[4] They also live in Khammam district and West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh[5] and in a number of villages near Ahmedabad in Gujarat.[1] According to Kathryn Hansen, the main occupation of Gujarati Nayaks had been "singing, dancing and acting in plays".[1]

## Present circumstances

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The Nayak caste is classified as a Scheduled Caste in Gujarat and Rajasthan states of India.[2][6]

## See also

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* Nayak dynasty
* Nayakas of Keladi

## References

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1. ^ a b c Hansen, Kathryn (2013) [First published 2011]. "Radheshyam Kathavachak, My Theatre Days". Stages of Life: Indian Theatre Autobiographies (illustrated, reprint ed.). Anthem Press. pp. 102–169\. ISBN 978-1783080687. OCLC 855190685.
2. ^ a b Gidwani, Vinay Krishin (1996). Fluid Dynamics: An Essay on Canal Irrigation and the Processses of Agrarian Change in Matar Taluka (Gujarat). India (Ph.D.). University of California, Berkeley. p. xii. OCLC 41175219. "nayak a Scheduled Caste, especially patronized by patels, claim to have been brahmins historically"
3. ^ Lok Sabha Debates. New Delhi, India: Lok Sabha Secretariat. 2002. p. 545\. ISSN 0445-6769. OCLC 8866894. "...the Government of Haryana has also demanded that Nayak Caste be included in the list of Scheduled Castes." `{{cite book}}`: `|work=` ignored (help)
4. ^ Lunheim, Rolf (1993). Desert People: Caste and Community — A Rajasthani Village. University of Trondheim. pp. 92–93\. ISBN 978-8290896121. OCLC 33369188.
5. ^ Nagaraja, G. (15 July 2013). "Polls bring dispute over Nayaka caste status in West Godavari". The Hindu. Visakhapatnam, India. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
6. ^ Lipner, Julius (2010). Hindus: Their religious beliefs and practices (2nd ed.). Routledge. p. 173\. ISBN 978-0-415-45676-0. "The Nāyak caste of the bhopo is among the lowest in the hierarchy of Rajasthan, and is listed officially as a scheduled caste (viz. Untouchable)."

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