Bhandari (caste)

The Bhandari community is a caste that inhabits the western coast of India. Their traditional occupation was "toddy tapping". They form the largest caste group in the state of Goa, reportedly being over 30% of that state's Hindu population, and play a major role in deciding the future of any political party there.[1][2]

Bhandari

Bhandari men in western India (c. 1855-1862)
Regions with significant populations
Primary populations in: Goa Maharashtra Karnataka
Languages
Marathi and various dialects of Konkani
Religion
Hinduism
Related ethnic groups
Konkani people

History

Although the word "Bhandari" is derived from the Sanskrit word "Mandharale", which means "distiller", Bhandaris prefer derivation from Bhandar, which means treasury, because they used to be treasury guards in the past.

Traditionally their occupation was drawing toddy from palm plants. Historical evidence suggests that they were foot soldiers in the Maratha Empire and British Indian Army. The famous "Hetkaris" in the army of Shivaji were Bhandaris. Bhandaris are divided into various sub-castes such as Kitte, Hetkari, Thale and Gavad. During British Raj, Bhandaris lacked unity among various sub-castes and the differences within these sub-jatis hindered the community progress. The leaders of these sub-castes established their independent caste associations. They were traditionally active in teaching and learning, and were involved in setting up schools for all castes either in temples or outside someone's house. Some Bhandari authors say that the community should not blame brahmins for lack of their education during British Raj. Although there were brahminical restrictions during the Peshwa period, the same was not true during British Raj. They stressed that the community instead should emulate Brahmins and acquire education so that no one would be able to set them aside.[3]

Varna status

Bhandaris traditionally belong to the Shudra varna.[4] However, some Bhandaris claim that they were originally Kshatriya traders from Rajputana who converted to Jainism. They also cite the practice of Sati and Jauhar amongst Konkan and Goa Bhandaris as representative of original Kshatriyas.[3] Tukaram Padaval, who belonged to Bhandari caste and a close associate of Jyotiba Phule, said that the claim to Kshatriya status was common among many upper and lower castes but there was no certainty at all as to who among them are the original Kshatriyas.[5]

Bhandaris are included in the list of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Goa. This provides them with certain rights under India's scheme of affirmative action, such as reservation of positions in government employment and admission to professional colleges.[6] They are also classified as OBCs in Maharashtra.[7]

See also

• People of the Konkan Division
• Bhandari Militia

References

1. "Treasurers of yore, now key to political fortune". The Times Of India. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
2. Scott C. Martin (16 December 2014). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Alcohol: Social, Cultural, and Historical Perspectives. SAGE Publications. pp. 1384–. ISBN 978-1-4833-3108-9.
3. Seshan, Radhika; Kumbhojkar, Shraddha (2018). Re-searching Transitions in Indian History. Taylor & Francis. pp. 154–157.
4. Paik, Shailaja (2014). Dalit Women's Education in Modern India: Double Discrimination. Taylor and Francis Group. p. 45. ISBN 978-0415493000.
5. O'Hanlon, Rosalind (2002). Caste, Conflict and Ideology: Mahatma Jotirao Phule and Low Caste Protest in Nineteenth-Century Western India. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-52152-308-0.
6. "Goa govt increases quota for OBCs in jobs to 27%". TNN (Jan 16, 2014, 03.23AM IST). TOI. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
7. "List of Castes in Other Backward Class of Maharashtra". Maharashtra State OBC Finance and Development Corporation. Archived from the original on 22 September 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.

Further reading

• Rege, Sharmila (2006). Writing Caste, Writing Gender: Reading Dalit Women's Testimonies. Zubaan. ISBN 978-8-18901-301-1.