Beldar
TheBeldarare a historically nomadiccaste,originally fromNorthern Indiaand now inhabiting many other parts of that country.[1]
History and origin
[edit]The community are the traditionally natives of North India, and are similar to the Odh communities, who are the natives of west India. They also claim common ancestry withKewatcommunity, who similarly refer to themselves as Odhs.[2]
InMaharashtra,the Beldar are found mainly in the districts ofAurangabad,Nasik,beed, Pune,Amravati,Akola,Yawatmal,Ahmednagar,Sholapur,Kolhapur,Sangli,Satara,Ratnagiriand the city ofMumbai.The Beldar claim to have immigrated fromRajasthansome five centuries ago. They still speakBeldari Languageamong themselves andMarathiwith outsiders. and also use a Beldari language. The community is strictlyendogamous,and consists of a number of exogamous clans. Their main clans are the Chapula, Narora, Davawar, Jailwar, Faatara, Horwar, Chhapawar, Tuse, Pannewar, Mahore, Basniwar, Bahr, Jajure, Gorala and Udainwar.[3]
Present circumstances
[edit]The Beldar ofUttar Pradeshare still mainly involved in their tradition ofnavvies.They are employed by the state in the constructions of roads. Generally, whole families participate in the construction industry. Many Beldar arenomadic,shifting from place to place, looking for work at construction sites. A small number of Beldar are also involved in the selling of fruits and vegetables. The Beldar are aHinducommunity, and are found throughout the state, speaking a number of dialects ofHindi.[4]
The traditional occupation of the Beldar in Maharashtra wasmasonry.Many are still employed in the construction industry. The community is entirely landless, and was historically nomadic. A considerable number of Beldar are also employed by the various brick kilns.[3]
The2011 Census of Indiafor Uttar Pradesh, where they were classified as aScheduled Caste,showed the Beldar population as 189,614.[5]
References
[edit]- ^People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part One edited by A Hasan & J C Das, pages 245–248
- ^People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part One edited by A Hasan & J C Das, page 268
- ^abPeople of India Maharashtra Volume XXX Part One edited by B.V Bhanu, B.R Bhatnagar, D.K Bose, V.S Kulkarni and J Sreenath, pages 192–197
- ^People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part One edited by A Hasan & J C Das, page 247
- ^"A-10 Individual Scheduled Caste Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix – Uttar Pradesh".Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.Retrieved4 February2017.