Bhumihar

Bhumihar
Regions with significant populations
East India	3,750,886 (2.87% of population of Bihar.)
Languages
	Hindi,Bhojpuri,Magadhi,Maithili,Angika,Bajjika,Bundeli
Religion
	Hinduism

Bhumihar,also locally calledBhuinhar^[3]andBabhan^[4],is aHindu castemainly found inBihar(including theMithilaregion),^[5]thePurvanchalregion ofUttar Pradesh,Jharkhand,theBundelkhandregion ofMadhya Pradesh,andNepal.^[6]

They have traditionally been a land-owning group of eastern India, and controlled some smallprincely statesandzamindariestates in the region in the early 20th century. They played an important role in thepeasant movementsandpolitics of Bihar.They claimBrahminstatus, although theirvarnahas been subject to much debate.^[7]

Etymology

The wordbhūmihāris of relatively recent origin, first used in the records ofUnited Provinces of Agra and Oudhin 1865. It derives from the wordsbhūmi( "land" ) andhāra( "one who seizes or confiscates" ),^[8]referring to the caste's landowner status. The termBhumihar Brahminwas adopted by the community in the late 19th century to emphasise their claim of belonging to the priestlyBrahminclass.^[9]The alternate nameBabhanhas been described as anapabhramshaforbrāhmaṇ(Brahmin).^[10]

History

As with many castes in India, there are numerousmyths regarding the originsof the Bhumihar community. One legend states that they are the offspring of a union betweenRajputmen and Brahmin women, while according to another, they derive fromBrahman-Buddhistswho lost their high position in Hindu society. The Bhumihars themselves dislike these narratives involving "hybridity" or "fallen status", and claim to be pure Brahmins.^[9]

By the 16th century, the Bhumihars controlled vast stretches of land in eastern India, particularly in north Bihar. By the late eighteenth century, along withBihari Rajputs,they had established themselves as the most prominent landholders of the region.^[11]Oral legends suggest that along with Muslims and Rajputs, they displaced theBharandCheronatives of the region.^[12]The weakening of theMughalsuzerainty over the region gave rise to several small Bhumihar states. For example, the revenue contractors for the Mughal province ofAwadhdeclared themselves theMaharajaofBenares.They successfully defended their independence against theNawab of Awadhin the 1750s and 1760s, before becoming a British dependency.^[13]Otherprincely statesandfiefdomsruled by Bhumihars includedBettia,Tekari,Hathwa,Tamukhi,Sheohar,Mahishadal,PakurandMaheshpur.^{[citation needed]}

The distinctive Bhumihar casteidentitywas largely created through military service.^[14]During early days ofBritish expansionin India, Bhumihars underRaja of Banaras, Cheyt singhparticipated in revolts against theEast India Company.^[15]After his defeat, the Company started recruiting Bhumiharsepoysin large numbers until theIndian Rebellion of 1857.^[16]

Inpost independence India,according to author Rumela Sen, majority of upper caste households, including those of Bhumihars, had such landholdings which qualified them as "middle peasants". Though there existed few big landholders among them, but vast majority of them had economic status similar to middle peasants ofKoeri,Kurmiand theYadavcaste.^[17]The general categorisation of all the Bhumihars being landlords is thus not a factually correct idea, as in urban areas latter were found to be engaged in variety of occupation. The upper crust among Bhumihars in urban areas were professionals and bureaucrats but many of them also worked asfactory workers,coal minersand even load carriers (Mazdoorsor the labourers).^[18]

Varna status

Among various narratives regarding their origin, composition and varna status, one states that there is an element of a low caste tribe called "Bhuyans" who gained land and assimilated with the Bhumihars.^[19]Many communities do not give them the ritual status of priestly Brahmins, as most of them were cultivators during the British Raj.^[7]Some of the early censuses of British India categorised Bhumihars of Bihar asShudras,the lowest of the fourvarnas.This was considered insulting, especially since severalzamindars(land-owning aristocrats) were Bhumihars.^[20]Unlike the Brahmans or Rajputs, the Bhumihars did not participate in therebellion against British rule in Indiain 1857, but to their dismay, they were classified as belonging to thethirdvarnain the ad-hoc census of 1865 and the regular census of 1881.^[21]

Sanskritisation

Like many other castes, the Bhumihars followed the process ofsanskritisationto achieve their end. The Bhumihar zamindars and princely state rulers established caste-based associations (sabhas) to form a community network and to advance their claims to Brahmin status. ThePradhan Bhumihar Brahman Sabha( "Chief Assembly of Bhumihar Brahmins" ) was established inPatnain 1889. Its objective was "to improve moral, social and educational reforms of the community and to represent the wants of the community to the government".^[22]The Bhumihar Brahmin Mahasabha ( "great assembly" ) was established in 1896.^[23]The localBhumihar Brahmin Sabhas included the ones atMuzaffarpur(1899), Patna (1899),Gaya(1900) and Saran (1908).^[24]

These associations made numerous petitions to be classified as Brahmins in the1901 census report.^[25]Persistent pressure from the Mahasabha, who glorified the history of the community, led to official recognition of the Bhumihars as Brahmins in the later Raj censuses. According to Ashwani Kumar, the Bhumihar claim to Brahmin status means that today "unlike other upper castes, [they] guard the local caste hierarchy more zealously for they perpetually feel the pressure of being dislocated and discredited in the topsy-turvy world of caste."^[9]

Besides campaigning for the Brahmin status, the caste associations also played an important role in general welfare of the community. In 1899, the Bhumihar Brahmin Mahasabha, with financial aid from a zamindar, established a college at Muzaffarpur. This was accredited to award degrees in the following year and it was a significant development because education in the area was improving rapidly but students desirous of furthering it had to travel toBhagalpur,Calcuttaor Patna. By 1920, 10 per cent of Bhumihars in Bihar were literate, making them one of the few literate castes; in this achievement, however, they were well behind theKayasthas(33 per cent) and some other groups.^[26]In the first half of the 20th century, the Bhumihars suffered increasing economic hardships due to the steady fragmentation of land rights among heirs and the decline in agricultural prices during theGreat Depression.During this period, the Bhumihar associations served as community networks that facilitated access to English education and urban employment.^[20]As with the Rajputs, Kayasthas and other high castes of Bihar – and as opposed to the methods used by most lower castes – neither the Mahasabha nor any other formal body exercised power to make and enforce caste rules.^[27]

The Bhumihar Brahmin Mahasabha held annual sessions in different parts of present-day Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Among its prominent leaders wasSahajanand Saraswati,a leader of the Bhumihar Brahmin Sabha of Patna. During the Balia session of 1914, Sahajanand defended the Brahmin status of the Bhumihars, using quotes from Hindu scriptures to argue that priestly functions do not alone define Brahmins. In 1916, he published a book titledBhumihar Brahmin Parichay( "Introduction to Bhumihar Brahmins" ), which outlined these arguments. He classified Brahmins into two categories – begging (yachak) and non-begging (ayachak) – and stated that the Bhumihars were among the non-begging Brahmins. The Bhumihars ofUttar Pradeshattempted to popularise the term "Bhumihar Brahmin", while discarding the term "Babhan". However, the term "Babhan" remained popular in Bihar.^[24]The recognised Brahmins did not favour the Bhumihar attempts to claim an equal status, and even stopped going to Bhumihar homes to perform ceremonies.^[28]

Political influence

The Bhumihars were influential in the politics of Bihar since the British days upto earlier decades of post independence India. Noted Bhumihar princely state rulers includedHarendra Kishore Singh(Raja ofBettiah) andVibhuti Narayan Singh(Raja of theBenares). However, in the latter years, theOBCconsolidation in the state of Bihar led the dominant OBC castes like theKoeri,KurmiandYadavto take lead in acquisition of political power; they replaced the upper castes, the Bhumihars,Rajputs,BrahminandKayasthain the political circle. By 1990s, there emerged two political blocs in the state, led byLalu Prasad YadavandNitish Kumarrespectively, which represented these three castes.^[29]

The Bhumihars have also played a pioneering role in organisingpeasant,leftistandindependencemovements since the 1910s.^[30]In 1914 and 1916, the Bhumihars of Pipra and Turkaulia revolted againstindigo cultivation.^[31]WhenMahatma Gandhilaunched asatyagrahaagainst indigo cultivation inMotihariin 1917, a number of Bhumihar intellectuals joined the protest. These includedShri Krishna Singh(or Sinha), Ram Dayalu Singh, Ramnandan Mishra, Shilbhadra Yaji,Karyanand Sharmaand Sahajanand Saraswati.^[32]

While a section of Bhumihars were landowners, the vast majority belonged totenantry.Starting in 1914, two factions emerged in the Bhumihar Mahasabha: the landowner-dominated faction led byGanesh Dutt,and the tenant-dominated faction led by Sahajanand Saraswati. Sahajanand came from a zamindar family, which had been reduced to tenant status. He attracted a large number of followers who, as tenants, were exploited by the rich landlords. His support for thenon-cooperation movementalso alarmed the landlords, who were loyal to the British colonial administration. The growing differences between the two factions resulted in a split in the Mahasabha, in 1925-26. Sahajanand established an ashram atBihta,which started attracting tenants and peasants from other castes as well. When the rich Bhumihar landlords stopped supporting Sahajanand's activities, he declared that caste associations were a means to continue their supremacy.^[7]He established a caste-agnostic peasants movement, which later evolved intoAll India Kisan Sabha.In Bihar, Kisan Sabha, as well as theCommunist Party of India(which was heavily inspired by Kisan Sabha), were identified as Bhumihar-dominated organisations for years.^[20]

After Sahajanand gave upcaste politics,Ganesh Duttemerged as the leader of Bhumihar Mahasabha. He later entered theBihar Legislative Council,and distributed patronage to other members of his caste. This patronage was extended further, when Shri Krishna Singh became the Premier andChief Minister of Bihar.^[33]His tenure saw the rise of a number of influential Bhumihar leaders including Mahesh Prasad Sinha, Krishnakant Singh, L. P. Shahi, Basawan Sinha, andKailashpati Mishra.^[34]Singh also worked for the welfare of the lower castes. He was the first chief minister in India to abolish the zamindari system.^[30]He also ledDalits' entry intoBaidyanath Temple.^[2]

After Shri Krishna Singh's death in 1961, the Bhumihar political hegemony gradually declined. A small number of Bhumihar leaders continued to play a significant role in the state unit of theIndian National Congress.These included Ramashray Prasad Singh, Rajo Singh, Ramjatan Sinha, Shyam Sunder Singh Dhiraj and Maha Chandra Singh.^[34]The Congress parliamentariansGanga Sharan Singh (Sinha)andShyam Nandan Prasad Mishraalso belonged to the Bhumihar community.^[35]^[32]

The Bhumihar influence in Bihar politics declined considerably after electoral defeat of Congress in the1990 Bihar Legislative Assembly election.The backwardOBCcastes likeYadav,led byLalu Prasad Yadav,replaced them in the political circles. In the1999 Indian general election,only three Bhumihars were elected:C. P. Thakur(BJP), Kailashpati Mishra (BJP) and Rajo Singh (Congress). A few Bhumihar leaders also emerged in the political parties dominated by theOBCs.These includedAkhilesh Prasad Singh(RJD) and Arun Kumar (Samata Dal; nowRashtriya Lok Samata Party).^[34]

As their power in the electoral politics declined, a number of Bhumihars were attracted toRanvir Sena,a private militia established in 1994.^[34]The group has carried out armed operations against theNaxalsin the region, and has been involved in atrocities against the lower castes, such as theLaxmanpur Bathemassacre.^[36]The Ranvir Sena which employed Bhumihar youths emerged as the most dreaded caste army in Bihar. It was named after the 19th century chieftain, Ranvir Chaudhary, who became a cult figure among Bhumihars after taking on powerfulRajputZamindars.^[37]

Socio-economic condition

In 2023,Government of Biharpublished the data of2022 Bihar caste-based survey.The survey revealed several findings about the community. It showed that amongst theForward Castesof Bihar, poverty was highest in Bhumihar caste. Out of total families of Bhumihars residing in state, 27.58% were poor (The community totally numbered 8,38,447 families, out of which 2,31,211 families were poor). The criteria for determining poverty was a sum of₹6,000 per month as family income.^[38]

Influence in other fields

Being one of the early literate groups of British India, the Bhumihar community produced several prominent literary figures. These includeRamdhari Singh Dinkar,Rahul Sankrityayan,Rambriksh BenipuriandGopal Singh Nepali.^[32]

Customs and traditions

The Bhumihars follow a subset of the Brahmin rituals, and claim to be "tri-karma" Brahmins.^[4]

Some Bhumihars inMuzaffarpurtrace their lineage toHusseiniBrahmins, and participate in theMuharram processions.^[39]The Bhumihars outside Purvanchal-Bihar region may follow the respective local customs and traditions. For example, in Chandipur village ofMurshidabad district(West Bengal), a section of Bhumihars became the landlords after death of the Britishindigoplantation owners. They are now "thoroughlyBengali":they worshipKalias their primary deity, and are regarded as Brahmins by others in the village.^[40]

Common surnames

In Bihar, the Bhumihars started using the surnameSharmaand the titlePanditin the 20th century.^[41]Other common traditional Brahmin surnames used by the Bhumihars include Mishra, Chaudhary, Dikshit, Tivan, Pathak, Pande and Upadhyaya.^[42]It is also common for Bhumihars to affixSingh(usually identified with Kshatriyas, especially Rajputs) to their name.^[43]^[42]

References

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