Chasa is a caste in India natively residing in the Indian state ofOdisha. The Chasas were traditionally cultivators but are now engaged in several professions. TheOdia wordchasa means farmer.[1] They are the third-largest caste by population in Odisha.[2]
History
The Orh/Oda Chasas claim that they were the first tribe to settle in Odisha, and that they began to cultivate the land. They claim that Odisha is named after them.[3]
They are classified asShudra in theHindu caste system.[4][5][6][7] The association between Chasas and their occupation of manual labour (ploughing) was used to stigmatize the Chasas and distinguish them from the upper castes as late as the early 19th century.[8] "Chasa" was considered to be a "generic derogatory term for cultivators", in contrast to thesabhya bhabya Gan "sophisticated people".[9]
Around the turn of the 20th century, Chasas were small farmers and marginalraiyats.[10]
In modern-day Odisha, the Chasas are among the dominant castes in most villages, and are landowners and economically powerful.[11]
Classification
Chasas are classified under theOther Backward Class (OBC) category in Odisha, where 'Odapadhan', a subdivision of the Chasa caste, belong to the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) category. Colonial administrator andethnographer SirHerbert Hope Risley notes that, since the caste system is not practiced as per the Varna model he was idolizing, it was possible for outsiders to become Chasas, and wealthy Chasas who took up the titleMohanty could marry intoKarana families.[12] Some wealthy Chasas began identifying asKhandayats.[13] The Chasas are ranked into four subcastes: Benatya, Oda/Odra, Chukuliya, and Sukuliya. The Benatyas are the highest in rank, and the Chukuliyas are the lowest.[3]
^Sable, Alan (1977).Education in Orissa: A Study in Selection and Allocation Process. S. Chand Group. p. 33.
^The Eastern Anthropologist. Ethnographic and Folk Culture Society. 2006. pp. 214–215.
^Rösel, Jakob (1980).Der Palast des Herrn der Welt: Entstehungsgeschichte und Organisation der indischen Tempel-und Pilgerstadt Puri. Weltforum Verlag. pp. 46, 66, 70.
^Behera, Deepak Kumar; Pfeffer, Georg (1997).Contemporary Society: Tribal situation in India. Concept Publishing Company. p. 191.
^Pinch, William R. (1996). "BeingVaishnava, BecomingKshatriya".Peasants and Monks in British India. University of California Press. p. 112.ISBN0-520-20060-8.
^Ray, Subhajyoti (2002).Transformations on the Bengal Frontier: Jalpaiguri 1765-1948.Routledge. p. 136.ISBN978-0-700-71408-7.
^Mahapatra, L. K. (1976). "Gods, Kings, and the Caste System in India". In Bharati, Agehananda (ed.).The Realm of the Extra-Human: Agents and Audiences. Mouton Publishers. p. 65.
^Pati, Biswamoy (2007). "The order of legitimacy: princely Orissa". In Ernst, Waltraud (ed.).India's Princely States: People, Princes and Colonialism. Routledge. p. 89.ISBN978-0-203-93380-0.
