| Chuhra | |
|---|---|
| चूहड़ा چُوہْڑا | |
| Jāti | Dalit |
| Gotra | N/A |
| Religions | Hinduism,Islam,Christianity andSikhism |
| Country | India,Pakistan andNepal |
| Lineage | Valmiki andSatakarni |
| Status | Scheduled Caste category |
| Reservation (Education) | Yes |
Chuhra, also known asBhanghi andBalmiki,[1][2] is aDalit caste in India and Pakistan.[3][4][5] Populated regions include thePunjab region ofIndia andPakistan, as well asUttar Pradesh in India, among other parts of the Indian subcontinent such assouthern India.[6][7][8][9] Their traditional occupation issweeping, a "polluting" occupation that caused them to be considereduntouchables in the caste system.[10]
Originally following theBalmiki sect ofHinduism, many Chuhras converted to Sikhism, Islam and Christianity during thecolonial era in India.[11] Today, Chuhras in Indian Punjab are largely followers ofSikhism.[12] A minority continue to followHinduism, which incorporates elements of Sikhism in its practices, as well asChristianity.[12][13][1] InPakistani Punjab 90–95% of its Christian population areDalit Christians of the Chuhra caste; other Chuhras practice Islam or continue to follow Hinduism.[14][8][15][16]
The word "Chuhra" is derived from the word "Shudra", one of thevarnas in Indian society.[17]
The Bhangis claim descent fromBalmiki (also known as Lal Beg or Balashah), aBrahmin who composed theRamayana and who is worshipped as a Hindupatron saint by the Bhangis.[18][19][20] The word Bhangi is derived from Bhanga which means broken. The Bhangi community claims that they were made to sweep the floor and do other menial jobs when they refused to convert intoIslam duringMughal era.[18]
Originally following theBalmiki sect ofHinduism, many Chuhras converted to Sikhism, Islam and Christianity during thecolonial era in India.[11] The faith practiced by theLal Begi Chuhras came to syncretize elements of Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. TheArya Samaj drew the majority to mainstream Hinduism while conversions similarly happened to Islam, Christianity, and Sikhism in the 19th and early 20th centuries.[21][22]
In 1932 incolonial India, the Balmiki Sabha was created to advocate for the rights of the Chuhras.[23] The Balmiki Sabha was applauded by theIndian National Congress in the mid-1940s for heralding its political message among the Chuhras.
As with theLal Begi, the majority of Hindu Chuhras belong to theBalmiki sect ofHinduism.[24] In theBaluchistan Province ofcolonial India, the majority of Chuhras in the1931 Indian Census thus recorded themselves as "Hindu Balmiki".[25]
Incolonial India, there were waves ofconversions to Christianity among the Chuhra andChamar between the 1870s and 1930s in thePunjab Province andUnited Provinces of Agra and Oudh.[26] Thecensuses of British India became increasingly confused regarding Chuhra Dalits' religious beliefs because the respondents were allowed to choose their designation. Jeffrey Cox says that in the 1920s and 1930s they described themselves variously as
Chuhra, "Hindu" Chuhra, Musali (Muslim Chuhra), Mazhabi (Sikh Chuhra), Ad-Dharmi, Christian Chuhra, or simply Christian ... It is certain that a large majority of the 391,270 Indian Christians enumerated in Punjab were Chuhras – that is, the most stigmatized minority in the province.[27]
In what is now Pakistan, the conversions to Christianity and consequent invention of a new identity were largely responsible for the nameChuhra becoming archaic. It is often considered pejorative and applied to almost all of the Christians in the country, whom John O'Brien describes as "descended from one tribe-caste of oppressed and excluded people".[28] The status of the Christian Chuhra asDalit Christians continues to be "distinct feature of social discrimination" against them.[14]
Chuhras who converted from Hinduism to Islam were known asMusalis.[15][29] Despite placing great emphasis on social equality and brotherhood among all Muslims, early South Asian Muslims did not address the problem of untouchability for the Chuhras or Bhangis. As a result, only a very few members from this community ever embracedIslam, most converting to Christianity. Chuhras adopted the externals of Islam by keeping Muslim names, observing Ramadan and burial of the dead. However, they never underwentcircumcision. Only a few cases of circumcision have ever been recorded for Chuhras or Bhangis and these were Chuhras who lived very nearJama Masjid. The Chuhras did not acceptMohammed as their prophet and also continued observing traditional Hindu festivals, such asDiwali, Rakhi andHoli. Just like their Hindu brethren they continued with their traditional caste work. In India the caste system was fully observed by Muslims. In the same way that Hindu Chuhras who were barred from entrance to temples in historical times, Muslim Chuhras are still today barred from entrance to mosques and never allowed to go past the outside steps to Muslim religious places. The Untouchability even extended after death; Chuhras were to bury their dead in separate graveyards away from other Muslims.[30]
Chuhras who converted from Hinduism to Sikhism became known asMazhabi Sikhs.[15][31]
According to the2001 Census of India, the Balmikis formed 11.2 per cent of theScheduled Caste population inPunjab[32] and were the second-most populous Scheduled Caste inDelhi National Capital Region.[33][34]
The2011 Census of India forUttar Pradesh showed the Balmiki population, which was classified as a Scheduled Caste, as 1,319,241.[35]
The Balmikis represent 0.08 per cent in Andhra Pradesh[36] and are mainly concentrated inAnantapur,Kurnool andKadapa districts ofAndhra Pradesh.[37][38] They also built a temple ofValmiki inAnantapur, Andhra Pradesh.[39]
In the UK, the Council of Valmiki Sabhas UK was established to represent the Balmiki.[40][41]
| State, U.T | Population | Population % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh[42] | 70,513 | 0.083% | In the Joint State of Andhara Pradesh during the 2011 census, the Valmiki caste had been counted as aScheduled Tribe instead of a Scheduled Caste. |
| Bihar[43] | 207,549 | 0.199% | Counted as Hari, Mehtar, Bhangi |
| Chandigarh[44] | 82,624 | 7.82% | Counted as Mazhabi, Balmiki, Chura or Bhangi |
| Chhattisgarh[45] | 19,016 | 0.074% | Counted as Bhangi, Mehtar, Balmiki, Lalbegi, Dharkar |
| NCT of Delhi[46] | 577,281 | 3.43 % | Counted as Chuhra (Balmiki) |
| Goa[47] | 309 | 0.0% | Counted as Bhangi (Hadi) |
| Gujarat[48] | 439,444 | 0.72% | Counted as Bhangi, Mehtar, Olgana, Rukhi, Malkana, Halalkhor, Lalbegi, Balmiki, Korar, Zadmalli,Barwashia, Barwasia, Jamphoda, Zampada, Zampda, Rushi, Valmiki |
| Haryana[49] | 1,079,682 | 4.25% | Counted as Balmiki, Chura, Bhangi, Mazhabi and Mazhabi Sikh |
| Himachal Pradesh[50] | 35,150 | 0.51% | Counted as Balmiki, Bhangi, Chuhra, Chura, Chuhre and Mazhabi |
| Jammu & Kashmir[51] | 6918 | 0.0% | Counted as Chura, Bhangi, Balmiki, Mehtar |
| Jharkhand[52] | 58,242 | 0.17% | Counted as Hari, Mehtar, Bhangi |
| Karnataka[53] | 5,281 | 0.0086% | Counted as Bhangi, Mehtar, Olgana, Rukhi, Malkana, Halalkhor, Lalbegi, Balmiki, Korar, Zadmalli |
| Madhya Pradesh[54] | 365,769 | 0.5% | Counted as Bhangi, Mehtar, Balmik, Lalbegi, Dharkar |
| Maharashtra[55] | 217,166 | 0.19% | Counted as Bhangi, Mehtar, Olgana, Rukhi, Malkana, Halalkhor, Lalbegi, Balmiki, Korar, Zadmalli, Hela |
| Mizoram[56] | 21 | 0.0% | Counted as Mehtar, Bhangi |
| Odisha[57] | 2,453 | 0.0% | Counted as Hari, Mehtar, Bhangi |
| Punjab[58] | 3,500,874 | 12.61% | Counted as Mazhabi, Mazhabi Sikh, Balmiki, Chuhra, Bhangi |
| Rajasthan[59] | 625,011 | 0.91% | Counted as Majhabi, Bhangi, Chura, Mehtar, Olgana, Rukhi, Malkana, Halalkhor, Lalbegi, Balmiki, Valmiki, Korar, Zadmalli |
| Tripura[60] | 1,851 | 0.0% | Counted as Mehtor |
| Uttarakhand[61] | 118,421 | 1.17% | Counted as Mazhabi and Balmiki |
| Uttar Pradesh[62] | 1,319,241 | 0.66% | Counted as Balmiki |
| West Bengal[63] | 431,257 | 0.47% | Counted as Hari, Mehtar, Mehtor, Bhangi, Balmiki |
The following are sub-castes of the Balmiki/Bhangi/Chuhra caste:[1]
The locution "Chuhra-Chamar" is used derisively byjatt caste to refer to both Dalit castes, the Chuhra andChamar.[67][68][69][70]
In a similar way, 'Chuhras' are often called 'Bhangi', especially in urban areas. ... Today, although not all 'Bhangis' worship Bhagwan Valmik, and by no means all Valmikis were originally called 'Bhangi', the two terms are often used interchangeably. ... 'Valmiki' is explained as 'the now usually preferred name for the Bhangi or community which follows the teachings of the saint Valmiki' (1998: xii, xvi).
The Chuhras and Bhangis are both Dalit castes, whose 'traditional occupation' has been sweeping.
The Balmiki (SC) in Haryana are also known as Valmiki, Chuhra, Lal Begi or Khakrobe.
Pauline Kolenda did field research among Chuhras in the village of Khalapur in north-western Uttar Pradesh shortly before Dr. Ambedkar died.
For example, 90 to 95% of Pakistani Christians are Punjabi of thechuhra (dalit) group converted from Hinduism rather than from Islam or local religious systems.
Islam, Sikhism, and Christianity represented viable alternatives for the Chuhras, siphoning off a sizable portion of the Hindu population. In 1901, 934,553 Chuhras were registered as Hindus; by 1931, that number had dwindled to about one-third (368,224 people). The socioeconomic factors that prompted some Chuhras to become Muslims or Sikhs propelled others into the Christian fold.
This study explores caste discrimination in Pakistan against untouchable (Dalit) converts to Christianity. During the nineteenth century in India, many Dalits converted to Christianity to escape caste persecution. In the 1870s in Punjab, a mass movement to Protestant Christianity flourished among the Dalit Chuhra caste. The Chuhras were the largest menial caste in Punjab and engaged in degrading occupations including sweeping and sanitation work. By the 1930s, almost the entire Chuhra caste converted to Protestant Christianity. In 1947, during the partition of India, the majority of Chuhra converts in Punjab became part of the Protestant community in Pakistan. After Partition, many uneducated Chuhras were confined to menial jobs in the sanitation industry. Today, the stigma of Dalit ancestry is a distinct feature of social discrimination against Chuhra Christians in Pakistan.
For one thing , there were a good number of Chuhra Muslims who were called Musallis and may or may not have been accepted by others as fellow Muslims. Similarly , Chuhra Sikhs were called Mazhabi Sikhs and were generally kept at a distance by other Sikhs, despite being quite scrupulous in their observances as well as giving up polluting work (carrying night soil) and habits (eating carrion)...
The sweeper or scavenger caste of Punjab is called the Chuhra, a corruption of Sudra.
The Chuhras are divided into four religious orders, the Hindu - Balmiki or Lalbegi, the Muslim - Watal , the Sikh - Mazhabi and the Christian Chuhra.
In the same census, 3,152 Punjabis gave 'Balmiki' as their religion (Khan 1933, II : 277): their caste is not revealed, but Hutton (1933, I : 499) reporting on the same census shows Chuhras in Baluchistan returning themselves as "Hindu Balmiki".
Likewise, Chuhras were not accepted fully in Islam by their Muslim co-religionists: they were distinguished asmusalis (little Muslims) despite the fact that Islam proclaims equality (Q.49:13).
Ibbetson (1916) records several Chuhra tribes (divisions), namely Sahotra, Gil, Bhatti, Mattu, Kharu, Kaliyana, Ladhar, Sindhu, Chhapriband, Untwal, Kandabari, Hansi, Khosar, Borat and Dhariwal.
As a result, whatever their chosen religion, Panjabidalits are invariably defined by caste: either they are grouped together as 'untouchable' (or by a similarly demeaning label, such as 'Chuhra-Chamar') or they are marginalized as a sub-category of the religious tradition in question, such as 'Achut' ('untouchable') Hindu or 'Mazhabi' Sikh.
The term chuhra-chamar (scavenger and tanner) is freely employed by landlords belonging to the Jat community to refer to Dalits.