| Lohar | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Religions | Hinduism,Islam,Sikhism |
| Languages | Hindi-Urdu,Awadhi,Bhojpuri,Maithili,Nepali,Punjabi,Gujarati |
| Country | India,Nepal,Pakistan |
Lohar orLohra is considered to be acaste amongHindus and aclan amongMuslims andSikhs in the Indian states ofUttar Pradesh andJharkhand, and inNepal.[1][2] They form traditionally artisanal castes.[3] Writers of theBritish Raj period often used the termLohara as a synonym forblacksmith, although there are other traditional smiting communities, such as theRamgarhia andSikligar, and numerous non-traditional communities, including theKayastha,Rajput andBrahmin.[4]
Lohara are one of the most widespread communities in Uttar Pradesh. They are divided along religious lines, with Hindu Lohars known asVishwakarma,Sharma,Panchal andKarmakar. Hindu Lohars are further divided into a number ofexogamous groupings, the main ones being the Kanaujiya, Purbia, Bahai, Moulia and Magajia.
Most Lohara are still engaged in their traditional occupation ofmetalfabrication, although the majority of those inwestern Uttar Pradesh are cultivators. The assimilated Lohara speakHindi and its various dialects such asAwadhi;[citation needed] other speak theHo language.[5]
InBihar, Lohara caste comes underschedule tribe. As per a ruling bySupreme Court of India, ‘Lohra or Lohara’, which belongs to the Schedule Tribe (ST) category in several districts.
Lohara in Jharkhand are locally known as Lohar. They speak regional language such as Hindi.[6] They are classified as ST in Jharkhand.[7]
Muslim Lohar are divided in two castesMultani Lohar andDeshwal Lohar.
Multani Lohar, Muslimblacksmith community originally fromMultan and widely spread all over the World. Mostly found in the state ofGujarat and WesternUttar Pradesh in India.
Deshwal Lohar, or sometimes pronouncedMuslim Barhai are Muslim community, found in North India. They are also known asSaifi. which denotes the Muslim sub-caste of blacksmiths and carpenters. A small number are also found in the Terai region ofNepal.
Surnames associated with the occupation ofsmith | ||
|---|---|---|
| Celtic |  | |
| Germanic | ||
| Romance | ||
| Semitic | ||
| Slavic |
| |
| Other | ||
| From "spark" rel. to occ. 'smith' | ||
1 "Kovalik" etc. may be derived from the name of the bird of genus ofnuthatches | ||