TheDoma (Sanskrit:डोम,romanized: Doma,lit. 'sub-group of theDalit caste, living by singing and music'), also known asDom,Domra,Domba,Domaka,Dombara andDombari, are castes, or groups, scattered acrossIndia. The Doma/Dom were a caste of drummers.[1] According toTantra scriptures, the Dom were engaged in the occupations of singing and playing music.[2] Historically, they were considered anuntouchable caste called theDalits and their traditional occupation was the disposal and cremation of dead bodies.[3][4] The Doma were formerly classified as acriminal tribe under the 1870sCriminal Tribes Acts of theBritish Raj.[5][6] They are in the list ofScheduled caste forReservation in India in the Indian states ofUttar Pradesh,Bihar,Odisha,Andhra Pradesh,Jharkhand andWest Bengal.[7][8][9][10][11][12]
Individuals who live by singing and music were referred to as Doma in Tantric scriptures. According to historian M.P Joshi, the word Duma is connected to the sound of a drum.[2] Its presumed root,ḍom, which is connected with drumming, is linked todamara anddamaru, Sanskrit terms for "drum" and the Sanskrit verbal root डम्ḍam- 'to sound (as a drum)', perhaps a loan fromDravidian, e.g.Kannadaḍamāra 'a pair of kettle-drums', andTeluguṭamaṭama 'a drum,tomtom'.[13]
The termdoma is mentioned inTantra scriptures as individuals who live by singing and music. During the reign of theChand dynasty andGorkha, all service castes were referred to as Doma and were prohibited from wearing gold and silver ornaments. They had to work as palanquin bearers, but they were prohibited from using palanquins at their weddings. They had to live in separate villages with different cremation sites and water sources. They had to bury the dead cows of others of which they ate flesh. During the British period, the British prohibited these discriminative practices. Social activistLala Lajpat Rai and dalit leader Khusi Ram sought to reject low caste status and introduced the termShilpkar to replace the pejorative Doma. They conducted purification rituals ofArya Samaj in which shilkars wore sacred threads (Janeu) and were allowed to use a palanquin in their wedding. Since then, in Uttarakhand, the Shilpkar replaced Dom in the official category. But it has done little to reduce the social stigma in the central Himalaya region.[2]
Manynomadic andperipatetic groups in Uttar Pradesh are said to be of Doma origin such as theBangali,Bhantu,Bazigar,Habura,Kanjar, andSansi. It could also be that the term Doma is generically used to describe any peripatetic nomad, as all of the aforementioned groups are distinct and strictly endogamous. Some speak a dialect orargot of their own, while others speak the prevailing dialect or language.[14]
Dom originally hails from the hilly tract ofVisakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and they were known for their occupation as drummers and are often considered "untouchables" in the caste system due to their historical role in disposing of bodies, including both animal and human remains.[15][16]
InJashpur district ofChhattisgarh, the Dom were rulers from the 16th century to 18th century, until the defeat of king Raibhan of the Dom dynasty by Sujan Rai of Sonpur who establishedJashpur State.[17]
Dom were engaged in occupation of beating drums in marriage ceremonies inDelhi of caste hindus. But marriages of high caste are facilitated by a Brahmin priest where a drum is not beaten. In Delhi, Dom women facilitate marriages ofBhangi caste by singing and drum beating as Brahmin do not facilitate marriages of Bhangi caste as they are considered untouchable.[1]
InHunza Valley ofGilgit-Baltistan, these people are called Bericho, Dom, or Doma. The Dom identity developed out of their work as musicians. They are a heterogeneous group, descended from a number of families that took up service with the various local rulers. The Dom belong to theNizari Ismaili sect inHunza.[18][failed verification]
InRajasthan, theKalbelia tribe is engaged in dance andsnake charming.[19]
During theChand andGurkha dynasties (c. 700-1816 CE) in northern India, including regions that are now part ofUttarakhand, the term 'Dom' collectively referred to various occupational groups, including artisans and professional entertainers such as singers and musicians. Members of Dom castes were also involved in the disposal of dead animals, including cows.[2]
InVaranasi, the city inUttar Pradesh, the Dom perform the most important task ofcremation of dead bodies.[20] According to puranic legend, RajaHarishchandra was purchased by Kallu Dom and Harishchandra was working under him.[21][22] However, according to another legend, Harishchandra was said to have been sold to aChandala, and the Chandala entrusted him with the responsibility of overseeing the cremation ground (shmashana).[23]
InOdisha, there were around 706,000 Doms according to the2011 Census of India.[24]
In Uttar Pradesh, Dom as a Scheduled Caste had a population of 110,353 according to the 2011 Census of India.[7]
InWest Bengal, Doms numbered 316,337 at the2001 Census of India and were 1.7 percent of thescheduled caste population of West Bengal. The same census found overall 46.0 percent of Doms (aged 7 and up) were literate. Along gender lines, 58.9 percent of males and 32.6 percent of females were found by the census to be literate.[9]
TheCentral Bureau of Statistics of Nepal classifies the Dom as a subgroup within the broader social group ofMadheshiDalits.[25] At the time of the2011 Nepal census, 13,268 people (0.1% of the population of Nepal) were Dom. The frequency of Doms by province was as follows:Madhesh Province (0.2%) andKoshi Province (0.1%), zero percent in other provinces.
The frequency of Doms was higher than national average (0.1%) in the following districts:[26]Saptari (0.3%),Dhanusha (0.2%),Mahottari (0.2%),Parsa (0.2%),Siraha (0.2%) andSunsari (0.2%).
The traditional occupation of Dom was making musical instruments and households items of bamboo. They still make musical instruments and households items of bamboo. But due to the advent of electronic music, sales of musical instruments have dwindled.[citation needed]
Dom are listed asScheduled Caste forreservation in India (positive affirmative action in the government jobs) in Indian state ofUttar Pradesh,Bihar,Odisha andWest Bengal.[7][8][9][10]
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