TheBamcha are aHinduScheduled Tribe found in the state ofGujarat andMaharashtra inIndia. They are also known asBavcha and sometimesBavecha.[1]
The Bamcha claim that their ancestors were soldiers in the army of the princely state ofBaroda. They gave up their profession when the ruler ofBaroda disbanded his army. The community is said to have lost itskshatriya status, when an ancestor drank from a leather container. They are now found mainly inAmreli,Baroda andAhmedabad. The community speak the Bavchi dialect, but most can also speakGujarati.[2]