Bharatpedia - User contributions [en]

Nai (caste)

2023-05-13T08:12:39Z

2401:4900:3C7F:FD7A:E414:1F64:C587:CBD9:

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2018}}
{{infobox ethnic group
| image = Vintage photograph of an Indian barber doing his work in the 1870s.jpg
| caption = Nai (barber) doing his work (c. 1870s)
| group = Nai Thakur/Sain Or Nai brahmin
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| poptime =
| popplace = Primary populations in: {{flatlist|
*[[Punjab]]
*[[Goa]]
*[[Maharashtra]]
*[[Karnataka]]
*[[Bihar]]
*[[Uttar Pradesh]]
*[[Andhra Pradesh]]
*[[Assam]]
*[[Chandigarh]]
*[[Odisha]]
*[[Gujarat]]
*[[Madhya Pradesh]]
}}
| langs =
| rels = {{hlist|[[Hinduism]]|[[Sikhism]]}}
| related =
}}
The '''Nai''', '''Nai Brahmin''', '''Sain''', '''Sen''', Thakur, '''savita-Samaj''', '''Mangala''' -The occupational caste of barbers. The name is said to be derived from the Sanskrit nāpita(नपित). They are found throughout the India. In Gujarat they are known as Valand. In Bundelkhand they are also known as Khawās. Nhavi is the Marathi name for the caste, Bhandāri the Uriya name and Mangala the Telugu name.<ref name="Russell">{{Cite web|last=Russell|first=R. V.|title=The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India—Volume IV|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20668/20668-h/20668-h.htm#d0e8396|access-date=2021-01-17|website=www.gutenberg.org|language=en-uk}}</ref> Mhāllo.—A name for Konkani barbers.<ref name="Rangachari">{{Cite web|last=Rangachari|first=Edgar Thurston (1855-1935) K.|title=Castes and Tribes of Southern India: Volume V—M to P|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42995/42995-h/42995-h.htm|access-date=2021-01-17|website=www.gutenberg.org|language=en}}</ref> Vilkurup.—The Vilkuruppu or Vilkollakuruppu are the priests and barbers of the Malayālam Kammālans.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rangachari|first=Edgar Thurston (1855-1935) K.|title=Castes and Tribes of Southern India: Volume VII—T to Z|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42997/42997-h/42997-h.htm|access-date=2021-01-17|website=www.gutenberg.org|language=en}}</ref> [[Ambattar|Ambattan]] are the Tamil barbers, or barber-surgeons.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rangachari|first=Edgar Thurston (1855-1935) K.|title=Castes and Tribes of Southern India: Volume I—A and B|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42991/42991-h/42991-h.htm|access-date=2021-01-17|website=www.gutenberg.org|language=en}}</ref> Nowadays in northern India Nai community refer to themselves as Sain instead of Nai.

The Nai caste was listed as an [[Other Backward Classes]] in various regions of India. These include [[Andhra Pradesh]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/andhrapradesh.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Assam]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/assam.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Bihar]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/bihar.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Bihar|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=2|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[Chandigarh]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/chandigarh.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Chhattisgarh]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/Chhattisgarh.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Dadra and Nagar Haveli]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/dadarandnagarhaveli.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Daman and Diu]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/damananddiu.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Delhi]] [[National Capital Region (India)|NCR]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/delhi.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Delhi|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=3|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[Goa]],<ref name="ncbc.nic.in">{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/goa.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Gujarat]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/gujarat.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Gujarat|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=5|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[Haryana]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/haryana.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Haryana|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=2|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[Himachal Pradesh]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/himachalpradesh.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Goa]],<ref name="ncbc.nic.in" /> [[Jharkhand]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/jharkhand.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Karnataka]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/karnataka.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Madhya Pradesh]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/madhyapradesh.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Madhya Pradesh|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=5|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[Maharashtra]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/maharashtra.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Maharashtra|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=4|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[Odisha]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/orrisa.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/puducherry.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Punjab, India|Punjab]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/punjab.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Punjab|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=2|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[Rajasthan]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/rajasthan.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Rajasthan|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=2|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[Tripura]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/tripura.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Uttarakhand|Uttaranchal]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/uttaranchal.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Uttar Pradesh]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/uttarpradesh.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Uttar Pradesh|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=3|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[West Bengal]].<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/westbengal.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref>

== History ==
They were traditionally occupied as barbers. The barber has also numerous and important duties in connection with marriages and other festival occasions. They acts as the Brahmin’s assistant, and to the lower castes, who cannot employ a Brahmin, they are the matrimonial priest. They also act as executive priest for the famous [[Jagannath Temple, Puri|Jagannath temple]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ghurye|first=G. S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4RpBDwAAQBAJ&q=%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%88+%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF&pg=PT3|title=Bharat Mein Jaati Evam Prajaati|date=2017-10-30|publisher=SAGE Publishing India|isbn=978-93-5280-444-3|pages=62|language=ar}}</ref> The important part which they plays in marriage ceremonies has led to them becoming the matchmaker among all respectable castes. As they were skilled in using blades they acted as surgeons because Baid/Vaid (doctor) who were mostly Brahmins do not practice it.<ref name="Russell"/> It was common to find barbers acting as musicians throughout the southern India, and that there are several other castes in Malabar who employed barbers as purōhits at their funeral ceremonies.<ref name="Rangachari"/> Now Nai community people have left their traditional jobs and do modern jobs.

==Origin==
===Mythological view===
According to legend prevalent among Nai - {{Quote|They're first ancestor is Nabhi in puranic literature. Nabhi is king of [[Ikshvaku]] dynasty.<ref name="Mani 1975">{{Cite book|last=Mani|first=Vettam|url=http://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft|title=Puranic encyclopaedia : a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature|date=1975|publisher=Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass|others=Robarts - University of Toronto}}</ref>}}

=== Puranic view ===
They are refereed as Ampitta in [[Puranas]]. 'Ampitta' is derived from the Sanskrit word "[[Ambashtha|Ambistha]]". Ampitta is a corrupted form of Ambistha. The word Ambistha means Physician. In olden days they were physicians also. Going about from house to house, they could easily practice both these professions. Since they practiced physic also they were called Ambashtha.<ref name="Mani 1975">{{Cite book|last=Mani|first=Vettam|url=http://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft|title=Puranic encyclopaedia : a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature|date=1975|publisher=Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass|others=Robarts - University of Toronto}}</ref> They have traditionally been associated with Indian medicine and the profession of [[physician]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Leslie|first=Charles M.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pcgQSKFL-DsC&q=Ambastha&pg=PA38|title=Asian Medical Systems: A Comparative Study|date=1998|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishe|isbn=978-81-208-1537-7|language=en}}</ref>

== Impact of the Ideas of Sain ==
The process of the Nais becoming influenced by the life and ideas of [[Bhagat Sain|Sain]] can be conceptualized as Sainization, depicted through deifying Sain by setting up the institution of Sainacharya. [[Bhagat Sain|Sain]], who was the contemporaries of [[Kabir]], the Bhakti poet who challenged the hegemonic values and hierarchy of the caste system, has become the most revered symbol of pride and identity formation of the Nais. In order to assert their cultural autonomy in 1992 Akhil Bharatiya Sain Bhaktipith Trust was set up on the occasion of the [[Ujjain]] ''[[Kumbh Mela|mahakumbh mela]]'' headed in [[Pushkar]]. Achlanandji Maharaj was made the first Sainacharya.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Jagpal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vfn1DwAAQBAJ&newbks=0&hl=en|title=Caste, State and Society: Degrees of Democracy in North India|date=2020-10-07|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-000-19606-1|language=en}}</ref>

== Notable people ==

*[[Mahapadma Nanda]], Emperor of Nanda Empire<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hemacandra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=quNpKVqABGMC|title=The Lives of the Jain Elders|date=1998|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-283227-6|pages=142|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Upinder|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GW5Gx0HSXKUC|title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century|date=2008|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=978-81-317-1677-9|pages=272|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Mookerji|first=Radhakumud|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C|title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times|date=1966|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ.|isbn=978-81-208-0405-0|pages=14|language=en}}</ref>
*[[Bhagat Sain]], Saint and Bhakti Poet<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MzDtlI7p5qkC|title=Selections from the Sacred Writings of the Sikhs|date=2000|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-81-250-1790-5|pages=238|language=en}}</ref>
*[[Sahib Singh (Sikhism)|Sahib Singh]], one of the Panj Pyare<ref>{{Citation|last=Grewal|first=J.S.|title=The Sikh Faith and the Khalsa Panth|date=2011-05-12|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198070740.003.0013|work=History, Literature, and Identity|pages=227–250|publisher=Oxford University Press|doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198070740.003.0013|isbn=978-0-19-807074-0|access-date=2021-01-17}}</ref>
*[[Bhikhari Thakur]], Bhojpuri Poet<ref>{{Cite web|title=एक आम आदमी, जो बना भोजपुरी का शेक्सपियर!|url=https://www.amarujala.com/news-archives/india-news-archives/bhikhari-thakur-shakespear-of-bhojpuri|access-date=2021-08-02|website=Amar Ujala|language=hi}}</ref>
*[[Karpoori Thakur]], Former C.M of Bihar<ref>{{Cite web|last=Singh|first=Aastha|date=2019-01-24|title=Karpoori Thakur, the other Bihar CM who banned alcohol|url=https://theprint.in/theprint-profile/karpoori-thakur-the-other-bihar-cm-who-banned-alcohol/182593/|access-date=2020-06-15|website=ThePrint|language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Indian castes]]
[[Category:Sikh communities]]
[[Category:Social groups of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Social groups of Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Social groups of Haryana]]
[[Category:Social groups of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Social groups of Assam]]
[[Category:Social groups of Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Social groups of Karnataka]]
[[Category:Social groups of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Social groups of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Social groups of Odisha]]
[[Category:Social groups of Bihar]]
[[Category:Social groups of Gujarat]]
[[Category:Social groups of Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Barber castes]]

Nai (caste)

2023-05-13T08:10:59Z

2401:4900:3C7F:FD7A:E414:1F64:C587:CBD9:

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2018}}
{{infobox ethnic group
| image = Vintage photograph of an Indian barber doing his work in the 1870s.jpg
| caption = Nai (barber) doing his work (c. 1870s)
| group = Nai Thakur/Sain Or Nai brahmin
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| poptime =
| popplace = Primary populations in: {{flatlist|
*[[Punjab]]
*[[Goa]]
*[[Maharashtra]]
*[[Karnataka]]
*[[Bihar]]
*[[Uttar Pradesh]]
*[[Andhra Pradesh]]
*[[Assam]]
*[[Chandigarh]]
*[[Odisha]]
*[[Gujarat]]
*[[Madhya Pradesh]]
}}
| langs =
| rels = {{hlist|[[Hinduism]]|[[Sikhism]]}}
| related =
}}
The '''Nai''', '''Nais''', '''Sain''', '''Sen''', Thakur, '''savita-Samaj''', '''Mangala''' -The occupational caste of barbers. The name is said to be derived from the Sanskrit nāpita(नपित). They are found throughout the India. In Gujarat they are known as Valand. In Bundelkhand they are also known as Khawās. Nhavi is the Marathi name for the caste, Bhandāri the Uriya name and Mangala the Telugu name.<ref name="Russell">{{Cite web|last=Russell|first=R. V.|title=The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India—Volume IV|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20668/20668-h/20668-h.htm#d0e8396|access-date=2021-01-17|website=www.gutenberg.org|language=en-uk}}</ref> Mhāllo.—A name for Konkani barbers.<ref name="Rangachari">{{Cite web|last=Rangachari|first=Edgar Thurston (1855-1935) K.|title=Castes and Tribes of Southern India: Volume V—M to P|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42995/42995-h/42995-h.htm|access-date=2021-01-17|website=www.gutenberg.org|language=en}}</ref> Vilkurup.—The Vilkuruppu or Vilkollakuruppu are the priests and barbers of the Malayālam Kammālans.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rangachari|first=Edgar Thurston (1855-1935) K.|title=Castes and Tribes of Southern India: Volume VII—T to Z|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42997/42997-h/42997-h.htm|access-date=2021-01-17|website=www.gutenberg.org|language=en}}</ref> [[Ambattar|Ambattan]] are the Tamil barbers, or barber-surgeons.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rangachari|first=Edgar Thurston (1855-1935) K.|title=Castes and Tribes of Southern India: Volume I—A and B|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42991/42991-h/42991-h.htm|access-date=2021-01-17|website=www.gutenberg.org|language=en}}</ref> Nowadays in northern India Nai community refer to themselves as Sain instead of Nai.

The Nai caste was listed as an [[Other Backward Classes]] in various regions of India. These include [[Andhra Pradesh]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/andhrapradesh.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Assam]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/assam.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Bihar]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/bihar.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Bihar|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=2|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[Chandigarh]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/chandigarh.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Chhattisgarh]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/Chhattisgarh.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Dadra and Nagar Haveli]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/dadarandnagarhaveli.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Daman and Diu]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/damananddiu.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Delhi]] [[National Capital Region (India)|NCR]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/delhi.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Delhi|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=3|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[Goa]],<ref name="ncbc.nic.in">{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/goa.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Gujarat]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/gujarat.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Gujarat|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=5|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[Haryana]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/haryana.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Haryana|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=2|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[Himachal Pradesh]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/himachalpradesh.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Goa]],<ref name="ncbc.nic.in" /> [[Jharkhand]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/jharkhand.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Karnataka]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/karnataka.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Madhya Pradesh]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/madhyapradesh.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Madhya Pradesh|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=5|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[Maharashtra]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/maharashtra.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Maharashtra|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=4|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[Odisha]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/orrisa.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/puducherry.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Punjab, India|Punjab]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/punjab.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Punjab|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=2|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[Rajasthan]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/rajasthan.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Rajasthan|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=2|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[Tripura]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/tripura.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Uttarakhand|Uttaranchal]],<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/uttaranchal.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> [[Uttar Pradesh]],<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/uttarpradesh.pdf|title=Central List of OBCs for the State of Uttar Pradesh|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes|page=3|access-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> [[West Bengal]].<ref>{{cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/westbengal.pdf|access-date=2016-07-30|publisher=Ncbc.nic.in}}</ref>

== History ==
They were traditionally occupied as barbers. The barber has also numerous and important duties in connection with marriages and other festival occasions. They acts as the Brahmin’s assistant, and to the lower castes, who cannot employ a Brahmin, they are the matrimonial priest. They also act as executive priest for the famous [[Jagannath Temple, Puri|Jagannath temple]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ghurye|first=G. S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4RpBDwAAQBAJ&q=%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%88+%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF&pg=PT3|title=Bharat Mein Jaati Evam Prajaati|date=2017-10-30|publisher=SAGE Publishing India|isbn=978-93-5280-444-3|pages=62|language=ar}}</ref> The important part which they plays in marriage ceremonies has led to them becoming the matchmaker among all respectable castes. As they were skilled in using blades they acted as surgeons because Baid/Vaid (doctor) who were mostly Brahmins do not practice it.<ref name="Russell"/> It was common to find barbers acting as musicians throughout the southern India, and that there are several other castes in Malabar who employed barbers as purōhits at their funeral ceremonies.<ref name="Rangachari"/> Now Nai community people have left their traditional jobs and do modern jobs.

==Origin==
===Mythological view===
According to legend prevalent among Nai - {{Quote|They're first ancestor is Nabhi in puranic literature. Nabhi is king of [[Ikshvaku]] dynasty.<ref name="Mani 1975">{{Cite book|last=Mani|first=Vettam|url=http://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft|title=Puranic encyclopaedia : a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature|date=1975|publisher=Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass|others=Robarts - University of Toronto}}</ref>}}

=== Puranic view ===
They are refereed as Ampitta in [[Puranas]]. 'Ampitta' is derived from the Sanskrit word "[[Ambashtha|Ambistha]]". Ampitta is a corrupted form of Ambistha. The word Ambistha means Physician. In olden days they were physicians also. Going about from house to house, they could easily practice both these professions. Since they practiced physic also they were called Ambashtha.<ref name="Mani 1975">{{Cite book|last=Mani|first=Vettam|url=http://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft|title=Puranic encyclopaedia : a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature|date=1975|publisher=Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass|others=Robarts - University of Toronto}}</ref> They have traditionally been associated with Indian medicine and the profession of [[physician]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Leslie|first=Charles M.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pcgQSKFL-DsC&q=Ambastha&pg=PA38|title=Asian Medical Systems: A Comparative Study|date=1998|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishe|isbn=978-81-208-1537-7|language=en}}</ref>

== Impact of the Ideas of Sain ==
The process of the Nais becoming influenced by the life and ideas of [[Bhagat Sain|Sain]] can be conceptualized as Sainization, depicted through deifying Sain by setting up the institution of Sainacharya. [[Bhagat Sain|Sain]], who was the contemporaries of [[Kabir]], the Bhakti poet who challenged the hegemonic values and hierarchy of the caste system, has become the most revered symbol of pride and identity formation of the Nais. In order to assert their cultural autonomy in 1992 Akhil Bharatiya Sain Bhaktipith Trust was set up on the occasion of the [[Ujjain]] ''[[Kumbh Mela|mahakumbh mela]]'' headed in [[Pushkar]]. Achlanandji Maharaj was made the first Sainacharya.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Jagpal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vfn1DwAAQBAJ&newbks=0&hl=en|title=Caste, State and Society: Degrees of Democracy in North India|date=2020-10-07|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-000-19606-1|language=en}}</ref>

== Notable people ==

*[[Mahapadma Nanda]], Emperor of Nanda Empire<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hemacandra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=quNpKVqABGMC|title=The Lives of the Jain Elders|date=1998|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-283227-6|pages=142|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Upinder|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GW5Gx0HSXKUC|title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century|date=2008|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=978-81-317-1677-9|pages=272|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Mookerji|first=Radhakumud|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C|title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times|date=1966|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ.|isbn=978-81-208-0405-0|pages=14|language=en}}</ref>
*[[Bhagat Sain]], Saint and Bhakti Poet<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MzDtlI7p5qkC|title=Selections from the Sacred Writings of the Sikhs|date=2000|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-81-250-1790-5|pages=238|language=en}}</ref>
*[[Sahib Singh (Sikhism)|Sahib Singh]], one of the Panj Pyare<ref>{{Citation|last=Grewal|first=J.S.|title=The Sikh Faith and the Khalsa Panth|date=2011-05-12|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198070740.003.0013|work=History, Literature, and Identity|pages=227–250|publisher=Oxford University Press|doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198070740.003.0013|isbn=978-0-19-807074-0|access-date=2021-01-17}}</ref>
*[[Bhikhari Thakur]], Bhojpuri Poet<ref>{{Cite web|title=एक आम आदमी, जो बना भोजपुरी का शेक्सपियर!|url=https://www.amarujala.com/news-archives/india-news-archives/bhikhari-thakur-shakespear-of-bhojpuri|access-date=2021-08-02|website=Amar Ujala|language=hi}}</ref>
*[[Karpoori Thakur]], Former C.M of Bihar<ref>{{Cite web|last=Singh|first=Aastha|date=2019-01-24|title=Karpoori Thakur, the other Bihar CM who banned alcohol|url=https://theprint.in/theprint-profile/karpoori-thakur-the-other-bihar-cm-who-banned-alcohol/182593/|access-date=2020-06-15|website=ThePrint|language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Indian castes]]
[[Category:Sikh communities]]
[[Category:Social groups of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Social groups of Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Social groups of Haryana]]
[[Category:Social groups of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Social groups of Assam]]
[[Category:Social groups of Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Social groups of Karnataka]]
[[Category:Social groups of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Social groups of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Social groups of Odisha]]
[[Category:Social groups of Bihar]]
[[Category:Social groups of Gujarat]]
[[Category:Social groups of Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Barber castes]]