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Bijli Pasi

2026-05-09T16:10:00Z

2409:40E2:2011:89A:8000:0:0:0: Remove false information

{{More citations needed|date=October 2024}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Short description|Indian folk hero}}
{{Infobox royalty
|name = Maharaja Bijli Pasi<br />{{lang|hi|महाराजा बिजली पासी}}
| image = File:Maharaja Bijli Pasi Ji.jpg
| alt = Bijli Pasi
| caption =
| spouse =
| title = [[Maharaja]] of [[Bijnor]]
| religion = [[Shaivism]], part of [[Hinduism]]
| family =
}}
'''Maharaja Bijli Pasi''' was a king from the [[Pasi (caste)|Pasi]] community, According to popular belief, he ruled part of what is now [[Uttar Pradesh]].

==Life==
Historical evidence for the existence of a king named Bijli Pasi is lacking. However, in 2000, the [[India Post|Department of Posts]], [[Government of India]] issued a commemorative stamp about him. The move was influenced by the caste upliftment movement of Pasis under the leadership of [[Dalit]] leader [[Ram Vilas Paswan]]. According to the stamp, Bijli Pasi founded the city of [[Bijnor]] in [[Uttar Pradesh]].It is said that he consolidated his position when northern India was divided into several small states prior to the fall of the mighty empires of the past.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bgpEIb4tNjgC&pg=PA2045|title= Caste in Question: Identity Or Hierarchy?|first=Dipankar|last= Gupta|publisher=SAGE|year=2004|isbn=0761933247|accessdate=2020-07-11}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
The assertion of Bijli Pasi gave voice to the claims of Pasi that in the past there were Bharshiv kings and that they had a glorious history just like upper castes. The warrior image of Maharaja, often seen upon the walls of pasi community. He built 12 Ford in the oudh and he have very rich history and the most powerful king of Uttar Pradesh history.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Dalit leaders]]
[[Category:Fictional Indian people]]

Uda Devi

2026-05-09T16:02:02Z

2409:40E2:2011:89A:8000:0:0:0:

{{Short description|Indian freedom fighter}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Uda Devi Pasi
| image = The Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Shri J.P. Nadda paying homage to the freedom fighter Uda Devi, at Sikandar Bagh, Lucknow on August 19, 2016.jpg
| alt =
| caption = The Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Shri J.P. Nadda paying homage to the freedom fighter Uda Devi, at Sikandar Bagh, Lucknow on August 19, 2016
| birth_date = 
| birth_place = Lucknow
| death_date = November 1857
| death_place = Sikandar Bagh, Lucknow, India
| nationality =
| other_names =
| occupation =
| years_active =
| known_for = [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]]
| notable_works =
}}

''' Uda Devi Pasi ''' was an Indian women freedom fighter who participated in the war on behalf of Indian soldiers against the British East India Company, during the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]]. She was a member of the women's squad of [[Wajid Ali Shah]], the sixth Nawab of Awadh.

While [[Caste system in India|upper caste]] histories highlight the resistance contributions of upper caste heroines like Jhansi Ki Rani, the reality was also that the battles for independence from British colonial rule. <ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pIPlDQAAQBAJ&dq=Uda+Devi&pg=PA356|title=Mutiny at the Margins: New Perspectives on the Indian Uprising of 1857: Documents of the Indian Uprising|last1=Bates|first1=Crispin|last2=Carter|first2=Marina|date=2017-01-02|publisher=SAGE Publications India|isbn=9789385985751|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009201701/https://books.google.com/books?id=pIPlDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA356&dq=Uda+Devi&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj0kYPksqfUAhUIzIMKHTyyBTcQ6AEIMzAC#v=onepage&q=Uda%20Devi&f=false|archive-date=9 October 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Uda Devi Pasi and other female participants are today remembered as the warriors or “Veeranganas” of the 1857 Indian Rebellion.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6gQgDAAAQBAJ&dq=Uda+Devi&pg=PA109|title=The Gender of Caste: Representing Dalits in Print|last=Gupta|first=Charu|date=2016-04-18|publisher=University of Washington Press|isbn=9780295806563|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009201701/https://books.google.com/books?id=6gQgDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA109&dq=Uda+Devi&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiZxvf8s6fUAhVI2IMKHRvmBn8Q6AEIQjAG#v=onepage&q=Uda%20Devi&f=false|archive-date=9 October 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> She was married to Makka Pasi who was a soldier in the army of Hazrat Mahal. <ref>{{cite book |last1=Narayan |first1=Badri |title=Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India: Culture, Identity and Politics |date=2006 |publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=978-0-7619-3537-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iAQrpDW4-_YC&dq=pasi+community+history+book&pg=PA139 |language=en}}</ref>

On seeing the rising anger of the Indian people with the British administration, Uda Devi reached out to the queen of that district, [[Begum Hazrat Mahal]] to enlist for the war. In order to prepare for the battle that was headed their way, the Begum helped her form a women’s battalion under her command.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gupta|first=Charu|date=2007|title=Dalit 'Viranganas' and Reinvention of 1857|jstor=4419579|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|volume=42|issue=19|pages=1739–1745}}</ref> When the British attacked Awadh, both Uda Devi and her husband were part of the armed resistance. When she heard that her husband had died in the battle, she unleashed her final campaign in full force.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7feHAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA146|title=Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India: Culture, Identity and Politics|last=Narayan|first=Badri|date=2006-11-07|publisher=SAGE Publications India|isbn=9788132102809|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009201701/https://books.google.com/books?id=7feHAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA146|archive-date=9 October 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

== Battle of Sikandar Bagh ==
Uda Devi took part in the Battle in [[Sikandar Bagh]] in November 1857. After issuing instructions to her battalion, she climbed up a pipal tree and began shooting at advancing British soldiers. A British officer noted that many of the casualties had bullet wounds indicating steep, downward trajectory.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Virangana Uda Devi|last=Verma|first=R.D|publisher=Mahindra Printing Press|year=1996}}</ref> Suspecting a hidden sniper, he ordered his officers to fire at the trees and dislodged a rebel who fell to the ground dead. Upon investigation, the sniper was revealed as Uda Devi Pasi. William Forbes-Mitchell, in ''Reminiscences of the Great Mutiny,'' writes of Uda Devi: "She was armed with a pair of heavy old-pattern cavalry pistols, one of which was in her belt still loaded, and her pouch was still about half full of ammunition, while from her perch in the tree, which had been carefully prepared before the attack, she had killed more than half-a-dozen men."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://thewire.in/27390/the-forgotten-women-of-1857/|title=The Forgotten Women of 1857|last=Safvi|first=Rana|date=2016-04-07|website=The Wire-GB|access-date=2016-06-19|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811090222/http://thewire.in/27390/the-forgotten-women-of-1857/|archive-date=11 August 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The Pasis of Pilibhit, in particular, come together on November 16 every year to commemorate the anniversary of Uda Devi Pasi's martyrdom.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bareilly/Dalit-group-recalls-its-1857-martyr-Uda-Devi/articleshow/49807760.cms|title=Dalit group recalls its 1857 martyr Uda Devi|date=2015-11-16|website=The Times of India-GB|access-date=2017-04-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170524195715/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bareilly/Dalit-group-recalls-its-1857-martyr-Uda-Devi/articleshow/49807760.cms|archive-date=24 May 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Pasi (caste)]]
*[[Bijli Pasi]]
*[[Madari Pasi]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Indian women in war]]
[[Category:Revolutionaries of the Indian Rebellion of 1857]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:History of Awadh]]
[[Category:Dalit history]]
[[Category:1857 deaths]]
[[Category:Women from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:People from Lucknow district]]
[[Category:Women Indian independence activists]]

Eka Movement

2026-05-09T15:59:13Z

2409:40E2:2011:89A:8000:0:0:0: .

{{Short description|Indian peasant movement started in 1921}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{inline|date=June 2019}}
'''Eka Movement''' or '''Unity Movement''' is a peasant movement which surfaced in [[Hardoi]], [[Bahraich]], [[Barabanki]] and [[Sitapur]] of North Western Province of U.P during the end of 1921. Initially started by Congress and the Khilafat movement, it was later headed by [[Madari Pasi]]. The main reason for the movement was high rent, which was generally higher than 50% of recorded rent in some areas. Oppression by ''thekedars'' who were entrusted to collect rent and practice of share rent also contributed to this movement.<ref>{{cite web |title=Indian National Congress and Eka Movement in Awadh |url=https://www.ijsr.net/archive/v8i1/ART20194597.pdf |website=IJSR|accessdate=29 November 2022 |date=29 November 2022}}</ref>

The Eka meetings were marked by a religious ritual in which a hole that represented River Ganga was dug in the ground and filled with water, a priest was brought in to preside and assembled peasants vowed that they would pay only recorded rent but pay it on time, would not leave when ejected, would refuse to do forced labour, would give no help to criminals and abide by the Panchayat decisions, they would not pay the revenue without receipt and would remain united under any circumstance. Small zamindars who were disenchanted with British Government due to heavy land revenue demand were also a part of this movement.

Soon the leadership of Movement changed from Congress to Madari Pasi, This led the movement losing contact with nationalist class. Because in this the national leader was Mahatma Gandhi and his ideology was based on non violence. The loss of supporters and backing of Congress due to the violent turn of the movement made it easier for colonial authorities to repress the movement.

In March 1922, arresting of the leader Madari Pasi by the British government brought the Eka Movement to an end.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* ''India's Struggle for Independence'' by Bipin Chandra, Mridula Mukherjee, Aditya Mukherjee, Suchetha Mahajan, KN Panikkar
* [https://www.ijsr.net/archive/v8i1/ART20194597.pdf Indian National Congress and Eka Movement in Awadh] ISSN: 2319-7064

[[Category: Social movements in India]]
[[Category:Indian independence movement]]
[[Category:Peasant revolts in India]]

Boria (caste)

2026-05-09T15:56:55Z

2409:40E2:2011:89A:8000:0:0:0: .

{{short description|Indian caste}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2019}}
{{ethnic group|
|image = Baurasi Pasi Women.jpg
|caption = A Baurasi woman harvesting radish in northern India
|group = Baurasi/Pasi
|poptime =
|popplace = India
|langs = [[Hindi language|Hindi]]
|rels = [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Shivism]]
|related = [[Pasi (caste)|Pasi]]
}}

The '''Boria''' or '''Baurasi''' also known as [[Pasi (caste)|Pasi]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Kumar Suresh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jHQMAQAAMAAJ&q=borasi+pasi|title=India's Communities: H - M|date=1998|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-563354-2|pages=2796|language=en}}</ref> are a [[Hindu]] [[Caste system in India|caste]] found in [[North India]]. Those in [[Uttar Pradesh]] have [[Other backward class|obc]] status. They are a sub-group of the Pasi community. The sub-group or caste also known as '''Baurasi Pasi'''. The Pasi are classified as Bhar or Bharshiv.

The Pasi community is remembered in many traditions as one of the ancient and historically rooted communities of northern India, especially in the Awadh region. Within community memory, Pasis are often seen as deeply connected to the land, with a heritage tied to courage, resilience, and regional leadership. Many historical evidences and cultural narratives associate them with the Bhar or Bharshiv legacy, reflecting a sense of ancestral pride and historical importance. The community includes several sub-groups such as Gujar, Kaithwas, Rajpasi, Trisulia, Parshuram, and Borasi, many of which have preserved strong martial traditions and warrior identities over generations. Some historical interpretations also link the Pasis to the Bharashiva dynasty, an ancient Naga ruling power that flourished between approximately 140 CE and 345 CE. The Pasi community’s enduring cultural identity remains firmly grounded in stories of valor, self-respect, and a lasting contribution to the broader historical fabric of India.

The Boriya are a sub-group of the [[Pasi (caste)|Pasi]] community. Although of Pasi origin, the two communities are now quite distinct and do not intermarry. They are found mainly in the [[Awadh]] region, mainly in the districts of [[Gonda District|Gonda]], [[Faizabad District|Faizabad]], and [[Barabanki District|Barabanki]]. The Boria speak the [[Awadhi language|Awadhi]] dialect.<ref name=autogenerated1>People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part One edited by A Hasan & J C Das pages 340 to 344 Manohar Publications</ref>

==History==
The Pasi are endogamous and in their native places in [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Bihar]] their sub-groups are also endogamous but here in [[Nagpur]] only three, namely, the Baurasi, Kaithwas, and Gujar sub-groups are found, who have migrated from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Baurasi Pasi are locally known as Bahoriia which is used as their [[surname]]. They are reported to have higher [[social status]] and are economically well off. The other two sub-groups in the social hierarchy are the Kaithwas and the Gujar. They do not have surnames in their native place but they have adopted various surnames such as Baharla, Gujar, etc., which are in fact their sub- caste names. They also have titles like [[Choudhury]]. The sub-castes were endogamous initially, but later on due to non-availability of suitable spouses in their own sub-caste locally and the involvement of big expenditure in bringing a wife from the native place, the three sub-groups have started inter-marrying with each other. They consider themselves to be [[Kshatriyas]] in the [[Varna (Hinduism)|varna]] orders.

==Present circumstances==

The Boria are a strictly [[endogamy|endogamous]] community, and prefer marrying close kin. Most Baria belong to the [[Kabirpanthi]] sect.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

The Boria are mainly a community of landowners and cultivators. They grow wheat and pulses, with animal husbandry being an important secondary occupation. Historically, the community were mainly tenant farmers, working on land owned by Indian society They live in multi-caste and multi-religious villages, but occupy their own quarters. Each of their settlement contains an informal caste council, known as a biradari panchayat. The panchayat acts as an instrument of social control, dealing with issues such as divorce and adultery.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

The [[2011 Census of India]] for Uttar Pradesh showed the Boria population as 4558.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/SC_ST/PCA-A10/SC-0900-PCA-A-10-ddw.xlsx |title= A-10 Individual Scheduled Caste Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix - Uttar Pradesh |publisher=Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=4 February 2017}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boria (Caste)}}
[[Category:Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh]]

Boria (caste)

2026-05-09T15:52:42Z

2409:40E2:2011:89A:8000:0:0:0: .

{{short description|Indian caste}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2019}}
{{ethnic group|
|image = Baurasi Pasi Women.jpg
|caption = A Baurasi woman harvesting radish in northern India
|group = Baurasi/Pasi
|poptime =
|popplace = India
|langs = [[Hindi language|Hindi]]
|rels = [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Shivism]]
|related = [[Pasi (caste)|Pasi]]
}}

The '''Boria''' or '''Baurasi''' also known as [[Pasi (caste)|Pasi]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Kumar Suresh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jHQMAQAAMAAJ&q=borasi+pasi|title=India's Communities: H - M|date=1998|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-563354-2|pages=2796|language=en}}</ref> are a [[Hindu]] [[Caste system in India|caste]] found in [[North India]]. Those in [[Uttar Pradesh]] have [[Other backward class|obc]] status. They are a sub-group of the Pasi community. The sub-group or caste also known as '''Baurasi Pasi'''. The Pasi are classified as Bhar or Bharshiv.

The Pasi community is remembered in many traditions as one of the ancient and historically rooted communities of northern India, especially in the Awadh region. Within community memory, Pasis are often seen as deeply connected to the land, with a heritage tied to courage, resilience, and regional leadership. Many historical evidences and cultural narratives associate them with the Bhar or Bharshiv legacy, reflecting a sense of ancestral pride and historical importance. The community includes several sub-groups such as Gujar, Kaithwas, Rajpasi, Trisulia, Parshuram, and Borasi, many of which have preserved strong martial traditions and warrior identities over generations. Some historical interpretations also link the Pasis to the Bharashiva dynasty, an ancient Naga ruling power that flourished between approximately 140 CE and 345 CE. The Pasi community’s enduring cultural identity remains firmly grounded in stories of valor, self-respect, and a lasting contribution to the broader historical fabric of India.

The Boriya are a sub-group of the [[Pasi (caste)|Pasi]] community. Although of Pasi origin, the two communities are now quite distinct and do not intermarry. They are found mainly in the [[Awadh]] region, mainly in the districts of [[Gonda District|Gonda]], [[Faizabad District|Faizabad]], and [[Barabanki District|Barabanki]]. The Boria speak the [[Awadhi language|Awadhi]] dialect.<ref name=autogenerated1>People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part One edited by A Hasan & J C Das pages 340 to 344 Manohar Publications</ref>

==History==
The Pasi are endogamous and in their native places in [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Bihar]] their sub-groups are also endogamous but here in [[Nagpur]] only three, namely, the Baurasi, Kaithwas, and Gujar sub-groups are found, who have migrated from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Baurasi Pasi are locally known as Bahoriia which is used as their [[surname]]. They are reported to have higher [[social status]] and are economically well off. The other two sub-groups in the social hierarchy are the Kaithwas and the Gujar. They do not have surnames in their native place but they have adopted various surnames such as Baharla, Gujar, etc., which are in fact their sub- caste names. They also have titles like. [[Choudhury]] Vikal, Raahi etc. The sub-castes were endogamous initially, but later on due to non-availability of suitable spouses in their own sub-caste locally and the involvement of big expenditure in bringing a wife from the native place, the three sub-groups have started inter-marrying with each other. They consider themselves to be [[Kshatriyas]] in the [[Varna (Hinduism)|varna]] order but in their native villages they were considered to be [[shudras]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Singh|first1=Kumar Suresh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4bfmnmsBfQ4C&q=Baurasi&pg=PA1685|title=Maharashtra|last2=Bhanu|first2=B. V.|last3=India|first3=Anthropological Survey of|date=2004|publisher=Popular Prakashan|isbn=978-81-7991-102-0|page=1685|language=en}}</ref>

==Present circumstances==

The Boria are a strictly [[endogamy|endogamous]] community, and prefer marrying close kin. Most Baria belong to the [[Kabirpanthi]] sect.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

The Boria are mainly a community of landowners and cultivators. They grow wheat and pulses, with animal husbandry being an important secondary occupation. Historically, the community were mainly tenant farmers, working on land owned by Indian society They live in multi-caste and multi-religious villages, but occupy their own quarters. Each of their settlement contains an informal caste council, known as a biradari panchayat. The panchayat acts as an instrument of social control, dealing with issues such as divorce and adultery.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

The [[2011 Census of India]] for Uttar Pradesh showed the Boria population as 4558.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/SC_ST/PCA-A10/SC-0900-PCA-A-10-ddw.xlsx |title= A-10 Individual Scheduled Caste Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix - Uttar Pradesh |publisher=Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=4 February 2017}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boria (Caste)}}
[[Category:Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh]]

Pasi (caste)

2026-05-09T04:08:40Z

2409:40E2:2011:89A:8000:0:0:0:

{{short description|Dalit community of India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2019}}

{{Infobox_caste
|caste_name = Pasi
|image = Pasees Low caste Hindoos in Oude 1868 The People of India, a series of photographic illustrations.jpg
|alt = Pasis Group in 1868
|caption = Pasis Group in 1868
|poptime =
|populated_states = [[Bihar]], [[Uttar Pradesh]]
|languages = [[Hindi]]
|rels =
|related = Bharshiv
}}
The '''Pasi''' (also spelled Passi) is a Bharshiv Nagavanshi community of India.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Peasant Revolt and Indian Nationalism: The Peasant Movement in Awadh, 1919-1922 |first=Gyan |last=Pandey |title=Selected Subaltern Studies |editor1-first=Ranajit |editor1-last=Guha |editor2-first=Gayatri Chakravorty |editor2-last=Spivak |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-19505-289-3 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JEjsQbxIOC0C&pg=PA274 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=274}}</ref><ref name=Rawat>{{cite book |title=Reconsidering Untouchability: Chamars and Dalit History in North India |first=Ramnarayan S. |last=Rawat |author-link=Ram Narayan Rawat |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-25322-262-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bz5dKC81O3IC&pg=PA12 |publisher=Indiana University Press |pages=12–15}}</ref> Pasi refers to tapping [[Palm toddy|toddy]], a traditional occupation of the Pasi community.<ref name="Badri Narayan ">{{cite book|author=Badri Narayan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iAQrpDW4-_YC&pg=PA136|title=Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India: Culture, Identity and Politics|publisher=SAGE|year= 2012|isbn=9780761935377|page=136}}</ref> The Pasi are divided into Gujjar, Kaithwas, Trisulia and [[Boria (caste)|Boria]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Kumar Suresh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jHQMAQAAMAAJ&q=rajpasi+borasi|title=India's Communities: H - M|date=1998|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-563354-2|pages=2796|language=en}}</ref> They are classified as an [[Other Backward Class]] in [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Telangana]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/User_Panel/GazetteResolution.aspx?Value=mPICjsL1aLvYBtdZSrP4uO+ploAhiJHMALWmHIwbzS8Il37YLL3Fb0FHfWDHzP7c|access-date=2020-09-07|website=www.ncbc.nic.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/User_Panel/GazetteResolution.aspx?Value=mPICjsL1aLvZW9/wXcIbxcNal/TghxZUuV7adcx5Bs1cEGdzKqq0GufcXEZAUTq0|access-date=2020-09-07|website=www.ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> They live in the northern Indian states of [[Bihar]] and [[Uttar Pradesh]].The Pasi are also known as Bhar or Bharshiv nagavanshi.

The Pasi community of Awadh (Oudh) has a long and significant historical presence, with many traditions, local histories, and colonial records suggesting that Pasi chiefs once controlled important parts of the region, especially in areas around present-day Lucknow, Unnao, Hardoi, Sitapur, and Raebareli. Raja Bijli Pasi is one of the most prominent figures in this legacy, remembered as a powerful ruler associated with ancient Lucknow and several forts. Many Pasis, particularly Rajpasi traditions, identify themselves as descendants of the Bharshiv Nagvanshi lineage, connecting their ancestry to ancient Naga warrior dynasties, though these claims are rooted more in community history and identity than universally confirmed academic consensus. Historically, Pasis were known for their martial strength, landholding power, and resistance movements, making them one of the major indigenous communities of Awadh. Their influence was substantial, especially before later political powers became dominant, and their contributions to regional history remain deeply important. While describing them as the single most powerful caste of all Awadh. They were undeniably a major warrior and ruling force in parts of the region with a proud historical legacy.

==Etymology==
According to [[William Crooke]], the word ''Pashi'' derives from the [[Sanskrit]] word ''Pashika'', a noose used by Pasis to climb and tap [[Palm toddy|toddy]], a drink obtained from palm tree. The tapping of toddy is the original occupation of the Pasi community. However, just like other aspirational caste groups of India, Pasis have a [[myth of origin]]. They claim that they originate from the sweat of [[Parashurama|Parshuram]], an incarnation of [[Vishnu]]. They claim support for this in the word ''sweat'' being derived from the [[Hindi]] word ''Pasina'' and it further paves the way for their claim of "[[Kshatriya]]tva".<ref name="Badri Narayan ">{{cite book|author=Badri Narayan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iAQrpDW4-_YC&pg=PA136|title=Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India: Culture, Identity and Politics|publisher=SAGE|year= 2012|isbn=9780761935377|page=136}}</ref>

==Population==
The Pasi live mainly in the northern Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, were their traditional occupation was that of rearing pigs.<ref>{{cite book |title=Hindi Dalit Literature and the Politics of Representation |first=Sarah Beth |last=Hunt |pages=8, 23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HHc9BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA23 |publisher=Routledge |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-31755-952-8}}</ref> The Pasis of most of the north Indian states have been classified as [[Scheduled Caste]]s by the Government of India.<ref name="Badri Narayan "/>
In the 2001 Indian census, the Pasi were recorded as being second-largest Dalit group in Uttar Pradesh. At the time, they constituted 16 per cent of the Dalit population of the state and mostly inhabited the Awadh region.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Vij |first=Shivam |date=8 May 2010 |title=Can the Congress Win Over UP's Dalits? |journal=Economic and Political Weekly}}</ref> The [[2011 Census of India]] for the state recorded their population as 6,522,166. This figure includes the Tarmali.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/SC_ST/PCA-A10/SC-0900-PCA-A-10-ddw.xlsx |title= A-10 Individual Scheduled Caste Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix - Uttar Pradesh |publisher=Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=2017-02-04}}</ref>

== History ==
[[Ramnarayan Rawat]] states that the role of the Pasi (and other untouchable) communities in the [[Kisan Sabha (1919-1922)|Kisan Sabha movement]] has been understated by earlier historians. He writes that earlier scholarship held Pasi involvement to be minimal, late-arriving, and more inclined towards criminality and rioting than political activism.<ref name="Rawat" /> He notes that the involvement of Pasi and [[Chamar]]s was significant from the outset. According to him, the Pasi, being land owners, had the same concerns as other Savarna groups, rather than being the 'alienated' pig-rearers they had sometimes been characterised as.<ref name="Rawat" /> [[Chandra Bhan Prasad]], a political commentator, has said that those who continued pig-rearing were ill-treated by socio-political activists, who blamed the occupation in large part for their untouchable status rather than the Brahminism.<ref name="Prasad 2011 161–162">{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lXyWE6KbG8oC&pg=PA161|title=Caste in Life: Experiencing Inequalities|last=Prasad|first=Chandra Bhan|publisher=Pearson Education India|year=2011|isbn=978-8-13175-439-9|editor1-last=Babu|editor1-first=D. Shyam|pages=161–162|chapter=My Experiments with Hunting Rats|author-link=Chandra Bhan Prasad|editor2-last=Khare|editor2-first=Ravindra S.}}</ref>

The Pasi have in recent times engaged in [[invention of tradition]]. Badri Narayan, a social historian and cultural anthropologist, says that {{quote|Sources of vision and contemplation are absent without literature. This feeling, along with the growing urge to construct an assertive identity and the sense of being deprived of history, led the Pasi community towards the invention of heroes, histories and myths and their documentation in the print medium.<ref>{{cite book |title=Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India: Culture, Identity and Politics |first=Badri |last=Narayan |publisher=SAGE Publications India |year=2006 |isbn=978-8-13210-280-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7feHAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA140 |page=140}}</ref>}}Of late,{{when|date=December 2020}} [[Hindu nationalism|Hindu Nationalists]] ([[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] and affiliates) have been trying to appropriate different folk-heroes of the Pasi caste as Hindu icons to mobilize the electoral prospects of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MQJNDwAAQBAJ|title=Fascinating Hindutva: Saffron Politics and Dalit Mobilisation|last=Narayan|first=Badri|date=2009-01-14|publisher=SAGE Publishing India|isbn=978-93-5280-135-0|pages=65–72|language=en}}</ref> Hindu nationalists have supported claims that there was a Pasi kingdom that ruled what is now Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the 11th and 12th century. The rulers of this claimed state include [[Bijli Pasi]].<ref name="Dalit Assertion">{{cite book|author=Badri Narayan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iAQrpDW4-_YC&pg=PA72|title=Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India: Culture, Identity and Politics|publisher=SAGE|year= 2012|isbn=9780761935377|page=72}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
{{See also|Pasi (surname)|Passi (surname)}}
*[[Bijli Pasi]], a king from the Pasi community.
*[[Madari Pasi]] was a leader of the militant peasant [[Eka Movement]].

==See also==
*[[Nadar (caste)|Nadar]]
*[[Saroj (surname)]]
*[[Sanskritisation]]
*[[Turuk Pasi]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |title=Fascinating Hindutva: Saffron Politics and Dalit Mobilisation |first=Badri |last=Narayan |publisher=SAGE Publications |year=2009 |isbn=978-8-17829-906-8}}
*{{cite book |chapter=Dalit mobilisation and nationalist past |first=Badri |last=Narayan |title=Caste in Question: Identity or Hierarchy? |editor-first=Dipankar |editor-last=Gupta |publisher=SAGE Publications |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-76193-324-3}}
*{{cite journal |journal=Contributions to Indian Sociology |doi=10.1177/006996670403800108 |year=2004 |volume=38 |issue=193 |first=Badri |last=Narayan |title=Inventing caste history: Dalit mobilisation and nationalist past|pages=193–220 |s2cid=145740670 }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pasi (Caste)}}
[[Category:Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Scheduled Castes of Bihar]]
[[Category:Shudra castes]]

Pasi (caste)

2026-05-09T04:00:49Z

2409:40E2:2011:89A:8000:0:0:0: Remove false information

{{short description|Dalit community of India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2019}}

{{Infobox_caste
|caste_name = Pasi
|image = Pasees Low caste Hindoos in Oude 1868 The People of India, a series of photographic illustrations.jpg
|alt = Pasis Group in 1868
|caption = Pasis Group in 1868
|poptime =
|populated_states = [[Bihar]], [[Uttar Pradesh]]
|languages = [[Hindi]]
|rels =
|related = Bharshiv
}}
The '''Pasi''' (also spelled Passi) is a Bharshiv Nagavanshi community of India.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Peasant Revolt and Indian Nationalism: The Peasant Movement in Awadh, 1919-1922 |first=Gyan |last=Pandey |title=Selected Subaltern Studies |editor1-first=Ranajit |editor1-last=Guha |editor2-first=Gayatri Chakravorty |editor2-last=Spivak |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-19505-289-3 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JEjsQbxIOC0C&pg=PA274 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=274}}</ref><ref name=Rawat>{{cite book |title=Reconsidering Untouchability: Chamars and Dalit History in North India |first=Ramnarayan S. |last=Rawat |author-link=Ram Narayan Rawat |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-25322-262-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bz5dKC81O3IC&pg=PA12 |publisher=Indiana University Press |pages=12–15}}</ref> Pasi refers to tapping [[Palm toddy|toddy]], a traditional occupation of the Pasi community.<ref name="Badri Narayan ">{{cite book|author=Badri Narayan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iAQrpDW4-_YC&pg=PA136|title=Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India: Culture, Identity and Politics|publisher=SAGE|year= 2012|isbn=9780761935377|page=136}}</ref> The Pasi are divided into Gujjar, Kaithwas, Trisulia and [[Boria (caste)|Boria]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Kumar Suresh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jHQMAQAAMAAJ&q=rajpasi+borasi|title=India's Communities: H - M|date=1998|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-563354-2|pages=2796|language=en}}</ref> They are classified as an [[Other Backward Class]] in [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Telangana]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/User_Panel/GazetteResolution.aspx?Value=mPICjsL1aLvYBtdZSrP4uO+ploAhiJHMALWmHIwbzS8Il37YLL3Fb0FHfWDHzP7c|access-date=2020-09-07|website=www.ncbc.nic.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=National Commission for Backward Classes|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/User_Panel/GazetteResolution.aspx?Value=mPICjsL1aLvZW9/wXcIbxcNal/TghxZUuV7adcx5Bs1cEGdzKqq0GufcXEZAUTq0|access-date=2020-09-07|website=www.ncbc.nic.in}}</ref> They live in the northern Indian states of [[Bihar]] and [[Uttar Pradesh]].The Pasi are also known as Bhar or Bharshiv nagavanshi.

The Pasi community of Awadh (Oudh) has a long and significant historical presence, with many traditions, local histories, and colonial records suggesting that Pasi chiefs once controlled important parts of the region, especially in areas around present-day Lucknow, Unnao, Hardoi, Sitapur, and Raebareli. Raja Bijli Pasi is one of the most prominent figures in this legacy, remembered as a powerful ruler associated with ancient Lucknow and several forts. Many Pasis, particularly Rajpasi traditions, identify themselves as descendants of the Bharshiv Nagvanshi lineage, connecting their ancestry to ancient Naga warrior dynasties, though these claims are rooted more in community history and identity than universally confirmed academic consensus. Historically, Pasis were known for their martial strength, landholding power, and resistance movements, making them one of the major indigenous communities of Awadh. Their influence was substantial, especially before later political powers became dominant, and their contributions to regional history remain deeply important. While describing them as the single most powerful caste of all Awadh may be an overstatement, they were undeniably a major warrior and ruling force in parts of the region with a proud historical legacy.

==Etymology==
According to [[William Crooke]], the word ''Pashi'' derives from the [[Sanskrit]] word ''Pashika'', a noose used by Pasis to climb and tap [[Palm toddy|toddy]], a drink obtained from palm tree. The tapping of toddy is the original occupation of the Pasi community. However, just like other aspirational caste groups of India, Pasis have a [[myth of origin]]. They claim that they originate from the sweat of [[Parashurama|Parshuram]], an incarnation of [[Vishnu]]. They claim support for this in the word ''sweat'' being derived from the [[Hindi]] word ''Pasina'' and it further paves the way for their claim of "[[Kshatriya]]tva".<ref name="Badri Narayan ">{{cite book|author=Badri Narayan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iAQrpDW4-_YC&pg=PA136|title=Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India: Culture, Identity and Politics|publisher=SAGE|year= 2012|isbn=9780761935377|page=136}}</ref>

==Population==
The Pasi live mainly in the northern Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, were their traditional occupation was that of rearing pigs.<ref>{{cite book |title=Hindi Dalit Literature and the Politics of Representation |first=Sarah Beth |last=Hunt |pages=8, 23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HHc9BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA23 |publisher=Routledge |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-31755-952-8}}</ref> The Pasis of most of the north Indian states have been classified as [[Scheduled Caste]]s by the Government of India.<ref name="Badri Narayan "/>
In the 2001 Indian census, the Pasi were recorded as being second-largest Dalit group in Uttar Pradesh. At the time, they constituted 16 per cent of the Dalit population of the state and mostly inhabited the Awadh region.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Vij |first=Shivam |date=8 May 2010 |title=Can the Congress Win Over UP's Dalits? |journal=Economic and Political Weekly}}</ref> The [[2011 Census of India]] for the state recorded their population as 6,522,166. This figure includes the Tarmali.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/SC_ST/PCA-A10/SC-0900-PCA-A-10-ddw.xlsx |title= A-10 Individual Scheduled Caste Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix - Uttar Pradesh |publisher=Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=2017-02-04}}</ref>

== History ==
[[Ramnarayan Rawat]] states that the role of the Pasi (and other untouchable) communities in the [[Kisan Sabha (1919-1922)|Kisan Sabha movement]] has been understated by earlier historians. He writes that earlier scholarship held Pasi involvement to be minimal, late-arriving, and more inclined towards criminality and rioting than political activism.<ref name="Rawat" /> He notes that the involvement of Pasi and [[Chamar]]s was significant from the outset. According to him, the Pasi, being land owners, had the same concerns as other Savarna groups, rather than being the 'alienated' pig-rearers they had sometimes been characterised as.<ref name="Rawat" /> [[Chandra Bhan Prasad]], a political commentator, has said that those who continued pig-rearing were ill-treated by socio-political activists, who blamed the occupation in large part for their untouchable status rather than the Brahminism.<ref name="Prasad 2011 161–162">{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lXyWE6KbG8oC&pg=PA161|title=Caste in Life: Experiencing Inequalities|last=Prasad|first=Chandra Bhan|publisher=Pearson Education India|year=2011|isbn=978-8-13175-439-9|editor1-last=Babu|editor1-first=D. Shyam|pages=161–162|chapter=My Experiments with Hunting Rats|author-link=Chandra Bhan Prasad|editor2-last=Khare|editor2-first=Ravindra S.}}</ref>

The Pasi have in recent times engaged in [[invention of tradition]]. Badri Narayan, a social historian and cultural anthropologist, says that {{quote|Sources of vision and contemplation are absent without literature. This feeling, along with the growing urge to construct an assertive identity and the sense of being deprived of history, led the Pasi community towards the invention of heroes, histories and myths and their documentation in the print medium.<ref>{{cite book |title=Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India: Culture, Identity and Politics |first=Badri |last=Narayan |publisher=SAGE Publications India |year=2006 |isbn=978-8-13210-280-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7feHAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA140 |page=140}}</ref>}}Of late,{{when|date=December 2020}} [[Hindu nationalism|Hindu Nationalists]] ([[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] and affiliates) have been trying to appropriate different folk-heroes of the Pasi caste as Hindu icons to mobilize the electoral prospects of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MQJNDwAAQBAJ|title=Fascinating Hindutva: Saffron Politics and Dalit Mobilisation|last=Narayan|first=Badri|date=2009-01-14|publisher=SAGE Publishing India|isbn=978-93-5280-135-0|pages=65–72|language=en}}</ref> Hindu nationalists have supported claims that there was a Pasi kingdom that ruled what is now Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the 11th and 12th century. The rulers of this claimed state include [[Bijli Pasi]].<ref name="Dalit Assertion">{{cite book|author=Badri Narayan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iAQrpDW4-_YC&pg=PA72|title=Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India: Culture, Identity and Politics|publisher=SAGE|year= 2012|isbn=9780761935377|page=72}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
{{See also|Pasi (surname)|Passi (surname)}}
*[[Bijli Pasi]], a king from the Pasi community.
*[[Madari Pasi]] was a leader of the militant peasant [[Eka Movement]].

==See also==
*[[Nadar (caste)|Nadar]]
*[[Saroj (surname)]]
*[[Sanskritisation]]
*[[Turuk Pasi]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |title=Fascinating Hindutva: Saffron Politics and Dalit Mobilisation |first=Badri |last=Narayan |publisher=SAGE Publications |year=2009 |isbn=978-8-17829-906-8}}
*{{cite book |chapter=Dalit mobilisation and nationalist past |first=Badri |last=Narayan |title=Caste in Question: Identity or Hierarchy? |editor-first=Dipankar |editor-last=Gupta |publisher=SAGE Publications |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-76193-324-3}}
*{{cite journal |journal=Contributions to Indian Sociology |doi=10.1177/006996670403800108 |year=2004 |volume=38 |issue=193 |first=Badri |last=Narayan |title=Inventing caste history: Dalit mobilisation and nationalist past|pages=193–220 |s2cid=145740670 }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pasi (Caste)}}
[[Category:Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Scheduled Castes of Bihar]]
[[Category:Shudra castes]]