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Tili is a distinguished Bengali Hindu twice-born, upper-caste community, recognized as an advanced '''Indo-Alpine,''' landowning-cum-mercantile group originating from [[Bardhaman district|Bardhaman]].<ref>{{Cite book |last= |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.265320/page/n1/mode/2up |title=Bardhaman Charcha |date=1989 |page=43}}</ref> Tilis are predominantly situated in the | Tili is a distinguished Bengali Hindu twice-born, upper-caste community, recognized as an advanced '''Indo-Alpine,''' landowning-cum-mercantile group originating from [[Bardhaman district|Bardhaman]].<ref>{{Cite book |last= |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.265320/page/n1/mode/2up |title=Bardhaman Charcha |date=1989 |page=43}}</ref> Tilis are predominantly situated in the Rarh region of [[West Bengal]] and parts of [[Bihar]], India.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Kāmilyā |first=Mihira Caudhurī |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/R%C4%81%E1%B9%9Bhera_janaj%C4%81ti_o_lokasa%E1%B9%83skr%CC%A5ti/nnNMAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF |title=Rāṛhera janajāti o lokasaṃskr̥ti |date=2006 |publisher=Uccatara Bidyācarcākendra, Bāṃlā Bibhāga, Bardhamāna Biśvabidyālaẏa |pages=60 ,97 |language=bn}}</ref> The Tili community holds a prominent position in trade and regional heritage.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Guha|first=Ayan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m6-SEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Tili%22+caste+bengal&pg=PA127|title=The Curious Trajectory of Caste in West Bengal Politics: Chronicling Continuity and Change|date=2022|publisher=BRILL|pages=124,128|isbn=978-90-04-51456-0 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Gupta|first=Swarupa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b9SwCQAAQBAJ&dq=%22tili%22+caste+bengal+profession&pg=PA177|title=Notions of Nationhood in Bengal: Perspectives on Samaj, c. 1867-1905|date=2009|publisher=BRILL|page=177|isbn=978-90-474-2958-6 |language=en}}</ref> | ||
==History and origin== | ==History and origin== | ||
Members of the Tili community predominantly speak [[Bengali language|Bengali]] and [[Angika]]. Today, they are largely concentrated in the districts of [[Bardhaman|Burdwan]], [[Bankura]], [[Hooghly district|Hooghly]], and [[Midnapore]] in West Bengal, along with [[Bhagalpur district|Bhagalpur]] and | Members of the Tili community predominantly speak [[Bengali language|Bengali]] and [[Angika]]. Today, they are largely concentrated in the districts of [[Bardhaman|Burdwan]], [[Bankura]], [[Hooghly district|Hooghly]], and [[Midnapore]] in West Bengal, along with [[Bhagalpur district|Bhagalpur]] and Banka in Bihar.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Kāmilyā |first=Mihira Caudhurī |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/_/nnNMAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF |title=Rāṛhera janajāti o lokasaṃskr̥ti |date=2006 |publisher=Uccatara Bidyācarcākendra, Bāṃlā Bibhāga, Bardhamāna Biśvabidyālaẏa |pages=60,97 |language=bn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Guha |first=Ayan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m6-SEAAAQBAJ |title=The Curious Trajectory of Caste in West Bengal Politics: Chronicling Continuity and Change |date=2022-09-26 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-51456-0 |pages=128–129 |language=en}}</ref> | ||
'''The Tilis are historically regarded as descendants of the Pala dynasty, known for its royal heritage and cultural contributions.<ref name=":0" /> Scholar Harekrishna Mukherjee classified them as a Vanik (merchant) community<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mukhopādhyāẏa |first=Harekrshna |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Gau%E1%B9%9Baba%E1%B9%85ga_sa%E1%B9%83skr%CC%A5ti/mLUsAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF+%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF&dq=%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF+%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF&printsec=frontcover |title=Gauṛabaṅga-saṃskr̥ti |date=1972 |publisher=Jijñāsā |page=2 |language=bn}}</ref>, highlighting their traditional involvement in trade and commerce. Additionally, Dharmananda Mahabharati confirmed their Vaishya (merchant) status, dispelling the false misconception that the Tili community belongs to the Nabasakha caste.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Caudhurī |first=Acyutacaraṇa |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/%C5%9Ar%C4%ABha%E1%B9%AD%E1%B9%ADera_itibr%CC%A5tta_P%C5%ABrb%C4%81%E1%B9%83%C5%9B/BOlAAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF |title=Śrīhaṭṭera itibr̥tta: Pūrbāṃśa |date=2002 |publisher=Ut̲asa Prakāśana |isbn=978-984-8890-00-4 |page=50 |language=bn}}</ref> According to Jumdagni mythology, the Tili community is originally of Kshatriya lineage but has been relegated to a Vaishya status over time.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=NCBC Bihar 1999 Report on the Tili Caste: Historical and Social Insight |url=https://ncbc.nic.in/Writereaddata/AddBH14.pdf}}</ref> Tilis trace their name back to the Sanskrit word ''<nowiki/>'Tula,'<nowiki/>'' which translates to 'Balance' in English.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Kumar Suresh |url=https://books.google.co.in/books?newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&id=qBhWAAAAYAAJ&dq=People+of+India:+West+Bengal,+Volume+43,+Part+2&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=tili |title=People of India: West Bengal |date=1992 |publisher=Anthropological Survey of India |isbn=978-81-7046-300-9 |pages=1244,1245,1249 |language=en}}</ref>''' | '''The Tilis are historically regarded as descendants of the Pala dynasty, known for its royal heritage and cultural contributions.<ref name=":0" /> Scholar Harekrishna Mukherjee classified them as a Vanik (merchant) community<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mukhopādhyāẏa |first=Harekrshna |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Gau%E1%B9%9Baba%E1%B9%85ga_sa%E1%B9%83skr%CC%A5ti/mLUsAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF+%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF&dq=%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF+%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF&printsec=frontcover |title=Gauṛabaṅga-saṃskr̥ti |date=1972 |publisher=Jijñāsā |page=2 |language=bn}}</ref>, highlighting their traditional involvement in trade and commerce. Additionally, Dharmananda Mahabharati confirmed their Vaishya (merchant) status, dispelling the false misconception that the Tili community belongs to the Nabasakha caste.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Caudhurī |first=Acyutacaraṇa |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/%C5%9Ar%C4%ABha%E1%B9%AD%E1%B9%ADera_itibr%CC%A5tta_P%C5%ABrb%C4%81%E1%B9%83%C5%9B/BOlAAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF |title=Śrīhaṭṭera itibr̥tta: Pūrbāṃśa |date=2002 |publisher=Ut̲asa Prakāśana |isbn=978-984-8890-00-4 |page=50 |language=bn}}</ref> According to Jumdagni mythology, the Tili community is originally of Kshatriya lineage but has been relegated to a Vaishya status over time.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=NCBC Bihar 1999 Report on the Tili Caste: Historical and Social Insight |url=https://ncbc.nic.in/Writereaddata/AddBH14.pdf}}</ref> Tilis trace their name back to the Sanskrit word ''<nowiki/>'Tula,'<nowiki/>'' which translates to 'Balance' in English.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Kumar Suresh |url=https://books.google.co.in/books?newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&id=qBhWAAAAYAAJ&dq=People+of+India:+West+Bengal,+Volume+43,+Part+2&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=tili |title=People of India: West Bengal |date=1992 |publisher=Anthropological Survey of India |isbn=978-81-7046-300-9 |pages=1244,1245,1249 |language=en}}</ref>''' | ||
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''Nikhilkanta Roy stated that the Tili and Teli communities are distinct, with the similarity in pronunciation often leading to confusion. He highlighted that the Tili community is of a higher caste than the Teli community. Roy explained that the misinterpretation of these two communities as the same was a result of this pronunciation similarity. He also presented several pieces of evidence to support the distinction between the two groups.''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rāẏa |first=Nikhilanātha |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Mur%C5%9Bid%C4%81b%C4%81da_k%C4%81hin%C4%AB/R5t6nM39QvkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF%20%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF |title=Murśidābāda-kāhinī: aitihāsika citra |date=1978 |publisher=Puthipatra |pages=262 ,263.303 |language=bn}}</ref> | ''Nikhilkanta Roy stated that the Tili and Teli communities are distinct, with the similarity in pronunciation often leading to confusion. He highlighted that the Tili community is of a higher caste than the Teli community. Roy explained that the misinterpretation of these two communities as the same was a result of this pronunciation similarity. He also presented several pieces of evidence to support the distinction between the two groups.''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rāẏa |first=Nikhilanātha |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Mur%C5%9Bid%C4%81b%C4%81da_k%C4%81hin%C4%AB/R5t6nM39QvkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF%20%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF |title=Murśidābāda-kāhinī: aitihāsika citra |date=1978 |publisher=Puthipatra |pages=262 ,263.303 |language=bn}}</ref> | ||
'''In the sixteenth century, the Tilis were primarily engaged in trade, landholding, moneylending, and a form of land-based cultivation where they owned the land but employed farmers and servants for the actual cultivation, as evidenced by historical records and [[Chandimangal|Chandimangalkavya]]. In south-western Bengal, the Tilis appeared to have become traders. In the nineteenth century, the Tilis had become one of the foremost mercantile communities of Bengal. The Rays of | '''In the sixteenth century, the Tilis were primarily engaged in trade, landholding, moneylending, and a form of land-based cultivation where they owned the land but employed farmers and servants for the actual cultivation, as evidenced by historical records and [[Chandimangal|Chandimangalkavya]]. In south-western Bengal, the Tilis appeared to have become traders. In the nineteenth century, the Tilis had become one of the foremost mercantile communities of Bengal. The Rays of Bhagyakul, the Nandis of Kasimbazar (Murshidabad), the Kundu Chowdhuris of Mahiari (Howrah), De Chowdhuris of Ranaghat gained affluence through trade and moneylendling, and became landholders. The Pal Chaudhuris of Ranaghat (Nadia) ran indigo factories. They became a major beneficiary of the economic changes made by the [[British Raj|British government]] and British commercial interests who had converted Bengal into a vast market ready to supply raw materials to England.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bhaumik |first=Sudarshana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bKh4EAAAQBAJ |title=The Changing World of Caste and Hierarchy in Bengal: Depiction from the Mangalkavyas c. 1700–1931 |date=2022-08-26 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-000-64143-1 |pages=197 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sanyal |first=Hitesranjan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ezzuAAAAIAAJ |title=Social Mobility in Bengal |date=1981 |publisher=Papyrus |pages=100–01 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" />''' | ||
''King Bhopal of Ketugram, a notable figure from this community, established the Bahulaxmi Temple, one of the 51 sacred Shakti Peethas believed to be formed from the body parts of Goddess Durga.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mukhopādhyāẏa |first=Harekr̥shña |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/B%C4%81%E1%B9%85g%C4%81l%C4%81ra_K%C4%ABrtana_o_k%C4%ABrtan%C4%AB%E1%BA%8F%C4%81/rPwtAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF+%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF&dq=%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF+%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF&printsec=frontcover |title=Bāṅgālāra Kīrtana o kīrtanīẏā |date=1971 |publisher=Sāhitya Saṃsad |pages=9,10,11 |language=bn}}</ref> A contingent of Maratha invaders, led by Bhaskar Pandit, settled in Itachuna, Hooghly, where they established the Itachuna Rajbari. Over time, they assimilated into the Tili caste, adopting its customs and way of life. Their presence significantly improved the region's socio-economic conditions. In a remarkable act of generosity during the devastating famine of the 1770s, Bhaskar Pandit donated 100,000 maunds of paddy, providing much-needed relief to the local population.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Amiya Kumar Banerji |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.08795/page/696/mode/2up?q=safalya |title=West Bengal District Gazetteers: Hooghly |date=1972 |publisher=Calcutta, West Bengal District Gazetteers |pages=695,696}}</ref>'' | ''King Bhopal of Ketugram, a notable figure from this community, established the Bahulaxmi Temple, one of the 51 sacred Shakti Peethas believed to be formed from the body parts of Goddess Durga.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mukhopādhyāẏa |first=Harekr̥shña |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/B%C4%81%E1%B9%85g%C4%81l%C4%81ra_K%C4%ABrtana_o_k%C4%ABrtan%C4%AB%E1%BA%8F%C4%81/rPwtAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF+%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF&dq=%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF+%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF&printsec=frontcover |title=Bāṅgālāra Kīrtana o kīrtanīẏā |date=1971 |publisher=Sāhitya Saṃsad |pages=9,10,11 |language=bn}}</ref> A contingent of Maratha invaders, led by Bhaskar Pandit, settled in Itachuna, Hooghly, where they established the Itachuna Rajbari. Over time, they assimilated into the Tili caste, adopting its customs and way of life. Their presence significantly improved the region's socio-economic conditions. In a remarkable act of generosity during the devastating famine of the 1770s, Bhaskar Pandit donated 100,000 maunds of paddy, providing much-needed relief to the local population.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Amiya Kumar Banerji |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.08795/page/696/mode/2up?q=safalya |title=West Bengal District Gazetteers: Hooghly |date=1972 |publisher=Calcutta, West Bengal District Gazetteers |pages=695,696}}</ref>'' | ||
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== References == | == References == | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
[[Category:Ethnic groups in India]] | [[Category:Ethnic groups in India]] | ||