m Reverted edits by 103.135.201.39 (talk) to last revision by [[User:>SunDawn|>SunDawn]] Tag: Rollback |
page updated |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|Bengali Hindu caste in India}} | |||
{{pp-extended|small=yes}} | |||
{{Infobox caste | {{Infobox caste | ||
| caste_name = Aguri | | caste_name = Aguri | ||
| image = Aguri Cultivator.jpg | |||
| caption = Aguri cultivator, from a 1799 collection of etchings | |||
| classification = | | classification = | ||
| family_names = | | family_names = | ||
| Line 7: | Line 11: | ||
| languages = [[Bengali language|Bengali]] | | languages = [[Bengali language|Bengali]] | ||
| religions = [[Hinduism]] | | religions = [[Hinduism]] | ||
}} | |country=[[India]]|state=[[West Bengal]]|caste_name_in_local=Aguri|native_name=Aguri}} | ||
'''Aguri''', also known as '''Ugra Kshatriya''', is a agricultural [[caste]] or community | '''Aguri''' ({{langx|bn|আগুরী}}), also known as '''Ugra Kshatriya''' ({{langx|bn|উগ্র ক্ষত্রিয়}}), is a [[Bengali Hindu]] agricultural [[caste]] or community found in the districts of [[Bardhaman district|Bardhaman]], [[Birbhum district|Birbhum]], [[Hooghly district|Hooghly]], and [[Bankura district|Bankura]] in the state of [[West Bengal]] in India.<ref name="kundu">{{cite book |script-title=bn:বাঙালি হিন্দু জাতি পরিচয় |trans-title=An Introduction of Bengali Hindu Castes |language=bn |last=Kundu |first=Santosh Kumar |year=2008 |publisher=Presidency Library |location=Kolkata |isbn=978-81-89466-13-8 |pages=65–67}}</ref> Aguris are now considered as a middle-caste group and according to [[Gail Omvedt]], constitute "more prosperous owner-peasants" among the peasant communities of [[Bengal]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Omvedt |first=Gail |author-link=Gail Omvedt |title=Land, caste, and politics in Indian states |publisher=Authors Guild Publications |year=1982 |lccn=lc82901477 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eW3aAAAAMAAJ&q=aguri |page=92|isbn=9780836410488 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Chatterjee|first=Partha |title=The Present History of West Bengal: Essays in Political Criticism |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-19-563945-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OjhuAAAAMAAJ&q=aguri |page=78}}</ref> | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
Aguris | After the fall of Gopbhum, Aguris emerged as a dominant caste in Rarh region, especially in the district of Burdwan.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="kundu"/> William Benjamin Oldham, a British civil servant and [[ethnography|ethnographer]] who wrote ''Some Historical and Ethnical Aspects of Burdwan District'' (1891), said that they originated from marriage alliances between the [[Sadgop]] rulers of [[Gopbhum]] and the [[Khatri]] rulers of Burdwan. He based this on the Aguri's own account but McLane believes that Oldham was misled by the Aguri. Citing a 1589 [[Chandimangal|work]] by [[Mukundaram Chakrabarti]], McLane says that the Aguri were present "almost certainly" before the arrival of the Khatris in Burdwan.<ref name="mclane">{{cite book |title=Land and Local Kingship in Eighteenth-Century Bengal |last=McLane |first=John R. |date=25 July 2002 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-52654-8 |page=157 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YH6ijJnUPmcC&pg=PA157}}</ref> | ||
''[[Manusmṛti|Manu]]'', a Hindu religious text, says Ugra (meaning ''aggressive'') was born to a [[Shudra]] girl by a Kshatriya father. This mixed origin meant that the community was considered to have an ambivalent position in the [[Varna (Hinduism)|Hindu varna system]], although by the 1960s they were [[Sanskritisation|claiming to be | Aguris were cultivators and [[jotedar]]s, and were divided into two classes – ''Jana'' and ''Sutto''. The ''Janas'' often demanded that they were Kulins.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Bhaumik |first=Sudarshana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7SX4zgEACAAJ |title=The Changing World of Caste and Hierarchy in Bengal: Depiction from the Mangalkavyas C. 1700-1931 |date=2022 |publisher=Routledge, Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-003-14618-6 |pages=48–49 |language=en}}</ref> | ||
''[[Manusmṛti|Manu]]'', a Hindu religious text, says Ugra (meaning ''aggressive'') was born to a [[Shudra]] girl by a [[Kshatriya]] father. This mixed origin meant that the community was considered to have an ambivalent position in the [[Varna (Hinduism)|Hindu varna system]], although by the 1960s they were [[Sanskritisation|claiming to be Kshatriya]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0yqV1Ux0oGIC&pg=PA453 |title=Society In India |first=A. R. |last=Desai |edition=Reprinted |publisher=Popular Prakashan |year=1975 |isbn=978-8-17154-013-6 |page=453}}</ref> | |||
== Culture == | == Culture == | ||
Around the beginning of the 20th century, the Aguri were among the agricultural communities that still predominantly adhered to the custom of paying a [[bride price]] at the time of marriage, although some more prosperous members among them were already adopting the increasingly common alternative of paying a [[dowry]]. This minority believed that bride price was deprecated by higher castes.<ref>{{cite book |title=Women and Labour in Late Colonial India: The Bengal Jute Industry |first=Samita |last=Sen |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-521-45363-9 |page=85 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gN1dEJuiZ0cC&pg=PA85}}</ref> | Around the beginning of the 20th century, the Aguri were among the agricultural communities that still predominantly adhered to the custom of paying a [[bride price]] at the time of marriage, although some more prosperous members among them were already adopting the increasingly common alternative of paying a [[dowry]]. This minority believed that bride price was deprecated by higher castes.<ref>{{cite book |title=Women and Labour in Late Colonial India: The Bengal Jute Industry |first=Samita |last=Sen |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-521-45363-9 |page=85 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gN1dEJuiZ0cC&pg=PA85}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Bandyopadhyay|first=Sekhar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z2SVIflbyHQC&dq=aguri+caste&pg=PA157|title=Caste, Culture and Hegemony: Social Dominance in Colonial Bengal|date=2004-08-19|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=978-0-7619-9849-5|language=en}}</ref> | ||
== Notable people == | |||
*[[Hare Krishna Konar]], Indian Marxist revolutionary, peasant leader and politician<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Liyiyu |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G-VJEAAAQBAJ |title=Alternatives in Development: Local Politics and NGOs in China and India |last2=Dasgupta |first2=Abhijit |date=2021-10-22 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-981-16-4698-0 |pages=156 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
*[[Benoy Krishna Konar]], Indian Marxist, peasant leader, politician, brother of [[Hare Krishna Konar]] | |||
*[[Dasarathi Tah]], politician and journalist | |||
*[[Shakti Samanta]], Indian film director and producer | |||
*[[Ajit Kumar Panja]], politician | |||
*[[Ranjit Kumar Panja]], politician and brother of [[Ajit Kumar Panja]] | |||
*[[Nikhilananda Sar]], politician | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
Latest revision as of 09:10, 9 November 2025
| Aguri | |
|---|---|
| Aguri | |
 Aguri cultivator, from a 1799 collection of etchings | |
| Religions | Hinduism |
| Languages | Bengali |
| Country | India |
| Original state | West Bengal |
| Populated states | West Bengal |
Aguri (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.), also known as Ugra Kshatriya (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.), is a Bengali Hindu agricultural caste or community found in the districts of Bardhaman, Birbhum, Hooghly, and Bankura in the state of West Bengal in India.[1] Aguris are now considered as a middle-caste group and according to Gail Omvedt, constitute "more prosperous owner-peasants" among the peasant communities of Bengal.[2][3]
History[edit | edit source]
After the fall of Gopbhum, Aguris emerged as a dominant caste in Rarh region, especially in the district of Burdwan.[4][1] William Benjamin Oldham, a British civil servant and ethnographer who wrote Some Historical and Ethnical Aspects of Burdwan District (1891), said that they originated from marriage alliances between the Sadgop rulers of Gopbhum and the Khatri rulers of Burdwan. He based this on the Aguri's own account but McLane believes that Oldham was misled by the Aguri. Citing a 1589 work by Mukundaram Chakrabarti, McLane says that the Aguri were present "almost certainly" before the arrival of the Khatris in Burdwan.[5]
Aguris were cultivators and jotedars, and were divided into two classes – Jana and Sutto. The Janas often demanded that they were Kulins.[4]
Manu, a Hindu religious text, says Ugra (meaning aggressive) was born to a Shudra girl by a Kshatriya father. This mixed origin meant that the community was considered to have an ambivalent position in the Hindu varna system, although by the 1960s they were claiming to be Kshatriya.[6]
Culture[edit | edit source]
Around the beginning of the 20th century, the Aguri were among the agricultural communities that still predominantly adhered to the custom of paying a bride price at the time of marriage, although some more prosperous members among them were already adopting the increasingly common alternative of paying a dowry. This minority believed that bride price was deprecated by higher castes.[7][8]
Notable people[edit | edit source]
- Hare Krishna Konar, Indian Marxist revolutionary, peasant leader and politician[9]
- Benoy Krishna Konar, Indian Marxist, peasant leader, politician, brother of Hare Krishna Konar
- Dasarathi Tah, politician and journalist
- Shakti Samanta, Indian film director and producer
- Ajit Kumar Panja, politician
- Ranjit Kumar Panja, politician and brother of Ajit Kumar Panja
- Nikhilananda Sar, politician
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kundu, Santosh Kumar (2008). বাঙালি হিন্দু জাতি পরিচয় [An Introduction of Bengali Hindu Castes] (in Bengali). Kolkata: Presidency Library. pp. 65–67. ISBN 978-81-89466-13-8.
- ↑ Omvedt, Gail (1982). Land, caste, and politics in Indian states. Authors Guild Publications. p. 92. ISBN 9780836410488. LCCN lc82901477.
- ↑ Chatterjee, Partha (1997). The Present History of West Bengal: Essays in Political Criticism. Oxford University Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-19-563945-2.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bhaumik, Sudarshana (2022). The Changing World of Caste and Hierarchy in Bengal: Depiction from the Mangalkavyas C. 1700-1931. Routledge, Taylor & Francis. pp. 48–49. ISBN 978-1-003-14618-6.
- ↑ McLane, John R. (25 July 2002). Land and Local Kingship in Eighteenth-Century Bengal. Cambridge University Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-521-52654-8.
- ↑ Desai, A. R. (1975). Society In India (Reprinted ed.). Popular Prakashan. p. 453. ISBN 978-8-17154-013-6.
- ↑ Sen, Samita (1999). Women and Labour in Late Colonial India: The Bengal Jute Industry. Cambridge University Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-521-45363-9.
- ↑ Bandyopadhyay, Sekhar (2004-08-19). Caste, Culture and Hegemony: Social Dominance in Colonial Bengal. SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-0-7619-9849-5.
- ↑ Liyiyu; Dasgupta, Abhijit (2021-10-22). Alternatives in Development: Local Politics and NGOs in China and India. Springer Nature. p. 156. ISBN 978-981-16-4698-0.
