Aguri (caste)
Aguri, also known as Ugra Kshatriya, is a agricultural caste or community of Hindus 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]
| Aguri or Ugra Kshatriya | |
|---|---|
| Religions | Hinduism |
| Languages | Bengali |
| Populated states | West Bengal |
History
Aguris are a cultivating and trading caste. According to Santosh Kumar Kundu, they were brought by the ruler of Burdwan from Agra to West Bengal to fight against the British colonists.[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.The Ugra-Kshatriya caste own a relatively greater share of the agricultural land of the village. They claim to be of the Khsatriya caste of Bengal. They are divided into two sub-castes, namely `jana-aguri'and `suta.aguri' in the village, and also into nine lineages which are distinguished by their titles: Datta, Samant, Malla, Sani, Ray, Bara-Ray, Josh,Chota-Samant, and Caudhuri. The lineage of Datta and Samant belong to the sub-caste of jana-aguri, and the others are suta-aguri. Each branch sends a representative to participate in the temple ritual, and occupies an important role in the annual village ritual. Thus, the Ugra-Kshatriya can be considered the dominant caste of the village with respect to population, landholdings, and ritual status.
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.[4]
References
- ↑ 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. 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.
- ↑ 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.