Gaur Brahmins

For the Southern Indians caste, see Goud.

Gaur Brahmin

Hemu, a Gaur Brahmin of Bhargav gotra re-imagined in this 1910s bazaar-art poster in very Mughal courtly style, and glorified in Hindi, Persian (from the Akbar-namah), and English, as "the last Hindu emperor of Hindustan", with his genius certified by the Imperial Gazetteer.
Regions with significant populations
Delhi • Rajasthan • Punjab • Haryana • Himachal Pradesh • Western Uttar Pradesh • North India
Languages
Haryanvi • Punjabi • Rajasthani • Pahari • Hindi
Religion
Hinduism • Islam • Sikhism
Related ethnic groups
Brahmins • Pancha Gauda • Haryanvi People • Punjabis • Garha

Gaur Brahmins (spelling variations: Gor or Gour), also Gaud Brahmins, is a landholding class of Brahmin community in India. The Gauda Brahmins are one of the five Pancha Gauda Brahmin communities that lives in the north of the Vindhyas.

Map showing hills and elevated regions of India mostly Gaurs live above of the Vindhya Range which is shown in the map by line in center.

Origins

Gaur Brahmins likely originated from Kurukshetra region. Initially inhabiting tracts of land between the Yamuna and Sutlej rivers. Today they are most numerous in the western half of Northern India, particularly in the states of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan as well as in the western parts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and a significant amount are present in other northern states of India as well.

The Gaurs claim that the other four main divisions of North Indian Brahmins were originally Gaur, and have acquired their present designations of Saraswat Brahmins, Kanyakubja Brahmins, Maithil Brahmins and Utkala Brahmins by immigrating to the provinces where they are now domiciled. In Sir George Campbell's Ethnology of India, it is suggested that Gaurs may have derived their names from the Ghaggar-Hakra River, which, in ancient times, was a tributary of Saraswati and now discharges its waters into the Sutlej near Firozpur.

Description of Brahmins of Kurukshetra area in Manusmriti:

Kurukshetra and the land of Matsyas, Pañcāla and Sursenkas constitutes the land of Brahmin seers which borders on the Brahmavarta. All the people on Earth should learn their respective practices from a Brahmin born in that land.

Classification

Mostly Gaur Brahmins practice agriculture and till their soil with their own hands and do other secular professions there are different sub sections of Gaurs such as Gujjar Gaur, Shri Gaur, Tyagi Gaur , Sanadhya Gaur all of them belong to Gaurs/Adi Gaurs (Adi means "the first one").

Ghaggar-Hakra river bed where Gaur Brahmins originates and they still found in heavy numbers in this area i.e. Karnal Belt

Demographics

File:Brahmin distribution.jpg

A Map Depicting the Distribution and Diversity of Brahmin Communities, with Gaur Brahmins Boldly Standing Out.

Gaurs are mostly concentrated in below states with significant population.

Gaurs concentration in North India

S. No	State	Population
1.	Haryana	10-16%
2.	Delhi (capital of India)	14%
3.	Rajasthan	10-12%
4.	Western Uttar Pradesh	17% (including Tyagi Gaurs)

Social status

In places where Gaur Brahmins reside, Brahmins who are not of the Gaur community are often considered to have an inferior status.

In Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, too, Gaur Brahmins enjoy a higher social status relative to communities such as the Saraswat and Kanyakubja Brahmin.

Military

During British Raj, Brahmins were described as 'the oldest martial community'. Gaur Brahmins were one of the Brahmin sub-castes who were described as "martial race" by British.

Description of Brahmins in British army:

The British army portrayed Brahmins as fighters with excellent physical attributes and a strong sense of pride in their lineage. Their cleanliness, smartness on parade, athletic abilities, expertise in wrestling, and exceptional strength capabilities were highly praised. They were also held in high regard for their courage, having fought alongside the British against the French, helped to crush the Nawab of Oudh, and served with distinction in various wars including those in Mahratta, Nepal, Afghan, and Sikh wars. They formed an integral part of the British Indian Army and proved their mettle repeatedly in battles. If class regiments existed during their time, the prestige of the Rajput and Brahmin sepoy would have been even higher than it already was.

They were mostly composed in below regiments and companies of British Indian Army:

• 1st Brahmans
• 3rd Brahmans
• 9th Bhopal Infantry (which had two companies in 1914 and 1919)

• Pictures related to above listed regiments
• 

  Badge of Bhopal Infantry

• 

  Group photo of Haryanvi Gaur Brahmin soldiers of Haryana in the 9th Bhopal Infantry Regiment at Faizabad on the eve of going to war.

• 

  British and Indian officers of the 1st Brahmans, 1912.

Military spirit

Sikh Author Ajaypal Singh Brar mentions a story of World War-I, he says:

"After losing three of her sons, a Gaur Brahmin woman from Rawalpindi sent her remaining sons to war (WW1)."

Haryana State Gazetteer mentions:

"Given the new circumstances, a significant number of Brahman youths have developed a strong interest in joining the army. As a result, they have become excellent officers who serve their country with distinction. In addition to their military service, many Brahman individuals have pursued careers as advocates, bureaucrats, successful businessmen, and skilled agriculturists."

Society & Culture

Delhi & NCR

In a research on Gaur Brahmins in the National Capital Region/Delhi, involving 506 households using pretested interview schedules (aged between 25 and 70 years), it was discovered that more than 95% of them were literate, with a notably high literacy rate of 97.03%. The primary occupation for most individuals in the community is business. In terms of marital status, approximately 80% of the population is married, with 78.99% being males and 80.48% being females.

Father Monserrate, who visited Delhi in 988/1581 but completed his travel account outside India a decade later in 999/1591, mentioned Brahmins of Delhi in his commendatory :

Delinum [Delhi] is inhabited by substantial and wealthy Brachmanae [Brahmin], and of course by a Mongol garrison. Hence its many private mansions add considerably to the magnificence of the city. For the neighborhood is rich in stone and lime, and the rich men construct for themselves well-built, lofty and handsomely decorated residences ... Time fails me to describe the lovely parks and the many residential districts on both sides of the Jomanis [Yamuna], which passes close to the city on the east. The parks and gardens are filled with a rich profusion of fruit and flowers.

International Association of Hydrological Sciences. Scientific Assembly mentions :

In a typical Delhi village, Jat and Brahmins are the most dominant castes.

Haryana & Rajasthan

Gaur Brahmins, who reside in Rajasthan and Haryana typically do not engage in priestly duties. A majority of them strictly adhere to a vegetarian diet, with wheat and millet as the foundation of their staple foods, supplemented by various pulses and rice, while maize is consumed occasionally. Mustard and Sesame oil are primarily used for cooking. Their diet includes a substantial consumption of fruits and vegetables, as well as milk and dairy products. Smoking habits include beedis, cigarettes, and hookah.

Within the Gaur Brahmin community, distinct exogamous clans exist, and they practice endogamy, avoiding marriage within the mother's clan. Monogamy is the norm in their marriages. Marital symbols include vermilion, bangles (bor), toe rings, and bindis. Widows frequently remarry, and polygamy is permitted under circumstances of infertility or the wife's mental illness. Extended families are prevalent. Women within the community are actively engaged in agricultural work, fetching water, cooking, tending to children, and participating in various household and family management tasks. The cornerstone of their economic resources lies in land, often utilized for share cropping, as agriculture constitutes their primary occupation.

Gaur Brahmins maintain their own institutions and panchayats at village, tehsil, district, and state levels. In terms of religion, they worship Hindu deities such as Hanuman, Shiva, Durga, and Sheetla Mata and partake in celebrations like Holi, Diwali, Dussehra, Sankranti, and Shivratri. They also establish inter-community connections with other groups like Dhobi, Nai, Chamar, Gujjar and Bania. A significant portion of the Gaur Brahmin population is educated and actively involved in politics.

Politics

Due to signification population in Haryana , Delhi , Rajasthan , West UP. Gaur Brahmins are politically strong community in these state and Western UP.

Haryana

GT-Karnal belt is known as the Brahmin belt of Haryana along with other communities most of the time here MP comes from the Brahmin community.

Delhi

Brahmins mostly Gaurs have large population , larger than than the combined population of Jats are Gujjars and they plays a dominant role in politics.

See also

• Gaur Muslims
• List of Gaur Brahmins