Kalbi

For the grilled Korean dish, see galbi. For the village in Iran, see Kalbi, Iran.

The Kalbi are a Hindu caste found in the state of Rajasthan in India. They are also known as Patel, Chaudhary (Choudhari), and Aanjana.

History and origin

According to some traditions, the term is Kalbi is derived from Kurmi or kunbi, which was corrupted to Kalbi. These Kurmis or kunbis are said to have settled in Mewar in the twelfth century. Other traditions refer to the Kalbi being descendants of Brahmins women of Gujarat, who sought refuge with the Rajputs of Udaipur. .

Present circumstances

The Kalbi (anjana, choudhary) are distributed in Jalor, Pali, Sirohi, Jodhpur, Barmer, Udaipur and Chittorgarh districts. They speak the Marwari dialect of Rajasthani. also in Madhya Pradesh and banaskantha, Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Sabarkantha in Gujarat. Like other North Indian communities, the Kalbi follow gotra exogamy. They have nine gotras, the main ones being the Parmar, Solanki, Sisodia and Chauhan. These gotras are further subdivided in two hundred sub-clans, such as the Odh, Fak, Boka, Kandli, Silan and Kurad.

The traditional occupation is farming, and the Kalbi are a community essentially community of small peasant farmers. They have a traditional caste council, which settles disputes regarding land and matrimonial disputes. The Kalbi are Hindu, and their chief deity is Aanjani Mata, whose shrine is situated at Mount Abu. and Shri Rajaram ji Maharaj, Ashram situated in Shikarpura in Jodhpur District in Rajasthan.

See also

• Anjana Chaudhary
• Chaudhary
• Desai
• Jat
• Kunbi
• Kurmi
• Patidar