Khandayat (caste)

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Khandayat or Khandait is a Martial caste from Odisha, East india.[1][2][3][4][5] They were feudal chiefs, military generals, zamindars, large land holders and agriculturalists.[6][7][8][9] Numerically they are the largest caste of the state.[10]

Khandayat
ReligionsHinduism
LanguagesOdia
Populated statesOdisha

Etymology[edit]

The name Khandayat is originated from the word "Khanda" which means Sword and khandayat means sword wielding.[11][12]

History[edit]

Traditionally, they are quasi-martial caste who claim themselves to be of Kshatriya status, but they were considered by the Brahmins and others to be in the Shudra varna category[13][full citation needed] due to the majority of Khandayats being peasants. Pradhan also attributes this to Brahmin patronage of Rajputs, who also claimed to be of Kshatriya status.[14][clarification needed] Communities such as Adivasis, Bhuyans, Chasas, and Agharias started identifying as Khandayats in order to gain status, distance themselves from their original castes/communities, and exploit Zamindar land rights.[15]

References[edit]

  1. Behuria, N. C. (1990). Orissa State Gazetteer. Gazetteers Unit, Department of Revenue, Government of Orissa.
  2. Behura, Nab Kishore; Mohanty, Ramesh P. (2005). Family Welfare in India: A Cross-cultural Study. Discovery Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-7141-920-3.
  3. Patnaik, Nihar Ranjan (1997). Economic History of Orissa. Indus Publishing. ISBN 978-81-7387-075-0.
  4. Pati, Rabindra Nath (2008). Family Planning. APH Publishing. ISBN 978-81-313-0352-8.
  5. Regional Development Dialogue. United Nations Centre for Regional Development. 2009.
  6. Bhola, Sudhira Chandra (1990). British Economic Policy in Orissa. Discovery Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-7141-075-0.
  7. Samal, J. K. (1990). Economic History of Orissa, 1866-1912. Mittal Publications. ISBN 978-81-7099-218-9.
  8. Ernst, Waltraud; Pati, Biswamoy (18 October 2007). India's Princely States: People, Princes and Colonialism. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-11988-2.
  9. Bailey, Frederick George (1970). Politics and Social Change. University of California Press. p. 132.
  10. Punjab Journal of Politics. Department of Political Science, Guru Nanak Dev University. 1986.
  11. Ghosh, G. K. (2000). Legends of Origin of the Castes and Tribes of Eastern India. Firma KLM. ISBN 978-81-7102-046-1.
  12. Pati, Biswamoy (2003). Identity, Hegemony, Resistance: Towards a Social History of Conversions in Orissa, 1800-2000. Three Essays Collective. ISBN 978-81-88789-04-7.
  13. Indian History Congress (1997). Proceedings. Indian History Congress.
  14. Pradhan, Prasanta Kumar (1996). "Story of the Peasant Militias or the Khandayats or Orissa: A Socio-Historical Approach". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 57: 752–745 – via JSTOR.
  15. Ernst, Waltraun; Pati, Biswamoy (2007). India's Princely States: People, Princes and Colonialism. ISBN 9781134119882. Retrieved 13 September 2016.

Further reading[edit]

Template:Ethnic groups and Communities of Odisha