Saini

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This article is about the Saini community of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh and Delhi. For the Mali community who were not recorded as Saini prior to 1937, see Mali caste and Rajput Mali. For the Bhagrathi or Gola community of Western Uttar Pradesh, see Bhagirathi Mali.
Not to be confused with Siani or Sinai.


Saini
CountryPrimarily India
Populated statesPunjab, India, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Chandigarh and Delhi

Saini (About this soundpronunciation (help·info)) is a caste of North India who were traditionally landowners (zamindars) and farmers. Sainis claim to be descendants of a king, Shurasena, as well as of Krishna and Porus, and to be related to the ancient Shoorsaini clan,[1] noted in Puranic literature. The Saini community is given representation in government jobs and educational institutes as an Other Backward Class (OBC)[2] in the states of Uttar Pradesh,[3] Punjab,[4] Haryana,[5] Rajasthan[6] and Madhya Pradesh.[7]

As both a statutory agricultural tribe and a designated martial race during the British Raj era that followed the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Sainis had been chiefly engaged in both agriculture and military service. Since the independence of India, they have diversified into white-collar professions.[8]

Sainis profess in both Hinduism and Sikhism. They have a national organisation called Saini Rajput Mahasabha located in Delhi, established in 1920.[9]

History[edit]

Mythology[edit]

The Sainis of Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts claim to be the descendants of the Rajputs of the Yaduvanshi or Surasena lineage who ruled these kingdoms, who came to these areas to avoid forced conversion to Islam.[10]

Academic[edit]

Gahlot and Banshidhar indicate some commonality in origin with Rajput Malis of Rajputana, who also claim to be of Rajput descent.[11]

British era[edit]

During the British period Sainis were classified as both a statutory agricultural tribe and, later, a martial race.[12] The latter was an administrative device based on the now-discredited theories of scientific racism: ethnic communities were categorised as being either martial or non-martial, with the latter being those who were thought to be unfit to serve in armies due to their sedentary lifestyles.[13][14] The community was also one of several peasant peoples who benefitted from the development of the Punjab Canal Colonies, through which they obtained land grants from the British authorities, especially in the Chenab Colony following the introduction of the Punjab Land Alienation Act, 1900.[15]

Some Saini landlords were also appointed as zaildars, or revenue-collectors, in various districts.[16]

Marriage[edit]

According to the Anthropological Survey of India, "The Saini are endogamous community and observe exogamy at village and gotra level." Remarriage after the death of a spouse is permitted nowadays, as is divorce.[17]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ "The Sainis believe that their ancestors were Yadavas and that it was the same lineage in which Krishna was born. In the 43rd generation of the Yadavas there was a king known as Shoor or Sur, the son of King Vidaratha....It was in the name of these, father and son, that the community was known as Shoorsaini or Sursaini." People of India: Haryana, p 430, Kumar Suresh Singh, Madan Lal Sharma, A. K. Bhatia, Anthropological Survey of India, Published by Published on behalf of Anthropological Survey of India by Manohar Publishers, 1994
  2. ↑ "CENTRAL LIST OF OTHER BACKWARD CLASSES" (PDF). CHANDIGARH ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 November 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  3. ↑ "17 Most Backward Castes May Play Kingmaker as Purvanchal Gears Up to Vote in Final Phase". News18. 15 May 2019. Archived from the original on 20 May 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  4. ↑ "Saini, Swarnkar/Sunar communities to be backward classes in Punjab". The Indian Express. 10 September 2016. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  5. ↑ "Haryana government adds Kushwaha, Keori, Maurya castes to BC list". The Economic Times. 5 November 2013. Archived from the original on 13 December 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  6. ↑ "Rajasthan assembly polls 2018: RSS stronghold, Anta, has been electing influential leaders". Hindustan Times. 11 September 2018. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  7. ↑ N, TN (11 September 2014). "Shubha Mudgal: Commission starts hearing on inclusion of OBCs from Madhya Pradesh". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  8. ↑ "The members of Saini community are employed in business and white-collar jobs and as teachers, administrators, lawyers, doctors and defence personnel." People of India, National Series Volume VI, India's Communities N-Z, p 3091, KS Singh, Anthropological Survey of India, Oxford University Press, 1998
  9. ↑ People of India: Haryana, p 437, Kumar Suresh Singh, Madan Lal Sharma, A. K. Bhatia, Anthropological Survey of India, Published by Published on behalf of Anthropological Survey of India by Manohar Publishers, 1994
  10. ↑ "Surasena refers to an ancient region named after a Jadu raja who is believed to have lived before Krishna. Bayana (near Mathura) from where the Jadus ruled ..." Against History, Against State: Counterperspectives from the Margins, p 54, Shail Mayaram, published by Permanent Black, 2004
  11. ↑ Gahlot, Sukhvir Singh; Dhar, Banshi (1989). Castes and Tribes of Rajasthan. Jain Brothers. p. 108. ISBN 9788185287003. In the Punjab in the sub-mountainous region the community came to be known as 'Saini'. It maintained its Rajput character despite migration. In other parts, it came to be called by the name of "Kshatriya-Mali" (Rajput Mali)
  12. ↑ Mazumder, Rajit K. (2003). The Indian army and the making of Punjab. Orient Blackswan. pp. 99, 105, 205. ISBN 978-81-7824-059-6.
  13. ↑ Rand, Gavin (March 2006). "Martial Races and Imperial Subjects: Violence and Governance in Colonial India 1857–1914". European Review of History. Routledge. 13 (1): 1–20. doi:10.1080/13507480600586726. S2CID 144987021.
  14. ↑ Streets, Heather (2004). Martial Races: The military, race and masculinity in British Imperial Culture, 1857-1914. Manchester University Press. p. 241. ISBN 978-0-7190-6962-8.
  15. ↑ Ali, Imran (2014) [1988]. The Punjab Under Imperialism, 1885-1947. Princeton University Press. pp. 51, 56, 64, 73. ISBN 978-1-40085-958-0. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  16. ↑ History of Hisar: From Inception to Independence, 1935–1947, p 312, M. M. Juneja, Published by Modern Book Co., 1989
  17. ↑ People of India, National Series Volume VI, India's Communities N-Z, p 3090, KS Singh, Anthropological Survey of India, Oxford University Press, 1998

External links[edit]

Template:Ethnic groups, tribes and clans of the Punjab

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