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The Batwal are a Hindu caste found in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasathan in India.
History
In the Jammu region, from where the Punjab Batwal claim to have originated, there are a number of traditions as their origin. One traditions refer to the fact that the Batwal were tied to the land by the Dogra landowners, and the word Batt in the Dogri language means someone who is bonded. They were for generations bonded to particular families of Dogras, and were practically serfs. The Batwal are found mainly in Kathua, Jammu and Udhampur, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Batala, Amritsar, Jalandhar, chandigarh, Haryana, Dabwali, Kaithal, Mumbai, Surat and Ahmadabad in Gujrat, Kolkata.
Present Circumstances
Like other neighbouring Hindu communities, the Batwal are striucly exogamous, never marrying within the clan. The major clans include the Basae, a name derived from the Beas River and meaning those settled along the banks of that river, and the Chariya, i.e. those who were inhabitants of Shimla. Other clans include the Sindhi, Sandhu or Sundha, Shinde, Thage, Kaith, Kalanoria, Lahoria, Mandee, Nakhotra, Nandan, Sajotra and Sargotra. Most Batwal in India have been strongly influenced by/and part of the Sindhis, while some Batwals have come under the influence of other Hindu reformists. Like the Punjab Batwal, the Jammu Batwal community also consists of clans. Their main clans are the Nakodar and Kasim. The Batwal shares the customs and traditions of the locally dominant Sindhis ethnic group and speak Punjabi, Sindhi and Dogri languages.
References
- ^ People of India Punjab Volume XXXVII edited by I.J.S Bansal & Swaran Singh page 82 to 89 Manohar Publications
- ^ People of India Jammu and Kashmir Volume XXV edited by K.N Pandita, S.D.S Charak & B.R. Rizvi page 115 to 120 Manohar Publications
| Ethnic groups, social groups and tribes of Jammu and Kashmir | |
|---|---|
| Brahmins | |
| Dalits | |
| Dogras | |
| Gurjars | |
| Jats | |
| Muslims | |
| Others | |