Bedia (tribe)
Encyclopedia
The Bedia a community of Bihar, they believe that they originally lived on Mohdipahar and have descended from the union of Vedbansi prince with a Munda girl. The other view is that a section of the Kurmis were outcasts and to be known as the Bedia or Wandering Kurmis.
The Bedia or sometimes pronounced Baidya are a Muslim
community found in eastern India
. They are a community of pastoralists, who traditionally specialized un the castration of cattle. The community speak a number of dialects of Bengali
and use the surnames Chaudhary, Sekh and Mondal.
, the Purnia Division
of Bihar
, Rajshahi District
of Bangladesh
, the Terai
region of Nepal
and southern Bhutan
. In West Bengal
, the Bedia are found mainly in the districts of Murshidabad
, Malda
, South Dinajpur, North Dinajpur and Darjeeling
. In Bihar
, where the community is known as Shershahabadia
, are found mainly in Kishanganj
, Purnea
and Katihar
.
A community of Bihar, they believe that they originally lived on Mohdipahar and have descended from the union of Vedbansi prince with a Munda girl. The other view is that a section of the Kurmis were outcasts and to be known as the Bedia or Wandering Kurmis. Some of them rejoined the Kurmi fold by hosting a fest. The poor could not pay their way back and in course of time emerged as a separate community. They use Mahto as their title. They are non vegetarians and their diet consists of cereals of cereals like rice,maize,mandua,gondli and wheat,and pulses like urad, ghanghra, kurthi and arhar.They use sarguja, keongi and mustard oil for cooking. They drink mahua liquor and rice beer. Men chew tobacco and women smoke a hookah.
. Presently, the bulk of the community remains cultivators, with a smaller numbers employed in the military and police services.
The Bedia are endogamous group, and marriage occurs within close kin. In Bedia society, consanguinal kin are classed into two categories, the bhiad or minimal lineage and khandan or maximal lineage. Marriages are preferred within the bhiad. Bedias of West Bengal
now belong to the Ahle Hadith
sect, which distinguishes from other Bengali Muslim
communities. The Shershahabadia
of Malda
and Bihar
remain Sunni Hanafi
.
Traditionally, each Bedia settlement consists of a paich, or caste
council. These remain informal, and there is no India
-wide formal caste
association. The council consists of a hakim or headman, a jurist or mahat and a dhuli or messenger. All intra-group or inter-religious matters and disputes are settled by the paich.
According to Risley, the Bedia are divided into septs. However, the present survey identified some exogamous clans, namely Phecha, Kachhua, Mahua,Bambi,Suiya,ect.The marriage age for boys and girls is sixteen to seventeen years and fourteen to fifteen years,respectively A marriage is arranged thorough monogamy is prevalent. Married women put a vermillion mark and wear an iron bangle as marriage symbols .The payment of bride price is obligatory.They follow the rule of patrilocal residence. Either spouse can seek divorce with social approval on grounds of adultery, barrenness, maladjustment, cruelty and laziness. Remarriage of widows and divorcces is permitted and a widow can marry her late husband’s brother.The Bedia live both in nuclear and extended families.Sons inherit parental property in equal measure while the eldest son succeeds to his father’s authority. A woman contributed to the family income and is tonsured. The firsrt cereal feeding ceremony is optional. The marriage rites are performed at the bridegroom’s house. The dead are buried. The death rites observed are telnahan and daskarma.
The Bedia are the followers of the traditional tribal religion. Their family and clan deities are Mai, Mudkati Kundri Bansa Darha, etc. The village deities worshipped by them are Jher-buri Gawandeti Mahadania, Durga and the regional deities are Palcharu and Badpahari. They visit the annual fairs at Rajarappa, Hundru and Jonha falls and Jaganathpur.The Bedia celebrate festivals like Phagun,Sarhul, Karma,Jitia and Sohrai.
The Bedia who have settled down in West Bengal, are also known as the Bedia Kudmi,Choto Kudmi or San Kurmi. They speak in Kudmali, an Indo-Ayan language, at home and Bengali for inter-group communication. The Bengali and Devanagari scripts are used.
The Bedia or sometimes pronounced Baidya are a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
community found in eastern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. They are a community of pastoralists, who traditionally specialized un the castration of cattle. The community speak a number of dialects of Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
and use the surnames Chaudhary, Sekh and Mondal.
Name of the Community
The community has several names, like Bedia Kudmi,Choto Kudmi, Shershahbadia, Bhathia,Wandering Kurmis, Maldahiya and Badia and Bedia too, however its official name is SharshahbadiaOrigin
The Bedia are found mainly in central and north West BengalWest Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, the Purnia Division
Purnia Division
Purnia division is an administrative geographical unit of Bihar state of India. Purnia is the administrative headquarters of the division. Currently , the division consists of Purnia district, Katihar district, Araria district, and Kishanganj district....
of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, Rajshahi District
Rajshahi District
Rajshahi District is a district in north-western Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rajshahi Division. The metropolitan city of Rajshahi is in Rajshahi District.-Geography:...
of Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, the Terai
Terai
The Terai is a belt of marshy grasslands, savannas, and forests located south of the outer foothills of the Himalaya, the Siwalik Hills, and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and their tributaries. The Terai belongs to the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion...
region of Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and southern Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
. In West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, the Bedia are found mainly in the districts of Murshidabad
Murshidabad district
Murshidabad district is a district of West Bengal in eastern India. Situated on the left bank of the river Ganges, the district is very fertile. Covering an area of 5,341 km² and having a population 5.863m it is a densely populated district and the ninth most populous in India...
, Malda
Malda district
Malda district is a district of West Bengal, India. It lies 347 km north of Kolkata, the state capital. Mango and silk are notable products of this district. The special variety of mango produced in this region, popularly known by the name of the district, is exported across the world and...
, South Dinajpur, North Dinajpur and Darjeeling
Darjeeling district
Darjeeling District is the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its beautiful hill stations and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters...
. In Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, where the community is known as Shershahabadia
Shershahabadia
The Shershahabadi are a Muslim community found in the state of Bihar and West Bengal in India. They are part of the larger Shaikh community of Bihar and Bedia Community of Bengal. Common surnames used by the community include Mandal and Sekh...
, are found mainly in Kishanganj
Kishanganj District
Kishanganj district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India, and Kishanganj town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Kishanganj district is a part of Purnia division.-History:...
, Purnea
Purnia District
Purnia district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India. The town of Purnia is the administrative headquarters of this district.Purnia district is a part of Purnia Division...
and Katihar
Katihar District
Katihar district is one of the thirty-seven districts of Bihar state, India, and Katihar town is the administrative headquarters of this district...
.
A community of Bihar, they believe that they originally lived on Mohdipahar and have descended from the union of Vedbansi prince with a Munda girl. The other view is that a section of the Kurmis were outcasts and to be known as the Bedia or Wandering Kurmis. Some of them rejoined the Kurmi fold by hosting a fest. The poor could not pay their way back and in course of time emerged as a separate community. They use Mahto as their title. They are non vegetarians and their diet consists of cereals of cereals like rice,maize,mandua,gondli and wheat,and pulses like urad, ghanghra, kurthi and arhar.They use sarguja, keongi and mustard oil for cooking. They drink mahua liquor and rice beer. Men chew tobacco and women smoke a hookah.
Present circumstances
Traditionally, the Bedia were a pastoral group who used to breed buffaloes, sheep and goats, with the castration of cattle being a secondary occupation. By the 19th Century, the majority of the Bedia had settled down to cultivation, and majority were small and medium sized farmers. A small number of Bedia were also jotedars, or large landowners, particularly in MaldaMalda district
Malda district is a district of West Bengal, India. It lies 347 km north of Kolkata, the state capital. Mango and silk are notable products of this district. The special variety of mango produced in this region, popularly known by the name of the district, is exported across the world and...
. Presently, the bulk of the community remains cultivators, with a smaller numbers employed in the military and police services.
The Bedia are endogamous group, and marriage occurs within close kin. In Bedia society, consanguinal kin are classed into two categories, the bhiad or minimal lineage and khandan or maximal lineage. Marriages are preferred within the bhiad. Bedias of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
now belong to the Ahle Hadith
Ahle Hadith
Ahl al-Hadith or , is a term that has been used to refer to many Islamic movements that emphasize the use of hadith in Islam...
sect, which distinguishes from other Bengali Muslim
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
communities. The Shershahabadia
Shershahabadia
The Shershahabadi are a Muslim community found in the state of Bihar and West Bengal in India. They are part of the larger Shaikh community of Bihar and Bedia Community of Bengal. Common surnames used by the community include Mandal and Sekh...
of Malda
Malda district
Malda district is a district of West Bengal, India. It lies 347 km north of Kolkata, the state capital. Mango and silk are notable products of this district. The special variety of mango produced in this region, popularly known by the name of the district, is exported across the world and...
and Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
remain Sunni Hanafi
Hanafi
The Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
.
Traditionally, each Bedia settlement consists of a paich, or caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
council. These remain informal, and there is no India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
-wide formal caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
association. The council consists of a hakim or headman, a jurist or mahat and a dhuli or messenger. All intra-group or inter-religious matters and disputes are settled by the paich.
According to Risley, the Bedia are divided into septs. However, the present survey identified some exogamous clans, namely Phecha, Kachhua, Mahua,Bambi,Suiya,ect.The marriage age for boys and girls is sixteen to seventeen years and fourteen to fifteen years,respectively A marriage is arranged thorough monogamy is prevalent. Married women put a vermillion mark and wear an iron bangle as marriage symbols .The payment of bride price is obligatory.They follow the rule of patrilocal residence. Either spouse can seek divorce with social approval on grounds of adultery, barrenness, maladjustment, cruelty and laziness. Remarriage of widows and divorcces is permitted and a widow can marry her late husband’s brother.The Bedia live both in nuclear and extended families.Sons inherit parental property in equal measure while the eldest son succeeds to his father’s authority. A woman contributed to the family income and is tonsured. The firsrt cereal feeding ceremony is optional. The marriage rites are performed at the bridegroom’s house. The dead are buried. The death rites observed are telnahan and daskarma.
The Bedia are the followers of the traditional tribal religion. Their family and clan deities are Mai, Mudkati Kundri Bansa Darha, etc. The village deities worshipped by them are Jher-buri Gawandeti Mahadania, Durga and the regional deities are Palcharu and Badpahari. They visit the annual fairs at Rajarappa, Hundru and Jonha falls and Jaganathpur.The Bedia celebrate festivals like Phagun,Sarhul, Karma,Jitia and Sohrai.
The Bedia who have settled down in West Bengal, are also known as the Bedia Kudmi,Choto Kudmi or San Kurmi. They speak in Kudmali, an Indo-Ayan language, at home and Bengali for inter-group communication. The Bengali and Devanagari scripts are used.