The Bhois are an ethnic community native to Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

, Gujarat,Western Orissa and Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

 states in 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...

. In Maharashtra, the Bhois originally lived in Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

, Nashik

Nashik district

Nashik district, also known as Nasik district, is a district in Maharashtra, India. The city of Nashik is the administrative headquarters of the district.-Geography:Nashik district has an area of 15,530 square kilometres...

, Dhulia, Jalgaon

Jalgaon District

Jalgaon district is a district of Maharashtra. It was formerly known as East Khandesh district. It has an area of 11,765 km², and a population of 3,682,690 of which 71.4% were rural....

, Ahmednagar

Ahmednagar district

Ahmednagar district is the largest district of Maharashtra state in western India. The historical Ahmednagar city is the headquarters of the district. Ahmednagar was the seat of the Ahmednagar Sultanate of late medieval period . This district is also known for the towns of Shirdi associated with...

, Pune

Pune District

Pune District is situated in Maharashtra state of India. Pune city is the district headquarters. In the last census on 2001, the total population of the district was 7,232,555, making it the fourth most populous district in India . Urban population comprises 58.08% of the total population...

, Aurangabad

Aurangabad District, Maharashtra

Aurangabad District is one of the 35 districts of Maharashtra state in western India. It is bordered by the districts of Nashik to the west, Jalgaon to the north, Jalna to the east, and Ahmednagar to the south. Aurangabad is the headquarters and principal city...

, Kolhapur

Kolhapur District

Kolhapur district is located in Maharashtra state. The city of Kolhapur is the district headquarters. The district had a population of 3,523,162 of which 29.81% were urban as of 2001...

, Ratnagiri

Ratnagiri District

Ratnagiri district is one of the 35 districts of Maharashtra state in western India. Ratnagiri is the district headquarters of the district. The district is 11.33% urban. The district is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, Sindhudurg district to the south, Raigad district to the north and...

 and Sholapur districts of Maharshtra. Presently, the members of the Bhoi community have spread over whole Maharashtra. After independence of India in 1947, they have been included in the list of the Nomadic tribes

Nomadic tribes in India

The word Nomadic Tribes refers to the people who were forced to live a wandering life by the Indian Caste System. The Nomadic and Denotified Tribes consist of about 60 million in India, out of which about five million lives in Maharashtra...

 in Maharashtra. The total 22 sub-groups of the community speak in Ahirani language in the family and within kin groups but speak in Marathi

Marathi language

Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...

, while talking to the others. They had migrated to Mumbai from Rajasthan

Rajasthan

Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...

 during the 13th century during the reign of Raja Bhimdev

Raja Bhimdev

Bhimdev II or Raja Bhimdev also known as Raja Bimba was a 11th century king who had his capital in Mahikawati, the present-day Mahim, in Mumbai, India....

.

In Maharastra, the Bhois were the palanquin bearers or doli carriers. There are altogether 22 sub-groups namely Zinga Bhoi, Pardesh Bhoi, Raj bhoi, Kahar Bhoi, Gadia Bhoi, Dhuria Kahar Bhoi, Kirat Machwa Bhoi, Hanzi, Jati, Kewat, Dhiwar, Dingar, palewar, Macchindra,Havadi, Halhar, Gadhav Bhoi, Khodi Bhoi, Khare Bhoi and Devra.

In Gujarat, the Bhois consist of seven sub-groups, namely, Bhoiraj, Dhiman Zinga Bhoi or Kevat-Bhoi, Macchindra Bhoi, Paleshwar Bhoi, Kirat Bhoi, Kahar Bhoi, Parbishin Bhoi and Shrimali Bhoi. The community are traditionally associated with fishing.

In Andhra Pradesh, the Bhois comprise two sub-castes, Besta and Gundlodu, It appears to have originally sprung from same stock, but have subsequently broken up into endogamous divisions by reason of their long occupation of different tracts of land.

In Orissa, the bhois consist of two sub-groups,namely,Jiatkar and Madkukria. This commununity has huge lands and are the head of the villages.

Etymology

The etymology of the word ‘Bhoi’ is from the word bhovi meaning the leader or headman of group of vaddars community speaks vaddar language originated from Rayala seema meaning the land of rocks. The vaddars also known as vodde, vaddila, odda, odde, bhovi, odeyar, wadeyar from place to place who are nomadic tribe travel in search of occupations like land levelling for cultivation for farmer community, digging of earth and canals, making of roads, cutting of rocks and stones for the purpose of construction of water tanks, houses and making roads. They are called as Uru oddar or Uru bhovis in the region of Banavasi of Karnataka who are known for surveying of lands to settlement of villages, the Uru means village therefore, those who make land levelling for location of villages and cultivation are known as uru bhovis, similarly the earth diggers and land suppliers of sands to make roads and other construction are known to be matti voddars or mannu vaddaru. Those who transport sand from river beds on the back of donkeys and horses are called as katte vadders or rahuth vadders. those who cut huge rocks and roll out them on huge carts known as Bande vadders or bandi vadders or Gaali vadders. those who mill stone and crush as jelly stone are known as Girini vaddars and those who work on stones, slabs,quarries and Mining are known as Kallu vadders. there are arstisans in this community who make grinding stones and other house hold articles are known as Pathrots. They claim to be the clan of Bhagirath Ganga who formed canal of Ganga From the Himalayas when there was drought of 100 years in the northern India. This Bhagirath was requested by then Kshathriyas to find a solution, inturn he was given the status of Kshathriya and he was successful in excavation of huge canals from Himalayas to the Prayag and diverted the huge Ganga to the whole of northern part of India. Hence the Bhagirath was remembered as saviour of northern part of India and they remember him as the son of Ganga. Therefore, these wadders being the oldest community in India claim them as builders of India. They speak ODDE languange out of which the Telugu, Kannada, Tulu and after which Tamil, Malayalam and Sihamlese languages said to have taken origin. The wadders were the first to scribe on Rocks during the reign of the Asoka the Great. The King Kharavela claim him as the great Odda and his hathigumpa Inscription subscribes with superscripture as sri odde, meaning the blessings of Odda, the fore father of present Orissa. Bhovi Waddar or Vaddar, Vaddar, Od, Odde, have common Gothras all over Karnataka, Andhara Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The Gotra is a term applied to an ancestor or an originator through whom a particular family has originated. A Gotra is the lineage or clan assigned to a Hindu at birth. In most cases, the system is patrilineal and the gotra assigned is the gotra of the persons father.

Lineage segment within an Indian caste, indicating common descent from a mythical ancestor. Marriage by members of the same gotra is traditionally prohibited. The custom is intended to prevent inbreeding as well as to broaden the influence of each gotra through marriage alliances.

A common mistake is to consider gotra to be synonymous with cult or 'Kula'. A 'kula' is basically a set of people following similar rituals, often worshipping the same God (the Kula-Devata - the God of the cult). Kula has nothing to do with lineage or caste and it is possible to change ones Kula based on faith or ista devtha.

Bhovi caste consists several Gotras(Kulams) which has same meaning in Telugu and Tamil language. These gotras are believed to be shared from Reddi. As per a folklore belief the Odda was the is elder brother among Radda,the Reddy, Kamma and Komati.

Gotras
In Telugu

The following are examples of exogamous septs among the Bhovis and Odes:

Alkunta
Burasu or Oorsu or Poola ( Flower )
Bantula ( Soldier )
Bandi ( Cart )
Bandollu ( Rock )
Cheemala ( Ants )
Cheruku ( Sugar )
Dandu ( Army )
Deringula
Gandikota
Gampa ( Basket )
Goddali ( axe )
Idakotta ( Break-down )
Janjapu or Kunchapu ( Sacred Thread )
Jeri Bothula or jadebila ( Centipede )
Kotala ( Fort )
Koniali ( Clown )
Mekala or Makali ( Herdsmen )
Nalla Bothula ( Good )
Peetalu ( Strength )
Panthikottu ( pig-killer )
Pasupu ( Turmeric )
Rajulu ( Prince )
Santhalu ( Fair )
Thapta ( Drum )
Thatichettu ( Palymra )
Uppu tolla ( Salt )
Vallapu or Bellappu ( Jaggery )
Vemulu ( Neem )
Thaalluri ( Landlords )

In Tamil

Aalam Kulam ( Banyan Tree )
Eecham Kulam ( Palymra Tree )
Dhandu Kulam ( Army )
Dyarangam Kulam ( Tent )
Karumbu Kulam ( Sugar cane )
Komali Kulam ( Clown )
Manjal Kulam ( Turmeric )
Nallam Kulam ( Good )
Poosam Kulam ( Flower )
Raja Kulam ( Prince )
Raasi Kulam ( Luck )
Semavar Kulam ( Ants )
Theku Kulam ( Teak Tree)
Vembu Kulam ( Neem Tree)
Uppu Kulam ( salt )

In Kannada

Akshantala (Rice grain)
Arashina (Turmeric)
Huvvina (flowers)
Honna (gold)
Uppu ( salt ) The names of Wadders for example Waddar Basappa or Vaddar Basanna, Bhalachandra Alakunte (Ex.MLA of Sholapur) in Maharashtra and Govindaraj Wodeyar, Sunil Valyapure (Ex.MLA from Gulbarga) northern Karnatka, Vadde Basavaraju in Andhra Pradesh, Basappa Bhovi or Basya bhovi, Thimmabhovi (EX.Deputy Speaker and MLA from Mudigere in Chikmagalur dist,Goudara Basavanyappa EX.Minister a Uru waddar from Shikaripur in southern Karnataka depict the caste and family name of this community people

Common gotras found in other castes for example :-

Dandu (army) — A sub-division of Idiga, and an exogamous sept of Boya and Kapu.
Gandikota. — A sub-division of Kamma.

It is supposed to be a Telugu

Telugu language

Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...

 word, derived from Boya or Boyar caste but this derivation appears to be fictitious and has probably been suggested because of the similarities between the names "Bhoi", "Bhovi" and "Boya".