Dhedh
Encyclopedia
Dhedhs or Dheds or Dhedhas are one of the scheduled caste of India. They were one of the out-caste
and deprived class of Hindu
society of India.
They were involved in jobs like carrying away animal carcass and works related to leather, animal hides. The word dhedha has been derived from a Gujarati word dhayadavan, to drag. Further, the caste people are also largely involved in weaving.
In Rajasthan
, the Meghwal
community were called Dhedha and according to census of 1901 were identified as untouchables
. In British India, in the Bahwalpur, the Dhedhs, who preferred to call themselves Menghwals
, were the people, who were called Chamar
s to east of Punjab
. They ate flesh of dead animals and were considered as out-caste by Hindus, though they have Hindu names.
They have nine exogamous section : (1) Gandel (2) Baru-Pal (3) Sahdal (4) Sapune (5) Lilar (6) Bahmanian (7) Japal (8) Lakhale (9) Turke.
By occupation they are weavers and greatly worship the deity of Ramdev Pir at Ranuja. In their marriages, Brahmin
s serve as purohit
, accepting dry-fruits from them but not the cooked food.
In Maharashtra
, Mahar
s were considered a part of Dhedha community. However, after mass conversion of Mahar community from Hinduism
to Buddhism
, to avoid curse of untouchability
, on foot-steps of Bhim Rao Ambedkar, they are now not to be called Dhedhas or even Mahars but Buddhists.
In Gujarat, Dhedhs are considered as sub-caste of the scheduled caste of weavers called Vankar
s. Some of the other castes in which there are few exceptions of Dhedhs are Bawa (Dhedh) or Dhedh-Sadhu (Sadhu
), Dhedh -Barot (Barot
).
Dhedhs speak many languages, as per their area of living like Gujarati
,, Marathi
, Rajasthani
,Sindhi
, Thar
In Kathiawar
, the Nagasia Dhehds, once helped the Sarvaiya
s to regain their villages of Hathnasi, Jesar
and other territories. In recognition of their assistance the Sarvaiya Rajputs forgave Dhedhs from bham tax ( tax on skins of dead animals ) and tax was not levied on all Sarvaiya village till British ruled India.
The Mahyavanshi
s were also once a part of Dhedh, Vankar
, Antyaj, Maru Vankar community of Gujarat.
Dhedhs and Bhil
community were closely associated being in similar profession and social status, as out-castes and were two suppressed communities of Gujarat.Bhangi
s, Dhedhs, Chamar
s, Mahar
s, Mala
s, Madiga
s were some of the communities, who were contemptuously looked down upon as un-touchables.
Dhedh or Dherh was a term applied to any low caste people in Punjab although they were a identified as separate tribe in Central Province
in British India.Raidas
was from Dhedh community and is said to have spoken that: even today all my kinsman as dhedhs cart carcasses, as they wander around Benaras.Unquote.
In South India, the Dhedhs caste were sometimes dharmakartas of Shiva temples. A census report noted that wealth is a very potent factor, both in the way of levelling down caste heights and filling up social depths....a wealthy member of the Dhedh caste is actually the Dharmakartha of a Siva temple in Southern India and a Sathani (Sattada Srivaisnava temple servant) becomes elevated into a Balija often in the course of a few years ; so also a Palli into a Mudaliar
.
Dalit
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
and deprived class of Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
society of India.
They were involved in jobs like carrying away animal carcass and works related to leather, animal hides. The word dhedha has been derived from a Gujarati word dhayadavan, to drag. Further, the caste people are also largely involved in weaving.
In 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...
, the Meghwal
Meghwal
The Megh , Meghwal or Meghwar people live primarily in northwest India, with a small population in Pakistan. As of 2008, their total population was estimated at 2,807,000, of whom 2,760,000 lived in India...
community were called Dhedha and according to census of 1901 were identified as untouchables
Untouchability
Untouchability is the social practice of ostracizing a minority group by segregating them from the mainstream by social custom or legal mandate. The excluded group could be one that did not accept the norms of the excluding group and historically included foreigners, nomadic tribes, law-breakers...
. In British India, in the Bahwalpur, the Dhedhs, who preferred to call themselves Menghwals
Meghwal
The Megh , Meghwal or Meghwar people live primarily in northwest India, with a small population in Pakistan. As of 2008, their total population was estimated at 2,807,000, of whom 2,760,000 lived in India...
, were the people, who were called Chamar
Chamar
Chamar |tanner]]"; from the Sanskrit Charmakara) is a prominent occupational caste in India, Pakistan and Nepal. Chamar is a Dalit sub-caste mainly found in the northern states, such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and in Nepal at least north to the Himalayas...
s to east of Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
. They ate flesh of dead animals and were considered as out-caste by Hindus, though they have Hindu names.
They have nine exogamous section : (1) Gandel (2) Baru-Pal (3) Sahdal (4) Sapune (5) Lilar (6) Bahmanian (7) Japal (8) Lakhale (9) Turke.
By occupation they are weavers and greatly worship the deity of Ramdev Pir at Ranuja. In their marriages, Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
s serve as purohit
Purohit
Purohit in Indian religious context means a family priest, from Sanskrit , translated as: one placed foremost, from Puras meaning front, and hita, placed. Rajpurohit is a term used to denote a priest for a royal family or a king who was the authorized person that carried out rituals for the...
, accepting dry-fruits from them but not the cooked food.
In 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...
, Mahar
Mahar
Mahar is an important social group within the Indian state of Maharashtra and surrounding states. A grouping of related endogamous castes, the Mahar are the largest scheduled caste group in Maharashtra, in which they comprise ten percent of the population .On...
s were considered a part of Dhedha community. However, after mass conversion of Mahar community from Hinduism
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
to Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, to avoid curse of untouchability
Untouchability
Untouchability is the social practice of ostracizing a minority group by segregating them from the mainstream by social custom or legal mandate. The excluded group could be one that did not accept the norms of the excluding group and historically included foreigners, nomadic tribes, law-breakers...
, on foot-steps of Bhim Rao Ambedkar, they are now not to be called Dhedhas or even Mahars but Buddhists.
In Gujarat, Dhedhs are considered as sub-caste of the scheduled caste of weavers called Vankar
Vankar
The Vankar are a Hindu caste found in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India." Vankar " means weaver and treders of clothes.Vankar community is famous for making silk clothes...
s. Some of the other castes in which there are few exceptions of Dhedhs are Bawa (Dhedh) or Dhedh-Sadhu (Sadhu
Sadhu
In Hinduism, sādhu denotes an ascetic, wandering monk. Although the vast majority of sādhus are yogīs, not all yogīs are sādhus. The sādhu is solely dedicated to achieving mokṣa , the fourth and final aśrama , through meditation and contemplation of brahman...
), Dhedh -Barot (Barot
Barot (Caste)
Barot are a caste of Rajasthan, who were involved in profession as bards and especially as Vahivanchas: meaning traditional genealogists. They also additionally worked as Mythographers. They were also known by name of Bhat or Brahmbhatt.- Origin :...
).
Dhedhs speak many languages, as per their area of living like Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
,, 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...
, Rajasthani
Rajasthani language
Rajasthani Rajasthani Rajasthani (Devanagari: , Perso-Arabic: is a language of the Indo-Aryan languages family. It is spoken by 50 million people in Rajasthan and other states of India and in some areas of Pakistan. The number of speakers may be up to 80 million worldwide...
,Sindhi
Sindhi language
Sindhi is the language of the Sindh region of Pakistan that is spoken by the Sindhi people. In India, it is among 22 constitutionally recognized languages, where Sindhis are a sizeable minority. It is spoken by 53,410,910 people in Pakistan, according to the national government's Statistics Division...
, Thar
In Kathiawar
Kathiawar
Kathiawar or Kathiawad is a peninsula in western India, which is part of the Saurashtra region on the Arabian Sea coast of Gujarat state. It is bounded on the north by the great wetland of the Rann of Kutch, on the northwest by the Gulf of Kutch, on the west and south by the Arabian Sea, and on...
, the Nagasia Dhehds, once helped the Sarvaiya
Sarvaiya
Sarvaiya / Sarvaiyya are a Rajput, Kshatriya clan of India mainly found in Gujarat.-History:Sarvaiyas like Jadejas, Chudasamas, Bhattis & Raijadas are off-shoot of Samma clan of Sindh. Sammas are again have branched off from Yadava clan of Kshatriyas, who claim descant from Samba, grandson of Krishna...
s to regain their villages of Hathnasi, Jesar
Jesar
Jesar is a village in Mahuva Taluka of Bhavnagar district of Gujarat.Before independence it was a small Princely State of India, ruled by Sarvaiya Rajputs. Upon independence in 1947, the Princely State of Jesar was merged into Union of India to form a part of United State of Kathiawar aka...
and other territories. In recognition of their assistance the Sarvaiya Rajputs forgave Dhedhs from bham tax ( tax on skins of dead animals ) and tax was not levied on all Sarvaiya village till British ruled India.
The Mahyavanshi
Mahyavanshi
Mahyavanshi are a scheduled caste of India, who were originally identified as Dhedhs, Vankars, Mahars and Holiyas but started a successful movement in the early 20th Century to establish their identity as a branch of Mayavat Rajputs...
s were also once a part of Dhedh, Vankar
Vankar
The Vankar are a Hindu caste found in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India." Vankar " means weaver and treders of clothes.Vankar community is famous for making silk clothes...
, Antyaj, Maru Vankar community of Gujarat.
Dhedhs and Bhil
Bhil
Bhils are primarily an Adivasi people of Central India. Bhils are also settled in the Tharparkar District of Sindh, Pakistan. They speak the Bhil languages, a subgroup of the Western Zone of the Indo-Aryan languages....
community were closely associated being in similar profession and social status, as out-castes and were two suppressed communities of Gujarat.Bhangi
Bhangi
Bhangi is an Indian caste or jāti traditionally treated as untouchable, and was historically restricted to three occupations: cleaning latrines, sweeping, and scavenging . They prefer to be known as Balmiki...
s, Dhedhs, Chamar
Chamar
Chamar |tanner]]"; from the Sanskrit Charmakara) is a prominent occupational caste in India, Pakistan and Nepal. Chamar is a Dalit sub-caste mainly found in the northern states, such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and in Nepal at least north to the Himalayas...
s, Mahar
Mahar
Mahar is an important social group within the Indian state of Maharashtra and surrounding states. A grouping of related endogamous castes, the Mahar are the largest scheduled caste group in Maharashtra, in which they comprise ten percent of the population .On...
s, Mala
Mala (caste)
Mala or Malla is a social group or caste mostly from Andhra Pradesh state of India. Mala or Malla is derived from the Sanskrit word "Malla" which means wrestler. They are one of the dominant Dalit castes of Andhra the other being Madigas.They constitute around 8.5% of the total state population...
s, Madiga
Madiga
Madiga is a social group or caste group of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharastra etc. found almost in all Indian states with different names. The people belonging to this community are most oppressed and exploited in the society. The term Madiga is derived from Sanskrit word Maha-Adiga which can be...
s were some of the communities, who were contemptuously looked down upon as un-touchables.
Dhedh or Dherh was a term applied to any low caste people in Punjab although they were a identified as separate tribe in Central Province
Central Province
Central Province may refer to:*Central Province *Central Province *Central Province *Central Province, Sri Lanka*Central Province, Zambia*Centre Province, Cameroon...
in British India.Raidas
Guru Ravidas
Guru Ravidas was a North Indian Sant mystic of the bhakti movement who was active in the 15th century CE. Venerated in the region of Uttar Pradesh as well as the Indian state of Maharashtra, his devotional songs and verses made a lasting impact upon the bhakti movement...
was from Dhedh community and is said to have spoken that: even today all my kinsman as dhedhs cart carcasses, as they wander around Benaras.Unquote.
In South India, the Dhedhs caste were sometimes dharmakartas of Shiva temples. A census report noted that wealth is a very potent factor, both in the way of levelling down caste heights and filling up social depths....a wealthy member of the Dhedh caste is actually the Dharmakartha of a Siva temple in Southern India and a Sathani (Sattada Srivaisnava temple servant) becomes elevated into a Balija often in the course of a few years ; so also a Palli into a Mudaliar
Mudaliar
Mudaliar also Mudali, Moodley is a title used in Tamil diaspora. It is derived from the honorary title Mudali meaning a person of first rank in the Tamil language which was bestowed upon top-ranking bureaucratic officials and army commanders in medieval South India...
.