Dabgar

The Dabgar are a Hindu caste found in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat in India. They have Other Backward Class status in Gujarat, but in few states they have also managed to get a Schedule Cast Status.^[1][2] In Rajasthan, the community prefer to call themselves Dhalgar.^[3]

Origin

The word dabgar is said to be derived from the Sanskrit word daravakarra, which means the makers of spoon-shaped vessels. According to their traditions, they were originally found in Rajasthan and were soldiers. They took an oath to resist the Mughals but were defeated. After this defeat, a section converted to Islam, from whom descend the Muslim Dabgar community. The rest of the community fled in the jungles of Bundelkhand, and slowly spread to the Doab region of Uttar Pradesh. They then took up the occupation of manufacturing of rawhide jars.^[1]

The Rajasthan Dabgar are involved in the manufacture of a number of dhal .They ancestry is of Rajput origin, and are found mainly in the Marwar region. They speak the Marwari language but most understand Hindi.^[3]

In Gujarat, the Dabgar are a community involved in the manufacture of musical instruments. Their original habitat was Pawagarh in Baroda District. According to their traditions, the fled Baroda as a consequence of a Muslim invasion, and are now found mainly in the Dabgar and Sarnagpur districts of Ahmadabad. A small number are also found in Surat and Baroda. The Dabgar speak Gujarati, and, most also understand Hindi. Their exact connection with the Dabgar community of North India is unclear.^[2]

Present circumstances

The Dabgar of Uttar Pradesh are strictly endogamous, and practice clan exogamy. Their main clans are the Shrivastav, Delhiwal, Dari, Sripat and Kanaujiya. Theoretically, each clan descends from a common ancestor. They are Hindus, except the now distinct community of Muslim Dabgar, and their tribal deity is Satyanarain. A small number of Dabgar also belong to the Nanakpanthi sect, which is closely connected with Sikhism. Uniquely, the Hindu Dabgar incorporate many Muslim traditions, including a few families in Varanasi who offer the Muslim prayer.^[1]

Like most Gujarati Hindu castes, they are strictly endogamous, and practice clan exogamy. Their main clans include Parmar, Rathore, Modi and Chaariwal. In neighbouring Rajasthan, the community consist of three clans, the Chauhan, Deora and Panwar. Each of these three clans is territorial, with the Chauhan found mainly in Jodhpur, Deora in Udaipur and Panwar in Ajmer.

The Dabgar of Uttar Pradesh are still involved in their traditional occupation of manufacturing of hide jars. They buy the hide from the Chikwa community. Like other artisan castes, they have seen a decline in their traditional occupation, with many Dabgar now employed as daily wage labourers. They are found mainly in the districts of Varanasi, Ghazipur, Azamgarh, Gorakhpur, Ballia, Allahabad and Kanpur. In southern Uttar Pradesh, the Dabgar speak Brajbhasha, while those in the east speak Awadhi.^[1]

The Dabgar of Gujarat are a landless community who are still involved in their occupation of manufacturing musical instruments. Like many artisan castes, they have seen a decline in their traditional craft. Many are now wage labourers, while others have taken to trade. Like other Gujaratis, many have also emigrated to East Africa and the United Kingdom. The Gujarat Dabgar are Hindu, and most are members of the Swaminarayan sect.^[2]

References