| Regions with significant populations | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||||
| Religion | |||||||||
|
Hinduism, traditional beliefs |
|||||||||
| Related ethnic groups | |||||||||
Bhoksa or sometimes pronounced Buksa are indigenous people living mainly in the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. They are most concentrated in the Dehradun and Nainital in the Kumaon foothills of the outer Himalayas.[3] They are also found in Bijnor District of Uttar Pradesh, where they are known as Mehra, and have been granted scheduled tribe status.
There are various traditions as to why the community acquired the name Bhoksa. According to some experts, the name is a corruptionof the word buqra, which is root found in the Terai, and was the staple diet of the Bhoksa. Other traditions state that they acquired the name on account of the fact that their appearance was unkempt, and their neighbours gave the name boksa, which means a mountain goat in the local Pahari language. In Dehradun District and Bijnor District, they are known as Mehra, which is said to be a corruption of the Hindi word mehram, which means a knowledgeable person. They are said to have acquired this name on the account of the fact that they were the only community that was employed as guides by travelers in the Terai. According to the community's own traditions, they are Rajputs from the Deccan that fled to the hills to escape the Muslim conquerors of India. This is said to be reflected in their sub-division, the Rajvanshi, Suryavanshi, Chandravanshi and Dujvanshi, all well known Rajput sub-groups. The Bhoksa are found along the slopes of the lower Himalayas, in a forested region known as the Terai. In Uttar Pradesh, they are found in Pilibhit and Bijnor districts, while in Uttarakhand, they are found in Udham Singh Nagar and Dehradun districts.[4]
The Bhoksa are now ordinary Hindus, having abandoned their earlier animist traditions, and this is seen by their use of Brahmin priests. However, they maintain a tribal deity, Shakumbari Devi, to which they place a special relevance. The Bhoksa now speak Hindi, and have customs similar to other neighbouring Hindu communities. The Bhoksa still occupy distinct settlements, which they do not share with any tribal or caste grouping. A few of their villages do contain settlements of Chamars. They are now cultivators, with many maintaining their secondary occupation as mountain guides.[4]
The Bhoksa are strictly endogamous, and practice clan exogamy. Their main clans are the Chauhan, Pundir, Tonwar, Chambaval, Kutiyala, Panwar, Phalsane, Katheriya, Tumbewar, Banwarbatti, Lakkiwal, Malanhas, Khasam, Kotwal and Chad. All these clans are of equal status, and intermarry.
|
|||||