Jatav (Hindi: जाटव), also called Jatia, Jatba in the Jammu region Jatoi, is the largest tribe of the Chamar caste[1][2][3] in India.
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The name "Jatav" may be derived from the word Jat (Camel Driver), or from Jat, the name of a historical Indo-Aryan tribal group native to the Punjab region, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Jatavs are consider to be Kshatriya Shiva gotra & lineage from Lord Shiva.[4] They claim to be survivors of the ancient war between Parashuram, the legend of the Brahmins, and Kshatriyas, forced into hiding. Proof of Kshatriya ancestry is found in a series of correspondences or status similarities between Jatav and Other Kshatriya clana. These includes identical gotras, and such Kshatriya-like ceremonies as shooting a cannon at wedding and the use of the bow and arrow at the birth saṃskāra.[5]
In the 1920s, the Jatavs of western Uttar Pradesh asserted a Kshatriya identity by claiming lineage from the ancient Yadu tribe. These claims were first made by Sunderlal Sagar, a prominent member of the Jatav Mahasabha of Agra, in Jatav Jivan (later published as Yadav Jivan in 1929). In 1946, Ramnarayan Yadvendu rehearsed many of the arguments made in Jatav Jivan, in his book Yaduvansh ka Aitihas.[6]
Jatavs live mostly in India the state of Western Uttar Pradesh, Eastern Rajasthan, North-West Madhya Pradesh, Jammu region of Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi, and they are also present in Nepal.[7] As they are not listed separately in the census of India but along with other Scheduled Castes,[8] their number is uncertain.[7] The total population of Schedule Castes in India is 16.2%, amounting to 166.6 million.[8][9]
Jatavs speak languages of the Indo-Aryan family of languages including Hindi, Rajasthani, and Braj Bhasha, all using the Devanagari script, as well as Punjabi using the Gurmukhi script.[7]
In pre-independent India, Jatavs gained considerable political expertise by forming associations and by developing a literate cadre of leaders. They tried to change their position in the caste system through the emulation of upper-caste behavior. Jatavs claimed to be Rajputs, members of the Kshatriya (warrior-class) origin and rank, and they organized caste associations to reform caste behavior and lobby for their claims. There equivalent caste in Madhya Pradesh is Ahirwar. In the 1931 census they demanded to be enumerated as Jatav-Rajputs.[10][11]
After independence India legally abolished the practice of untouchability, established the universal franchise, and developed the policy of Affirmative Action. That policy reserves electoral constituencies for Scheduled Caste candidates according to their percentages of population in the nation and the states; it does likewise for jobs in the national and state civil services; and it offers educational benefits to them. Jatavs have taken advantage of that policy and turned to active participation in India's parliamentary system of government. At times they have elected members of their caste to various state and national legislatures. In villages they have been less successful at influencing local political institutions and capturing funds meant for developmental projects. A major influence upon Jatavs was of late Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (d. 1956) who encouraged untouchables to fight for their rights, and, as the first minister for law in India and the chairman of drafting body of the Indian constitution, provided a powerful role model.