Koiry or Koiri is an agricultural Hindu caste name and a Kshatriya sub-varna. People from the Koiry community are found in North India and Nepal.[1]
Koiry caste is one of the farming castes of Northern India. Koiry is another name for Maurya caste in Bihar. Various subgroups of this caste include Maurya, Murao, Kushwaha, Kashi, Shakya found in North India.[2]
They are divided into two sub-groups, the Bhaktiwa and Saktiwa. These groups are further divided into smaller groups, such as the Kanaujiya, Goita and Banaphor. Maurya or Koiry are traditionally involved in the agricultural activities. They reside mostly in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and North India. They are vegetarian in lifestyle. They use other titles like Kushwaha, Maury, Shakya, Verma, Bhagat, Mahto, and Mehta.
In Bihar, the Koiry are found throughout the state. They are divided into the following sub-groups, the Maghaiya or Banaphar Koiry, Murari Koiry, Kanaujiya Koiry, Bham Koiry, Goita, Kumarah, and Guaiya Koiry. The Koiry of Bihar are traditionally cultivators, and also take a keen interest in horticulture, and have orchards of mangoes, litchis, guavas, plums, lemons and bananas. In 1927, they set up the Koiry Panchayat Hitakarni Samiti, a caste association formed to look after the socio-economic conditio interests of the community.[3]