Kuiltas are an important caste of the Western Orissa region of India. Kuilta is synonymous with Kulta and Kulata.
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It is said that originally Kuiltas lived in the valley of Kullu, near the hill of Kuladri. Kuilta means the community of Kuladri or of the Kullu Valley. Their main occupation was agriculture. Later on they migrated to various regions of India, and today they are mainly located in the states of Orissa, Chhattishgarh, and Madhya Pradesh.
It is said that during his exile, Lord Rama Chandra was wandering in the forests of Sambalpur region. Once, he met three brothers and asked them for water. Out of these brothers, one brought water in a clean brass pot and as such was called Sudh, meaning pure. The second brother made a dana (cup of leaves) and drew water from a well with a rope. Hence, he was known as Dumal, from the word for a coil of rope. The third brother is said to have brought water in a hollow gourd. So, he was named Kuilta, which is derived from the word Kurita, which means gourd. This narrative suggests that the Kuiltas, Sudhs and Dumal are connected Jātis (communities) in west Orissa.
According to another oral tradition, The Kuiltas migrated from Ayodhya to Boudh. Their ancestors were employed in the royal household of Dasharatha. They accompanied Rama Chandra, Lakshman and Sita in their exile and settled in Boudh. Sarsara and Jagati of Boudh are considered to be the main centres of the Kuiltas.
The area of Boudh is regarded as the ancestral home of the Kuiltas. From there they migrated and settled in different parts of Orissa. The writings of Cobden Ramsay about the Kuiltas substantiate this contention. He writes that the Kultas worship the goddess Ramachandi, whose principal shrine is situated at Sarsara.
The Raja of Boudh gave one family of Dumal and four families of Kuiltas to the Raja of Patnagarh during the marriage of his daughter. In other words the Raja of Boudh provided a group of agriculturists to help alleviate the agricultural situation and brought food relief to Patnagarh.
Some Kuiltas might have migrated from Patnagarh to Bargarh Gaisama area during the last phase of the reign of Raja Ajit Singh of Sambalpur (1725–1766); but some of them migrated much earlier, in the first half of the sixteenth century AD during the reign of Raja Balaram Dev who constructed a fort in Bargarh and made it for some time his headquarters. There is a Kuilta dominated village named Kamgaon situated 13 km north of Bargarh. This village is a very old one and is said to have been established by the Kuiltas, when they migrated to this part of Bargarh from Boudh in around the first part of the sixteenth century AD. It contains a temple of Ramachandi, which is held in great veneration by the Kuiltas. Their chief families, the Bhois and the Pradhans, are its priests.
One Kuilta gauntia (village headman) of Patnagarh fled away with his men and property, crossed the border, which was the Ong River, and entered into the territory of Sambalpur. Thereafter, they marched further and reached Gaisama, situated 13 km southeast of Bargarh, and settled there. Bargarh was than an important seat of power and one of the eighteen garhas (forts) of Orissa. It was a flourishing centre of trade and commerce. It is known that Kuiltas were living in large numbers in the Bargarh area in the basins of the rivers, namely the Mahanadi, the Jira, the Ong and the Tel.
As told in oral history, a year-long effort and struggle of the Kuiltas brought dramatic changes. They excavated some thirteen tanks round about their new settlement. The digging of tanks was meant for conservation of water for multiple purposes; but the Kuiltas utilized these tanks mainly for agricultural purposes during scanty rainfall and thereby cultivated the fertile lands successfully. In that area water is a far more important factor than soil to farmers. Artificial irrigation is absolutely necessary and is a matter of vital importance when the amount of rainfall is insufficient. The then British Political Agent, Cobden Ramsay, wrote that the Kulitas were excellent cultivators, very industrious and very skillful in irrigation.
Later on, some Kuiltas migrated to Kalahandi district from Sambalpur, most probably from Bargarh area, about the year 1867 to participate in the agricultural development of Kalahandi. In this context, it would not be unwise to mention the significant contribution of Raja Udit Pratap Deo (1853-1881 AD) of Kalahandi made towards the improvement of agriculture in his state. He was married to Asha Kumari Devi, the only issue of Maharaja Narayan Singh, the last ruler of Sambalpur.
The Kuiltas have the reputation of being very good cultivators (chasi) in west Orissa. In the past, irrigation was done mostly by tanks called kata, munda, or bandh. The very existence of villages over a large portion of the area is dependent on the tanks which have been constructed near them. Accumulated agricultural acumen of Kuiltas over the years has had a significant contribution towards the agricultural development of the region where they have settled. Today, agriculture is the key sector of this region's economy and bulk of its population primarily depend on agriculture for occupation and livelihood.
Jagati and Sarsara have been a seat of Vaishnavism and Saivism from ancient times. Near the village Jagati at Gandharadi is situated the famous twin temples of Lord Nilamadhaba and Lord Siddheswara. The significance of the Gandharadi temples lies in the fact that they represent the harmonious co-existence of the two major religious faiths of West Orissa during that period. This type of twin temple constructed on a common platform are seen nowhere in the medieval period. Nilamadhaba temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu whereas Siddheswara temple is dedicated to Lord Siva. On the basis of the detailed analysis of structural and sculptural features, the temples have been dated to the later half of the eighth or first half of the ninth century AD (Senapati and Kuanr, 1983:379-80; Panda, 2004:22).
Thus, historically speaking, Kuiltas have been associated with a glorious religion-cultural tradition although their principal deity is Ramachandi. It was the period when Lord Vishnu elicited great reverence like Lord Siva in Jagati. The above analysis suggests that in Jagati a great civilization flourished since at least eighth century AD (Sahu and others, 1981:131; Senapati and Kuanr, 1983:33, 134, 379-80; Behera, 1991:310-11; Panda, 2004:22).
There are 120 surnames in Kuilta Caste.
Sahu: