Kabirpanthi Julaha
The Kabirpanthi Julaha are Hindu caste found in the states of Delhi, Haryana and Punjab in India. They are distinct from the Muslim Julaha of North India.[1]
Origin
The word julaha in Hindi and Urdu means a weaver. Over time a number of castes such as the Dhanuk, Bhuiyar and Kori took to weaving, and now form an endogamous community. They are thus known as Kabirpanthi, which means a follower of Kabir, a figure associated with weaving. The Julaha are found throughout Haryana and speak the Haryanvi.[1]
Present circumstances
The Julaha practice clan exogamy, like neighbouring North Indian Hindu communities. Their clans, known as gotras include the khatak, Bagri, Atkan, Khare, Chauhan, Bhatti, Sahrawat, Kataria, Dahiya, Punia, Morwal, Khangwal, Malik, Saroha and Swain.[1]
The Julaha have seen a decline in their occupation. Many are now petty cultivators and rearing cattle. A larger number are agricultural labourers. The community have now been granted Scheduled Caste status.
Some of the community members have become highly educated and are an alumnus of prestigious IITs and IIMs in India. Some members of the community living in Delhi and other Tier-1 cities have seen an increase in their living standards. Many can be classified into upper middle class. This rise in their living style is because of the help given by the government in the form of various schemes like reservation in government college and central government jobs.