Kachhi (caste)

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This article is about the community of India. For the area in Punjab, see Kachhi. For the village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, see Kachi. For the language, see Kachchi.

The Kachhi are a Hindu caste, found in the states of Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh in India. They are also known as the Shakya.[1]

History and origin

The tribe claims descent from King Ikshavaku of Kapilvastu. According to some traditions, the Kachhi are a branch of the Kurmi tribe.[2]

The Kachhis form a part of a wider community that claims a common descent. This community, known as the Kushwaha. nowadays generally claim descent from Kusha, a son of the mythological Rama, who is considered to be an avatar of Vishnu. This enables their claim to be of the Suryavansh - or Solar - dynasty but it is a myth of origin developed in the twentieth century. Prior to that time, the various branches that form the Kushwaha community- the Mauryas, Kachhis, Kachwahas and Koeris - favoured a connection with Shiva and Shakta.[3] Ganga Prasad Gupta claimed in the 1920s that Kushwaha families worshiped Hanuman - described by Pinch as "the embodiment of true devotion to Ram and Sita" - during Kartika, a month in the Hindu lunar calendar.[4]

There are various theories as to the etymology of the word Kachhi. Some connect it with the Sanskrit word kaksha, which means a flank or enclosure; others with karsha, a furrow; and according to another theory the name comes from kacchna, the term for collecting the opium from poppies. The Kachhi were historically connected with the growing of opium.[2]

Present circumstances

The Kachhi are a community of peasant farmers. They are involved in the cultivation of vegetables. Many are also involved in the sale of vegetables and fruit. The Kachhi have their own caste association, the Akhil Bharitya Shakya Chatriya Mahasabha. About 90% of the Kachhi are Hindu, while the other 10% are Buddhist.[5]

In Rajasthan, the Kachhi are found mainly in Dholpur and Sawai Modhupur districts. The community is divided into a number of exogamous clans, which are named after their villages. Some of the main clans are the Piproniya, Agahpuriya, Dengaiya, Malaihya, Barthuniya, Mewaliya and Anijariya. The Kachhi in Rajasthan are agriculturists like other Kshatriya community. Their main economic resource is land, and they cultivate the land and grow a number of crops, such as wheat, gram, pea and a variety of lentils.[6]

References

  1. ↑ People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Two edited by A Hasan & J C Das pages 666 to 669
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hasan, A.; Das, J. C. (eds.). People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Two. p. 666. 
  3. ↑ Pinch, William R. (1996). Peasants and monks in British India. University of California Press. pp. 12, 91–92. ISBN 978-0-520-20061-6. Retrieved 2012-02-22. 
  4. ↑ Pinch, William R. (1996). Peasants and monks in British India. University of California Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-520-20061-6. Retrieved 2012-02-22. 
  5. ↑ People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Two edited by A Hasan & J C Das pages 668
  6. ↑ People of India Rajasthan Volume XXXVIII Part Two edited by B.K Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N Vyas page 463 to 466 Popular Prakashan
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