Kandera

The Kandera are a community, partly Muslim and partly Hindu found in the state of Rajasthan in India.^[1]

History and origin

The community is historically associated with the occupation of cotton ginning. In the local language, Rajasthani, the word kani means cotton, and a kandera means someone who works with cotton. Like many groups in Rajasthan, they claim Rajput ancestry. According to their traditions, their ancestor, a Kanakpal Singh had fallout with Alauddin Khilji, the Muslim ruler of North India. He was defeated by the Sultan, and many members of his clan accepted Islam, and took up the occupation of cotton ginning.^[2]

Present circumstances

The Kandera are found mainly in Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur and Sawai Madhopur districts. There native dialect is Braj Bhasa. The community are divided into thirty six clans, and they practice clan exogamy. They are split evenly between Muslim and Hindu groups, and there is no intermarriage between these two groups. They are a landless community, and live by cotton ginning and making quilt and pillows.^[3]

References