Bargala clan

The Bargala are a Hindu caste found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. They are sub-clan within the Gaurwa community. A smaller number of the Bargala have converted to Islam.^[1]

Origin

The Bargala claim to belong to the Bhatti Rajput community, and claim descent from Rajah Jagpalji Vare Singh Bhati. This rajah was an important ruler in western Uttar Pradesh, with his kingdom covering most of modern Bulandshahr district. From him descended two brothers, Drigpal and Bhatipal, who came from Ujjain in Malwa, and settled in the Doab. Over time his descendants took to widow remarriage, an activity looked down upon, as such separated from the wider Rajput community. Those Rajput clans which allowed widow remarriage form a distinct class of Rajputs known as Gaurwas. A section of the Bargala were converted to Islam during the rule of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.^[2]

Present Circumstances

The Bargala are mainly a community of peasant farmers, still found mainly in the Bulandshahr District. They grow wheat, peas, gram, barley, mustard and maize. The tend to live in villages where they form the majority of the population.^[3]

The Bargala follow the practice of clan exogamy, which means marriage within the clan is strictly forbidden. They intermarry with neighbouring Rajput groups such as the Jaiswar, Bhale Sultan and Bachhal. Furthermore, there is intermarriage between the Hindu and Muslim sections of the tribe.

See also

• Gaurwa
• Yaduvanshi Ahirs

References