Barthwal

(Devanagari: बड़थ्वाल) is surname, rather a sub-caste of Garhwali Brahmins. There is a similar caste, 'Bartwal' ('h' missing / बर्त्वाल) - these people are 'rajput'/'jajman' (as they are popularly called in Uttarakhand). Most Barthwals are concentrated in Pauri district of Uttarakhand. The deity of Barthwals is 'Bhairav', who rides on dog. Statistically, their population totals in the thousands. The Barthwals are engaged in various occupations.

Like many sub-castes of Garhwal, it is said that they are not native to Garhwal. One version (Rahul Sankrayatan's) has it that they descended from four brothers, each of which settled in different location in Pauri district. Another version has it that they all originally belonged to a village 'Badeth' in Dwarikhal Block, near Silogi, in Bichla Dhangu 'patti' (a division of block, generally consisting of 25-50 villages). Some Barthwals also live in Udaypur Patti, village Gankya now known as Ganeshpur. From there, their descendents moved to nearby Khand, Balori (near district headquarters of Pauri) and elsewhere with the passage of time. But most of the Barthwals originally belong to village 'Badeth' but due to many reasons they shifted to other places.

Among Barthwals, the most notable name is Pitambar Dutt Barthwal of Pali village, who was the first D. Litt of India in Hindi literature; his thesis was on Kabir's philosophy of dualism. (Second D.Litt after him was Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India). Another notable figure among Barthwals was Mukund 'Daivagya', the renowned astronomer of village Khand who spent most of his life in Devprayag. His books on astronomy and astrology continue to be part of the curriculum in higher studies of astrology. Mahidhar Barthwal of village Budoli (Gagwarsyun), another famous name among Barthwals, wrote a book classifying the different castes of Garhwal, "Garhwal Mein Kaun Kahan". In his book, Barthwal proved that the Swarnkars (goldsmiths) of Garhwal were originally 'dome' (the scheduled caste, traditionally at the lowest rung of the caste system). The Swarnkars were so infuriated that they got the book banned. However, the Hon'ble High Court of Allahabad, ruled that the ban be lifted and Mahidhar Barthwal's thesis was vindicated. This book, being a masterpiece of historical and cultural facts has been widely referred by students engaged in research work pertaining to cultural and historical evolution of Garhwal. Mahidhar Barthwal's another book was, "Kashmir Vivad" and also had rich collection of Maangal Geets (songs sung at marriage and other auspicious occasions). Shri Mahidhar Barthwal remained active throughout his life for the upliftment of fellow Garhwali people. He died in 1975 at his native village Budoli. His son, Kamal Kishore Barthwal, a journalist by profession lives in Delhi.