Darbar (title)

Darbar or Durbar or Darbar Sahib (Gujarati: ISO 15919: Darbār) is a title of honor or respect used mainly in the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan. Chieftain or Lord of small petty princely states, which existed in the pre-independence era, who used title as together with honorific Saheb, to be referred as Darbar Saheb.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Traditionally, it was used to refer to persons belonging to the landed-nobility, who may also be from the communities of Kathis, Mers, Charans or Rajputs.^[6][7][8][9]

As such, many dominant caste or hereditary chieftain of an erstwhile princely states may be referred to as Darbar in the general use of the word. The title was mostly in use in areas now covered by Gujarat and Rajasthan^[10] However, there is no separate notified caste called Darbar. It was a title of honor more in use during princely India, which was used to refer to chieftains and is prevalent in use even today mainly in rural Gujarat.^[6][11][12]

See also

Related topics

• Jagirdar
• Thakur
• Feudalism in India

References

1. Gujarat - Part 3. 2003. p. 1173. ISBN 9788179911068.
2. Basu, Pratyusha (2009). Villages, Women, and the Success of Dairy Cooperatives in India: Making Place for Rural Development. Cambria Press. ISBN 978-1-60497-625-0.
3. Williams, Raymond Brady; Trivedi, Yogi (12 May 2016). Swaminarayan Hinduism: Tradition, Adaptation, and Identity. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-908959-8.
4. Lobo, Lancy (1995). The Thakors of north Gujarat: a caste in the village and the region. Hindustan Pub. Corp. ISBN 978-81-7075-035-2.
5. Court, India Supreme (1960). The Supreme Court Reports. Manager of Publications. pp. 522–523. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
6. Tambs-Lyche, Harald (1997). Power, Profit and Poetry Traditional Society in Kathiawar, Western India. New Delhi: Manohar. p. 97. ISBN 81-7304-176-8.
7. Lobo, Lancy (1995). The Thakors of north Gujarat: a caste in the village and the region. Hindustan Pub. Corp. ISBN 978-81-7075-035-2.
8. Williams, Raymond Brady; Trivedi, Yogi (12 May 2016). Swaminarayan Hinduism: Tradition, Adaptation, and Identity. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-908959-8.
9. Tambs-Lyche, Harald (9 August 2017). Transaction and Hierarchy: Elements for a Theory of Caste. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-39396-6. Charans received lands in jagir for their services, and in parts of Marwar, certain Charan families were effectively Darbars.
10. Roy Burman, J. J. (2005). Gujarat Unknown: Hindu-Muslim Syncretism and Humanistic Forays By J. J. Roy Burma. p. 140. ISBN 9788183240529.
11. Allen, Charles; Dwivedi, Sharada (June 1998). Lives of the Indian Princes. BPI Publishing. pp. 170–171. ISBN 978-81-86982-05-1. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
12. Hathi, Jaisukhlal (2002). As it Happened!: Autobiography of Jaisukhlal Hathi. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. pp. 19, 20, 21. ISBN 978-81-7276-283-4. Retrieved 8 July 2022.