Lohar

Not to be confused with Lohara dynasty.

Lohar are considered to be a caste among Hindus and Sikhs and a clan among Muslims in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, and in Nepal.^[1][2] They form traditionally artisanal castes known as Panchals.^[3] Regional synonyms include Vishwakarma .

Lohar

Regions with significant populations
• India • Nepal

Writers of the Raj period often used the term Lohar as a synonym for blacksmith, although there are other traditional smithing communities, such as the Ramgarhia and Sikligars, and numerous non-traditional communities, including the , Kayasthas, Rajputs and Brahmins.^[4]

Distribution

Uttar Pradesh

The Lohar are one of the most widespread communities in Uttar Pradesh. They are divided along religious lines, with the Hindu Lohar known as Vishwakarmas and Muslim Lohars known as Saifis. They are further divided into a number of exogamous groupings, the main ones being the Kanaujiya, Purbia, Bahai, Moulia and Magajia. Most Lohar are still engaged in their traditional occupation of metal fabrication, although the majority of those in western Uttar Pradesh are cultivators. The assimilated Lohar speak Hindi and its various dialects such as Awadhi;^{[citation needed]} other speak the Ho language.^[5]

Bihar

In Bihar Lohar caste comes under Other Backward Class and has been categorised in sub category of OBC called Extremely Backward Castes (EBC). As per a ruling by Supreme Court of India, Lohar or Lohaar community’ is not the same as ‘Lohra or Lohara’, which belongs to the ST category in several districts. Citing this difference, Supreme Court quashed a Bihar Government's resolution of including Lohars in Schedule Tribe category. After this verdict, they were subsequently reverted to EBC status. ^[6][7]

Jharkhand

The Lohar in Jharkhand are locally known as Lohar. They speak regional language such as vishvkarma .^[8] They are classified as obc in Jharkhand.^[9]

See also

• Nalband
• Kuchband

References

1. Bhattachan included the Lohar among the Madhesi Dalit in his report on minorities in Nepal, listing some 82,000. Bhattachan, Krishna B. (2008). Indigenous Peoples & Minorities of Nepal. Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN). p. 49. from the original on 12 March 2013.
2. In Annex I, Bhattarai lists the Lohar as iron-workers under the Madhesi as 0.36% of the Nepalese population. Bhattarai, Hari Prasad (2004). "Cultural Diversity and Pluralism in Nepal: Emerging Issues and the Search for a New Paradigm" (PDF). Contributions to Nepalese Studies. 31 (2): 293–340, page 339. (PDF) from the original on 15 May 2011.
3. Perez, Rosa Maria (2004). Kings and Untouchables: A Study of the Caste System in Western India. Orient Blackswan. p. 80. ISBN 978-8-18028-014-6.
4. Judge, Paramjit S.; Bal, Gurpreet (1996). Strategies of social change in India. M.D. Publications. p. 54. ISBN 978-81-7533-006-1. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
5. "Ho". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
6. "बिहार: अब लोहार जाति को नहीं मिलेगी एसटी की सुविधाएं, सामान्य प्रशासन विभाग ने निरस्त की सेवाएं". Retrieved 21 April 2022.
7. "Caught between Loharas & Kamars, Bihar's Lohars shun caste survey". Indian express. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
8. "1 Paper for 3 rd SCONLI 2008 (JNU, New Delhi) Comparative study of Nagpuri Spoken by Chik-Baraik & Oraon's of Jharkhand Sunil Baraik Senior Research Fellow". slideplayer.com. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
9. (PDF). Census India. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2013.

External links

• "Indigenous Communities from India: Lohara". Native Planet.
• lohars.org