Khandayat (caste)

Khandayat is a peasant-militia caste of Odisha in India.[1] Numerically they are the largest caste of the state [2]

Khandayat
VarnaKshatriya
ReligionsHinduism
LanguagesOdia
Populated statesOdisha
SubdivisionsDala khandayat, Kalingi khandayat, Paikali khandayat

Etymology

The name Khandayat is originated from the term "Khanda" with its origin in Sanskrit which means the sword and "ayata", which means control in specific area. [3][4][5]

History

Traditionally they are martial caste or people belonging to the warrior class also known as "Kshatriyas".Khandayats who had fought were given lands or "jagirs" according to their rank and success in the battlefield. Because of this, by the end of 19th century, most landholdings became part and parcel of people from the Khandayat community. However, with all of Odisha and India coming under East India Company rule, land was minutely distributed among people of other castes such as Brahmin and Karana, so as to not make Khandayat the only dominant force, politically, in Odisha.[3]

References
  1. Bailey, Frederick George (1970). Politics and Social Change. University of California Press. p. 132.
  2. Punjab Journal of Politics. Department of Political Science, Guru Nanak Dev University. 1986.
  3. Ernst, Waltraun; Pati, Biswamoy (2007). "India's Princely States: People, Princes and Colonialism". Google Books. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  4. Mohapatra, Dr. Hemanta Kumar (December 2014). "Martial Art Tradition of Odisha" (PDF). OdishaReview - Govt. of Odisha. OdishaReview - Govt. of Odisha. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  5. Indian Association of Kickboxing Organisations, 9 February 2013. "Paika Akhada".

Further reading
  • Ernst, Waltraud; Pati, Biswamoy, eds. (2007). India's Princely States: People, Princes and Colonialism. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-13411-988-2.
  • Pati, Biswamoy (2001). Situating Social History: Orissa, 1800-1997. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 978-8-12502-007-3.
  • Senapati, Fakir Mohan (2005). Six Acres and a Third: The Classic Nineteenth-century Novel about Colonial India. Mishra, Rabi Shankar (trans.). University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-52022-883-2.
  • Roy, Bhaskar (2004). "Khandayats moving into political gear in Orissa". Times of India.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.