Batwal

The Batwal are a Hindu caste found in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh in India. They are also known as Batwal Rajput.^[1][2]

History

The Batwal of Punjab trace their ancestry to the town of Batwal in the Kashmir Valley, and the word Batwal in Punjabi means literally the inhabitant of Batmalu. Other traditions place their origin to the town of Batwal in Jammu. The community provided the traditional watchmen of the Punjab. According to the community own tradition, the Batwal were forced to flee their settlements when India was attacked by Alexander the Great. Once the Greek armies retreated, the Batwal found that their neighbours had seized their lands, and they were forced to become village watchmen. Like other communities of similar status, the Batwal have been granted scheduled caste status, which allows them to avail a number of affirmative action schemes by the Government of India.^[3]

In the Jammu region, from where the Punjab Batwal claim to have originated, there are a number of traditions as their origin. One traditions refer to the fact that the Batwal were tied to the land by the Dogra landowners, and the word Bat in the Dogri language means someone who is bonded. They were for generations bonded to particular families of Dogras, and were practically serfs. The Batwal are found mainly in Kathua, Jammu and Udhampur districts.^[4]

Present circumstances

The Batwal are divided into thirteen clans referred as per North Indian traditions as gotras. Like other neighbouring Hindu communities, the Batwal are striucly exogamous, never marrying within the clan. The major clans include the Basae, a name derived from the Beas River and meaning those settled along the banks of that river, and the Chariya, i.e. those who were inhabitants of Shimla. Other clans include the Thage, Kainth, Laskhotra, Lahoria, Mandee, Motton, Nakhotra, Nandan, Sajotra, Sargotra, and Targotra. Most Batwal in India have been strongly influenced by the Arya Samaj movement, while some Batwals have come under the influence of other Hindu reformist sects such as the Sacha Sauda.^[5] Like the Punjab Batwal, the Jammu Batwal community also consists of clans. Their main clans are the Nakodar, Moten and Kasim. The Batwal shares the customs and traditions of the locally dominant Dogra ethnic group and speak Dogri.^[6]

References

1. People of India Punjab Volume XXXVII edited by I.J.S Bansal & Swaran Singh page 82 to 89 Manohar Publications
2. People of India Jammu and Kashmir Volume XXV edited by K.N Pandita, S.D.S Charak & B.R. Rizvi page 115 to 120 Manohar Publications
3. People of India Punjab Volume XXXVII edited by I.J.S Bansal & Swaran Singh page 82 to 89 Manohar Publications
4. People of India Jammu and Kashmir Volume XXV edited by K.N Pandita, S.D.S Charak & B.R. Rizvi page 115 to 120 Manohar Publications
5. People of India Punjab Volume XXXVII edited by I.J.S Bansal & Swaran Singh page 82 to 89 Manohar Publications
6. People of India Jammu and Kashmir Volume XXV edited by K.N Pandita, S.D.S Charak & B.R. Rizvi page 115 to 120 Manohar Publications