The Bagdis are
indigenous people
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
descended from people with
Dravidian links found in the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
and
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
who were associated with professions like cultivating and fishing.
[Roy, Milan. "SITUATING SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF BAGDI CASTE IN BENGAL." ''CASTE, GENDER AND MEDIA: SIGNIFICANT SOCIOLOGICAL TRENDS IN INDIA'': 102.] The Bagdis are populous in
Bankura
Bankura () is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura district.
Etymology
In the Mahabharata, Bankura was described as Suhmobhumi. The word or (in Nagari: rāḍh) was introduced af ...
,
Birbhum
Birbhum district () is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the northernmost district of Burdwan division—one of the five administrative divisions of West Bengal. The district headquarters is in Suri. Other impo ...
and other districts in the western fringe of West Bengal. The Bagdis are one of the most numerous
Scheduled castes
The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...
of
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
.
History
J.N Bhattacharya described the Bagdis as an aboriginal tribe, who were fishermen, woodcutters, and litter carriers. The bagdis were also known as the ''criminal tribe'' of Bengal under
Criminal Tribes Act
Since the 1870s, various pieces of colonial legislation in India during British rule were collectively called the Criminal Tribes Act (CTA), which criminalized entire communities by designating them as habitual criminals. Under these acts, ethni ...
of the British.
Population and Literacy Data
The Bagdis numbered 2,740,385 in West Bengal in the 2001 Indian census and were 14.9 percent of the
scheduled caste population of West Bengal. 47.7 percent of the Bagdis were literate – 60.4 percent males and 34.8 percent females were literate.
See also
*
Bagdi Raja
Adi Malla (694 - 710 CE.), also known as Bagdi Raja, was the founder of the Mallabhum (Malla Dynasty) sometime in the 7th century CE.Malabhum, Bishnupur-Chandra, Manoranjan; 2004; Kolkata. Deys Publishing
History Origins
There are at least two d ...
References
Bengali Hindu castes
Ethnic groups in Bangladesh
Ethnic groups in India
Scheduled Tribes of India
Social groups of West Bengal
{{India-ethno-stub