The Bhambi Khalpa are a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...

found in the state of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

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 ...

. They are a sub-group within the Bhambi community. The Khalpa have

scheduled caste 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 ...

status.

Origin

The name Khalpa has been derived from the word khal, which is the

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

word which means the carcass of a dead animal. They are said to be a sub-division of the

Chamar Chamar is a Dalit community classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's system of affirmative action. Historically subject to untouchability, they were traditionally outside the Hindu ritual ranking system of castes known as varna. ...

community. The Khalpa are a

speaking community.

Present circumstances

The Khalpa are an endogamous community, and practice clan exogamy. Historically, they used to intermarry with the

Bhambi Rohit The Bhambi Rohit are a Hindu caste found in the state of Gujarat in India. They are a sub-group within the Bhambi community. They used to claim to be Rajput via Rajputization. Origin The community gets its name from Rohidas, a Hindu saint, a ...

, but this has been discontinued. Their main clans are the Chauhan, Parmar, Katariya, Goel, Solanki and Kothari. Historically, the Khalpa were

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hogs, ...

tanners Tanners may refer to: * Tanners (company), a British wine company * Tanners, Virginia, an unincorporated community located in Madison County, United States * Jerald and Sandra Tanner, opponents of the LDS Church (Mormons) * Leatherhead F.C., a fo ...

and shoemakers, but like other artisan communities are abandoning their traditional occupation. Many are now employed as wage labourers. A small number are now small and medium-sized peasant cultivators.People of India Gujarat Volume XXII Part One edited by R.B Lal, S.V Padmanabham & A Mohideen page 162 to 166 Popular Prakashan

References

{{Social groups of Gujarat Indian castes Dalit communities Scheduled Castes of Gujarat Scheduled Castes of Rajasthan Scheduled Castes of Madhya Pradesh

Origin

Present circumstances

See also

References