The Ghasiya, or sometimes pronounced Ghasia 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

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

in India. They are also known as Ghasiara and 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

According to some traditions, the word ''ghasiya'' is said to mean grasscutter, from the

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

word ''ghahus'' meaning grass. They are one of a number of tribal communities found in the hilly region of southern Uttar Pradesh, in particularly

Mirzapur Mirzapur () is a city in Uttar Pradesh, India, 827 km from Delhi and 733 km from Kolkata, almost 91 km from Prayagraj (formally known as Allahabad) and 61 km from Varanasi. It is known for its carpets and brassware industries, and the folk ...

and Sonbadhra. The Ghasiya claim to have immigrated from

Surguja district Surguja district is a district of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. The district is one of the oldest districts of Chhattisgarh. The headquarters of the district is Ambikapur. The district lies in its eponymous Surguja dialectal region (where ...

in what is now

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

. Their traditions refer to a time when they were rulers, but over time lost their position, and took to cultivation. The Ghasiya are strictly endogamous community, and practice the principle of clan exogamy. These clans are referred to as kuris, and their main clans include the Arilkhanda, Banger, Bhainsa, Janta, Katihari, Sonwan and Surajbansi. The Sonwan claim a higher status, and derive their name from the Hindi word ''sona'', meaning gold. Other clans are also have their own origin myth. For example, Bhainsa are said to have acquired their name from godling Bhainsasur. They are Hindu, but have their own tribal deities such as Burhimai, Dulhadeo, and Sheetla Devi. The Ghasiya speak the

Bundelkhandi Bundeli (Devanagari: बुन्देली or बुंदेली; or Bundelkhandi) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Bundelkhand region of central India. It belongs to the Central Indo-Ayran languages and is part of the Western Hin ...

dialect of Hindi. The Ghasiya are a small landowning community. Many Ghasiya are still employed as grass-cutters. Many are also involved in the manufacture of a comb known as a mandau. They live in their own settlements, interacting little with neighbouring communities. The

2011 Census of India The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...

for Uttar Pradesh showed the Ghasiya population, which was classified as a Scheduled Caste, as being 5888.

References

{{reflist Hindu communities Dalit communities Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh Scheduled Castes of Maharashtra Scheduled Castes of Bihar Scheduled Castes of Madhya Pradesh Scheduled Castes of Jharkhand Scheduled Castes of Odisha Scheduled Castes of Chhattisgarh Scheduled Castes of Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Castes of Telangana