Rohit or Rohitas, also called

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 ...

and Bhambi Khalpa, who are sub-caste and sub-community from

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. Rohit consider themselves to be followers or descendants of the

Bhakti Movement The Bhakti movement was a significant religious movement in medieval Hinduism that sought to bring religious reforms to all strata of society by adopting the method of devotion to achieve salvation. Originating in Tamilakam during 6th centur ...

saint Ravidas. Traditionally, they did

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, ...

or hide work and were identified as

Khalpa The Bhambi Khalpa are a Hindu caste found in the state of Gujarat in India. They are a sub-group within the Bhambi community. The Khalpa have scheduled caste status. Origin The name Khalpa has been derived from the word khal, which is the G ...

. But in 1947, a group of Khalpa organized and decided to call themselves Rohit. They also abandoned all leather works but practiced consumption of non-veg.Bhambhi / Rohit
Gujarat, Part 1 By Kumar Suresh Singh, Rajendra Behari Lal, Anthropological Survey of India. Page 163-165 From the 1930-40s Rohits were active in changing their caste name from

to Rohit, like others such as Dheds to Mahyavanshis, Garua to

Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

, and

Bhangi Chuhra is a Dalit caste in India and Pakistan. Populated regions include the Punjab region of India and Pakistan, as well as Uttar Pradesh in India, among other parts of the Indian subcontinent such as southern India. Their traditional occupatio ...

Rishi ''Rishi'' () is a term for an accomplished and enlightened person. They find mentions in various Vedic texts. Rishis are believed to have composed hymns of the Vedas. The Post-Vedic tradition of Hinduism regards the rishis as "great yogis" or ...

. Only Mahyavanshis were successful in getting official recognition from the Government of India to get a

Kshatriya Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

status officially.

Surname

The Rohit community has number of ''ataks'' (

surnames In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...

) apart from Rohit generally used by them.

References

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Surname

References

See also