Chhimba are variously described as a

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 ...

community and a

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

clan of India. Their traditional occupation in the

Samba district Samba district is a district in the Indian Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir formed in 2006. Before its formation, this area was part of Jammu district and Kathua district. Geography The district covers Samba town and adjoining tehsils: Ba ...

of India was dying and hand-printing

calico Calico (; in British usage since 1505) is a heavy plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may also contain unseparated husk parts. The fabric is far coarser than muslin, but less coarse and thick than ...

fabric. It was probably some of these people who moved to areas of

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

, where they created a somewhat different style of printing cloth that was much favoured by the

Gaddi people The Gaddi is a semi-pastoral Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic tribe living mainly in the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Overview The origin of the Gaddi Tribe is Gaderiya (Dhangar) they also additionally believe that ...

of the region.

References

{{reflist Sikh communities Social groups of Jammu and Kashmir Social groups of Himachal Pradesh Textile industry of India Artisans