Basith

The Basith are a Hindu caste found in Jammu and Kashmir. According to the 2001 Census of India, the caste had 18,866 members.

History

Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Community.Vasisth(Infantry), Meghi or Megh-Fighting in Rain or mud like situations (a type of Navy)and Bral(Signal force/espionage ) are Misls of Banda Banda Singh Bahadur which later became castes.Bral is misspelt of Brawl-a English word.Brawl means mimicker, Brawl misl was raised by Baba Gudass Singh at Koppal, Karnataka. Baba Gurdass Singh was military Chief and Vadeshi Wazir(Foreign foreign affairs minister) of Guru Gobind Singh,who raised Brawl Misles at Koppal,Karnataka with British help in secrecy.Baba Gurdass Singh was Uncle(Mama Ji) of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur of village Nangal, Bhai Alam Singh Nachna was cousin (son of Aunty Phua Ji of Baba Gurdass Singh of Nangal ). Alam Singh Nachna was of Syal Village Naushera(J&K), now Syalsui or Sialsui village of Kalakote (Dist Rajouri). Baba Banda Singh Bahadur himself was of sub caste Charnal having Bhardwaj Gotra son of Bhai Ram Dev and Mata Sulakhni Devi of village Rajouri, now District HQ. Those who were recruited in Vasisth Misls used Vasisth tittles , those were in Meghi misl used Megh tittle and those in Brawl Misles used Bral tittles at Lohgarh, during British rules Rajput was used with Vasisth in whole North India, but Basith those became Sikh harshly opposed the Rajput tittle and never accepted Rajput tittles.Reason was Rajputs were in Mughals Alliance against Baba Banda Singh Bahadur and were present during the Martyrdom of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur.He was espionage commander (officer) of Raja Udey Singh of Chamba State before joining Guru Gobind Singh at Naded Sahib. In Chamab, he married Kunwar Susheel after establishing Khalsa Capital at Lohgarh, Punjab. Chamba in Himachal Pradesh in the nineteenth century to Poonch. The Vashist Rajput speak Pahari and their customs are similar to neighboring communities, such as the Domaal. They are a Hindu community in a predominantly Muslim region. They were traditionally cultivators.
The Vashist Rajput maintain distance from neighboring Muslim communities with strict restrictions on eating together.

Culture

The Basith population is small. Many are farmers and indulged in agriculture. They worship Ganga, the Gita, and Gow Mata. Sub-castes of basiths includes Telchub, Chasyal, Charnal, Sukhwal, Sanghal, Sanwal, Kalyal, Mandyal, Pandhyal, Malyal, Pachyal, Badhan, Chatriyal etc.

The basith are endogamous and practice clan exogamy. Their clans are called ''zaats'' and include the Chatriyal, Chimal, Raine, Sangwal; Kangwal; Bangwal; Chasyal; Kalyal etc. each of which have their own origin legend. A number of ''zaats'' then form a ''gotra''. For example, the Chatriyal belong to the Changin ''gotra, the Charnals have pardwari gotra'' Sadhyal have Pavar Got, Malyal(or Muyals) belong to Panwar Gotra, Gujyal belong to Parihar Got, Kakyal have Kahyap Got, Barwal belong to Sheel(Sheela) got,chachwal belongs to Teel(Teela) Got, Raine belongs to Deval Gotra(Raine have their origin from Kanol village,Deval block,now District Chamoli,Garhwal). Like many North Indian Hindus, the basith community have an informal caste council called a ''biradari panchayat''. Each of their settlements have this informal body, headed by a '' chaudhary in Hindus/Thakkar in Sikhs. Thakkar or Chaudhary means head of Tribal society (some mistakenly took it as Thakur, but it is Thakkar)''. The ''panchayat'' deals with all intra-community disputes, as well as those who breach community norms. Marriages with other communities also takes place excommunicated. They worship the Hindi pantheon as well as their clan gods and goddesses, called ''kul-devitas''.

References

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Caste