Chamar Community

The community known as Chamars is spread out in the whole of Northern India and West Pakistan and is found in almost every village. The content of this topic is based on Ram Sarup Joon's book History of the Jats/Chapter VI (p.117-122)

Buddhism in Chamars

Traces of Buddhism exist alike in Hindu as well as Sikh Chamars. At present they are followers of Saints like Rai Dass, etc. In West Pakistan they are followers of Islam. They are mainly labourers, and they also utilise their spare time in weaving and leather work. Their physical features are Aryan. Most of them are originally Jats and some are Ahirs, Gujars and Rajputs who adopted Hinyan faith of Buddhism.

In the days of Kumar Gupta (? it must be read as Kanishka), Budhism split in two. The Mahayan sect forbade meat eating but the Hinyan Sect permitted eating the meat of those animals which died accidentally. After the decline of Budhism the Brahmins used this custom to condemn this sect and brand them as a religiously degraded lot. They were persecuted and oppressed. Most of them were driven out to other countries. Those who stayed back or returned later were looked down upon,

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deprived of their landed property and forced to do menial work. This is one reason why 'Chamars' inspite being from the same stock as other people in the are do not own any land. Because some of them had to resort to leather work the whole community was given the 'Chamar' contemptuously.

Brahmins have condemned these people for ever as untouchable because they do leather work and eat the meat of dead animals. Both these reasons are however unjustifiable. Firstly not all people of this community do leather work. A large number subsist on labour and weaving. Secondly, there is nothing low about working with leather. Leather goods have been in use since time immemorial. In the absence of a separate Chamar community these goods must have been made by the Aryans themselves and they did not become untouchables, because of that. Even Rishis used to tear deer skins with their own hands, wear them and use them to sit on and meditate.

As regards meat eating, it is a well known fact that early Aryans ate meat and hunted animals for it. Not all Brahmins are non meat eaters. It is given in "Ramayan Uttrakand" that Raja Pratap Bhanu served beef to Rishis and Brahmins in a Yagya by mistake and the rishis cursed him to remain a Rakshash for many generations. Raja Dashratha shot Sarwankumar mistaking him for a deer while he was collecting water for his blind parents. On another occasion Dashrath is said to have killed one of a pair of cranes and other other died of sorrow. It is mentioned in the Valmiki Arnya Kand that one day during his exile Shri Rama Chandra ji killed eleven deer and sent one of these to the rishis. Manu Sumariti has described the benefits feeding the meat of buffalo, goat and sheep to priests during 'Shradhs.'

Before the advent of Buddhism animals were offered to gods and slaughtered in the temples by the

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priests themselves. once, Mahatma Budh appealed to a priest thus:'O Brahmin, leave the ear of that goat, hold mine and if you think what you are trying to do is right then slaughter me.'

Even during the Buddhist era, when Ahinsa Pramo Dharma was the order of the day, Brahmins stubbornly kept eating meat. Even today, except Gaur Brahmins who were at one time influenced by Buddhism, most of the Brahmins eat meat.

Even now in Tibet and other countries, well to do and staunch Buddhists pay a high price for animals which die accidentally. So, Chamars are not the only people who eat the meat of dead animals. They are, therefore, not untouchables. Most of them are original Jats who adopted professions other than agriculture.

A part of the community is known as Jatyas. When they were separated from Jats they started calling themselves Jatyas. All gotras from this party are not Jat. They say that Jatyas are from Jat, Gujar, Ahir, Meo and Rajputs. Some of their gotras are Raj Vanshi Gahlot, Chohan and Kathi etc. They Jatyas insist they are Yaduvanshi, Khatries.

But to avoid the name Chamar, most of these people adopted titles like Rahdasi, Ramdasiye. Koli Megh, Meghwal, Kori, Bhalia, Raj Bhalai. Kuramjansiya, Channor, Chandore Dhumiya, Nandiya Panthi, Kothani, Deuli, Mochi, Satyanami, Sortri etc.

Gots of Chamars and their Castes

Gots of Chamars	Caste	Area
Ahlavat	Jat	Haryana, UP
Ahrodhia	Ahir	Punjab, Haryana
Apharia	Ahir	----
Bhundwal or Bodhan	Jat	Haryana, UP

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Gots of Chamars	Caste	Area
Bargujar	Rajputs	Haryana, Bagar
Jalandhi	Jat	Haryana, Punjab

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Gots of Chamars	Caste	Area
Jakhar	Ahir-Jat	Haryana, Pakistan
Sial	Jat	West Pakistan

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Gots of Chamars	Caste	Area
Sang	Jat Sikh	Punjab
Sandhariya	Jat	Haryana Bagar
Saharavat	Jat	Haryana
Sandhar	Jat	Haryana
Tobarya	Jat	Haryana Bagar

External Links

References

Buddhism in Chamars

Gots of Chamars and their Castes

See also

External Links

References