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Bhumihar |
Bhumihar Brahmin or simply Bhumihar or Bhuinhar is a caste mainly found in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.The Bhumihars classify themselves in the Brahmin varna in Hinduism (hence using the designation Bhumihar Brahmin or Babhan,[1] but some other communities dispute this claim, and do not regard them as Brahmins.[2][3]
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The princely state of Benares (Kingdom of Kashi) was one of the areas ruled by the Bhumihars. The Kingdom of Kashi was originally founded by Khsetravridha of the Somavansa dynasty of Pratishthana. It lost its independence in 1194 and was ceded to the British by the Nawab of Oudh in 1775. The British recognized Benares as a family dominion, and most of the Benares territory was received by Mansa Ram, from the Governor of Benares in 1737. Mansa Ram was a Gautam Bhumiyar Zamindar of Utaria (1737-1740).[4] His successors ruled the state, until it was incorporated into the Republic of India. The family still keeps the title Kashi Naresh (King of Kashi).
The declaration of Bhumihars as "non-Brahmins" in the 1901 census of British India led to the movement for their self-identity. The movement had two streams — one led by Sir Ganesh Dutta, and the other by Swami Sahajanand Saraswati.[5]
Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, a Bhumihar himself, wrote extensively on Brahmin society and on the origin of Bhumihars. He stated that the Bhumihars are among the superior Brahmins[6], and exhorted the Bhumihars to adopt Brahmin family names.[7]
Bhumihar Brahmins were referred to as "Military Brahmin" by Francis Buchanan and as "Magadh Brahmin" by William Adam in 1883.[5] William Crooke in his book, Tribes and Castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh[8], has mentioned Bhuinhar as an important tribe of landowners and agriculturists in eastern districts and that they are also known as Babhan, Zamindar Brahman, Grihastha Brahman, or Pachchima or 'western' Brahmans.
Pandit Jogendra Nath Bhattacharya in his book Hindu Castes and Sects, has written about Bhumihar Brahmins of Bihar and Banaras[9] as: "The clue to the exact status of the Bhumihar Brahmans is afforded by their very name. The word literally means a landholder. In the language of the Indian feudal systems, Bhoom is the name given to a kind of tenure similar to the Inams and Jagirs of Mohammedan times. By a Bhoom, according to the Rajputana Gazeteer, an hereditary, non-resumableand inalienable property in soil was inseparably bound up with a revenue-free title. Bhoom was given as a compensation for bloodshedin order to quell a feud, for distinguished services in the field, for protection of a border or for the watch and ward of the village. The meaning of the designation Bhumihar being as stated above, the Bhumihar Brahmans are evidently these Brahmans who held grants of land for secular service. Whoever held a secular fief was Bhumihar. Where a Brahman held such a tenure, he was called a Bhumihar Brahman....Bhumihar Brahmans are sometimes called simply Bhumihars..."
The Bhumihars, although known as Brahmins, were not given the "ritual" status of Brahmins, on account of the fact that they were cultivators.[10]
Siyaram Tiwary, the former dean at Visva Bharati University, stated that the Bhumihars are "landed Brahmins who stopped taking alms and performing pujas and rituals", comparing them with Tyagis of Western UP, Jamindar Bengali Brahmins, Nambudiri Brahmin of Kerala, Chitpavans of Maharashtra, Anavil Desais of Gujarat and Mohyals of Punjab.[11]
The Bhumihars are predominantly farmers, and some of them own vast quantities of land. In 19th century, many of the Bhumihars were zamindars.[12]
The Bhumihars organized themselves into an organization called Bhumihar Brahmin Sabha in 1896.[13] They are considered a politically volatile community, and have played an important role in the social and political movements of Bihar.[14][15] They form an important vote bank in many constituencies of Bihar.
Mangal Pandey, who is considered the progenitor of the Indian rebellion of 1857 was born in a Bhumihar Brahmin family.[16] Notable Bhumihar Brahmin Nationalists and freedom fighters include Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, Sir Ganesh Dutt, Basawon Singh (Sinha), Sri Krishna Sinha, Yogendra Shukla, Baikuntha Shukla, Sheel Bhadra Yajee and many others.
Notable Bhumihar writers, scholars,doctors and intellectuals include Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, Rahul Sankrityayan, Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar', Ramavriksha Benipuri, Ram Karan Sharma, Ram Sharan Sharma, Raghav Sharan Sharma, Dr.Sheetal Sinha, Dr. Jagdeo Sharma and others.
Notable Bhumihar Brahmin leaders include Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra, Indradeep Sinha, Kapildeo Singh, Raj Narain, Tarkeshwari Sinha, Krishna Ballabh Prasad Narain aka Babuaji, Chandreshwar Prasad Thakur, Kailashpati Mishra and others.
Sir Ganesh Dutt Singh, who was a freedom fighter, administrator and educationist in which capacity he did a lot for improving education and health services in the state in the pre-independence era.[17][18]Sir Ganesh Dutt made generous donations from his earnings and personal property for the development of educational institutions, like radium institute in Patna Medical College, Darbhaga Medical College, Ayurvedic College and schools for the blind, deaf and dumb, among others.[19] A short film based on the life and works of Sir Dutt has been made by Prakash Jha.[20]
Great revolutionary nationalist, freedom fighter who served more than 16 years in British prisons, labour leader, trade unionist and was among the founders of Congress Socialist Party and Praja Socialist Party alongwith Jayaprakash Narayan and Acharya Narendra Deva was Shri Basawon Singh (Sinha) who was born in a Bhumihar Brahmin family of Shubhai, Hajipur. The Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in his name on 23/03/2000.[21] There is an indoor stadium in his name in the city of Hajipur in Bihar.[22]
Eminent nationalist, Gandhian, leader of Indian National Congress, member of the Constituent Assembly of India and the first and longest serving Chief Minister of Bihar, Bihar Kesari Dr. Sri Krishna Sinha, was born in a Bhumihar Brahmin family in Barhbigha, Lakhisarai. He is known as the "Architect of Modern Bihar".[23] Barring the war years(Second World War 1939-1945), Shri Babu was chief minister of Bihar from the time of the first Congress Ministry in 1937 until his death in 1961.".[24]
Veteran Communist leader, Shri Indradeep Sinha was born in a Bhumihar Brahmin family at Shakara village in Siwan District of Bihar in July, 1914.[25] Indradeep Sinha had a brilliant academic carrier securing a gold medal in post-graduation in Economics from Patna University.[26] He wrote about 25 books and his writings are guidelines for the next generation committed to people's cause.[27] He chose to serve the people by fighting for political freedom of the nation and social and economic justice to its people. A lecturer and journalist by vocation, Shri Sinha was Secretary of the Bihar State Council of the Communist Party of India from 1962 to 1967 and had served as the General Secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha since 1973 till late nineties. Shri Sinha was also editor of the ‘Hunkar’, ‘Janasakti’ and ‘New Age’ weeklies. Shri Indradeep Sinha started his legislative career with the membership of the Bihar Legislative Council, where he was a member from 1964 to 1974. He also served as the Minister of Revenues in the United Front Government of Bihar from 1967 to 1968. As Revenues Minister, he took several initiatives to ameliorate the condition of the poor and downtrodden class and took steps for distribution of land to the landless in the State. Shri Sinha represented the State of Bihar in the Rajya Sabha for two terms from April, 1974 to April, 1980 and again from July, 1980 to July, 1986.
Socialist leader Kapildeo Singh belonged to this community and took active part in the freedom struggle and political emancipation of masses after independence.[28]
Among the first female politicians of the country, Mrs. Tarkeshwari Sinha, took active role in the Quit India Movement, represented in the parliament for 19 years (got elected to the first Lok Sabha at the age of 26 in 1952) and also became a minister in the union cabinet way back in 1958.[29][30] Gulzar’s critically acclaimed movie, Aandhi was partly inspired by Tarkeshwari Sinha, apart from Indira Gandhi.[31]
Some others who belong to the community include Sir Chandeshwar Prasad Narayan Singh (Sinha), who became the first ambassador to Nepal and later an ambassador to Japan and also the Governor of U.P.[32] A distinguished educationist, an able administrator and an inspiring leadership interpreter of Indian Culture, Shri C.P.N. Singh was honoured with Padma Vibhushan in 1977 for his meritorious services rendered to the country.[33]
Some others who have made a name for themselves include Dr. Mangla Rai, Secretary Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General ICAR; Dr. Gopaljee Trivedi, Ex-Vice Chancellor, Rajendra Agricultural University, Pusa in Bihar who is also widely known for his continued efforts for development of agricultural livelihoods in Bihar; Dr. Dilip Kumar presently Director / Vice Chancellor of Central Institute of Fisheries Education, the institution of higher learning in fisheries.
Notable Politicians in U.P. include Late Shri Gauri Shankar Rai ( Freedom Fighter and Ex Member of Parliament) and Late Shri Kalpnath Rai ( Ex -Member of Parliament and Sr Congress Leader )
Although the Bhumihars have always constituted a very small proportion of the Bihar population (around 2.8%), they wielded great political strength in pre-Mandal politics of Bihar. At one time, Bhumihar MPs were elected on 19 out of total 54 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. With the partition of Bihar, their percentage has shot up to 6 percent and all political parties are vying for their votes.[11] Even RJD supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav had made a fervent appeal for a close relationship between Bhumihar Brahmins and Yadavas.[34]
Bhumihars, who are considered as forward class, have often been involved in caste-related conflicts with other castes such as the Yadavs and the Dalits.[35][36][37] Ranvir Sena, a private army of the some Bhumihar landlords, has carried out many attacks against the naxals and the "lower" castes, which have resulted in counter-attacks against the Bhumihars.[38] It was most violent in late 70s and throughout 80s as the politics and administration in Bihar was poor. It also continued through Laloo-Rabri regime of 15 years purely due to same reasons. Few will know that it was Yadav peasants who, in 1927, pleaded with Swami Sahajanand Saraswati to aid them in their struggles against the Bhumihar zamindars of Masaurhi, and that it was from that beginning that the most powerful peasant movement in India, the Bihar provincial Kisan Sabha, emerged.[39] Bhumihars also gave Bihar its first chief minister in Sri Krishna Sinha who had himself led Dalit’s entry into Baidyanath Dham (Vaidyanath Temple, Deoghar).[11]
On February 12, 1992, the Maoist Communist Centre massacred 37 members of Bhumihar community at Bara village, Gaya district in Bihar.[40] On March 18, 1999, the Maoist Communist Centre massacred over 34 Bhumihars in Senari village, Jehanabad in Bihar.[40][41][42]
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