Chasa (caste) explained
| Caste Name: | Chasa |
| Subdivisions: | Odachasa, Odapadhan |
| Populated States: | Odisha |
| Religions: | Hinduism |
| Languages: | Odia |
| Related: | Gopal |
Chasa is a caste in India natively residing in the Indian state of Odisha. Chasas were traditionally cultivators but are now engaged in several professions. The Odia word chasa means farmer.[1] They are third largest caste by population in Odisha.[2]
History
The Orh/Oda Chasas claim that they were the first tribe to settle in Odisha, and that they began to cultivate the land. They claim that Odisha is named after them.[3]
They are classified as Shudra in the Hindu caste system.[4] [5] [6] [7] The association between Chasas and their occupation of manual labour (ploughing) was used to stigmatize the Chasas and distinguish them from the upper castes as late as the early 19th century.[8] "Chasa" was considered to be a "generic derogatory term for cultivators", in contrast to the sabhya bhabya Gan "sophisticated people".[9]
Around the turn of the 20th century, Chasas were small farmers and marginal raiyats.[10]
In modern-day Odisha, the Chasas are among the dominant castes in most villages, and are landowners and economically powerful.[11]
Classification
Chasas are classified under the OBC category in Odisha, where Odapadhan, a subdivision of the Chasa caste, belong to the SEBC category. Risley notes that, since the caste system is not practiced as per the Varna model he was idolizing, it was possible for outsiders to become Chasas, and wealthy Chasas who took up the title Mohanty could marry into Karana families.[12] Some wealthy Chasas began identifying as Khandayats.[13] The Chasas are ranked into four subcastes: Benatya, Oda/Odra, Chukuliya, and Sukuliya. The Benatyas are the highest in rank, and the Chukuliyas are the lowest in rank.
People
External links
- http://www.bcmbcmw.tn.gov.in/obc/faq/orrisa.pdf
Notes and References
- Book: Nab Kishore Behura . Ramesh P. Mohanty . Family Welfare in India: A Cross-cultural Study . 1 January 2005 . Discovery Publishing House . 978-81-7141-920-3 . 43 .
- Web site: casi.sas.upenn.edu .
- Book: Rabindra Nath Pati. Family Planning. APH Publishing. 2008. 978-81-313-0352-8. 114–115.
- Book: Sable, Alan. Education in Orissa: A Study in Selection and Allocation Process. S. Chand Group. 1977. 33.
- Book: The Eastern Anthropologist. Ethnographic and Folk Culture Society. 2006. 214–215.
- Book: Rösel, Jakob. Der Palast des Herrn der Welt: Entstehungsgeschichte und Organisation der indischen Tempel-und Pilgerstadt Puri. Weltforum Verlag. 1980. 46, 66, 70.
- Book: Behera. Deepak Kumar. Contemporary Society: Tribal situation in India. Pfeffer. Georg. Concept Publishing Company. 1997. 191.
- Book: Pinch, William R.. Peasants and Monks in British India. University of California Press. 1996. 0-520-20060-8. 112. Being Vaishnava, Becoming Kshatriya.
- Book: Ray, Subhajyoti. Transformations on the Bengal Frontier: Jalpaiguri 1765-1948. Routledge. 2002. 978-0-700-71408-7. 136.
- Book: Mohanty, Bidyut. A Haunting Tragedy: Gender, Caste and Class in the 1866 Famine of Orissa. Routledge. 2022. 9781000506839 .
- Book: Mahapatra, L. K.. The Realm of the Extra-Human: Agents and Audiences. Mouton Publishers. 1976. Bharati. Agehananda. 65. Gods, Kings, and the Caste System in India.
- Hewitt. J. F.. April 1893. Art. VII.–The Tribes and Castes of Bengal, by H. H. Risley. Vols. I. and II. Ethnographic Glossary, Vols. I. and II. Anthropometric Data. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland. 25. 2. 237–300. 10.1017/s0035869x00022395. 163011123 . 0035-869X.
- Book: Pati, Biswamoy. India's Princely States: People, Princes and Colonialism. Routledge. 2007. 978-0-203-93380-0. Ernst. Waltraud. 89. The order of legitimacy: princely Orissa.
- Book: Sujit Mukherjee. A Dictionary of Indian Literature: Beginnings-1850. Orient Blackswan. 1998. 978-81-250-1453-9. 351–.
