| Group: | Dhobi |
| Religions: | Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism |
| Related Groups: | Muslim Dhobi |
Dhobi known in some places as Dhoba,[1] Rajaka, a Scheduled caste in India and the greater Indian subcontinent whose traditional occupations are washing, ironing, and agricultural labour.[2] [3] [4]
In 2017, Supreme Court of India noted calling people dhobi was offensive.[5]
In Maharashtra, the Dhobi are found throughout the state, and are also known as Parit. They claim to have originally belonged to the Rajput community, and in particular the Chauhan clan. The Dhobi have been listed as an Other Backward Class. They speak Marathi among themselves, and Hindi with outsiders.[6]
Vannar belongs to the Valangai ("Right-hand caste faction"). Some of The Valangai comprised castes with an agricultural basis while the Idangai consisted of castes involved in manufacturing, Valangai, which was better organised politically[7] [8]
In the Tirunelveli region, Thai deities (female deities) are worshipped in large numbers and are worshiped with a pedestal or trident. in states like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Vannars are still the priests of the Mariamman temple[9] [10]
| State/Territory | Known as | Description | Status[11] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | Rajaka | In Andhra Pradesh, the Rajakas do farming and agriculture, as well as washing, and ironing. However, there are many Rajakas in all sectors, such as doctors, engineers, lawyers, journalists, social services, IT, and politicians.[12] | OBC | |
| Assam | Dhupi | In 2001, Assam's Dhupi population was at 49,929, accounting for 2.7% of the total Scheduled Class (SC) population.[13] A high of 27.9% of this population was urban. The literacy rate among this group was 76%, above both the state figure (66.8%) and the aggregated national figure (54.7%) for SCs. | SC | |
| Bihar | Dhobi, Rajak | According to jangana 2023 Dhobi community in Bihar makes up around 0.84% (11 lakh) Hindu Dhobi, 0.31% (4 lakh) Muslim Dhobi (Qassar) of the state's total population, with maximum concentration in Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Siwan, Purnia and East Champaran districts, respectively. Bihar's Dhobi community is included in Scheduled Caste from OBC Status due to socioeconomically low. Now, they are in all sectors, but mainly as government employers, doctors, IT engineers, social service, agriculture, farming and politicians. Among the numerically larger castes of SC, Dhobi have registered the highest overall literacy rate.[14] | SC | |
| Jharkhand | SC | |||
| Madhya Pradesh | In Madhya Pradesh, Dhobi are a Scheduled Class in the districts of Bhopal, Raisen, and Sehore. | SC and OBC elsewhere | ||
| Manipur | Dhupi | SC | ||
| Meghalaya | Dhupi | SC | ||
| Mizoram | Dhupi | SC | ||
| Odisha | Dhoba, Dhobi, Rajak, Rajaka | Odisha has a significant population of Dhobi people in its coastal belt, i.e. eastern Odisha (Cuttack, Puri, Balasore, Ganjam) and a smaller population in its central and western areas. They are included in Scheduled Caste list of Odisha.[15] | SC | |
| Rajasthan | SC | |||
| Tripura | Dhoba | SC | ||
| Uttar Pradesh[16] | Diwakar, Rajak | The Dhobi population in the state has been classified as SC. | SC | |
| Uttarakhand | SC | |||
| Delhi | SC |
The Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal classifies the Dhobi as a subgroup within the broader social group of Madheshi Dalits.[17] At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, 109,079 people (0.4% of the population of Nepal) were Dhobi. The frequency of Dhobis by province was as follows:
The frequency of Dhobis was higher than national average (0.4%) in the following districts:[18]
See main article: List of Dhobis.