Rajbhar Explained

The Rajbhar (also spelled Rajbhaar) are a community of the state of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Bihar, Nepal and other states of India.

The Rajbhar were traditionally laborers.^{[1] [2] [3]} Influenced by the Arya Samaj movement, bhars started using rajbhar, Baijnath Prasad Adhyapak published Rajbhar Jati ka Itihas in 1940. This book attempted to prove that the Rajbhar were formerly rulers who were related to the ancient Bhar ruler.^[4]

Rajbhars in Nepal

The Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal classifies the Rajbhar as a subgroup within the broader social group of Madheshi Other Caste.^[5] At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, 9,542 people (0.0% of the population of Nepal) were Rajbhar. The frequency of Rajbhars by province was as follows:

• Lumbini Province (0.1%)
• Bagmati Province (0.0%)
• Gandaki Province (0.0%)
• Koshi Province (0.0%)
• Madhesh Province (0.0%)
• Karnali Province (0.0%)
• Sudurpashchim Province (0.0%)

The frequency of Rajbhars was higher than national average (0.0%) in the following districts:^[6]

• Parasi (1.4%)
• Saptari (0.2%)
• Bara (0.1%)
• Morang (0.1%)
• Parsa (0.1%)
• Rupandehi (0.1%)
• Sunsari (0.1%)

Notes and References

1. Book: Mann, Dr. Nisha . Women and Politics with special reference to PRIs . 2021 . K.K. Publications . 210 .
2. Book: Fox, Richard Gabriel . From Zamindar to Ballot Box . 2021 . Cornell University Press . 71 .
3. Book: Veer, Peter van der . The Management of Religious Experience and Identity in a North Indian Pilgrimage Centre . 2020 . Taylor & Francis . 310 .
4. Book: Narayan, Badri . Fascinating Hindutva: Saffron Politics and Dalit Mobilisation . 209 . SAGE Publications . 25 . 978-8-17829-906-8.
5. Population Monograph of Nepal, Volume II https://nepal.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Population%20Monograph%20V02.pdf
6. https://cbs.gov.np/wp-content/upLoads/2018/12/Volume05Part02.pdf 2011 Nepal Census, District Level Detail Report