Bhar
Encyclopedia
The Bhar are a Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

 caste found in North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...

. They are also known as Rajbhar. British historian General Cunningham said that Bhars are branch of the Ahir tribe.

History and origin

Bhar is a word derived from tribal languages like Gondi and Munda, which means "warrior". The tribal society of central India used to have its own hierarchy, with clans ranging from Brahmins (priestly class), warriors to service or menial class. The tribal society had special respect for its warriors and martial clans. Bhar is one such clan, which in the Medieval period had its own small principalities in various parts of North India. The Bhar formed small kingdoms in the Eastern Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

 region, until they were disposed by invading Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...

 and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

 groups in the later Middle Ages. The last Bhar raja was killed by Ibrahim Shah Sharqi, the Sultan of Jaunpur.

Titles

  • Bhar
  • Rajbhar
  • Bhardwaj
  • Ray,rai
  • Singh
  • Bharg
  • Kalhans
  • Nagbanshiya
  • Bhar
  • bharg
  • Bhor
  • Negi
  • Rawat also related of bhar community as per history.

Gotras

Kshatryas are now divided into 49 tribes or gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...

s: 7 into somavansi, 7 suryavansi, 7 agnivansi, 7 nagavansi, 7 sarasvansi (or apavansi), 7 govansi (or bhumivansi), and 7 vayuvansi.

History

In the beginning of the 9th century A.D., the Gurjara Pratihara king, Nagbhatta II, overthrew the Ayodhyas who was then ruling at Kannauj
Kannauj
Kannauj , also spelt Kanauj, is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is traditionally derived from the term Kanyakubja . Kannauj is an ancient city, in earlier times the capital...

, and made this city the capital of his growing empire, which rose to its greatest height in the reign of the famous Mihirbhoj (836-885 A.D.). From the time of Mahipal
Mahipal
Mahipal was an Indian actor. He was born in Jodhpur and died in Mumbai of a cardiac arrest. He acted in several well-known films of the 50s and 60s including Navrang, and Parasmani. He made his debut in the 1942 film Nazrana. He was also credited as Mahipal Singh.-Filmography:* Gopal Krishna ......

, the power of Kannauj become to decline, and Avadh was divided into small chieftainships, but all of them had ultimately to yield to newly growing power of Gaharwals of Kannauj.

Jaychandra (1170-1194 A.D.), the last important ruler of the dynasty, was killed in the battle of Chandawar (near Etawah) fighting against the invading army of Shahabuddin Mohd. Gauri. Soon after his death, Kannauj was occupied by the Turks
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...

. His grandson afterwards fled to Kantit in the Mirzapur District; overcoming the Bhar Raja of that district, he founded the family of Gaharwar Rajas of Kantit, Mirzapur, which was recently still in existence.

All the Gaharwar Rajas of Kantit trace their origin to Benares or Bijapur. The predecorrors of the Gaharwars were the Bhars, an race of great enterprise, who built forts, dams, and the like.

Bhar are an ancient kshatriya clan from the Benares district, of whom the Raj-Bhar and the Bharpatwa are sections, though they do not eat nor intermarry. They are said to have ruled the tract of eastern Uttar Pradesh, including Suagor, at varying times, and many old forts they are ascribed to them. On the hills to the east of Mirzapur, the principalities of Korar, Kurrich, and Huraha are, however, each held by Bhar rajas. Many of the old stone forts, embankments, and excavations in Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur is a city in the eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, near the border with Nepal. It is the administrative headquarters of Gorakhpur District and Gorakhpur Division. Gorakhpur is one of the proposed capitals of the Purvanchal state which is yet to be formed...

, Azimghur, Jonpur, Mirzapur
Mirzapur
Mirzapur is a city in the heart of North India, nearly 650 km between Delhi and Kolkata and also equidistant from Allahabad and Varanasi. Located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Mirzapur has a population of a little over 205,264 and is renowned for its famous carpet and brassware industry...

, etc. are still there. The celebrated fortress of Vijayagarh is still recognised as a Bharawati fort; and a pargana in Benares is called Bhadoi, probably Bhar-dai. It is sometimes said that they might have a connection with the ancient warring tribe of Bharatas
Bharatas
Bhāratas are an Aryan tribe mentioned in the Rigveda, especially in Mandala 3 attributed to the Bharata sage Vishvamitra. In the "river hymn" RV 3.33, the entire Bharata tribe is described as crossing a river. Bharatá is also used as a name of Agni Bhāratas are an Aryan tribe mentioned in the...

.

According to legends, for centuries Basti was a wilderness and a large part of eastern UP was occupied by the Bhars. The capital of the Bhars, five miles from Mirzapur, is said to have had 150 temples. Elliot (Supplemental Glossary, art. Bhar) remarks that “common tradition assigns to the Bhars the possession of the whole tract from Gorakhpur to Bundelkhand and Saugor, and many subterranean caverns in Gorakhpur, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Mirzapur, and Allahabad which are ascribed to them, would seem to indicate no inconsiderable advance in civilisation”. Mr Smith argues that the Bhars adopted the Jain religion, but there is no evidence for that. The Gaharwars were probably derived from the Bhars, and the Chandels are said to be a branch of the Gaharwars. Chandels are derived from Gonds. Many of the modern Rajput clans of eastern UP, like Gargwanshis, Bisens, Raikwars, Rajkumars, Kalhans, etc. are believed by the scholars to have originated from ancient ruling Bhar clans.

Present

The Bhar are primarily a community of small cultivators who supplement their income by wage labour. Landholdings are small, and many Bhar work on fields owned land. The Bhar are an Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

 community, and have customs similar to other Hindu communities of the Awadh
Awadh
Awadh , also known in various British historical texts as Oudh or Oude derived from Ayodhya, is a region in the centre of the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh...

 region. They speak Awadhi and Bhojpuri. The community are found in the districts of Azamgarh
Azamgarh
Azamgarh is a town in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is headquarters of Azamgarh district and Azamgarh Division.-History:Azamgarh, one of the easternmost districts of the State, once formed a part of the ancient Kosala kingdom, except the north-eastern part of it which was included in the...

, Jaunpur
Jaunpur District
Jaunpur is a district in the Varanasi Division of Uttar Pradesh state in India. Jaunpur serves as the district headquarters.-Geography:The district of Jaunpur is situated in the North-West part of Varanasi Division. Its land area extends from 24.240N to 26.120N latitude and between 82.70E and...

, Ghazipur
Ghazipur
Ghazipur , or Ghazipur City, previously spelt Ghazeepore, is a city/town and a municipal corporation and headquarter of Ghazipur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Ghazipur Division and Sub-division...

, Gonda
Gonda District
Gonda is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. Gonda is the district headquarters, and also the administrative centre for the Devipatan Division....

, Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur is a city in the eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, near the border with Nepal. It is the administrative headquarters of Gorakhpur District and Gorakhpur Division. Gorakhpur is one of the proposed capitals of the Purvanchal state which is yet to be formed...

, Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...

,Ambedkar Nagar and Faizabad
Faizabad
City of Faizabad , previous capital of Awadh, is the headquarters of Faizabad District and a municipal board in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, situated on the banks of river Ghaghra . Faizabad has a twin city of Ayodhya, which is considered to be the birthplace of Rama...

.
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