History and origin

The Padhar are distributed in six villages in Surandarnagar and four villages in Ahmadabad District

Ahmadabad District

Ahmadabad is a district in Paktia Province, Afghanistan. It is located to the east of Gardez, the provincial capital of Paktia.-Security and Politics:...

. There main villages are Shahpur, Sahiyal, Dharji, Devadthal, Nam Katechi, Ranagadh, Ralal, Parali, Parnala, Godi and Anandpur. They claim to have originated in Sindh

Sindh

Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...

, and their existence is due to the grace of Hinglaj mata, 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...

 goddess. The Padhar have been given scheduled caste status, and speak Gujarati

Gujarati language

Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...

. According to some traditions, they were originally Kolis, although this claim is denied by the Kolis.

Present circumstances

The Padhar community consists of a number of clans, each of which are exogamous. There main clans are the Domda, Bhuwatra, Samatiya, Pachani, Devthala, Lalni, Tanhada, Sapra, Kanotra, and Dharjiya. The Vatra, Pachani and Lalni clans do not intermarry, as they descend from common ancestor. They are strictly endogamous, and are a Dalit

Dalit

Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...

 community. The Padhar are mainly small scale peasant farmer, with many are now landless. Many Padhar are fishermen, as their villages lie on the shores of Nal Sarovar lake. Other occupations include grass cutting, root digging which they sell to neighbouring villages. As the Nal Sarovar lake attracts tourists, many also rent out their boats to the tourists.

The Padhar are 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...

 and pay special reverence to the goddess Hinglaj Mata. A few have also become members of the Swaminarayan sect.