Lohar

Lohar is a social group in India, Nepal and Pakistan.[1][2] They are associated with iron smelting work. They form part of a loose grouping of traditionally artisanal castes known as Panchals.[3]

Lohar
Regions with significant populations

Lohars worship Lord Vishwakarma and other Hindu gods and claim to be Vishwakarma's descendants and considered themselves as vishwakarma shudra Lohar caste is included in OBC in different parts of India. Regional synonyms include Vishwakarma and Saifi/Tarkhan (for Muslims).

Names

Lohar are known by varied surnames in different regions.

  • Assam: Lohar, Karmakar, Vishwakarma
  • Andhra Pradesh: VishwaBrahmins,Lohar, Achari, Chary, and Acharya
  • Bengal: Lohar, Karmakar, Raut, Majhi, Dandamajhi, Dalui, Sutar
  • Bihar and Uttar Pradesh: Lohar‚ Sharma, Vishwakarma and Thakur
  • Jammu and Punjab : Lohar, Verma, Tarkhan, Mistri
  • Delhi: Lohar, Panchal
  • Haryana: Lohar, Dhalwal, Tanwar, Panwar, Solanki, Chauhan, Dangi, Karhera, Dharra, Bhavra, Siwal, Panchal, Bhardwaj, pitlehra
  • Jharkhand: Lohar
  • karnataka : Lohar, kammara, Achari, kambar
  • Kerala : Lohar, Achari, Vishwakarma, Ashari, Panjal
  • Maharashtra: Lohar, Suryavanshi, Kale, Dharankar, Chavhan, Pawar, Panhalkar, Yande, Borkar, Ghotekar, Manekar, Dhuratkar, Nagare, Thorat, Ingle, Dangre, Upankar, Mane, Ighe, Koshe, Waghodekar, Kumbare, Panvalkar, Dhole, Pakhale. In Konkan Area Shemadkar, Katalkar, Gulekar, Shirvankar, Ghadi, Masurkar, Chaphekar, Masurkar, Pomendkar,
  • Gujarat: Lohar, Panchal,Makwana, Pitroda, Chitroda, Parmar, Pithva, Suthar, Mistry, Gohil.
  • Nepal: Lohar, Vishwakarma (caste)
  • Orissa : Lohar, Moharana, Mohapatra, Sutar, Sahu, Parida
  • Punjab: Lohar, Saifi/Tarkhan
  • Rajasthan: Lohar, Mistri, Panchal, Suthar
  • Tamil Nadu: Lohar, Vishvabrahmins, Kamaalar, Aachari or Aasaari

States

Himachal Pradesh

Tarkhan and Lohar are two castes in Himachal Pradesh. Sikh Lohar are known as Tarkhan. While the Lohar caste has been included in the SC, the Tarkhan caste has been kept on the OBC List. The two castes are the same for all social and matrimonial purposes.

Bihar
  • In Bihar Lohar are in list of st.

Jharkhand

The Lohar in Jharkhand are a part of the Vishwakarma community.

Madhya Pradesh
Further information: Gadia Lohar

The Lohar of Madhya Pradesh are also called Panchal (five sub-castes) since Lohar is one of the five sub-castes of Vishwakarma.

Uttar Pradesh

The Lohar are one of the most widespread OBC communities in Uttar Pradesh.[4] They are divided along religious lines, with the Hindu Lohar known as Vishwakarmas and Muslim Lohars known as Saifis. They are further divided into exogamous groupings, notably the Sharma and Vishwakarma. Most Lohar engage in their traditional occupation of metal fabrication, although the majority of those in western Uttar Pradesh are cultivators. The assimilated Lohar speak Hindi and its various dialects such as Awadhi; others speak Ho.[5] They consider themselves as Vishwabrahmins.

Lohar in Nepal

The Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal classifies the Lohar as a subgroup within the broader social group of Madheshi Other Caste.[6] At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, 101,421 people (0.4% of the population of Nepal) were Lohar. The frequency of Lohar by province was as follows:

The frequency of Lohar was higher than national average (0.4%) in the following districts:[7]

See also

References
  1. Lohar (MUSLIM LOHAR IS SAIFI), Sharma. "In bihar vaishali lohar sharma committee organised by members of lohar sharma community". Jagran.com.
  2. "लोहार वंश | भारतकोश". Bharatdiscovery.org.
  3. Perez, Rosa Maria (2004). Kings and Untouchables: A Study of the Caste System in Western India. Orient Blackswan. p. 80. ISBN 978-8-18028-014-6.
  4. "केंद्र में लोहार अभी भी ओबीसी की सूची में". Livehindustan.com.
  5. "Ho". Ethnologue.com. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  6. Population Monograph of Nepal, Volume II
  7. 2011 Nepal Census, District Level Detail Report
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