Main data
The population of Rajasthan is estimated at 82.4 million, with the decennial census unable to take place in 2021 due to the Covid epidemic. This represents 5.89% of India's population, and Rajasthan is the seventh most populous state. 75% of the population lives in rural areas, and the most populous district is Jaipur, with 4 million people living in the state capital. Rajasthan's population is growing at around 2.5% per year. Almost 15% of the population belongs to a scheduled tribe, making Rajasthan the 6th largest state in terms of tribal populations - the state with the most tribes being Madhya Pradesh. Nearly 85% of Rajasthans are Hindus, while Muslims make up around 10% of the population, Sikhs 1.3% and Jains 1%. The lingua franca is Hindi, but numerous dialects are spoken in the various regions. Dhundari is spoken in Jaipur, Marwari in Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur, Mewari around Udaipur and Harauti in Kota. None of these dialects has a distinct alphabet.
The caste system
Around 1,500 BC, a people from the Iranian plateau settled in northern India and established a new religious and social order. This marked the beginning of the Vedic era, which established the founding texts of Hinduism and introduced a caste system. Society was organized into 4 main categories, known as varna, which means "rank" or "color" in Sanskrit. The Brahmins were responsible for religious functions and intellectual professions; the Kshatriyas were in charge of warfare and territorial security; the Vaishyas were landowners and merchants; and the Shudras were small-scale farmers and stockbreeders. Untouchables, also known as dalit or harijan, form groups that do not fit into this stratification. They are considered impure by members of the castes. The jati, meaning "birth" or "species", correspond to professional activities (weavers, potters, shoemakers, etc.) or sometimes to ethnic groups. They form sub-castes. Rajasthani surnames refer to varna or jati membership. For example, the name Chauhan refers to the Kshatriya caste, and Prajapat to the durry weaving trade. The term caste first appeared with the Portuguese, who colonized Goa from the 16th century onwards. They identified the organization of society linked to a ritual purity, which they called casta, meaning "race" or "species". In the 19th century, the British relied on the caste system to govern the people, passing laws applying to Indians according to their religion or caste identification. The Criminal Tribes Act passed in 1871 listed members of certain castes as hereditary criminals. Castes suspected of rebelling against colonial authority, or whose ancestors had fought against the Mughals or the British, were registered and restricted in their movements. The application of this law resulted in the exclusion of many communities considered criminal by birth. This was the case for the Jat in Rajasthan, the Gurjar in the Himalayas and the Maravar in southern India. The Indian Constitution, promulgated in 1950, prohibits all discrimination based on the caste system, but it persists in people's minds. Seventy years of democracy have failed to abolish these age-old social rituals. The urban middle classes, however, seem to attach less importance to purity, reverting to socio-economic stratification in arranged marriages. The level of purity, while inducing great respect and a high place in society, is not linked to economic rank. Many Brahmins, for example, live very poor lives, their ritual obligations forbidding them to trade with other groups. A few untouchables, on the other hand, have made a fortune by engaging in activities considered impure by others, such as leatherworking.
At the very bottom of the social ladder are the tribal populations known as adivasi. These aborigines of India are considered to be the oldest inhabitants and predate the Aryans and Dravidians. Affected by severe discrimination and a very high illiteracy rate, they struggle to preserve their ancestral ways of life. To promote the socio-economic development of untouchables and tribals, the Indian government reserves places for them in administrations and schools, thus confirming the survival of the caste system.
The tribes of Rajasthan
Articles 341 and 342 of the Constitution define the notion of " Scheduled tribes " and list them. A tribe can only be scheduled if it meets a list of criteria such as primitive characteristics, distinct culture, refusal to mix with other groups, geographical and social isolation... Twelve tribes have been listed in Rajasthan, some of which are subdivided into smaller groups.
The Meena. This sedentary tribe from eastern Rajasthan lives mainly from agriculture. They claim to be direct descendants of Matsya, the fish avatar of Vishnu, as meen means "fish" in Sanskrit. She occupied the Amber site before the Kachhwaha took it over. The 4 million or so individuals who make up this community are considered the aborigines of the "land of princes". Today, they are especially present in Shekhawati.
The Bhil. Rajasthan's largest tribe is settled in the south of the state. Their members were renowned for their archery skills and were loyal allies of the Mewar rulers, the rana of Chittorgarh, in countering Mughal attacks. The Bhil have preserved their animist rites. A large gathering is held every year in Baneshwar in January or February, providing an opportunity to practice ghoomar, the traditional dance.
The Damor. This southern Rajasthani tribe traces its origins back to the Rajputs. Their main source of income is agriculture and manual labor. They have their own language, Vagri, a derivative of Indo-Aryan. The Damor practice polygamy and pay a dowry to the bride's family at the time of marriage.
The Kathodi. This tribe, considered to be on the brink of extinction, lives in the Udaipur district. Originally from Maharashtra, they have their own pantheon of gods, such as Dungar dev, Bagh dev, Bhari mata and Kansari mata. The tribe's name derives from their profession of harvesting katha (leaves and shoots) from khers, a shrub of the acacia family common to Rajasthan. The women don't wear jewelry, but they do tattoo their bodies to embellish them.
The Kanjars. The origin of the tribe's name comes from the word " kananchar ", meaning wanderer in the jungle. Its population is scattered between Kota, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Alwar and Ajmer. The tribe has a bad reputation and was listed in the Criminal Tribes Act drawn up by the British in 1871. Regarded as criminals and thieves, it is claimed that they have no door to their house, but a window at the back, the better to escape. The Kanjar are renowned for their traditional dances and songs.
The Sansi. This tribe lives mainly around Bharatpur and Ajmer. They earn their living by making small handicrafts and poaching. When they reach adulthood, they swear an oath to their god Bhakar Bawaji, which forbids them to lie afterwards. Widows and widowers cannot remarry.
The Banjara. This tribe lives from itinerant trade in the Mewar region. Banjara are also found in Andhra Pradesh, in eastern India. Their status as peddlers earns them the respect of the inhabitants of isolated villages, who rely on them for supplies of cloth and salt. The tribe also played a media role in desert regions, spreading the news.
Gadias Lohar. These itinerant blacksmiths still travel the roads of Rajasthan with their large wooden-wheeled carts. In the 11th century, they led a similar existence. Some of them then settled in Mewar, where they were the appointed gunsmiths of the Sisodya rulers. In 1568, they vowed not to build another house until the fortress of Chittorgarh was freed from the Mughal yoke. In the 1950s, Nehru is said to have offered them settlement after symbolically taking them into the fort's enclosure.
The Bawaria. This community of hunters lost their livelihood when hunting was banned by a wildlife protection law in 1972. Since then, this community has wandered from town to town, with a reputation as thieves and criminals, poaching partridges and snakes in exchange for a few rupees. The sedentarization of this tribe is made all the more difficult by the fact that they own no land, and established rural dwellers refuse to coexist with them. In several villages in Rajasthan where the Bawaria have tried to settle, huts have been burnt down, water supplies denied, goat herds decimated and, finally, the community driven out. Although several complaints were lodged with the local authorities, few decisions were taken in favor of the Bawaria.
The Rabari. This community of nomadic herders lead their herds of camels and goats across the Thar desert, between Rajasthan and Gujarat. Their women can be recognized by their colorful clothes and massive silver jewelry.
