Sainthwar

The Sainthwar, or Mall,^[1] is an Indian caste of peasants^[2] native to the Uttar Pradesh state.^[3] Under the Indian governments system of positive discrimination, the Sainthwars are classified as a "Backward" or Other backward class.^[4]

The Sainthwars are closely related to the Kurmis,^[2] and are sometimes described as a division of the Kurmi caste.^[5] Though Sainthwars deny the claim but in Census of 1881 Sainthwars were mentioned along with Kurmi in Oudh and Benaras.^[6][7] Sainthwar was earlier a Kurmi sub-caste. But due to the rise of the leading family (princely family of Padruna) it was classified as a separate caste in 1911.^[8] The Sainthwars are known as "Mall" ("prosperous") as opposed to the Kurmis.^[3] They are the dominant landholding caste in some districts of Uttar Pradesh.^[5]

The oral tradition of the Sainthwars traces their ancestry to Chandraketu, a son of the legendary hero Lakshmana.^[3]

Bharatiya Janata Party politician RPN Singh belongs to the Saithwar community and is a prominent leader from Eastern Uttar Pradesh.^[9][10]

References

1. Subodh Kapoor (2002). Encyclopaedia of Ancient Indian Geography. Cosmo. p. 413. ISBN 978-81-7755-299-7.
2. Shahid Amin (1995). Event, Metaphor, Memory: Chauri Chaura, 1922-1992. University of California Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-520-08780-4. Sainthwar: a middle-ranking caste of 'industrious' peasants, closely related to the Kurmi
3. Kumar Suresh Singh, ed. (1998). India's Communities. Vol. A–G. Oxford University Press. p. 2163. ISBN 978-0-19-563354-2.
4. "National Commission for Backward Classes". www.ncbc.nic.in. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
5. Paul R. Brass; Francis Robinson, eds. (1987). The Indian National Congress and Indian society, 1885-1985: ideology, social structure, and political dominance. Chanakya. ISBN 9788170010265.
6. Blunt, Sir Edward (2010). The Caste System of Northern India. Gyan Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-8205-495-0.
7. Bhattacharya, Jogendra Nath (1896). Hindu Castes and Sects: An Exposition of the Origin of the Hindu Caste System and the Bearing of the Sects Towards Each Other and Towards Other Religious Systems. Thacker, Spink.
8. Blunt, Sir Edward (2010). The Caste System of Northern India. Gyan Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-8205-495-0.
9. "How RPN Singh fits into BJP's OBC plan in UP - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
10. "Who is RPN Singh? Know all about Congress heavyweight who joined BJP ahead of UP polls". The Fress Press Journal. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.