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Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in the Indian
Union. Kanpur is the
biggest city in the state. Other big cities are Agra, Varanasi and Allahabad.
The Brahmins, Kshatriyas and
Vaishyas,
the three upper castes people of
the state who have dominated the political and economic scene over the centuries
are in a minority. A major group comprises of the backward
classes, scheduled castes and tribes. The tribal population
is largely concentrated in the hill, terai-bhabhar and Vindhya regions. The
central government has recognised five of the tribal communities, viz. Tharus,
Bhoksas, Bhotias, Jaunswaris and Rajis as scheduled tribes. Besides the upper
class, there are also other Hindu and Muslim communities. The scheduled castes and scheduled tribes
live in rural areas and are mostly dependent on agriculture, forming the
landless labour class.
Hindus
The central fact of the social order in Uttar Pradesh is the existence of the
caste system among the Hindus who constitute the vast majority of the
population. The state has a number of citadels of Hindu orthodoxy which from
very ancient times laid down the law for the Hindus and have had a profound
influence on their life and behaviour. Great movements of reform have also originated
from these citadels, which influenced and changed the social structure of the society.
The broad hierarchy in the Hindu social
system were the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras and achhuts or untouchables.
Further division based on occupation gave rise to castes like nai (barber),
dhobi (washer man), lohar (blacksmith), darzi (tailor) and all of them formed a vital part of the village economy and
life.
Under economic pressure some Brahmins in
Eastern Uttar Pradesh, way back in
an undetermined past, took to tilling the land themselves. This was a taboo for
Brahmins in this area and they became outcastes. A separate sub-caste, which is
lower than the full blooded Brahmins in hierarchy but higher than the Kshatriyas,
thereby came into existence, known as Bhumihars. Several other of Khatris and
Bishnois can be cited. These arose out of an intermixture of blood and other
factors.
The rigid caste attitude in the past and the social and
political tensions have resulted in the growth of large settlements of
particular castes in compact regions in Uttar Pradesh. Thus there are a large
pockets of Ahirs, Gujars, Kurmis, Bhumihars and so on in different parts. The
scheduled castes and the Harijans have their own settlement everywhere. The
village leadership is in the hands of the upper castes while in the Urban areas,
the trading class (Vaishyas), with plenty of money to spend, is a well-knit
community and has a large say in the direction of affairs.
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