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Nat (caste)
The Nat are a caste found in northern India. Their traditional occupation has been that of entertainers and dancers.
Those of Bihar claim a Rajput origin, and have traditions similar to the Bazigar caste. The word nat in Sanskrit means a dancer, and the Nat were traditionally entertainers and jugglers. They have fourteen sub-groups, being the Nituria, Rarhi, Chhabhayia, Tikulhara, Tirkuta, Pushtia, Rathore, Solanki, Kazarhatia, Kathbangi, Banwaria, Kougarh, Lodhra, Korohia, and Gulgulia or Gauleri. The Nat maintain strict clan exogamy, and each clan is of equal status.
In Punjab, the Nat claim to be by origin Brahmin of Marwar, whose duty was supply of funeral pyres. On a particular occasion, as the community was transporting the funeral pyre, a member of the party died. This was seen as a bad omen, and the community were outcastes. They therefore took the occupation of dancing. They are closely connected with the Bazigar community, who are the jugglers of Punjab. But the two communities remain distinct, and do not intermarry. The community have Scheduled Caste status, and are found mainly in the districts of Gurdaspur and Amritsar.
In Haryana, Nat traditions say that they are descended from two Chamar brothers, Asa and Basa. The community is divided along religious lines, with a separate and distinct community of Muslim Nat. There traditional occupation was that of an acrobat and entertainer, and provided entertainment to the courts of the various princes.
The Nats do not have a distinct language of their own, but instead speak the regional dialects of the areas they are found in. Grierson, however, reported in 1922 that the Nat groups additionally use an artificial secret language, known by names such as naṭī, naṭõ kī bolī, khara khare. The variety of this language used in Uttar Pradesh shows some features typical of Rajasthani.
According to the 2023 Bihar caste census the Nat community has a population of 166,987, of which 105,358 (63.09%) are Hindu and 61,629 (36.91%) Muslim. The community is now associated with cattle trading, with poorer members being professional beggars. Like other nomadic communities they are extremely marginalised. They speak the Magahi language and are found in Gaya, Bhojpur and Rohtas districts. There are also some Nats in Muzaffarpur district who primarily speak Bajjika and now claim use the surname Rai.
The Hindu Nats are classified as a Scheduled Caste while the Muslim Nats are classified as Extremely Backward Class (EBC) in Bihar.
The Nat are a poor landless community and they are mainly engaged as unskilled labourers. They have now abandoned their traditional occupation of rope dancing. The community is strictly endogamous, and consist of a number of clans, the main ones being the Muchal, Bhati and Puwar. Like other Hindu communities, they practice clan exogamy. The community was nomadic, but they are now settled. They remain one of the most marginal communities in Punjab.
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Nat (caste)
The Nat are a caste found in northern India. Their traditional occupation has been that of entertainers and dancers.
Those of Bihar claim a Rajput origin, and have traditions similar to the Bazigar caste. The word nat in Sanskrit means a dancer, and the Nat were traditionally entertainers and jugglers. They have fourteen sub-groups, being the Nituria, Rarhi, Chhabhayia, Tikulhara, Tirkuta, Pushtia, Rathore, Solanki, Kazarhatia, Kathbangi, Banwaria, Kougarh, Lodhra, Korohia, and Gulgulia or Gauleri. The Nat maintain strict clan exogamy, and each clan is of equal status.
In Punjab, the Nat claim to be by origin Brahmin of Marwar, whose duty was supply of funeral pyres. On a particular occasion, as the community was transporting the funeral pyre, a member of the party died. This was seen as a bad omen, and the community were outcastes. They therefore took the occupation of dancing. They are closely connected with the Bazigar community, who are the jugglers of Punjab. But the two communities remain distinct, and do not intermarry. The community have Scheduled Caste status, and are found mainly in the districts of Gurdaspur and Amritsar.
In Haryana, Nat traditions say that they are descended from two Chamar brothers, Asa and Basa. The community is divided along religious lines, with a separate and distinct community of Muslim Nat. There traditional occupation was that of an acrobat and entertainer, and provided entertainment to the courts of the various princes.
The Nats do not have a distinct language of their own, but instead speak the regional dialects of the areas they are found in. Grierson, however, reported in 1922 that the Nat groups additionally use an artificial secret language, known by names such as naṭī, naṭõ kī bolī, khara khare. The variety of this language used in Uttar Pradesh shows some features typical of Rajasthani.
According to the 2023 Bihar caste census the Nat community has a population of 166,987, of which 105,358 (63.09%) are Hindu and 61,629 (36.91%) Muslim. The community is now associated with cattle trading, with poorer members being professional beggars. Like other nomadic communities they are extremely marginalised. They speak the Magahi language and are found in Gaya, Bhojpur and Rohtas districts. There are also some Nats in Muzaffarpur district who primarily speak Bajjika and now claim use the surname Rai.
The Hindu Nats are classified as a Scheduled Caste while the Muslim Nats are classified as Extremely Backward Class (EBC) in Bihar.
The Nat are a poor landless community and they are mainly engaged as unskilled labourers. They have now abandoned their traditional occupation of rope dancing. The community is strictly endogamous, and consist of a number of clans, the main ones being the Muchal, Bhati and Puwar. Like other Hindu communities, they practice clan exogamy. The community was nomadic, but they are now settled. They remain one of the most marginal communities in Punjab.