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Kachhi (caste)

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The Kachhi are a Hindu caste, found in the states of Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in India.

Contents

Myths of origin

The Kachhis form a part of a wider community that claims a common descent. This community, known as the Kushwaha. nowadays generally claim descent from Kusha, a son of the mythological Rama, who is considered to be an avatar of Vishnu. This enables their claim to be of the Suryavansh - or Solar - dynasty but it is a myth of origin developed in the twentieth century. Prior to that time, the various branches that form the Kushwaha community - the Mauryas, Kachhis, Kachwahas and Koeris - favoured a connection with Shiva and Shakta. Ganga Prasad Gupta claimed in the 1920s that Kushwaha families worshiped Hanuman - described by Pinch as "the embodiment of true devotion to Ram and Sita" - during Kartika, a month in the Hindu lunar calendar.

Present circumstances

In 1991, they were designated an Other Backward Class in the Indian system of positive discrimination.

References

Kachhi (caste) Wikipedia