The Kalbi are a Hindu caste found in the state of Rajasthan in India. They are also known as Patel or Chowdhary.
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History and origin
According to some traditions, the term is Kalbi is derived from Kurmi, which was corrupted to Kalbi. These Kurmis are said to have settled in Mewar in the twelfth century. Other traditions refer to the Kalbi being descendents of Brahmins women of Gujarat, who sought refuge with the Rajputs of Udaipur. They intermarried with the Rajputs, and the Kalbi community was born. Some people also associate Aanjana with wider Jat ethnic group of north-western region.
Present circumstances
The Kalbi are distributed in Jalor,pali, sirohi, Jodhpur, Barmer, Udaipur and Chitor districts. They speak the Marwari dialect of Rajasthani. also in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Like other North Indian communities, the Kalbi follow gotra exogamy. They have nine gotras, the main ones being the Parmar, Solanki, Sisodia and Chauhan. These gotras are further subdivided in two hundred sub-clans, such as the Fak, Kadli Silan and Kurad.
The traditional occupation is farming, and the Kalbi are a community essentially community of small peasant farmers. They have a traditional caste council, which settles disputes regarding land and matrimonial disputes. The Kalbi are Hindu, and their chief deity is Ajani Mata, whose shrine is situated at Mount Abu.