The Rawe, also known as Rave, Rawa and Rawad, are a section of Rajputs found in the western districts of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India .
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History and origin
The word Ravad is said to be an abbreviation of the words Rajput Vahini Dal, or battalion of Rajputs. They are said to have settled in Uttar Pradesh during the rule of the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan. The Rawe are further divided into a number of clans called gotras, and use Chaudhary, Kumar and Kunwar as surnames. In terms of distribution, they are found mainly in the districts of Muzaffarnagar, Meerut and Bijnor. They speak Khari boli as well as standard Hindi.
Present circumstances
The community is basically one of small farmers. Settled agriculture is their traditional and primary occupation, along with animal husbandry. They live in multi-caste villages, but occupy their own distinct quarters. Their customs are similar to other Hindu peasant castes, like the Jat and Gujjar.
The community has a caste council, known as the Rawa Sammelan, to deal with the problems within the community at the village and inter-village levels. This includes resolving disputes within the community. The caste council is headed by a chaudhary.
The Rawa are Hindu and their main deities are the Deota ka than and bhumia.