99-670: The Mallaah are the traditional boatmen and fishermen tribes or communities found in North India , East India , Northeastern India and Pakistan . A significant number of Mallaah are also found in Nepal and Bangladesh . In the Indian state of Bihar , the term Nishad includes the Mallaah and refers to communities whose traditional occupation centred on rivers. It is also spelled Mallah . Earliest references for these people comes from
198-825: A feudal safeguard against future unrest. In 1861, a supreme legislature for India was established — the Imperial Legislative Council of India . Further reforms also created a unified bank — the Imperial Bank of India , a police force — the Indian Imperial Police and a unified army — the Imperial Indian Army . In 1876, the Crown-ruled India and the numerous Indian states under the Crown's suzerainty formed
297-517: A gang of Mallaah under the leadership of Phoolan Devi. Devi was later inducted as Member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh by Mulayam Singh Yadav , who acknowledged her popularity among her castemen. The Mallaah and their subcastes called Bind were also active in high value organised crime in the Bihar during 1990s. These organised crimes were kidnapping, Timber logging, forcibly taking contract for public works, automobile theft and smuggling which were
396-530: A general. As a youth, Ekalavya beheld Drona teaching archery to the Kauravas and the Pandavas – the royal Kuru princes – and was taken by a desire to learn himself. He approached Drona and respectfully requested to be taken on as a student of archery. The high-born Kshatriya Kuru princes, who took Ekalavya for a forest-dweller outside Hindu varnas , mocked him for considering himself above his station in life, as
495-485: A geographical dividing line in the country. Indian states that are entirely above the Tropic of Cancer are Himachal Pradesh , Punjab , Haryana , Delhi , Uttarakhand , Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and most of North East Indian states. However that definition would also include major parts of Rajasthan , Madhya Pradesh , Jharkhand and West Bengal and minor regions of Chhattisgarh and Gujarat . In Maharashtra ,
594-478: A hierarchy of priests ( Brahmins ), warriors Kshatriyas , and commoners and peasants ( Vaishyas and Shudras ), and but which excluded certain peoples whose occupations were considered impure, arose during this period. On the Deccan Plateau , archaeological evidence from this period suggests the existence of a chiefdom stage of political organisation. In the late Vedic period, around the 6th century BCE,
693-625: A large urban middle class, transformed India into one of the world's fastest-growing economies , and increased its geopolitical clout. Yet, India is also shaped by seemingly unyielding poverty, both rural and urban; by religious and caste-related violence ; by Maoist-inspired Naxalite insurgencies ; and by separatism in Jammu and Kashmir and in Northeast India . It has unresolved territorial disputes with China and with Pakistan . India's sustained democratic freedoms are unique among
792-643: A loose political union called the Indian Empire , and Queen Victoria was crowned the Empress of India in 1877. In the decades following, public life gradually emerged all over India, leading eventually to the founding of the Indian National Congress in 1885. The rush of technology and the commercialisation of agriculture in the second half of the 19th century was marked by economic setbacks, and many small farmers became dependent on
891-525: A model for later Indian kingdoms. Under the Guptas, a renewed Hinduism based on devotion, rather than the management of ritual, began to assert itself. This renewal was reflected in a flowering of sculpture and architecture , which found patrons among an urban elite. Classical Sanskrit literature flowered as well, and Indian science , astronomy , medicine , and mathematics made significant advances. The Indian early medieval age, from 600 to 1200 AD,
990-632: A regional headquarters in Lucknow . The Hindu newspaper puts Bihar, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh related articles on its North pages. Articles in the Indian press have included the states of Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal in North as well. The Tropic of Cancer , which divides the temperate zone from the tropical zone in the Northern Hemisphere , runs through India, and could theoretically be regarded as
1089-416: A times challenged by the iconic people from the lower castes as for example Phoolan Devi , who being born in a Mallaah family faced all sort of discrimination from the upper caste dominated administration after being raped by bandits belonging to Thakur Rajput castes and finally ended up perpetrating the infamous "Behmai massacre", in which male members of a Thakur caste dominated village were assassinated by
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#17327808931781188-435: A tribal, low-born person. Ekalavya leaves, and then watches from the forest when guru Drona teaches the princes. After they had left for the ashram, Ekalavya collected the mud on which his guru walked, as a symbolic gesture of reverence for his guru's knowledge and footsteps. He went into the forest and fashioned a statue of Drona under a large banyan tree. He began a disciplined program of self-study over many years. Accepting
1287-810: A wide variety of birds, including peafowl , parrots , and thousands of immigrant birds, such as the Siberian crane . Other birds include pheasants , geese , ducks , mynahs , parakeets , pigeons , cranes (including the celebrated sarus crane ), and hornbills . great pied hornbill , Pallas's fishing eagle , grey-headed fishing eagle , red-thighed falconet are found in the Himalayan areas. Other birds found here are tawny fish owl , scale-bellied woodpecker, red-breasted parakeet , Himalayan swiftlet , stork-billed kingfisher and Himalayan or white-tailed rubythroat . Important national parks and tiger reserves of North India include: Corbett National Park : It
1386-569: A wide variety of fish, amphibians and reptiles in the region. Animal species in North India include elephant , bengal tiger , indian leopard , snow leopard , sambar (Asiatic stag) , chital (spotted deer) , hangul (red deer) , hog deer , chinkara (Indian gazelle) , blackbuck , nilgai (blue bull antelope) , porcupine , wild boar , Indian fox , Tibetan sand fox , rhesus monkey , langur , jungle cat , striped hyena , golden jackal , black bear , Himalayan brown bear , sloth bear , and
1485-436: Is also a Hindu majority state but has a large aboriginal minority. The union territories of Jammu and Kashmir is a Muslim majority territories while Ladakh has a Muslim plurality with minority Hindus and Buddhists. The state of Punjab has a Sikh majority of 60% and is the homeland of Sikh religion. Linguistically, North India is dominated by Indo-Aryan languages . It is in this region, or its proximity, that Sanskrit and
1584-568: Is also notorious for heavy fog during the winters. Extreme temperatures among inhabited regions have ranged from −45 °C (−49 °F) in Dras , Ladakh to 50.6 °C (123 °F) in Alwar , Rajasthan. Dras is claimed to be the second-coldest inhabited place on the planet (after Siberia ), with a recorded low of −60 °C. The region receives heavy rain in plains and light snow on Himalayas precipitation through two primary weather patterns:
1683-653: Is an Ekalavya temple temple in honor of Ekalavya in Khandsa village in Sector 37 of Gurugram city in Haryana state of India . As per folklore, this is the only temple of Ekalavya and it is the place where Ekalavya cut his thumb and offered to guru Drona . In honour of Ekalavya, the Government of India runs an Ekalavya Model Residential School (EMRS) model residential school scheme for Indian tribals. Ekalavya Award
1782-477: Is awarded by the Government of Karnataka for outstanding performance in sports. Eklavya inspires a life-long learning philosophy and his presence seems to be a celebration for the masses. In this EklavyaParv, the motto is 'You Create Yourself" and the legend of Eklavya is a testimony that is forwarded by many thinkers as well. The discipleship that Eklavya represents is the best for a student and enables one to be
1881-570: Is core reserve. This park is known not only for its rich and varied wildlife but also for its scenic beauty. Nanda Devi National Park and Valley of Flowers National Park : Located in West Himalaya, in the state of Uttarakhand, these two national parks constitute a biosphere reserve that is in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2004. The Valley of Flowers is known for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and
1980-765: Is defined by regional kingdoms and cultural diversity. When Harsha of Kannauj , who ruled much of the Indo-Gangetic Plain from 606 to 647 CE , attempted to expand southwards, he was defeated by the Chalukya ruler of the Deccan. When his successor attempted to expand eastwards, he was defeated by the Pala king of Bengal . No ruler of this period was able to create an empire and consistently control lands much beyond their core region. During this time, pastoral peoples, whose land had been cleared to make way for
2079-517: Is described as a young prince of the Nishadas , a confederation of forest and hill tribes in ancient India. Ekalavya is called as one of the foremost of Kings in the Rajasuya Yajna where he honours Yudhishthira by offering him shoes with respect. Ekalavya was noted as a powerful archer and warrior. Later, Eklavya was slain by Krishna during a war on Mathura. After his death Eklavya
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#17327808931782178-410: Is predominantly Tropical evergreen and Montane . Of the evergreen trees sal , teak , Mahogany, sheesham (Indian rosewood) and poplar are some which are important commercially. The Western Himalayan region abounds in chir , pine , deodar (Himalayan cedar), blue pine , spruce , various firs , birch and junipers . The birch, especially, has historical significance in Indian culture due to
2277-579: The Arabic word Mallah (ملاح) which means "to move its wing like a bird". However the word is purely an occupational term, which was used for the large community associated with the water centric occupation primarily boating and fishing. There are many subcastes of the Mallaah community including the Kewat, Bind, Nishad, Dhimak, Karabak, and Sahani. The Mallaah community was recognised as backward caste initially though socially and economically they were much behind
2376-587: The Aravalli Range , beyond which lies the state of Gujarat . The Vindhya mountains are, in some interpretations, taken to be the southern boundary of North India. The predominant geographical features of North India are: The states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir also have a large forest coverage. North India lies mainly in the north temperate zone of the Earth . Though cool or cold winters, hot summers, and moderate monsoons are
2475-687: The Bactria-Margiana Culture into this region between 2000 BC and 1500 BC after the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilisation . There was a slow migration of Indo-Iranian peoples through the northwest leading to the development of the Indo-Aryan languages from Proto-Indo-Iranian and minor vocal synthesis with the Dravidian languages. North India was the historical centre of the ancient Vedic culture ,
2574-537: The Bharatiya Janata Party as the leader of Mallaah caste made the community vote in favour of BJP in 2014 elections, but later on he joined the Mahagathbandhan (Bihar) , a grand alliance of opposition parties in Bihar which includes Rashtriya Janata Dal and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party among others. The walking out of Sahani led Vikassheel Insaan Party out of National Democratic Alliance
2673-855: The Ganga-Yamuna Doab to the Thar Desert . Several major rivers flow through the region including the Indus, the Ganges , the Yamuna and the Narmada rivers. North India includes the states of Himachal Pradesh , Uttarakhand , Punjab and Haryana , Rajasthan , Uttar Pradesh , Madhya Pradesh , Chhattisgarh , Goa , Gujarat , Maharashtra , Bihar , Jharkhand , and West Bengal and union territories of Chandigarh , Delhi , Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh . In its narrower administrative sense,
2772-632: The Hazara Division of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. They live along the banks of the Indus in the Haripur and Mansehra districts and speak Hindko . The Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal classifies the Mallaah (called Mallaha in the Nepal census) as a subgroup within the broader social group of Madheshi Other Caste. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census , 173,261 people (0.7% of the population of Nepal) were Mallaah. The frequency of Mallaahs by province
2871-511: The Hindu scriptures like Ramayana and the Mahabharata . the Mallaah claim to have descended from Veda Vyasa who composed Mahabharata , and was a son of Satyawati . They also claim many other mythological characters like Eklavya and Nishadraja (a leader of the forest tribe who helped lord Rama ). A folk etymology has Mallaah as a term used to describe someone who rode a boat from
2970-531: The House of Maurya . The Magadhan Mauryan emperors are known as much for their empire-building and determined management of public life as for Ashoka 's renunciation of militarism and far-flung advocacy of the Buddhist dhamma . In North India, by the 4th and 5th centuries, the House of Gupta of Magadha had created a complex system of administration and taxation in the greater Ganges Plain; this system became
3069-545: The Indus Valley Civilisation , the first urban culture in South Asia, which flourished during 2500–1900 BC north-western Indian subcontinent. Centred around cities such as Mohenjo-daro , Harappa , Dholavira , and Kalibangan , and relying on varied forms of subsistence, the civilisation engaged robustly in crafts production and wide-ranging trade. Between 2000 BC and 1500 BC, several waves of Indo-Aryan migrations from Central Asia occurred and these migrants settled in
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3168-639: The Mahajanapadas , and Magadha Empire, the medieval Delhi Sultanate and the modern Mughal India and the Indian Empire , among many others. It has a diverse culture, and includes the Hindu pilgrimage centres of Char Dham , Haridwar , Varanasi , Ayodhya , Mathura , Prayagraj , Vaishno Devi and Pushkar , the Buddhist pilgrimage centres of Sarnath and Kushinagar , the Sikh Golden Temple as well as world heritage sites such as
3267-543: The Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve , Khajuraho temples , Hill Forts of Rajasthan , Jantar Mantar (Jaipur) , Qutb Minar , Red Fort , Agra Fort , Fatehpur Sikri and the Taj Mahal . North India's culture developed as a result of interaction between these Hindu and Muslim religious traditions. The terms 'North Zone,' 'North Region,' or 'Northern Cultural Zone' are used by various ministries of
3366-481: The Sultanate of Delhi in 1206. The sultanate was to control much of North India and to make many forays into South India. Although at first disruptive for the Indian elites, the sultanate largely left its vast non-Muslim subject population to its own laws and customs. By repeatedly repulsing Mongol raiders in the 13th century, the sultanate saved India from the devastation visited on West and Central Asia, setting
3465-593: The partition of India into two states: India and Pakistan. Vital to India's self-image as an independent nation was its constitution, completed in 1950, which put in place a secular and democratic republic. Per the London Declaration , India retained its membership of the Commonwealth , becoming the first republic within it. Economic liberalisation, which began in the 1980s and the collaboration with Soviet Union for technical know-how, has created
3564-532: The snow leopard , the Himalayan brown bear and the musk deer . Desert National Park : Located in Rajasthan, this national reserve features extensive sand dunes and dry salt lakes. Wildlife unique to the region includes the desert fox and the great Indian bustard . Eklavya Ekalavya ( Sanskrit : एकलव्य , romanized : ekalavya ) is a character from the Indian epic Mahābhārata . He
3663-738: The 17th century was a factor in India's economic expansion, resulting in greater patronage of painting , literary forms, textiles, and architecture . Newly coherent social groups in northern and western India, such as the Marathas , the Rajputs , and the Sikhs , gained military and governing ambitions during Mughal rule, which, through collaboration or adversity, gave them both recognition and military experience. Expanding commerce during Mughal rule gave rise to new Indian commercial and political elites along
3762-673: The Dablo. In Punjab , the boatmen belong either to the Mallaah or Jhabel tribe. In south west Punjab, they often claim themselves to be a clan of Rajputs , and found mainly along the banks of the Indus . They extend as far north as Dera Ismail Khan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , where their settlements are found mainly along the banks of the Indus. In this region, many Mallaah are cultivators, and have given up their occupation as boatmen. They generally combine their specialized occupation of boat management with other occupations such as fishing and
3861-551: The Government of India to refer to the northernmost administrative division of the country, whether one of four or six. These terms are distinct from 'North India,' which refers to a much larger geo-cultural region. The Northern Zonal Council is one of the advisory councils, created in 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act to foster interstate co-operation under the Ministry of Home Affairs , which included
3960-811: The Himalayan region like Kinnauri , Ladakhi , Balti , and Lahuli–Spiti languages . The composite culture of North India is known as Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb , a result of the amicable interaction of Hindus and Muslims there. Dance of North India too has diverse folk and classical forms. Among the well-known folk dances are the bhangra of the Punjab , Ghoomar of Rajasthan, Nati of Himachal Pradesh and rouf and bhand pather of Kashmir. Main dance forms, many with narrative forms and mythological elements, have been accorded classical dance status by India's National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama such as Kathak . Each state of North India has its own regional forms of clothing: North Indian vegetation
4059-846: The Indian Monsoon and the Western Disturbances . The Monsoon carries moisture northwards from the Indian Ocean , occurs in late summer and is important to the Kharif or autumn harvest . Western Disturbances, on the other hand, are an extratropical weather phenomenon that carry moisture eastwards from the Mediterranean Sea , the Caspian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean . They primarily occur during
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4158-534: The Indo-Gangetic Plain. The Vedas , the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism , were composed during this period, and historians have analysed these to posit a Vedic culture in the Punjab region and the upper Gangetic Plain . During the period 2000–500 BCE , many regions of the subcontinent transitioned from the Chalcolithic cultures to the Iron Age ones. The caste system , which created
4257-508: The Member of Parliament from this constituency has remained from the Mallaah caste only. In Sindh , the Mallaah are traditionally boatmen and fisherfolk, living along the inlets of the Indus delta. They speak Sindhi , and are close associated with Mohana tribe. The Mallaah are found mainly in the coastal districts of Thatta and Badin , and most are largely still fishermen. Many have seen their traditional areas of habitation washed away by
4356-456: The Mughals united their far-flung realms through loyalty, expressed through a Persianised culture, to an emperor who had near-divine status. The State's economic policies, deriving most revenues from agriculture and mandating that taxes be paid in the well-regulated silver currency, caused peasants and artisans to enter larger markets. The relative peace maintained by the empire during much of
4455-640: The Ram Temple movement then sought the help of the Nishad community to transport the Karsewaks through water route invoking the tale from Ramayana , when Nishadraja Guhya, a mythological character from the holy epic helped lord Rama to cross the river. According to social historian Badri Narayan Tiwari: Apart from transporting Karsewaks to Ayodhya, nearly 20,000 Nishad living on the bank of river Saryu and Ghagra also went to Ayodhya to work as volunteers in
4554-507: The backward castes and were closer to Dalits . But they are not Dalit caste, instead they are Kshatriya since the Mahabharata has mentioned it. Some of the state governments to include them in SC category which was preceded by movement and unrest led by the various caste organisations. Some of the state governments to include them in SC category which was preceded by movement and unrest led by
4653-421: The backward communities gave voice to them to stand up in front of upper castes. Lalu as a Chief Minister frequently visited the SC hamlets of the state and sensitise the lower caste feeling against repression. This period saw representation of many lower castes including Mallaah in local level politics who now acquired the post of "Mukhia" (village headman) at many places. The early part of Lalu Yadav's rule saw
4752-409: The capital city's population. The states of Rajasthan , Haryana , Himachal Pradesh , Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are overwhelmingly Hindu-majority. Maharashtra, Uttarakhand , Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are also Hindu majority states, but have a large Muslim minority (12% in Maharashtra, 14% In Uttarakhand, 18% in Bihar, 19% in Uttar Pradesh and 27% in West Bengal). Jharkhand
4851-399: The cause of the numerically weak backward communities and the dominant Dalit caste, Dusadh . The Mallaah community later supported Nitish Kumar until 2015, when Mukesh Sahani entered the political arena of Bihar. Sahani called himself "Son of Mallaah" and cultivated support amongst the Nishad community, who were electorally influential in some pockets of Bihar . Initially, his campaign for
4950-416: The coasts of southern and eastern India. As the empire disintegrated, many among these elites were able to seek and control their own affairs. By the early 18th century, with the lines between commercial and political dominance being increasingly blurred, a number of European trading companies, including the English East India Company , had established coastal outposts. The East India Company's control of
5049-533: The consolidation and demarcation of sovereignty, the surveillance of the population, and the education of citizens. Technological changes—among them, railways, canals, and the telegraph—were introduced not long after their introduction in Europe . However, disaffection with the company also grew during this time and set off the Indian Rebellion of 1857 . Fed by diverse resentments and perceptions, including invasive British-style social reforms, harsh land taxes, and summary treatment of some rich landowners and princes,
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#17327808931785148-447: The construction of Ram Mandir. The wooing of Mallaah community in 1990s by the Hindutva ideologue was resented by other political parties who mobilised the community through the tale of Eklavya who in his devotion to his Guru Dronacharya sacrificed his finger though earlier he was ill-treated by him and his request for learning archery from him was denied by the Guru because of his low ritual status. However according to Badri Narayan,
5247-477: The cost of moving goods, and helped nascent Indian-owned industry. After World War I, in which approximately one million Indians served in the Indian Army , a new period began. It was marked by the enactment of the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms as the Government of India Act 1919 but also repressive legislation , by more strident Indian calls for self-rule, and by the beginnings of a nonviolent movement of non-co-operation, of which Mahatma Gandhi would become
5346-401: The decade of 1990 itself when the attempt to mobilise lower castes to support the upper caste dominated politics was taking place. The states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were facing severest caste wars in which the lower castes like Mallaah were falling prey to the caste based armies of the upper caste. Amongst all massacres that occur in the rural Bihar in 1990s, the Laxmanpur Bathe, 1997 is
5445-429: The endangered caracal . Reptiles are represented by a large number of snake and lizard species, as well as the ghariyal and crocodiles . Venomous snakes found in the region include king cobra and krait . Various scorpion , spider and insect species include the commercially useful honeybees , silkworms and lac insects. The strikingly coloured bir bahuti is also found in this region. The region has
5544-559: The extensive use of birch paper ( Sanskrit : bhurja patra ) as parchment for many ancient Indian texts. The Eastern Himalayan region consists of oaks , laurels , maples , rhododendrons , alder , birch and dwarf willows . Reflecting the diverse climatic zones and terrain contained in the region, the floral variety is extensive and ranges from Alpine to Cloud forests, coniferous to evergreen, and thick tropical rainforests to cool temperate woods. There are around 500 varieties of mammals, 2000 species of birds, 30,000 types of insects and
5643-485: The far north, languages of Dardic (such as Kashmiri) and Pahari (such as Dogri, Kumaoni and Garhwali) groups are spoken in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal and Uttarakhand. Punjabi is spoken in Punjab . Bengali is spoken in West Bengal. Languages of Bihari group, such as Maithili, Magahi and Bhojpuri are spoken in Bihar and Jharkhand. A number of aboriginal languages of Austroasiatic and Dravidian origin are spoken in some regions. Several Sino-Tibetan languages are spoken in
5742-490: The general patterns, North India is one of the most climatically diverse regions on Earth. During summer, temperatures often rise above 35°C across much of the Indo-Gangetic plain, reaching as high as 50°C in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan, and up to 49°C in Delhi. During winter, the lowest temperatures on the plains dip below 5°C and drop below freezing in some states. Heavy to moderate snowfall occurs in Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttarakhand. Much of North India
5841-421: The greatest archer in the world. Wondering who such a fine archer could be, Drona and his students saw Ekalavya, with his bow. Upon seeing Drona, Ekalavya came and bowed to him. Drona asked Ekalavya where he had learned archery. Ekalavya replied "under you, Guru", and showed Drona his statue while explaining what he had done. Arjuna is incensed and reminds Drona of his promise to make Arjuna the "greatest archer in
5940-408: The growing agricultural economy, were accommodated within caste society, as were new non-traditional ruling classes. The caste system consequently began to show regional differences. In the 6th and 7th centuries, the first devotional hymns were created in the Tamil language. They were imitated all over India and led to both the resurgence of Hinduism and the development of all modern languages of
6039-466: The growing of waternuts. In neighbouring Punjab, the Mallaah are found mainly in the districts of Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Uch Sharief and Layyah, and said to be by origin Jhinwar . While Bahawalpur , the Mallaah, Mohana and Jhabel are said to have a common origin, with Mohana being fishermen, the Mallaah being boatmen and Jhabel being cultivators. The Mallaah speak Seraiki , and are entirely Sunni . There are also Mallaah communities in
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#17327808931786138-407: The ideology of Hindutva . In 1990s when Lal Krishna Advani was organising his Ram Rath Yatra to garner the support of Hindus all over India for the establishment of Ram Temple at a disputed site in Ayodhya , Mulayam Singh Yadav 's government took serious steps to prevent the Karsewaks (volunteers of the Temple movement) in a bid to stop the communal clashes in the state. The proponents of
6237-416: The ideology of Ram Rajya, an idyllic time of the past when lower and upper caste lived together in harmony was just invoked to counter the politics of Dalit mobilisation based on the report of Mandal Commission which sought reservation in the government jobs and educational institutions for socially and economically backward communities. The tussle between the lower and the upper caste hence continued in
6336-404: The initiative as well, with many sojourning in Indian seminaries and translating Buddhist and Hindu texts into their languages. After the 10th century, Muslim Central Asian nomadic clans, using swift-horse cavalry and raising vast armies united by ethnicity and religion, repeatedly overran South Asia's north-western plains. A general Qutub-ud-din Aibak declared his independence and established
6435-418: The largest organisation of the Mallaahs and their subcastes. The Nishad Mahasabha was spearheaded by Ram Chandr Vakil and Pyarelal Chaudhary, amongst whom the former was selected to legislative council of United Province in 1936 and voiced support for the political representation of Nishad and its subcastes. The various caste based organisations and the umbrella organisation Nishad Mahasabha sought to mobilise
6534-402: The leader and enduring symbol. During the 1930s, slow legislative reform was enacted; the Indian National Congress won victories in the resulting elections. The next decade was beset with crises: Indian participation in World War II , the Congress's final push for non-co-operation, and an upsurge of Muslim nationalism . All were capped by the advent of independence in 1947, but tempered by
6633-400: The middle class; chronicling the life of the Buddha was central to the beginnings of recorded history in India. In an age of increasing urban wealth, both religions held up renunciation as an ideal, and both established long-lasting monastic traditions. Politically, by the 3rd century BCE, the Kingdom of Magadha had annexed or reduced other states and evolved into the Magadha Empire under
6732-424: The most notable where Ranvir Sena , an upper caste militia slaughtered 56 lower castes including the members of Mallaah community who earlier helped them cross the river being ignorant of their intentions. The Sena members also raped 5 girls who were less than 15 years old. In states like Uttar Pradesh too, the brutal force of repression upon lower caste was inflicted by the members of upper castes, which were many
6831-446: The north to the Indo-Gangetic plains , the Thar Desert , the Central Highlands and the northwestern part of the Deccan plateau . It occupies nearly three-quarters of the area and population of India and includes all of the three mega cities of India : Mumbai , Delhi and Kolkata . In a more specific and administrative sense, North India can also be used to denote the Indo-Gangetic Plain within this broader expanse, stretching from
6930-421: The people belonging to subcastes of Mallaah under a common term called 'Nishad', which symbolised the attempt of the community to discover their past in the mythological heroes whom they considered their progenitors. The attempts of Nishad Sabhas to do so with their Ekta Sammelans and other ways of sensitization and mobilisation of a common member of the community was later spearheaded by political parties based on
7029-700: The perception of the westerners." The Government of Bihar official site places the state in the eastern part of India. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are largely considered as being a part of north India, however. By 55,000 years ago, the first modern humans, or Homo sapiens , had arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa, where they had earlier evolved. The earliest known modern human remains in South Asia date to about 30,000 years ago. After 6500 BC, evidence for domestication of food crops and animals, construction of permanent structures, and storage of agricultural surplus appeared in Mehrgarh and other sites in Balochistan, Pakistan . These gradually developed into
7128-840: The prerogative of the criminals belonging to upper castes earlier as they required linkage with the politicians and backup from the ruling regime as high capital inflow is involved. In the regime of Rashtriya Janata Dal led government these criminals from backward castes specially Mallaah and Yadav turned several areas of Bihar into their base and organised high value crimes. The criminal nature of Mallaah were earlier used by British colonialists too to list them in Criminal Tribes Act 1871. Scholars like Buchanan and Crooke also consider this behaviour to be inherent in their nature which halted their attempts to sanskritize and seek high status. The period before 2000 saw consolidation of backward castes under Lalu Prasad Yadav , who according to
7227-577: The rebellion rocked many regions of northern and central India and shook the foundations of Company rule. Although the rebellion was suppressed by 1858, it led to the dissolution of the East India Company and the direct administration of British territories in India by the British Crown . Proclaiming a unitary state and a gradual but limited British-style parliamentary system, the new rulers also protected princes and landed gentry as
7326-648: The region uses references to these six seasons quite extensively and has done so since ancient times when Sanskrit was prevalent. In the mountainous areas, sometimes the winter is further divided into "big winter" (e.g. Kashmiri chillai kalaan ) and "little winter" ( chillai khurd ). The people of North India mostly belong to the Indo-Aryan ethno linguistic branch, and include various social groups such as Brahmins , Rajputs , Kayasthas , Banias , Jats , Rors , Gurjars , Kolis , Yadavs , Khatris and Kambojs . Other minority aboriginal ethnic communities such as Dravidians and Austroasiatics exist throughout
7425-414: The region. Hinduism is the dominant religion in North India. Other religions practiced by various ethnic communities include Islam , Sikhism , Jainism , Zoroastrianism , Judaism , Baháʼí , Christianity , and Buddhism . Hindus constitutes more than 80 percent of the North India's population. National capital of India ( New Delhi ) is overwhelming Hindu-majority with Hindus constituting nearly 90% of
7524-572: The rise to prominence of the leaders of the lower castes among which Jai Narain Prasad Nishad was a notable leader from Mallaah community. However, the prominence of Yadavs made many aspirational backward castes dissatisfied, who were forced to seek place in electoral politics elsewhere. The Dalit caste after being marginalised in the Rashtriya Janata Dal thus moved towards the socialist leader Ram Vilas Paswan who championed
7623-446: The scene for centuries of migration of fleeing soldiers, learned men, mystics, traders, artists, and artisans from that region into the subcontinent, thereby creating a syncretic Indo-Islamic culture in the north. The sultanate's raiding and weakening of the regional kingdoms of South India paved the way for the indigenous Vijayanagara Empire . In the early 16th century, northern India, then under mainly Muslim rulers, fell again to
7722-456: The sea. The Indus Delta is also silting, which makes cultivation difficult. An important subsidiary occupation is animal husbandry, with the Mallaah raising cattle. Although living in close proximity to the Jath community, who customs are similar to the Mallaah, there is almost no intermarriage. The Mallaah community consists of a number of clans, referred to as nukh , the largest Mallaah nukh being
7821-459: The seas, greater resources, and more advanced military training and technology led it to increasingly assert its military strength and caused it to become attractive to a portion of the Indian elite; these factors were crucial in allowing the company to gain powerful influence over the Bengal province in 1757 and sideline the other European companies. Its further access to the riches of Bengal and
7920-543: The small states and chiefdoms of the Ganges Plain and the north-western regions had consolidated into 16 major oligarchies and monarchies that were known as the mahajanapadas . The emerging urbanisation gave rise to non-Vedic religious movements, two of which became independent religions. Jainism came into prominence during the life of its exemplar, Mahavira . Buddhism , based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha , attracted followers from all social classes excepting
8019-708: The states of Chandigarh , Delhi , Haryana , Himachal Pradesh , Jammu and Kashmir , Ladakh , Punjab and Rajasthan . The Ministry of Culture established the North Culture Zone in Patiala , Punjab on 23 March 1985. It differs from the North Zonal Council in its inclusion of Uttarakhand and the omission of Delhi . The Geological Survey of India (part of the Ministry of Mines ) in its Northern Region, included Uttar Pradesh and Delhi , but excluded Rajasthan and Chandigarh , with
8118-500: The statue as his guru, he practised before his guru every single day. One day, Drona and his students go out into the forest, accompanied by the Kurus' dog, who starts barking incessantly but then suddenly stops. The Kurus find the dog unhurt but unable to bark due to arrows filling its mouth. This was harmless to the dog but prevented the dog from barking. Drona was amazed but also distressed as he had promised Arjuna that he would make him
8217-726: The subcontinent . Indian royalty, big and small, and the temples they patronised drew citizens in great numbers to the capital cities, which became economic hubs as well. Temple towns of various sizes began to appear everywhere as India underwent another urbanisation. By the 8th and 9th centuries, the effects were felt in South-East Asia, as South Indian culture and political systems were exported to lands that became part of modern-day Myanmar , Thailand , Laos , Brunei , Cambodia , Vietnam , Philippines , Malaysia , and Indonesia . Indian merchants, scholars, and sometimes armies were involved in this transmission; South-East Asians took
8316-596: The subsequent increased strength and size of its army enabled it to annex or subdue most of India by the 1820s. India was then no longer exporting manufactured goods as it long had, but was instead supplying Britain with raw materials. By this time, with its economic power severely curtailed by the British Parliament and having effectively been made an arm of British administration, the East India Company began more consciously to enter non-economic arenas, including education, social reform, and culture. In 1833,
8415-854: The superior mobility and firepower of a new generation of Central Asian warriors. A Turco-Mongol emir, Zahir-ud-din Mohammad "Babur", after defeating the Delhi Sultanate, upgraded himself from Emir and proclaimed himself as the Padishah of Hindustan . His successors were called Mughals or Moguls by European historians owing to the dynasty's Mongol origins. They did not stamp out the local societies it came to rule. Instead, it balanced and pacified them through new administrative practices and diverse and inclusive ruling elites, leading to more systematic, centralised, and uniform rule. Eschewing tribal bonds and Islamic identity, especially under Akbar ,
8514-537: The term "North Indian" is sometimes used to describe migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, often using the term bhaiya (which literally means 'elder brother') along with it in a derogatory sense. However within Uttar Pradesh (literally meaning "North Province" in Hindi) itself, "the cultural divide between the east and the west is considerable, with the purabiyas (easterners) often being clubbed with Biharis in
8613-481: The term has varying implications ( see below ) with different states included being Haryana , Himachal Pradesh , Punjab , Uttarakhand , Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and union territories of Chandigarh , Delhi , Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh . Indo-Aryans , who today form a majority in North India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, are descendents of the Indo-Iranians who migrated from Central Asia via
8712-479: The three presidencies of Bengal , Bombay and Madras were unified into a unitary state, headed by the Governor-General of India and the creation of the Government of India . Historians consider India's modern age to have begun sometime between 1848 and 1885. The appointment in 1848 of Lord Dalhousie as Governor General of India set the stage for changes essential to a modern state. These included
8811-616: The variety of flora, this richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals. Dachigam National Park : Dachigam is a higher altitude national reserve in the state of Jammu and Kashmir that ranges from 5,500 to 14,000 feet above sea level. It is home to the hangul (a red deer species, also called the Kashmir stag). Great Himalayan National Park : This park is located in Himachal Pradesh and ranges in altitude from 5,000 to 17,500 feet. Wildlife resident here includes
8910-730: The various Prakrits are thought to have evolved. Hindi is spoken in Western Uttar Pradesh and Delhi and by a large number of people in many urban centres across North India. Many other languages of the Central Indo-Aryan languages such as Awadhi, Braj, Haryanvi, Chhattisgarhi, Bundeli and Bagheli are spoken in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Marwari, Harauti, Malvi, Gujarati, Khandeshi, Marathi and Konkani are spoken in Rajasthan, extreme eastern Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa. Towards
9009-502: The various caste organisations of the community for the purpose of seeking benefits accruing due to reservation provided to the Scheduled Caste groups. In the first half of 20th century the rising educated middle class among the community urged for the unification of various subcastes of the larger Mallaah community for the purpose of their socio-economic empowerment. Consequently, in 1918 Nishad Mahasabha came into existence, as
9108-457: The whims of far-away markets. There was an increase in the number of large-scale famines , and, despite the risks of infrastructure development borne by Indian taxpayers, little industrial employment was generated for Indians. There were also salutary effects: commercial cropping, especially in the newly canalled Punjab, led to increased food production for internal consumption. The railway network provided critical famine relief, notably reduced
9207-821: The winter season and are critically important for the Rabi or spring harvest , which includes the main staple over much of North India, wheat . The states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand receive some snowfall in winter months. Northern Indian tradition recognises six distinct seasons in the region: summer ( grishma or garmi (jyesth- ashadh), May–June), rainy ( varsha (shravan-bhadra), July–August), cool ( sharad (ashivan-kartik), September–October, sometimes thought of as 'early autumn'), autumn ( hemant (margh-paush), November–December, also called patjhar , lit. leaf-fall ), winter ( shishir or sardi (magh-phagun),January–February) and spring ( vasant (chaitra-baishakh), March–April). The literature, poetry and folklore of
9306-467: The world". Drona decides that Ekalavya would have to pay guru dakshina . Readily, Ekalavya offers to do anything for Drona. Drona asks Ekalavya to cut off his right thumb as Guru Dakshina. Happy and smiling, Ekalavya cuts off the thumb and presents it as Gurudakshina to Dronacharya. Ekalavya later married Suwarna, the princess of Avanti after he saved her from a demon king. He had two children, Ketuman (a son) and Avantika (a daughter), with Suwarna. There
9405-657: The world's newer nations; however, in spite of its recent economic successes, freedom from want for its disadvantaged population remains a goal yet to be achieved. North India lies mainly on continental India, north of peninsular India. Towards its north are the Himalayas which define the boundary between the Indian subcontinent and the Tibetan plateau . To its west is the Thar desert , shared between North India and Pakistan and
9504-484: Was as follows: The frequency of Mallaahs was higher than national average (0.7%) in the following districts: North India North India , also called Northern India , is a geographical and broad cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent ) wherein Indo-Aryans form the prominent majority population. It extends from the Himalayan mountain range in
9603-417: Was due to alleged betrayal of Bihar government under Nitish Kumar to grant Scheduled Tribe status to Mallaah caste. The Mallaah community is present all over Bihar though sparingly. They are dominant in districts like Muzaffarpur and Vaishali . In Muzaffarpur region, they have emerged as the most influential caste politically, leaving behind Bhumihar , Rajput , Koeri , Kurmi and Yadav . Since decades
9702-538: Was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park along the banks of the Ramganga River. It is India's first National Park, and was designated a Project Tiger Reserve in 1973. Situated in Nainital district of Uttarakhand, the park acts as a protected area for the critically endangered Bengal tiger of India. Cradled in the foothills of the Himalayas, it comprises a total area of 500 km out of which 350 km
9801-557: Was reincarnated as Dhristadyumna and killed Drona in the Kurukshetra war. In the Mahabharata , Ekalavya was the adopted son of Hiranyadhanus, the chief of the Nishadas, who found the former when he had been abandoned as an infant by Krishna's uncle and aunt. Ekalavya's adoptive father, Hiranyadhanus, was the commander of the most powerful king of the period, Jarasandha and Ekalavya himself served under King Jarasandha's army as
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