Lodha people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lodha | |
|---|---|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| West Bengal | 108,707[a][1] |
| Odisha | 9,785[1] |
| Languages | |
| Lodhi, Bengali, Odia, Kharia, Sadri[a] | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism, Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Munda, Lodha Muslims, Sabar, Kharia | |
The Lodha people (often honorifically Sabar and Savar)[2] are a Scheduled Tribe and particularly vulnerable tribal group of India, inhabiting primarily West Bengal and Odisha. Lodhas of West Bengal mostly live in the Paschim Medinipur and Jhargham districts. A section of the Lodha has converted to Islam, and formed a distinct community called the Lodha Muslims.
As per 2001 census, Lodhas numbered 84,966 and formed 1.9 per cent of the scheduled tribe population of West Bengal. They had a literacy rate of 34.8 per cent.[3] As per the 2011 census, the Lodhas population is 108,707 and 9,785 in West Bengal and Odisha respectively.
| Census year | West Bengal[a] | ±% | Odisha | ±% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901[7] | 8,173 | — | ||
| 1911[8] | 7,403 | — | ||
| 1921[9] | n/a | — | ||
| 1931[10] | 11,001 | — | n/a | — |
| 1941[11] | 11,641 | 5.8 | n/a | — |
| 1951[12] | 8,346 | -28.4 | n/a | — |
| 1961[13] | 40,898 | 390.7 | 2,370 | — |
| 1971 | 45,906 | 12.2 | 3,891 | 64.2 |
| 1981 | 53,718 | 17.0 | 5,100 | 31.1 |
| 1991 | 68,095 | 26.8 | 7,458 | 46.2 |
| 2001 | 84,966 | 24.7 | 8,905 | 19.4 |
| 2011 | 108,707 | 27.9 | 9,785 | 9.9 |
The Lodhas of Odisha are primarily found in Suliapada and Morada blocks of Baripada sub-division of Mayurbhanj district of Orissa.[14]
- Hinduism (86.6%)
- Christianity (12.1%)
- Sarna (0.83%)
- Islam (0.23%)
- Sari Dharma (0.06%)
- Religion not stated (0.15%)
- Other (0.09%)
Focus
Lodha means piece of flesh named after their ancestor. Lodhas have been in the focus of anthropologists and social activists.[17] During the early period of their rule, the British government in India oppressed the tribal people of Jungle Mahals, who were traditionally dependent upon the forests for a living. They had revolted but were ruthlessly suppressed. Having been deprived of their livelihood and without any alternatives, they took to criminal ways of life and were subsequently branded a criminal tribe. They should properly be labelled as uprooted rebels. Lodha titles are Nayek, Mallick, Digar, Sardar, Bhokta, Kotal, Dandapat, Bhunya etc. These titles were also used by the Sabars.[18] One of the most important research on the Lodhas was done by a Calcutta University faculty, Prabodh Kumar Bhowmick.[19][20] Much later, researchers from the Department of Anthropology at Vidyasagar University have done empirical studies on the development scenario of the Lodha tribe in Mendinpur district[21][22] who were by that time declared as a 'Primitive Tribal Group' (PTG) by the Government of India.
