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Salaat (caste)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A photograph of a Salat man, early 20th century.

The Salat are Hindu caste found in the state of Gujarat in India.[1]

History and origin

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The word Salat has been derived from Salaya which means stone. They are a community of stone cutters. The community is concentrated in Banaskantha, Sabarkantha and Mehasana districts, and they speak Gujarati. A small number of Salaat were converted to Islam and now form a distinct community of Muslim Salaat.[2]

Present circumstances

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The two divisions are divided into a number of clans, the main ones being the Rathore, Parmar, Solanki and Bijpar, which are exogamous. Their main occupation remains the selling and manufacture of grinding stones.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ People of India Gujarat Volume XXI Part Three edited by R.B Lal, P.B.S.V Padmanabham, G Krishnan & M Azeez Mohideen pages 1224-1227
  2. ^ People of India Gujarat Volume XXI Part Three edited by R.B Lal, P.B.S.V Padmanabham, G Krishnan & M Azeez Mohideen pages 1224-1227
  3. ^ People of India Gujarat Volume XXI Part Three edited by R.B Lal, P.B.S.V Padmanabham, G Krishnan & M Azeez Mohideen pages 1224-1227