Talk:Nayak (caste)

Proposed merge with Nayak (Hindu)

Seems to be about the same community Sitush (talk) 12:22, 11 April 2017 (UTC)

Agreed and   Y Merger complete. Klbrain (talk) 08:43, 8 September 2018 (UTC)

The Naayak are a rajput(ikshwaku kshatriya) caste.Nayak people use Raghuwanshi rajput in Surname. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Virendra Raghuwanshi (talk • contribs) 09:59, 18 April 2022 (UTC)

Sources

Presently cited scholarly sources

• Gidwani

p. 71
Nayaks are an “out-of-caste” group and numerically small in central Gujarat.³ Locals call them bajavala—they play musical instruments, often as part of bands that perform popular music at weddings. Nayaks also participate in street theater, such as ritual enactments of Ram Lila. Perhaps because of their small numbers (and thus low impact in the numbers game of electoral democracy), they have not been targeted by state affirmative actions with the same zeal as other, larger, out-of-caste groups in the area.

• Lunheim

pp. 92–93
Nayak: Tribal hunters?
Among scheduled castes in Samsa, the Nayaks come second in terms of numerical importance, with 35 households (1992). There are no subcastes among the Nayaks, and the majority of Samsa Nayaks belong to one single clan, the Malgat. There is considerable evidence that the Nayak caste is of tribal, pre-Aryan origin. Even the casual observer will notice that Nayaks are, on the average, smaller and more dark-skinned than Rajputs and most other local castes. Moreover, their facial features convey a certain “Dravidian” impression, in some ways reminiscent of South Indian people.
In fact, the Nayaks of Samsa consider themselves identical to the Bhil, the most numerous tribal group of Rajasthan¹⁷. According to our informants, Nayaks are known as Bhil in the western and south-western parts of Rajasthan, towards Jaisalmer and the Mount Abu region. Nayak and Bhil are said to be “the same blood”. Both may intermarry freely, although, due to practical obstacles, this is seldom done.

• Hansen

pp. 19–20
The New Alfred responded to the vogue for actresses by taking the phenomenon of female impersonation to a higher level. The company found a new source of artistic energy in the Nayak or Bhojak community of Gujarat. This was a hereditary group that specialized in music and dance. In the late nineteenth century, urban theatre companies began to send agents to villages in Gujarat for the purpose of recruiting Nayak boys. When these boys arrived in Bombay or Calcutta, they were trained to become professional dancers and sing in chorus lines dressed as females. The most outstanding from their ranks matured into the leading female impersonators of the day.

A couple of other sources

• Lipner, Julius (2010). Hindus: Their religious beliefs and practices (2nd ed.). Routledge. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-415-45676-0.

The epic is sung or chanted in a Rajasthani dialect, by a professional male performer (bhopo) of the Nāyak caste, who usually accompanies himself on a simple fiddle. This instrument can be played with great skill. A companion, often the bhopo’s wife, may also perform with him. At times the singer performs dancing movements. The epic is enacted throughout Rajasthan by a number of these wandering reciters and is still popular.²² Castes including the Brahmin that follow the epic, are the the upper-caste Rajpūts and Jāṭs, and most commonly the lower-caste, pastoral Rebārīs. The Nāyak caste of the bhopo is among the lowest in the hierarchy of Rajasthan, and is listed officially as a scheduled caste (viz. Untouchable).

• Fisher, R. J. (1997). If Rain Doesn’t Come: An Anthropological Study of Drought and Human Ecology in Western Rajasthan. Manohar. p. 76. ISBN 978-81-7304-184-6. OCLC 38081411.

quotation

Nayak/Bhil Nayaks are included on the list of scheduled castes for Rajasthan. On the separate list of scheduled tribes the Bhils are a scheduled tribe. Yet, the Nayaks in Hinganiya use both names. Yet, the Nayaks in Hinganiya use both names. Most higher caste villagers assert that Bhils and Nayaks are the same thing, something which, administratively and legally at least, is impossible. Furthermore, according to the 1971 Census there was no scheduled tribal population in Hinganiya; the 1981 Census recorded a scheduled tribal population of 101 (Census of India 1981a). It appears that the Nayaks had been reclassified or had reclassified themselves. Much of the confusion exists because the names are used in different ways in different localities. Kothawalla (Census of Marwar 1911) notes that the Bhils of the hill areas of Rajputana are distinct from the Bhils in the north eastern parts of what is now Jodhpur District (Hinganiya is in this area). In north eastern Jodhpur State the Bhils are also known as Nayaks, Thoris and Aheri. This confusion in names is tied up with a debate about whether Nayaks are true Bhils. There are some suggestions that Nayaks are descended from marriages between tribal Bhils and caste Hindus. It is also quite possible that the Nayaks are the descendants of Bhils who came from Mewar as guides for Rao Jodha (B.S. Tanwar, pers. comm.). This is plausible, as the name Nayak literally means watchman or guide. In Gujarat the 'Naiks' (also called Naikdas or Naikas) are regarded as a separate tribe from the Bhils (Shah 1959). However, Shah refers to linguistic evidence which supports the view that, in Gujarat, 'the two groups are probably only local variations of one tribe' (1959:251). In Rajasthan the term Bhil seems to have a specific reference to the tribal Bhils of southern Rajasthan and also to be a general term for people of tribal descent. I am not sure whether the Nayaks of Hinganiya are genealogically related to the tribal Bhils of southern Rajasthan. Culturally, there are close similarities. Among the Bhils of southern Rajasthan there is a category of shamans called bhopa (Doshi 1971). Among the Nayaks there are two types of people called bhopa. The first group can be described fairly simply as shamans. They participate in rituals in which they dance and apparently whip themselves into trances. There second type of Nayak bhopa (bhopi , fem.) is a performer who sings an epic to Pabuji, a Rajasthani folk hero.

- NitinMlk (talk) 19:58, 3 May 2022 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 7 May 2022

2405:205:120F:52CE:5081:6EE5:658D:2C6C (talk) 14:41, 7 May 2022 (UTC) Nayak are classfied an upper & genral caste in india

 Not done Please provide a reliable source that verifies your change. --RegentsPark (comment) 15:46, 7 May 2022 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 19 June 2022

Nayak's are Sikh also add sikh also on it. Mainly Nayak follows Hinduism and Sikhism2409:4060:2E9D:7D30:0:0:510A:D601 (talk) 11:46, 19 June 2022 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 12:08, 19 June 2022 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 7 June 2023

The nayak casts comes under Rajput it is one of the gotras or clan of thiers. It was first in general category then it was moved in obc and now in sc after thier survey 2406:7400:43:8C16:0:0:0:100 (talk) 09:14, 7 June 2023 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. DreamRimmer (talk) 16:39, 7 June 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 13 March 2024

SITA RAM NAYAK DAGLA (talk) 07:36, 13 March 2024 (UTC)

The Nayaks are a Hindu caste found in India and Pakistan. They mainly follow Hindu religion. According to Shah, the hero belongs to the Bhil tribal caste. It is well known that this is a large sub-caste of the Bhil tribe, the Bhils who were close to the ruling class of India, which established a special identity and status in their tribe due to getting posts like Nayak and Sena Nayak in the army. Gradually, this class established matrimonial relations outside their tribe and Rajputs and Kshatriya people, including those who held the post of Nayak and Sena Nayak in the army, became related to this class. Parallel to their tribe, this class had its own distinct presence all over India. Maintains identity and considers himself a warrior and superior class of Bhils. In Rajasthan, this subcaste is included in both Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himalayan region, it is included in Other Backward Classes.

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Cannolis (talk) 07:39, 13 March 2024 (UTC)