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Gaddi, a Hindu community of the Western Himalayas Christopher, Stephen
Description
The Gaddis of Himachal Pradesh are a community of tribal Rajputs and Bhatt Brahmans, and five partiallyassimilated Dalit castes. They straddle both sides of the Dhauladhar Mountains and share a matrix of commonalities often described as tribal -- distinct dialect, ritual practice, clan-based social organization, transhumant pastoralism, place-making ties to the mountains, and Shavite spiritual beliefs that are distinctly Gaddi. Gaddis are commonly called a tribe, although they have a complex history in being awarded Scheduled Tribe status in Kangra and ethnopolitical mobilizations are underway to include Dalits within the Gaddi tribal fold. The community is heterogeneous, spread across a large swath of the Western Himalayas extending into Kashmir. Primarily Shaivite, some low-status Gaddis have converted into a range of new spiritual beliefs. These include Protestantism, Sikhism, Devi worship, Radhasoami and Arya Samaj, among other Nirankar traditions.
Item Metadata
Title |
Gaddi, a Hindu community of the Western Himalayas
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Creator | |
Contributor | |
Publisher |
Database of Religious History (DRH)
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Date Issued |
2018-05-01
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Description |
The Gaddis of Himachal Pradesh are a community of tribal Rajputs and Bhatt Brahmans, and five partiallyassimilated Dalit castes. They straddle both sides of the Dhauladhar Mountains and share a matrix of commonalities often described as tribal -- distinct dialect, ritual practice, clan-based social organization, transhumant pastoralism, place-making ties to the mountains, and Shavite spiritual beliefs that are distinctly Gaddi. Gaddis are commonly called a tribe, although they have a complex history in being awarded Scheduled Tribe status in Kangra and ethnopolitical mobilizations are underway to include Dalits within the Gaddi tribal fold. The community is heterogeneous, spread across a large swath of the Western Himalayas extending into Kashmir. Primarily Shaivite, some low-status Gaddis have converted into a range of new spiritual beliefs. These include Protestantism, Sikhism, Devi worship, Radhasoami and Arya Samaj, among other Nirankar traditions.
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Subject | |
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Type | |
Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2019-11-22
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
Attribution 4.0 International
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0385824
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URI | |
Affiliation | |
Peer Review Status |
Unreviewed
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Scholarly Level |
Postdoctoral
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Rights URI | |
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International