Haryana has always been a state of diverse races, cultures and faiths. The people of Haryana have preserved their old religious and social traditions. They celebrate festivals with great enthusiasm and traditional fervour.
Population of Haryana constitutes about 2% of the total population of India. A major part of its people live in rural areas and are Hindus. The Jats are the largest segment of the population and are concentrated in Rohtak, Bhiwani, Hisar, Karnal, Gurgaon and nearby areas. The Ahirs, Rajputs, Gujjars, Bania, Khatris and Sikhs make up for the rest.
DIFFERENT CASTES IN HARYANA :
(A).RAJPUTS :
Rajputs, occupy a respectable position in Haryana. The various Rajput clans trace their ancestry to the ancient warriors, who figure so prominently in legend and ancient learning. In earlier times, the Rajputs have formed an important class of the feudals in Haryana. But now, the new social legislation and in particular the land laws, have drastically cut down larger holdings of land, which led to the disappearance of this feudal gentry. There There are two principal clans of Rajputs in Haryana:
a).MANDHARS : The Mandhars claim to have descended from Luv, one of the two sons of Lord Rama, the great hero of epic Ramayana.
b).CHAUHANS : The Chauhans claim descent from Rana Har Rai. Other Rajput clans are Badgujar, Parmara Bachas, Tunwars, Gurs etc.
(B).HARIJANS :
In Haryana, the Harijans constitute roughly about one-fifth of the population of the state. The several categories of Harijans (Schedule Castes) are the Chamars, Chhuras, Dhanaks and Julahas. As a single community, the Chamars are the most predominant. In earlier times, the Chamars were the village shoemakers, the Chhuras their scavenger and the Dhanaks and Julahas were village weavers. They all took a hand in the agricultural operations by contributing their labour. But now, these Harijans are occupying the positions of even legislatures, ministers, senior government officials and some of them have entered into competition with the other classes in small trade and cottage industries.
(C).JATS :
The Hindu Jats occupy a prominent place in Haryana, being the single largest group in the region. Some of the Jats claim themselves to be of Rajput origin and maintain that their Rajput ancestors came from Malwa and Bikaner, which lay to the East near the ancient Hastinapur. It was the Jats, who formed the ethnic nucleus of the people now called the Punjabis. The Jats are divided into twelve chief clans (gotras) and about 137 minor gotras. The main gotras are Malik, Dahiya, Ahlawat, Rathi, Dalai, Sahrawat, Kadian, Jakhar, Golia and Deswal. The Muslim Jats, called Mullas are a separate group. The Jats form a predominant proportion in the districts of Hisar, Karnal and are also found in good strength in Ambala.
(D).BRAHMANS :
The Brahmans form an important section of the people in Haryana. Most of the Brahmans in Haryana are Gaur Brahmans. The name is probably derived from their residence at Ghaggar. The other common gotras among Brahmans are Sarsut, Bharadwaja, Vashishta, Bacchhasas, Parsira, Sandlasa, Gujarati or Bias and the Dakaut. The Sarsut Brahmans, less numerous than the Gaur, are not so strict in their caste habits. The Gujarati or Bias, who came from Gujarat are regarded in some respects as the highest class of Brahmans. Tyagis or Tagas are of Brahman origin, who gave up priestly profession and took to agriculture.
(E).BANIAS :
The word Bania comes from a Sanskrit word Banijyas meaning trade. They are by tradition the chief trading class in Haryana. The Banias are divided into three main classes (i) the Aggarwals (ii) the Oswals (iii) The Maheshwaris. They mostly confine themselves to local trade in Mandis (wholesale grain markets) and in the villages. Though small in number, they are quite influential both in business and politics.
(G).AHIRS :
Ahirs or Yadavs are found throughout the country, but in large number in Haryana. They include the Abhiras or Ahirs of Northern India, Raos of Haryana, Gwalas of Uttar Pradesh, Mandals of Bihar, Pradhans of Odisha, Ghoshals of Bengal, Gopas and Reddis of Andhra Pradesh and Wodeyars of Karnataka.
Although, the Ahirs and Yadavs form one group, yet the Ahirs or Abhiras are an important community of Haryana. Numerically, they constitute less than 10% of the total population. Most of them live in the region around Rewari and Narnaul, which is known as Ahirwal or the abode of Ahirs. Out of these Yadavs, many have been categorised into backward classes whereas, the rest of them are flourishing farmers been in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The name of the state of Haryana may have been derived from its ancient inhabitants: Abhirayana morphed into Ahirayana, which led to Haryana, which finally led to the present name Haryana. The name Abhira may comes from a-bhira, 'meaning not bhira', fearless. Rao Tula Ram was the well known of Ahir leaders. He fought against the British in the Revolt of 1857.
(H).MEOS :
The Meo population in India is more than 1 million. They are a Muslim Rajput community living in Southern Haryana and North-Eastern Rajasthan known for its admixture of Hindu and Islamic customs, practices and beliefs. However, only one in 10 Meos is able to properly read and write.
Meos in Haryana inhabit a territorial region called Mewat that falls between Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. This region consists of some adjoining parts of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, where the Meos have lived for over a 1000 years. In Haryana, the Mewati region falls in Mewat district and parts of the districts of Palwal, Gurgaon and Faridabad. They trace their conversion to various Sufi saints, who began settling in their territory from the 11th century onwards and whose shrines or dargahs today dot the entire Mewati countryside.
CUSTOMS :
The people of Haryana are still conservative and they continue to follow old practices as a matter of routine and custom. The Mundan ceremony is still prevalent among people, who have settled in Haryana.
(A).BIRTH CUSTOMS :
The birth ceremony is accompanied by feasting. The scale of celebration depends on the economic position of the house holder. In the case of a son, it is elaborate with much show of rejoicing. The girls are really seldom welcome. Birth of a child is followed by its Nam-Karan-Sanskar i.e. ceremony of giving a name to the child, male or female. The woman, who has been in confinement for several days is declared fit to come out after 10 or 12 days.
(B).MARRIAGE CUSTOMS :
The ceremony of wearing the sacred thread by the boys is important among the Brahmans. This is performed at about the age of 15 years. Marriage is most important, when elaborate rituals are performed. Child marriage was common in Haryana. Now among the upper and educated classes, marriages are held at a comparatively late age. Even in rural areas, child marriages are rare. Widow remarriage is restricted even among the higher classes.
(C).DEATH CUSTOMS :
Hindus, as a rule, believe in transmigration. The idea was that if one fed people in the memory of the dead, they would also benefit from it. They believe that the elderly dead of the family have been born elsewhere. All the Hindus believe that for the salvation of the soul of the dead, certain ceremonies are essential. One of these is to carry the bones of the dead to Haridwar and throw them in the Ganga, which purifies everything. The influence of the Brahmans is still predominant and without them most of the ceremonies would be incomplete.
POSITION OF WOMEN :
The women still observe purdah, at least among certain communities. In former days, purdah was observed quite rigidly. It is now considerably relaxed mainly due to economic causes. It is still observed in certain forms. Village girls cover their heads while daughters-in-law cover their face in the presence of elderly persons in the house or outside.
LANGUAGES OF HARYANA :
Haryanvi is the language spoken in the state of Haryana. With Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu and English forming the main languages, there are numerous dialects which are spoken in Haryana. However, almost all of them have their base in Hindi and Jatu, the two main dialects with Jatu being mainly the language of the Jats in the state. The people living in are as close to Rajasthan have a touch of Rajasthani in the Haryanvi they speak.
HARYANVI LITERATURE :
There has not been a proper documentation of Haryanvi literature since most Haryanvi literary figures write in standard Hindi, but the language has a long-standing oral tradition of folk songs.The language involves addressing elders by which in common Khadi Boli is considered as rude. Tau Sangi, Heeradas Udasi, Deepchand, Debising, Pandit Lakhami Chand, Baje Bhagat, Dhanpat, Mange Ram, Shriram Sharma and Bharat Bhusan Sanghival have made a major contribution to Haryanvi literature. The works of Pandit Lakhami Chand, published by Haryana Sahitya Academy are also notable.
DIALECTS :
This Haryanvi language has several dialects. These dialects have lot of variations and even the language varies from village to village. Haryanvi, also known as Bangaru, is wisely and largely spoken. The Ahir people of Ahirwal belt also speak Haryanvi language which is similar to Rajasthani language. The Rors, Kambojs and Brahmans all they speak Khaddar dialect which has Northern Haryanvi influence. This language even shares some similarity with Khadi Boli dialect. In addition, Haryanvi belongs to Western Hindi languages. Therefore, it is taken as a dialect of Hindi and not as a separate language.
a).RAJASTHANI : The districts adjoining Rajasthan speak different dialects with a Rajasthani intelligibility like Mewati in Mewat district. Another widely spoken language is Ahirwati language of Ahirs, which is spoken in Mahendragarh, Narnaul, Gurgaon and Rewari districts.
b).BAGRI : Bagri has high lexical similarity with Haryanvi dialects to the West in Southern parts of Fatehabad, Bhiwani, Southern and Western parts of Sirsa and Hisar districts.
c).URDU : Urdu was widely spoken by the Muslim population in Gurgaons, Mewat district before partition, but they have since migrated to Pakistan. The Muslim poulation that migrated from Haryana to Pakistan at the time of partition still speak dialects of Haryanvi.
DRESSES OF HARYANA :
The dress of the people is generally simple. It consists of a dhoti, shirt, turban and a pair of shoe. A blanket or chaddar serves as wrapper. The turban has a different style for a Jat, an Ahir, a Rajput, a Bania or a Brahman. There is also difference in the dress of various communities particularly among women.
a).JAT WOMAN : A Jat woman's full dress consist of ghaggri, shirt and a printed orhni (a length of cloth draped over the front and shoulders), the ghaggri seldom falling below the calves.
b).AHIR WOMAN : The Ahir woman can always be recognised by her lehenga or petticoat, angia (a tight blouse) and orhni. Her orhni is broader than that of a Jat woman. It is usually red or yellow, decorated with bosses and fringes, with a fall.
c).RAJPUT WOMAN : The Rajput woman's dress is similar to that of an Ahir woman. Their orhni may be plain white with silver fringe but without a fall.
d).BRAHMAN AND AGGARWAL WOMAN : The dhotis and saris are the favourite items of dress among Brahman and Aggarwal woman. A women would need at least three different sets of clothes, one for working at the grindstone, another for the field, another for drawing water from the well. Clothes indicate family status. The dress also proclaims the caste or community of the woman. A Gujjar woman can be known at once from the blue clothes and a Chamar from her red clothes. Round bits of glass are adorned by the clothes of a Gujjar woman. Unmarried girls abstain from gaudy dress to avoid undue attention.
ORNAMENTS OF HARYANA :
The common ornaments were small earrings of gold or silver, necklaces called Kathla by Jats and mala by Banias, bracelets and gold chains of several strings were worn on special occasions like marriages and only richer people could afford them. The ornaments are usually made of gold and silver. The main items include haar (necklace), hansli (heavy bangles) made of silver, jhalra (long hanging string of gold mohars or silver rupees), karanphul and bujni of gold and dandle of silver for the ears. The finger-rings plain and ornamented have different names. The large nose-ring is called nath.
CUISINES :
Haryana is the state which finds its mentioning in the famous epic of Mahabharata. The popular battle between the Pandavas and Kauravas was fought at Kurukshetra, Haryana. The state of Haryana played an important role in the freedom struggle. Haryana is an integral part of Punjab. So, one can find touch of Punjab in its cuisines. As Haryana is an agricultural state, most of them are farmers. Haryana offers delicious cuisines, as it cannot be anticipated from the tourists to carry their food. The traditional cuisines of Haryana welcome the folks. The inhabitants of this state drink well and eat well. Mostly the population of Haryana are vegetarians. The Haryanvi food as it is called has a very special attachment with the land. The food prepared is pure and intentionally good. The eater relishes his food without any fuss. The food has evolved from the culture. The food is simple as their civilisation.
SCHEDULED CASTES (SCs) IN HARYANA :
According to Census 2011, Scheduled Caste (SC) population in the state is 51,13,615, which constitutes 20.17% of the total population of the state. Scheduled Caste population of Haryana is 2.54% of India's SC population. The state has registered 25% decadal growth of SC population from 2001-2011. In Haryana, there are 37 notified SCs while Scheduled Tribes (STs) are not notified.