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Draft:Bengali Tili (Caste)

Tili is a distinguished Bengali Hindu twice-born, upper-caste community, recognized as an advanced Indo-Alpine, landowning-cum-mercantile group originating from Bardhaman.[1] Tilis are predominantly situated in the Rarh region of West Bengal ,India.[2] The Tili community holds a prominent position in trade and regional heritage.[3][4]

History and origin

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Members of the Tili community predominantly speak Bengali . Today, they are largely concentrated in the districts of Burdwan, Bankura, Hooghly, and Midnapore in West Bengal.[5][6]

The Tilis are historically regarded as descendants of the Pala dynasty, known for its royal heritage and cultural contributions.[2] Scholar Harekrishna Mukherjee classified them as a Vanik (merchant) community[7], highlighting their traditional involvement in trade and commerce. Additionally, Dharmananda Mahabharati confirmed their Vaishya (merchant) status, dispelling the false misconception that the Tili community belongs to the Nabasakha caste.[8] According to Jumdagni mythology, the Tili community is originally of Kshatriya lineage but has been relegated to a Vaishya status over time.[9] Tilis trace their name back to the Sanskrit word 'Tula,' which translates to 'Balance' in English.[10]

Nikhilkanta Roy stated that the Tili and Teli communities are distinct, with the similarity in pronunciation often leading to confusion. He highlighted that the Tili community is of a higher caste than the Teli community. Roy explained that the misinterpretation of these two communities as the same was a result of this pronunciation similarity. He also presented several pieces of evidence to support the distinction between the two groups.[11]

In the sixteenth century, the Tilis were primarily engaged in trade, landholding, moneylending, and a form of land-based cultivation where they owned the land but employed farmers and servants for the actual cultivation, as evidenced by historical records and Chandimangalkavya. In south-western Bengal, the Tilis appeared to have become traders. In the nineteenth century, the Tilis had become one of the foremost mercantile communities of Bengal. The Rays of Bhagyakul, the Nandis of Kasimbazar (Murshidabad), the Kundu Chowdhuris of Mahiari (Howrah), De Chowdhuris of Ranaghat gained affluence through trade and moneylendling, and became landholders. The Pal Chaudhuris of Ranaghat (Nadia) ran indigo factories. They became a major beneficiary of the economic changes made by the British government and British commercial interests who had converted Bengal into a vast market ready to supply raw materials to England.[12][13][5]

King Bhopal of Ketugram, a notable figure from this community, established the Bahulaxmi Temple, one of the 51 sacred Shakti Peethas believed to be formed from the body parts of Goddess Durga.[14] A contingent of Maratha invaders, led by Bhaskar Pandit, settled in Itachuna, Hooghly, where they established the Itachuna Rajbari. Over time, they assimilated into the Tili caste, adopting its customs and way of life. Their presence significantly improved the region's socio-economic conditions. In a remarkable act of generosity during the devastating famine of the 1770s, Bhaskar Pandit donated 100,000 maunds of paddy, providing much-needed relief to the local population.[15]

Social status

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The Tili caste is classified as a Forward or General Caste, meaning they do not qualify for the reservation benefits provided to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes under the Indian government's policies. In 1999, the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) recognized the Tili as a socially and economically advanced trading caste. The NCBC also refuted various myths surrounding the Tili community, clarifying that they are distinct from the Teli community and have a defined Varna within the Hindu caste system.[9][16]

References

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  1. ^ Bardhaman Charcha. 1989. p. 43.
  2. ^ a b Kāmilyā, Mihira Caudhurī (2006). Rāṛhera janajāti o lokasaṃskr̥ti (in Bengali). Uccatara Bidyācarcākendra, Bāṃlā Bibhāga, Bardhamāna Biśvabidyālaẏa. pp. 60, 97.
  3. ^ Guha, Ayan (2022). The Curious Trajectory of Caste in West Bengal Politics: Chronicling Continuity and Change. BRILL. pp. 124, 128. ISBN 978-90-04-51456-0.
  4. ^ Gupta, Swarupa (2009). Notions of Nationhood in Bengal: Perspectives on Samaj, c. 1867-1905. BRILL. p. 177. ISBN 978-90-474-2958-6.
  5. ^ a b Kāmilyā, Mihira Caudhurī (2006). Rāṛhera janajāti o lokasaṃskr̥ti (in Bengali). Uccatara Bidyācarcākendra, Bāṃlā Bibhāga, Bardhamāna Biśvabidyālaẏa. pp. 60, 97.
  6. ^ Guha, Ayan (2022-09-26). The Curious Trajectory of Caste in West Bengal Politics: Chronicling Continuity and Change. BRILL. pp. 128–129. ISBN 978-90-04-51456-0.
  7. ^ Mukhopādhyāẏa, Harekrshna (1972). Gauṛabaṅga-saṃskr̥ti (in Bengali). Jijñāsā. p. 2.
  8. ^ Caudhurī, Acyutacaraṇa (2002). Śrīhaṭṭera itibr̥tta: Pūrbāṃśa (in Bengali). Ut̲asa Prakāśana. p. 50. ISBN 978-984-8890-00-4.
  9. ^ a b "NCBC Bihar 1999 Report on the Tili Caste: Historical and Social Insight" (PDF).
  10. ^ Singh, Kumar Suresh (1992). People of India: West Bengal. Anthropological Survey of India. pp. 1244, 1245, 1249. ISBN 978-81-7046-300-9.
  11. ^ Rāẏa, Nikhilanātha (1978). Murśidābāda-kāhinī: aitihāsika citra (in Bengali). Puthipatra. pp. 262, 263.303.
  12. ^ Bhaumik, Sudarshana (2022-08-26). The Changing World of Caste and Hierarchy in Bengal: Depiction from the Mangalkavyas c. 1700–1931. Taylor & Francis. p. 197. ISBN 978-1-000-64143-1.
  13. ^ Sanyal, Hitesranjan (1981). Social Mobility in Bengal. Papyrus. pp. 100–01.
  14. ^ Mukhopādhyāẏa, Harekr̥shña (1971). Bāṅgālāra Kīrtana o kīrtanīẏā (in Bengali). Sāhitya Saṃsad. pp. 9, 10, 11.
  15. ^ Amiya Kumar Banerji (1972). West Bengal District Gazetteers: Hooghly. Calcutta, West Bengal District Gazetteers. pp. 695, 696.
  16. ^ "NCBC West Bengal 1999 Report on the Tili Caste: Historical and Social Insight" (PDF).

References

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