Khatik

Khatik
	खटीक
Religions	Hinduism, Jainism, Islam
Languages	• Hindi • Punjabi • Rajasthani • Tamil • Telugu
Country	• India • Nepal • Pakistan
Populated states	Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana
Ethnicity	India
Family names	Sonkar, Suryavanshi, Chak, etc
Notable members	Jagannath Pahadia, Udit Raj, Virendra Kumar Khatik
Subdivisions	Suryavanshi, Sonkar, Chak, Dhangar, Are Katika, Kalal, Rangiya and Mewafarosh
Related groups	Akhil Bhartiya Khatik Samaj

The Khatik (Hindi: खटीक) are an ethnic tribe found in the Indian subcontinent, mainly modern-day India, Pakistan and Nepal. The Hindu Khatik have scheduled caste status in India.^[3] They are one of the most widespread communities in modern South Asia. Indian Khatik have a population of approximately 2.3 millions and are located mainly in New Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.^[4]

History[edit]

The Khatik claim a common ancestry from the Rajput tribe. Khatik used to provide meat to the army of Rajput rulers. King only assigns their personal "Rasoiya" (cook) from Khatik tribe. Khatiks used to live within the Rajputs kingdom and when Rajput organise "Yagya" Khatik used to sacrifice goat infront of Hindu devi Kaali.^[5]

Etymology[edit]

'Khatik' is derived from the Sanskrit (Indic ancient language) word, "Khattik" means "Butcher or Kasai" and Hindi word "Khatt" Means immediate killing.^{[citation needed]}

Society[edit]

The Khatiks belong to the same ethnicity as the Rajputs, and inter-marriages take place among them. Like other Hindu communities, they are divided into clans called gotras like Chandel, Panwar, Dayma, Chauhan, Tanwar, Badgurjar, Kirar etc.^[6]

Legal status[edit]

Khatik identified as Scheduled Caste in some states of India including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh while they are OBC status in Maharashtra and Bihar.^[7]

Political involvement[edit]

Khatiks are actively participate in politics and they are not dependent on single party but they are distributed in various political party as per their belief & interest ^[8]

Current status[edit]

Today, most are in animal husbandry, agriculture, service industries, and government agencies.^[9]
There are some politicians, doctors, engineers, sports-persons and movie stars as well^{[citation needed]}
Khatik community has a higher sex ratio than the Indian national average.^{[citation needed]}
Among the major Dalit groups, Khatiks have registered the highest overall literacy rate (64.4 per cent) and highest women literacy rate.^[4]

Subdivisions[edit]

Hindu Khatik caste has divided into these subgroups based on their livelihood, which are following :-

Suryavanshi- they claim to be son of Surya (Sun) and Raja Khatwang (grandfather of Lord Rama). they proudly drive tanga for livlihood. they are widely spread in Uttar Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh.^{[citation needed]}
Sonkar - they started keeping pig animal to save their family from mughal army.^{[citation needed]}
Suryavanshi Aare Katika or Are Katika - they claim to be Aare Brahmin and lived kingdom of Veer Shivaji in Maharashtra.^{[citation needed]}
Chak (Chik, Chikwa - they used to sell meat make drum.^{[citation needed]}
Dhangar - they take care of animals who produce milk.^{[citation needed]}
Kalal - they also involved in meat profession.^{[citation needed]}
Rangiya - they used to colour goat and deer skin to sell.^{[citation needed]}
Mewafarosh - they used to sell fruits and dry-fruits.^{[citation needed]}

Religion[edit]

Khatik follow Hindu religion historically, but now they are also found in Islam and Jainism for the following reason:-

Muslim Khatik - Mughal ruler Aurangzeb started conversation Hindu into Islam forcefully, that time large number of Hindu Khatik converted into Islam, now they are identified as Muslim Khatik and broadly found in Maharastra. Presently they are united under leadership of Haji Arfat Shaikh, president of the Maharashta State Muslim Khatik Samaj^[10]
Veerwal Khatik - Khatik in Rajasthan inspired by Jain guru and adopted jainism and terned Veerwal and now identified as Veerwal Khatik.^[11]

References[edit]

↑ Jaffrelot, Christophe. A History of Pakistan and Its Origins. Anthem Press. p. 212. Search this book on
↑ http://idsn.org/wp-content/uploads/user_folder/pdf/New_files/Nepal/Caste-based_Discrimination_in_Nepal.pdf
↑ People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Two edited by A Hasan and J C Das pages 811 to 815
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 "CHAPTER – 3 : DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF SCHEDULED CASTE DALITS IN INDIA" (PDF). Shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajasthani_people?wprov=sfla1
↑ https://www.khatiksamaj.net/khatik-surname/
↑ "खटीक समाज की मांग, अनुसूचित जाति में किया जाए शामिल". Navbharat Times (in हिन्दी). 2018-10-18. Retrieved 2019-06-22.
↑ "Chandigarh Congress welcomes members of Khatik community into party fold". The Indian Express. 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2019-06-22.
↑ "Khatiks". Peoplegroupsindia.com. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
↑ Gazette, The Milli (2011-04-06). "Reservation for Dalit Muslims". www.milligazette.com. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
↑ "धर्म के नाम पर देश तक बंट गए : पहाड़िया". Dainik Jagran (in हिन्दी). Retrieved 2019-06-14.

[1] Jaffrelot, Christophe. A History of Pakistan and Its Origins. Anthem Press. p. 212. Search this book on

[2] ttp://idsn.org/wp-content/uploads/user_folder/pdf/New_files/Nepal/Caste-based_Discrimination_in_Nepal.pdf

[3] People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Two edited by A Hasan and J C Das pages 811 to 815

[inflibnet.ac.in-4] 4.0 ^4.1 "CHAPTER – 3 : DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF SCHEDULED CASTE DALITS IN INDIA" (PDF). Shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in. Retrieved 6 May 2019.

[5] ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajasthani_people?wprov=sfla1

[6] ttps://www.khatiksamaj.net/khatik-surname/

[7] "खटीक समाज की मांग, अनुसूचित जाति में किया जाए शामिल". Navbharat Times (in हिन्दी). 2018-10-18. Retrieved 2019-06-22.

[8] "Chandigarh Congress welcomes members of Khatik community into party fold". The Indian Express. 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2019-06-22.

[:0-9] "Khatiks". Peoplegroupsindia.com. Retrieved 6 May 2019.

[10] Gazette, The Milli (2011-04-06). "Reservation for Dalit Muslims". www.milligazette.com. Retrieved 2019-06-14.

[11] "धर्म के नाम पर देश तक बंट गए : पहाड़िया". Dainik Jagran (in हिन्दी). Retrieved 2019-06-14.

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