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Concept
Dhanuk
Summary
The Dhanuk is an ethnic group found in India. In Bihar where they are significantly present, they have been categorised as the "lower backwards", along with several other caste constituting 32% of state's population. In recent times they have been identifying themselves with the Kurmi caste along with the Mahto of Chhotanagpur. In Bihar, they are considered as a sub-caste of the Mandal caste and are often found using Mandal surname. In recent times, there has been attempt to forge a socio-political alliance between them and the twin castes of Koeri and the Kurmi, as a part of Luv-Kush equation.
Dhanuks are found in the Indian states of Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Dhanka people in Rajasthan claim that their name is a variant and they are the same community. However, the veracity of this claim is extremely difficult to ascertain due to the numerous other claims. Their claim sometimes seems contradictory to the Madheshi people who are found in Terai Nepal. The state has a community called Dhanuk or Dhanushk, whose traditional occupation was watchmen.
Like many other aspirational communities of India, the Dhanuk community also embarked upon the path of Sanskritisation by tracing their community hero in epic and historic figures. This made them find their community hero in Panna Dhai, the maid of Uday Singh's mother in the Mewar who sacrificed her own son Chandan to save the life of her infant master. The legend of Panna Dhai has become a popular glory tale among the members of Dhanuk caste particularly in some selected pockets of Uttar Pradesh. The community – which is distributed in Kanpur, Ettawah, Farrukhabad, Manipuri and nearby areas – celebrates the anniversary of the Panna Dhai. According to social historian Badri Narayan, the legends of Panna gives the untouchable community a cause to consolidate their "caste identity".
Anthropologist Megan Moodie narrates the caste history of Dhanuks, who are known by different names such as Dhanka, Dhanak and Dhanakiya in different parts of India, through a pamphlet published by the community itself.
Official source
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