Gaddis

For the surname, see Gaddis (surname).

Gaddi village men with hookah, on a mountain path near Dharamshala, India

The Gaddi is a tribe living mainly in the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Gaddi herd of sheep and goats, Bharmour

The origin of the Gaddi tribe is unclear and they also additionally believe that their ancestors fled from plains of India because of lack of security. The fact regarding their origination lies within the popular myths in the state. There is no accord of the views from where Gaddis migrated to this hilly state. The Gaddi nomenclature springs from the word "Gaderan", the native word for the hilly tracts of Himachal Pradesh. Gaddis, a Scheduled Tribe of Himachal Pradesh, are found principally focused in Bharmauri of Chamba district, an area popularly called ‘Gaderan’ which means ‘the home of the Gaddis’. Bharmour is additionally known as the abode of Gaddis. The term Gaddi conjointly refers to a territorial cluster of a special category of individual forming an exogamous union of castes of Brahmin, Rajputs, Khatri, Rana and Thakur. The word ‘Gaddi’ has been derived from ‘Gadariya’ a Sanskrit word 'gadhern' where Gaddis are inhabited and a term in Hindi use for shepherds. Some views are commonly held among these folks like Kailash is the throne (gadi) of the Lord Shiva. Therefore,those people who took refuge and settled in Brahmaur came to be referred as Gaddis. Gaddis are semi nomadic, semi-agricultural and a semi-pastoral tribe. They have a defined culture, expressed through language, dress, food, marriage, song, and devout celebrations. Gaddis have their empyreal history deep- rooted in their endemic culture. In order to preserve their cultural heritage, they take pride in their culture and maintain cultural coherence from generation to generation. Gaddi is the language of Gaddi community and Tankri is the script used by the old people of the community. Other people spoke Hindi, whereas Devanagari is used as a script.

According to the 2011 Census of India, the Gaddi population was 1,78,130 in Himachal Pradesh and 46,489 in Jammu Kashmir. The Gaddis of Himachal Pradesh had an adult sex ratio of 1014 and literacy rate of 73.3, whereas those of Jammu and Kashmir had a sex ratio of 953 and literacy of 53.5. They are classified as a Scheduled Tribe in both areas under India's reservation system.

Gallery

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  Gaddi people Naddi Village, Dharamsala

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  Gaddi woman in traditional dress with children and dog

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  Gaddi woman cutting grass. Painting by Alfred Hallett c. 1980

Further reading

• Verma, V. 1996. Gaddis of Dhauladhar: A Transhumant Tribe of the Himalayas. Indus Publishing Company, New Delhi.

External links

• Gabdika.com