Paswan
The Paswan, also known as Dusadh, is a Dalit Scheduled Caste community primarily concentrated in the Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand.[1] Constituting approximately 5.3% of Bihar's population—or around 6.94 million individuals according to the 2023 state caste survey—they rank as the second-largest Dalit group in the state after the Chamars.[2][3] Historically, Paswans served as village watchmen (chowkidars), messengers, and performers of tasks like capturing wild animals and extracting honey, roles that positioned them within the lower echelons of the traditional caste hierarchy.[1][4] In contemporary times, most are landless agricultural laborers, though the community has demonstrated upward mobility through education, migration, and political engagement, producing influential figures such as the late Ram Vilas Paswan, who held multiple Union Cabinet positions and founded the Lok Janshakti Party.[5] This political clout has made Paswans a pivotal voting bloc in Bihar elections, often courted by major alliances despite internal factionalism.[5]Origins and Identity
Etymology and Mythological Claims
The term "Paswan" derives from the Persian "pāsbān," denoting a sentinel, defender, or bodyguard, a designation tied to the community's traditional functions in safeguarding villages and estates, particularly under Muslim rulers in medieval India.[5] This etymological root aligns with empirical occupational roles rather than speculative ancient lineages, as evidenced by historical associations with watchmanship in regional dialects and administrative records.[6] Mythological claims within Paswan oral traditions include assertions of descent from the demon Rahu, a planetary figure in Hindu cosmology, or from Dushasana, a Kaurava prince in the Mahabharata, purportedly positioning the community as ancient warriors or Kshatriyas displaced by social hierarchies.[7] Other narratives invoke unbreakable valor, deriving "Dusadh" (a synonymous ethnonym) from "Dusadhya," meaning "difficult to defeat," or linkages to Rajput clans like the Gehlots of Rajasthan.[3] These stories, while culturally persistent, function as post-hoc rationalizations for upward mobility, unsupported by primary archaeological, textual, or epigraphic evidence predating colonial-era documentation; they mirror broader patterns among marginalized groups seeking parity with varna ideals amid ritual exclusion.[1] British colonial censuses from the late 19th century, including preparations for the 1901 enumeration, contributed to codifying "Paswan" as a fixed caste category by aggregating self-reported identities, occupations, and regional variants like Dusadh, thereby institutionalizing fluid pre-colonial affiliations into rigid administrative units.[8] This process prioritized ethnographic classifications over indigenous dynamism, often amplifying occupational labels like guardianship while sidelining unsubstantiated mythic overlays in official records.[9]Traditional Occupations and Social Structure
The Paswan community, also known as Dusadh, traditionally occupied roles as village watchmen, referred to as chaukidars or pahsawans, and messengers serving landlords in rural eastern India.[1][10] These positions arose from economic necessities in agrarian societies, where landless groups provided security and labor in exchange for patronage, rather than from arbitrary oppression.[10] They also engaged in agricultural labor and cattle rearing, reinforcing their status as dependents of higher castes who controlled land resources.[10] Socially, Paswans practiced strict endogamy, marrying within the community to maintain distinct identity amid hierarchical caste structures.[11] Their rituals centered on worship of local deities such as Garaya, Baghat, and Garam Gossain, often involving animal sacrifices and offerings of fruits, with community members officiating as priests.[1][10] Interactions with upper castes were typically subservient, limited to service roles that ensured economic survival in a system where access to land and resources depended on such alliances. Paswans exhibited martial traditions, employing lathis—long wooden staffs—for self-defense, a practice rooted in their watchman duties and need to protect against threats in peripheral village settlements.[11] This capability persisted due to practical requirements for safeguarding livestock and property in unsecured rural environments, without reliance on formal militias.[10]Demographics and Geographic Distribution
Population Estimates in India
The Paswan community, synonymous with the Dusadh Scheduled Caste, is predominantly concentrated in eastern India, with Bihar serving as the demographic core. The 2023 Bihar caste-based survey, conducted by the state government, enumerated 6,943,000 Paswans, representing 5.31% of Bihar's total population of 130,725,310.[3][2] This figure marks Paswans as the second-largest Dalit subcaste in the state after Chamars, underscoring their electoral weight in regions like the Magadh and Seemanchal divisions where densities exceed state averages.[3] Outside Bihar, populations are smaller but notable in adjacent states. Joshua Project estimates approximate 432,000 Paswans in Jharkhand (about 1.3% of the state's population) and 235,000 in Uttar Pradesh, with negligible numbers elsewhere such as 61,000 in West Bengal.[1] These distributions reflect historical migration patterns tied to agrarian labor, resulting in clustered settlements that amplify local influence in Jharkhand's Santhal Pargana and Uttar Pradesh's Purvanchal belt. National extrapolations, drawing from such state-level data and ethnographic surveys, suggest a total Indian population of roughly 7-8 million, though variances arise from the absence of sub-caste breakdowns in the 2011 Census and reliance on non-official approximations like those from PeopleGroups.org (6.85 million).[12]| State | Estimated Population | Percentage of State Population | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bihar | 6,943,000 | 5.31% | 2023 Bihar Caste Survey[3] |
| Jharkhand | 432,000 | ~1.3% | Joshua Project[1] |
| Uttar Pradesh | 235,000 | <0.1% | Joshua Project[1] |