Kurmi

This article is about the Hindu agricultural community. For the people of Greater Jharkhand, see Kudumi Mahato. For the district in Nigeria, see Kurmi, Nigeria.

Kurmi
A group of Kurmi women in traditional "Hindustani dress".
ClassificationOther Backward Class
ReligionsHinduism, Islam
LanguagesAwadhi, Bhojpuri, Hindi-Urdu
CountryIndia and Nepal
RegionAwadh, Bhojpur, Madhesh, Lumbini


Kurmi is traditionally a non-elite tiller caste in the lower Gangetic plain of India, especially southern regions of Awadh, eastern Uttar Pradesh and parts of Bihar and Jharkhand.[1] The Kurmis came to be known for their exceptional work ethic, superior tillage and manuring, and gender-neutral culture, bringing praise from Mughal and British administrators alike.[2][3][4]

  1. ^ Bayly, Susan (2001), Caste, Society and Politics in India from the Eighteenth Century to the Modern Age, Cambridge University Press, pp. 200–, ISBN 978-0-521-79842-6, In southern Awadh, eastern NWP, and much of Bihar, non-labouring gentry groups lived in tightly-knit enclaves among much larger populations of non-elite 'peasants' and labouring people. These other groupings included ... non-elite tilling and cattle-keeping people who came to be known by such titles as Kurmi, Koeri and Goala/Ahir.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bayly1988-p478 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bayly1988-p101 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference bayly-p41 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).