Kewat people
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| India | |
| Bihar | 937,861 (0.7174% of Bihar's population)[1] |
| West Bengal | 88,530 |
| Languages | |
| Kewat language | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
The Kewat, also spelled Kevat, is an ethnic group and Hindu caste, found in the states of Assam, Bihar, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal in India. They are the traditional boatmen of northern India, and also in neighbouring country Nepal. They natively speak the Kewat language, an Eastern Indo-Aryan language. But the language is now declining as they have begun to speak the languages commonly used in the regions where they live.[2]
Origin
The name "Kevata" first appeared in the Pillar Edict V of Emperor Ashoka.[3]
In India: Present circumstances
The Kewat are among the 17 OBC communities of Uttar Pradesh that have been proposed for Scheduled Caste status by the Samajwadi Party-controlled Government. However, this proposal, which relates to votebank politics and has been made in the past, has been stayed by the courts; a prior attempt was also rejected by the Government of India.[4][5]
Kewats are recognised as Scheduled Caste in the states of Assam, West Bengal and Tripura as Keot, Keyot or Jalkeot.[6][7][8]
With a population of 937,861, Kewats constitute 0.7174% of Bihar's population in the 2023 caste census.[1]
In Nepal
Some Kewats in Nepal speak the Kewat language alongside Nepali. Most Kewat speakers are found in Nepal, since many Kewats in India or Bangladesh usually speak the dominant regional languages of the areas they live in.[9] The Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal classifies the Kewat as a subgroup within the broader social group of Madheshi Other Caste.[10] At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, 153,772 people (0.6% of the population of Nepal) were Kewat. The frequency of Kewat by province was as follows:
- Madhesh Province (1.4%)
- Lumbini Province (1.0%)
- Koshi Province (0.6%)
- Bagmati Province (0.0%)
- Gandaki Province (0.0%)
- Sudurpashchim Province (0.0%)
- Karnali Province (0.0%)
The frequency of Kewat was higher than national average (0.6%) in the following districts:[11]
References
- 1 2 Verma, Ritesh (2 October 2023). "List of caste wise population of Bihar". Hindustan. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ↑ "Kewat language resources". Joshua Project. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ↑ Bhaumik, Sudarshana (26 August 2022). The Changing World of Caste and Hierarchy in Bengal: Depiction from the Mangalkavyas c. 1700–1931. Taylor & Francis. p. 60. ISBN 978-1-000-64143-1.
- ↑ "Setback for Akhilesh government as High Court stays their order to include 17 sub-castes in the SC category". Financial Express. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- ↑ "UP govt to include 17 other backward castes in SC list". Hindustan Times. PTI. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- ↑ "Scheduled Caste list of Assam, India".
- ↑ "Scheduled Caste list of West Bengal, India".
- ↑ "Scheduled Caste list of Tripura, India".
- ↑ "Kewat Language (KYV) – L1 & L2 Speakers, Status, Map, Endangered Level & Official Use". Ethnologue. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ↑ Population Monograph of Nepal, Volume II
- ↑ "2011 Nepal Census, District Level Detail Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
