Lohar

Lohar (Urdu: لوہار ) is a caste in Hindus in Northern India and tribe in Pakistan.

Etymology

The word "Lohar" comes from the Hindi word, "Loha" (Iron). The members of this group are traditionally blacksmiths.

Lohars are blacksmiths. According to H. A. Rose and Denzil Ibbetson, Lohars are descended from Rajputs and Jats. Lohars have been accepted into Tarkhan tribal affiliations.

:In Hushyarpur They are said to form a single caste called Lohar-Tarkhan, and the son of a blacksmith will often take to carpentry and vice versa; but it appears that the two castes were originally separate, for the joint caste is still divided into two sections who will not intermarry or even eat or smoke together, the Dhaman, from dhamna "to blow", and the Khatti from khat "wood". In Gujranwala the same two castes exist; and they are the two great Tarkhan tribes also (see section 627). In Karnal a sort of connection seems to be admitted, but the castes are now distinct. In Sirsa the Lohars may be divided into three main sections; the first, men undoubted and recent Jat and even Rajput origin who have generally by reason of poverty, taken to work as blacksmiths; secondly the Suthar Lohar or members of the Suthar tribe of carpenters who have similarly changed their original occupation; and thirdly, the Gadya Lohar, a class of wandering blacksmith not uncommon throughout the east and south east of the Province, who come up from Rajputana and the North West Provinces and travel about with their families and implements in carts from village to village, doing the finer sorts of iron work which are beyond the capacity of the village artisan. The tradition runs that Suthar Lohars, who are now Musalman, were originally Hindu Tarkhans of the Suthar tribe (see section 627); and that Akhbar took 12,000 of them from Jodhpur to Delhi, forcibily circumcised them, and obliged them to work in iron instead of wood. The story is admitted by a section of the Lohars themselves, and probably has some substratum of truth. These men came to Sirsa from the direction of Sindh, where they say they formerly held land, and are commonly known as Multani Lohars. :Ibbetson

This would explain why some Tarkhans/Lohars have similar surnames to Jats and Rajputs.

Many Tarkhan clans are also cross-listed as Jat and Rajput, due to Tarkhans having the same racial lineage and racial type as these castes. It is not entirely clear in the case of many clans and surnames as to which subdivision of the Kshatriya caste they belong to. Eventually, Scythian, Parthian, Greek-Bactrian, and various other Central Asian tribal peoples (such as the Hephthalites, and the Tocharians or Yuezhi) were absorbed into the Kshatriya caste, given their warlike nature, and thus became one of the subgroups or in many cases, assimilated completely into older Indo-Aryan clans. It is probable that Aroras, Gujjars, Jats, Kamboj, Khatris and Rajputs, have varying degrees of both foreign and indigenous Indian stock. In many parts, it is largely due to familial tradition that some members of a certain clan dub themselves Rajput and others of the same clan are Arora, Gujjar, Jat, Khatri, Kamboj and Tarkhan. This is more often the case in the Punjab, where there was already a large indigenous Kshatriya population when the invading tribes arrived.

Lohars from Pakistan and Punjab may descent from Rajputs and Jats but the same is not true for the rest of India. In most part of India, Lohars belong to the larger Vishwakarma Brahmin caste.

The Lohars from Bihar identify themselves as Maithil Brahmins, Lohars from Rajasthan identify themselves as Jangid Brahmins, Lohars from Gujarat identify themselves as Panchal Brahmins and Lohars from South India identify themselves as Vishwa Brahmins. In most of these states, Lohars follow Brahmin rites and have Brahmin surnames. They perform Upanayanam (thread ceremony- initiation) for their children.

References Links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishwa_Brahminhttp://www.jangidbrahminsamaj.com/

Lohars established the Lohara dynasty. Further information regarding this dynasty can be found at the following web site:http://www.kashmir-information.com/ConvertedKashmir/Chapter7.html

Pillars of Indian Culture and Civilization

The Vishwakarma Brahmins have contributed greatly to Indian civilization and culture as temple and city builders, architects, engineers and artists. Without their immense contribution, Indian civilization would be very poor indeed.

Contribution of Vishwakarma Brahmins to Indian culture and civilization:

1) Nalanda - Vishwakarma Brahmins built this giant educational complex accommodating over 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers. The university was considered an architectural masterpiece, and was marked by a lofty wall and one gate. Nalanda had eight separate compounds and ten temples, along with many other meditation halls and classrooms. On the grounds were lakes and parks. The library was located in a nine storied building where meticulous copies of texts were produced. The subjects taught at Nalanda University covered every field of learning, and it attracted pupils and scholars from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Persia and Turkey.

2) Iron pillar of Delhi - The pillar is made up of 98% wrought iron of pure quality, and is a testament to the high level of skill achieved by ancient Indian iron smiths in the extraction and processing of iron. It has attracted the attention of archaeologists and metallurgists as it has withstood corrosion for the last 1600 years, despite harsh weather.

3) Indus Valley civilization - The earliest known civilization in the Indo-Pak region of South Asia was the Indus Valley Civilization, comprising many urban settlements, including the large cities of Harrappa and Mohenjo Daro, and characterised by a variety of house types, many of which had private baths connected to public drainage systems. The cities consisted of a citadel raised above residential and production districts with streets laid out in a grid plan and lined by drains.The uniformity in urban layouts, house typologies and sizes as well as construction methods of the standard kiln-fired bricks, is evidence of significant social and political co-ordination.

4) Hindu architecture - A basic Hindu temple consists of an inner sanctum, the garbha griha or womb-chamber, in which the image is housed, often with space for its circumambulation, a congregation hall, and possibly an antechamber and porch. The sanctum is crowned by a tower-like shikara. At the turn of the first millennium CE two major types of temples existed, the northern or Nagara style and the southern or Dravida type of temple. They are distinguishable by the shape and decoration of their shikharas.

5) Buddhist and Jain architecture - Viharas (Buddhist monasteries) began to appear soon after the death of the Buddha, particularly during the Mauryan Empire (321 - 232 B.C) with characteristic stupa monuments; and chaityas (meditation halls housing a stupa). The same period saw the beginning of stone architecture, evidenced by palace remains at Pataliputra as well as the Ashoka Stambha - the monolithic free-standing columns inscribed with edicts put up by the Emperor Ashoka. The Ashokan period is also marked for the introduction of brilliant rock-cut architecture, which formed into the 1000-year-long tradition of cutting and sculpting vast, complex and multi-roomed shrines into natural rock, resulting in religious edifices belonging to Ajivika Buddhist, Hindu and Jain faiths.

6) South Indian architecture - South Indian architecture was a style of architecture that emerged thousands of years ago in the Indian subcontinent. They consist primarily of pyramid shaped temples which are dependent on intricate carved stone in order to create a step design consisting of numerous statues of deities, kings, and dancers.

7) Konark Sun Temple - Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century Sun Temple (also known as the Black Pagoda), at Konark, in Orissa. It was built in red sandstone (Khandolite) and black granite by King Narasimhadeva I (AD 1236-1264) of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The temple is one of the most well renowned temples in India and is a World Heritage Site.

8) Vastu Shastra - Vishwakarmas are the creators of this ancient Indian system of architectural design that has gained national and international respect and following. Vaastu Shastra deals with various aspects of designing and building living environments that are in harmony with the physical and metaphysical forces.

9) Mahabodhi Temple - The Mahabodhi Temple (Literally: "Great Awakening Temple") is a Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, the location where Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, attained enlightenment. Bodh Gaya is located about 96 km (60 miles) from Patna, Bihar state, India.

10) Indian rock-cut architecture - Indian rock-cut architecture is more various and found in greater abundance than any other form of rock-cut architecture around the world.

11) Ellora Caves - Ellora represents the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture.The 34 "caves" – actually structures excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills – comprised of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temples and monasteries, were built between the 5th century and 10th century. The 12 Buddhist (caves 1-12), 17 Hindu (caves 13-29) and 5 Jain caves (caves 30-34), built in proximity, demonstrate the religious harmony prevalent during this period of Indian history.

12) Ajanta Caves - Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India are rock-cut cave monuments dating from the second century BCE, containing paintings and sculpture considered to be masterpieces of both "Buddhist religious art" and "universal pictorial art". Since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

13) Mahabalipuram - The monuments are mostly rock-cut and monolithic, and constitute the early stages of Dravidian architecture wherein Buddhist elements of design are prominently visible. They are constituted by cave temples, monolithic rathas (chariots), sculpted reliefs and structural temples. The pillars are of the Dravidian order. The sculptures are excellent examples of Pallava art. It is believed that this area served as a school for young sculptors. The different sculptures, some half finished, may have been examples of different styles of architecture, probably demonstrated by instructors and practiced on by young students. This can be seen in the Pancha Rathas where each Ratha is sculpted in a different style.

14) Badami Cave Temples - The Badami Cave Temples are composed of four caves, all carved out of the soft Badami sandstone on a hill cliff in the late 6th century. The four caves are simple in style. The entrance is a verandah with stone columns and brackets, a distinctive feature of these caves, leading to a columned mantapa and then to the small square shrine (sanctum sanctorum) cut deep into the cave. The temple caves represent different religious sects. Among them, two are dedicated to Lord Vishnu, one to Lord Shiva and the fourth is a Jain temple. The first three are devoted to the Vedic faith and the fourth cave is the only Jain temple at Badami.

15) Pancha Rathas - Pancha Rathas an example of monolith Indian rock-cut architecture dating from the late 7th century located at Mamallapuram, a tiny village south of Madras in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The village was a busy port during the 7th and 8th century reign of the Pallava dynasty. The site is famous for the rock-cut caves and the sculptured rock that line a granite hill, including one depicting Arjuna's Penance. It has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Pancha Rathas shrines were carved during the reign of King Mahendravarman I and his son Narasimhavarman I. Each temple is a monolith, carved whole from a rock outcropping of pink granite. The five monolithic pyramidal structured shrines are named after the Pandavas (Arjuna, Bhima, Yudhishtra, Nakula and Sahadeva) and Draupadi. As noted, each shrine is not assembled from cut rock but carved from one single large piece of stone. It is likely their original design traces back to wood constructions.

16) Indian art - The vast scope of the art of India intertwines with the cultural history, religions and philosophies which place art production and patronage in social and cultural contexts.

17) Indian painting - Somewhere around 1st century BC the Sadanga or Six Limbs of Indian Painting, were evolved, a series of canons laying down the main principles of the art. Vatsyayana, who lived during the third century A.D., enumerates these in his Kamasutra having extracted them from still more ancient works. These ‘Six Limbs’ have been translated as follows :1. Rupabheda The knowledge of appearances.2. Pramanam Correct perception, measure and structure.3. Bhava Action of feelings on forms.4. Lavanya Yojanam Infusion of grace, artistic representation.5. Sadrisyam Similitude.6. Varnikabhanga Artistic manner of using the brush and colours. (Tagore.)The subsequent development of painting by the Buddhists indicates that these ' Six Limbs ' were put into practice by Indian artists, and are the .basic principles on which their art was founded.

18) Buddhist art - Buddhist art originated on the Indian subcontinent following the historical life of Gautama Buddha, 6th to 5th century BCE, and thereafter evolved by contact with other cultures as it spread throughout Asia and the world.

19) Indian coinage - The Vishwakarma Brahmins minted beautiful coins displaying great artistic talent.

20) History of metallurgy in the Indian subcontinent - History of metallurgy in the Indian subcontinent begins during the 2nd millennium BCE and continues well into the British Raj. The Indian cultural and commercial contacts with the Near East and the Greco-Roman world enable an exchange of metallurgic sciences.

21) History of Indian Science and Technology - The History of Science and Technology in India begins in the pre-modern era. Archaeological evidence from Mehrgarh (7000 BCE) shows construction of mud brick houses and granaries. Farming, metal working, flint knapping, bead production, and dentistry, are known to the people of Mehrgarh. The more advanced Indus Valley civilization yields evidence of hydrography, metrology and city planning being practiced on a sizable scale. Great attention to medicine, astronomy and mathematics is seen during the Vedic period (1500 BCE—400 BCE)—which also witnesses the first inquiry being made into the field of linguistics by the 5th century BCE. Construction of stepwells and stupas, use of diamond as a gemstone, and plastic surgery operations become visible during later periods. Indian mathematicians made early contributions to the study of the decimal number system, zero, negative numbers, arithmetic, and algebra.

22) Jaivana cannon - The Jaivana cannon is the largest wheeled cannon ever constructed. It is located at the Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur.

23) Yantra Mandir - The Yantra Mandir (commonly known as the Jantar Mantar) is an equinoctial dial, consisting a gigantic triangular gnomon with the hypotenuse parallel to the Earth's axis. On either side of the gnomon is a quadrant of a circle, parallel to the plane of the equator. The instrument is intended to measure the time of day, correct to half a second and declination of the Sun and the other heavenly bodies.

24) Khajuraho Temples - The Khajuraho temples, constructed with spiral superstructures, adhere to a northern Indian shikhara temple style and often to a Panchayatana plan or layout. A few of the temples are dedicated to the Jain pantheon and the rest to Hindu deities - to God's Trio, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and various Devi forms, such as the Devi Jagadambi temple. A Panchayatana temple had four subordinate shrines on four corners and the main shrine in the center of the podium, which comprises their base. The temples are grouped into three geographical divisions: western, eastern and southern. With a graded rise secondary shikharas (spires) cluster to create an appropriate base for the main shikhara over the sanctum. Kandariya Mahadeva, one of the most accomplished temples of the Western group, comprises eighty-four shikharas, the main being 116 feet from the ground level. These temples of Khajuraho have sculptures that look very realistic and are studied even today. The Khajuraho temples are UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Phrase

The Urdu and Hindi phrase:

:"Sau hath sonar ke to ek hath lohar ka" :("Hundred hands (taps) of jeweller then (compared to) one hand (strike) of blacksmith")

Since the jeweller taps slowly to make jewellery while blacksmith strikes the iron hard. The phrase means that the hundred insults of a person could be countered with only one insult by another person.

External links

* [http://www.vishwakarma.org Lohar Community Portal]