Kotwar caste is last name of many people in Indian subcontinent. Kotwar caste definition is A person holding the office of village watchman. This post is usually assigned to members of the lowest or impure castes derived from the aboriginal tribes such as the Mahars Ramosis Gandas Pankas Minas and Khangars. Some of these were or still are much addicted to crime. The name kotwar appears to be a corruption of kotwal the keeper or guardian of a kot or castle. Under native rule the kotwal was the chief of police in important towns and the central police office in some towns is still called the kotwali after him. In some villages there are still to be found both a kotwal and a kotwar; in this case the former performs the duties of watch and ward of the village and the latter has the menial work of carrying messages collecting supplies and so on. Both are paid by fixed annual contributions of grain from the cultivators. In Hoshangabad the kotwar is allowed to glean for a day in the fields of each tenant after the crop has been removed. It would appear that the kotwar was chosen from the criminal castes as a method of insurance. The kotwar was held responsible for the good behaviour of his caste-fellows and was often under the obligation of making good any property stolen by them. And if a theft occurred in another village and the thief was traced into the borders of the kotwars village he was bound to take up the pursuit and show that the thief had passed beyond his village or to pay for the stolen property. Thieves were sometimes tracked by the kotwar and sometimes in Gujarat and Central India by a special official called Paggal52 who measured their footprints with a string and in this way often followed them successfully from village to village.53 The rule that the kotwar had to make good all thefts occurring in his village or perpetrated by criminals belonging to it can only have been enforced to a very partial extent as unless he could trace the property he would be unable to pay any substantial sum out of his own means. Still it apparently had a considerable effect in the protection of property in the rural area for which the regular police probably did very little. It was similarly the custom to employ a chaukidar or night-watchman to guard private houses when the owners could afford it and this man was taken from a criminal caste on the same principle. The kotwar was also the guardian of the village boundaries and his opinion was often taken as authoritative in all cases of disputes about land. This position he perhaps occupied as a representative of the pre-Aryan tribes the oldest residents of the country and his appointment may have also been partly based on the idea that it was proper to employ one of them as the guardian of the village lands just as the priest of the village gods of the earth and fields was usually taken from these tribes. In some localities those members of an impure caste such as the Mahars who hold the office of village watchman obtain a certain rise in status on account of the office and show a tendency to marry among themselves. Similarly persons of the impure Ganda caste who joined the Kabirpanthi sect and now form a separate and somewhat higher caste under the name of Panka usually work as village watchmen in preference to the Gandas. Under British rule the kotwar has been retained as a village policeman and his pay increased and generally fixed in cash. Besides patrolling the village he has to report all cognisable crime at the nearest police post as well as births and deaths occurring in the village and must give general assistance to the regular police in the detection of crime. Kotwar is used in Saugor as a synonym for the Chadar caste. It is also a subcaste of the Kori caste.. Kotwar caste is one of the many castes subcastes of India.
India has thousands of castes and subcastes, they are in existence and practice since the Vedic times. They were created to solve the problem of division of labor. Kotwar caste name could indicate the type of work people belonging to the Kotwar caste do or did in earlier times. Many last names in India indicate the place the person originally belongs to. All castes sub castes are primarily divided into 4 categories:
1.Brahmins – The learned or priestly class
2.Khastriyas – The warrior class or those with governing functions
3.Vaishyas – The trader, agriculturalists or cattle rearers class
4.Shudra – The class that serves other three categories
Kotwar caste belongs to one of the above 4 categories. Indian caste system is the best system to solve the problem of division of labor. In earlier times there was no rigidity in caste system. Indian caste system is still the best solution for the problem of division of labor, the only change that is needed as per changed times is that rather than having a vertical hierarchical system with Brahmins on top and Shudras at bottom, it would be good to have a horizontal socialist system with Brahmins, Khastriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras all at same level.
The caste system of India is in ruins at present. It is also cause of bloody quarrels in certain parts of the rural India. People of backward castes have reservations in government jobs, this facility is widely misused in India. Many of the backward caste people have become rich and still use the facility for their benefit. Many in India believe reservation in jobs should be given on the basis of poverty rather than caste because there are many poors in upper castes as well.
Many foreginers and followers of Abrahmic religions criticize the Indian caste system because of bad material condition of lower castes but if they observe in an unbiased way they would find that there are many in upper castes with bad material conditions. The problem lies in power not in castes, power can corrupt anyone be it from upper caste or lower caste.
Secondly I have seen Abrahmic religions especially Muslims and Christians claiming that they have no caste system – It is an utter lie. All cultures, all countries, all religions have caste system in one form or the other. Christians have different churches depending on the region or language or skin color of people. Muslims have a priestly class that tries to control everything. Arab Muslims before the oil boom were so much divided among tribes that if you drank water from a well of a different tribe you could be shot dead. Tribal divisions still exists among Muslims. You can also see the caste system in a different form in your corporate companies. I had seen different food and drinking facilities for people at different levels.
Kotwar caste is also known as Kotwar Gotra.
Caste situation is quiet different in urban India, people in urban areas especially youngsters don’t bother about castes. Inter caste, inter religious, inter lingual marriages are quiet common in urban India. Inter caste, inter religious and inter lingual marriages in rural areas attract severe criticism and many times people are expelled from community for not marrying as per religious and caste rules.
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