| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| India | |
| Languages | |
| Hindi | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bhar |
The Rajbhar (also known as Bhar or Bhardwaj) are a community of the state of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Bihar, Nepal and other states of India. Majority population of this community resides in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand & Madhya Pradesh accounting less than 1-2 percent of over all population in all 3 states. [citation needed]
The Rajbhar were traditionally farmers.[1][2][3] Influenced by the Arya Samaj movement, bhars started using rajbhar, Baijnath Prasad Adhyapak published Rajbhar Jati ka Itihas in 1940. This book attempted to prove that the Rajbhar were formerly rulers who were related to the ancient Bhar ruler.[4]
However according to Hindu lineage theory of gotra the Rajbhar's belong to bhardwaj gotra which indicates that they belong to kshatriya or brahmin's lineage. However the exact history of this community is unknown. It's claimed that this community ruled over northern parts of India by various small hindu kings before Mughal's has invaded India. Much over exploitation happened during Mughal's and British period they were killed and forced to flee in jungles. Hence since then they were devoid of resources, education & the royal blood lineage nearly became extinct.
The Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal classifies the Rajbhar as a subgroup within the broader social group of Madheshi Other Caste.[5] At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, 9,542 people (0.0% of the population of Nepal) were Rajbhar. The frequency of Rajbhars by province was as follows:
The frequency of Rajbhars was higher than national average (0.0%) in the following districts:[6]