Leva Patidar
Populated statesGujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra
SubdivisionsPatidar

Leva Patel (Leuva Patidar) is a sub-caste of Patidars in India, situated mainly in Charotar region of Gujarat. Compared to other Patidar subcastes such as the Kadavas, they had greater wealth and control of positions in commerce, education, and producer cooperatives.[1][2]

Origin

Leva Patels originated from the Katha Vistar Taluka Bhachau Jillo Kutch-Bhuj Gujarat, Kheda district of Gujarat as Shudra.[3][4] There are a variety of popular legends regarding their origin, such as being migrants from Punjab, migrants fleeing the Kushans, migrants from Ayodhya, or descending from Hunas, Gurjaras. However, these legends are of dubious reliability, and are an example of the invention of tradition.[5] The most popular of these traditions is that Levas descend from Lava, son of the deity Rama in the Hindu epic Ramayana.[6][7] The Levas claim that their name derives from Lava; however, it actually is a corruption of Reva, the local name for the Narmada River.[8]

In the 19th and 20th centuries, many Leva Patels have immigrated to other countries, like South Africa, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Within India, they have migrated from Gujarat to other states, like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh.[5]

References

  1. ^ Murali, Kanta (2017). Caste, Class, and Capital: The Social and Political Origins of Economic Policy in India. Cambridge University Press. p. 109.
  2. ^ Soniya Agrawal (15 September 2021). "Who are Patels and how they have become a driving force behind govts in Gujarat".
  3. ^ Clark-Deces 2011, p. 290
  4. ^ Gadgil & Guha 2012, p. 84 Quote: "For instance, in western Maharashtra the Rigvedic Deshastha Brahmans are genetically closer to the local Shudra Kunbi castes than to the Chitpavan Konkanastha Brahmans (Karve and Malhotra 1968)."
  5. ^ a b Trivedi, Jayprakash M. (1 January 1992). The Social structure of Patidar caste in India. Kanishka Pub. House. pp. 20, 32. ISBN 9788185475196.
  6. ^ David Francis Pocock 1972, p. 66.
  7. ^ Dutta, Prabhash K. (7 December 2017). "Patels and Patidars of Gujarat: Descendants of Ram and worshippers of Krishna". India Today.
  8. ^ Sadasivan, S. N. (2000). A social history of India. APH Publishing Corporation. p. 257.

Bibliography

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