Kurmi

The Kurmi are a Hindu agricultural Jāti (community) in India and Nepal.

The group has been associated with the Kunbi, though scholars differ as to whether the terms are synonymous. There are differences of opinion regarding the group's classification in the traditional varna system.

Etymology

There are several theories regarding the etymology of the term Kurmi. It may be derived from an Indian tribal language, or may be a Sanskrit compound term krishi karmi, "agriculturalist." Another theory holds that it was derived from kṛṣmi, meaning "ploughman".

History

Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

With the waning of Mughal rule in the early 18th century, the Indian subcontinent's hinterland dwellers, many of whom were armed and nomadic, began to appear more frequently in settled areas and interact with townspeople and agriculturists. Many new rulers of the 18th century came from such nomadic backgrounds. The effect of this interaction on India's social organization lasted well into the colonial period. During much of this time, non-elite tillers and pastoralists, such as the Kurmi or Ahirs, were part of a social spectrum that blended only indistinctly into the elite landowning classes at one end, and the menial or ritually polluting classes at the other.