HISTORY OF BHUMIHAR

Bhumihar Brahmins also known as Bhumihar (भूमिहार) are an influential Hindu sub-caste who have traditionally resided in fertile regions of Indo-Gangetic plains of North India, in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. They were referred to as Baabhans (बाभन) too, an apabhramsha word for Brahmin.

Bhumihar is a caste Mainly Found in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand , Uttar Pradesh and in the Bundelkhand area of the Madhya Pradesh . One Story of their origin is that the Bhumihar Brahmins Parashurama destroyed the Kshatriya Many times and he set up in their Place the descendent's of Brahmins. Bhumihar Brahmins is known as Karm Kandi Pandit in the sixteenth Century Particularly in North Bihar. In South Bihar their Most Prestigious King (Gopal Sharan) was the Tekari Family in the Eighteenth Century. In our Country So many Bhumihar Scholars have been born like Swami Sahajanand Saraswati , Sir Ganesh Dutt and Siyaram Tiwary the Former Dean of the Vishwa Bharti university Formerly Known as Shanti Niketan.

Gotra and Pravaras of the Bhumihar

The Gotras of the Bhumihar has been mainly Kept on the name of the Rishis.Initially,there are mainly nine gotras of the bhumihar. But Pravaras are classified into the name of the Seven Rishis, that is given below :

Agastya

Angirasa

Atri

Bhrigu

Kashyapa

                                         Vasishtha

                                         Vishwamitra

In Rigved author has been written that the Rishi Jamadagni was a descendants of Rishi Bhirgu While the rishis Gautam and Bhardavaja Were the descendants of rishi Angirasa.

Etymology: The word Bhumihar consists of two Sanskrit words, bhoomi (भूमि), meaning "land" and har (हर), meaning 'seizer'. There are a lot of theories about the origin of this caste and there is no unanimous accord over any of them excepting one which is the authority of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati who gives the most acceptable account of the origin and history of Bhumihar Brahmins. The name of his book is "Brahmarshi Vansha Vistar". Some of the other theorists owe the origin of the Bhumihar to the displacement of Brahmins from Western India following the Muslim invasion or, a change of religion to Buddhism and reconversion to Hinduism or, a change of profession from priesthood to farming or, a gradual shift from priestly and academic activities to farming and conquest, owing to lack of support from the rulers during the reign of ignorant kings. At some point of time the word 'Bhumi' was also used for some administrative unit or revenue unit or some geographical unit, just like Bundelkhand or Jharkhand. Singhbhumi, Birbhumi and Manbhumi are or was names of districts. Dhalbhumi was an adminitrative unit. Thus the word 'Bhumihar' may also mean Talukdar or Jagirdars etc.