Khandayat (caste)
Kshatriya caste of Odisha, India
Khandayat, also spelled Khandait, is a cultivating caste, as well as a peasant militia or landed militia caste from Odisha, East India. Some of them had earlier served as feudal chiefs as well as zamindars apart from being land holders and agriculturalists. Numerically they are the largest caste of the state. During British raj, they ruled many tributary states in Odisha, including Khordha. Khandayat is recognized as a Socially and Economically Backward Class (SEBC or state OBC, not in central list) in Orissa.
Etymology
The term Khandayat is believed to have originated from the word "Khanda" meaning sword. Khandayat means swordsman or headman of a Khand.
History
Early mention of Khandayats as feudal chief and military personnel is found during the rule of eastern ganga dynasty in 11th century. Historian Ratnalekha Ray noted that aboriginal Bhuiya and Bhumij chiefs assumed the title of Khandayat as a sign of status.
During this time, Khandayat military settlements were established in Bhubaneswar and nearby areas to protect the Great Lingaraj Temple.
The public source identifies “Khandayat (caste)” as kshatriya caste of Odisha, India. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Khandayat, caste and Kshatriya.
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This entry incorporates text from “Khandayat (caste)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.