dhanuk.com Information

The Dhanuk are an ethnic group found in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. In India, the Dhanuk are found in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat, West Bengal and other states as well. In Nepal, they are settled in the Terai districts of Saptari, Siraha and Dhanusa. They are either Kshetris or a minority indigenous people. The Dhanuks of eastern Terai are also known as Mandal. The Dhanuk is also known as Jaswal Kurmi. The Dhanuk in both countries are Hindu, and speak various dialects of Hindi. According to tradition, the Dhanuk community gets its name from the Sanskrit word dhanushka, meaning a bowman. The Dhanuk (Dhanak) are strictly endogamous, and practice clan exogamy. Their main clans are the Dhankar, Dholbaja, Katheriya, Khakarpuria, Laungvasta, and Supabandha. All these sub-groups are not of equal status, and there is hierarchy on the basis of their respective occupations. A small number of the Dhanuk are a now petty landowners. Because of their switching to petty works for livelihood they are treated as Dalits. As a Dalit community, they face social discrimination whose settlements are found at the edge of villages.