Kewat

The Kewat are a Hindu caste, found in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in India. They are the traditional boatmen of North India.

History and origin

The Kewat are a community of business man related to boat business & their own business. Their name comes from the Sanskrit word kaivarta,kaivarta means the god Vishnu. According to their tradition, they are descended from Nisad, son of the mythological king Venu. They r to be Suryavanshi Kshatriya. Their main sub-groups are the Banaphar, Dhivar, Balavarna, Chay, Sorahiya, Kairata, and Tiar. The Banaphar consider themselves to be superior to the other groups. They have been granted Backward Caste status

Present circumstances

In Uttar Pradesh

The Kewat live by the all state of India mostly they live near of the river Ganga. They are the traditional businessman. The community is involved in own business.

The major districts are Deoria, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Santkabirnagar, Allahabad, Varanasi, Mirjapur, Bhadohi, Lucknow, Kanpur, & almost each districts. The Kewat have a four tier caste council, the charghat panchayat covers the Awadh region, the baraghat panchayat covers Allahabad. These caste councils deal with resolving disputes within the community.