Beyond politics, the Bihar caste survey is a revolutionary document.
A public document, the first ever after 1931, allowing for people to stand up and be counted.
We go down to the wire, on what each of the numbers unveiled mean.
Who are the people referred to by percentages in the survey?
Today we look at Amaat (285,221 people).
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The literal meaning of Amaat tells us nothing about the caste. One of the dictionary meanings of the word ‘amaat’ is someone who has never been defeated. But that meaning does not suit the reality of this caste group. This is because if it was true, they would be treated like the ‘upper’ castes of the Hindu religion. It is possible that they were considered Brahmins who had remained undefeated for centuries – except in the battle of Bhima-Koregaon in 1818. It is also possible that they were once warriors like the Rajputs. But in terms of their present social status, all of the ‘upper’ castes look down upon them.
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty
So, who are the Amaats? Are they really Brahmins ostracised by superior Brahmins? Or are they Rajputs who have been sidelined by the ruling Rajputs themselves? There is no information available about this caste in history. The ethnographic study of this caste also does not offer any clear conclusions. Sometimes it appears as if their existence is part of a conspiracy theory. This is because people of this caste are generally not poor – except a few.
Socially, the Brahmins and Rajputs may treat them as inferior and not mix with them or form matrimonial alliances but ordinary Amaats consider themselves equal to these ‘upper’ caste groups in status. In Bihar they are included in the backward class group and enjoy the benefits of reservation. But they are not the only ones who find themselves in such a scenario. The Nautiyals in Uttar Pradesh also consider themselves Brahmins, but are under the benefits of the Scheduled Tribe category.
But who are they really? The name Amaat might also be a corruption of the word ‘amaatya’ which means ‘companion’. A companion can be of two types, especially in the case of a king. One is the king’s security guard and the other is the king’s minister. ‘Amaatya’ also means ‘minister’. During the time of Chandragupta Maurya, Chanakya was called ‘Amaatya’.
But this theory does not shed light on who the Amaat are. If they are security guards, they might be Rajput and if they are ministers, they might be connected to Brahmins.
This is a thoughtfully crafted secret.
Megasthenes has written a little bit about them. According to him, “All doors to reach higher positions were closed for people of lower castes. Only people from a professional class were appointed to the judiciary and executive.”
Meanwhile, Katyayan also emphasised, “Amaatya should be of Brahmin caste only. Amaatya means minister, which is made up of mantrin and mantrin means mantra system.”
According to Mundakupanishad, ‘Amaatra’ is the fourth state of meditation, which is also called samadhi. However, there are inconsistencies in this theory. This is because the concept of Nirguna or god being non-dual has not existed in Hinduism. In this religion, body and soul are given importance in two different forms. But from the perspective of Nirguna and Advaita, one can say that those Brahmins who are not idol worshippers can be called Amaat.
Both Indian and foreign scholars have written about them. For example, in the journal published by Bihar and Orissa Research Society in 1919, Amaat has been described as a pure priest of the king. Earlier in 1909, in their book about castes in India, Edgar Thurston and K. Rangchari stated that Amaats do not eat anything touched even by upper caste Brahmins. According to them, Amaats belong to the Shaiva sect and in the same temple where Jangam Brahmins (belonging to the Jangam Shaiva sect and who are the highest class Brahmins) perform the duties of priests of Shivalinga, Amaats enjoy the status of the priests of Bhairava. Bhairava have played an important role in Hindu mythology. Bhairavas are given a place in the temple premises but not the main sanctum where Brahmins run the show. The property of the Amaat also lies outside the sanctum sanctorum.
In his book The Tribes and Castes of Bengal published in 1891, Risley wrote that Amaats served as domestic servants.
Kashi Prasad Jaiswal, a renowned historian of Bihar, has also written that during the 12th century, the economics and the tradition of punishment gradually weakened and theology became dominant. Society fell into the grip of hypocrisy. He opines that due to their separation from the majority, ‘Amaatra’ may have become ‘amat’ or dissenter, which would later become ‘Amaat’.
But while theorising, Jaiswal does not clarify that the 12th century was the century when the reign of outside rulers began in India. It can be assumed that during that time, the dominance of Brahmins would have declined.
Then why would any Muslim ruler want to make a Brahmin his Amaat – minister or security guard? It is possible that the Muslim rulers came to know about the story of the Brahmin commander Pushyamitra Shunga and how he killed Brihadratha by stabbing him in the back and captured the kingdom of the Maurya dynasty.
On social, educational and economic grounds, Amaat, with a population of 285,221, are unlike other backward castes or Dalits of Bihar.
Translated from Hindi by Naushin Rehman. Read the Hindi original here.
Read earlier parts of the series on the following communities by clicking on their names: Ghasi | Santrash | Madaria | Koeri/Kushwaha | Chaupal | Nai/Hajjaam | Pasi | Rangrez | Chamar | Gorkan | Jutt | Yadav | Kamar | Chik | Bari and Bauri | Dhuniya | Donwar | Sinduria Baniya | Bhathiyara | Dabgar | Kumhar.
