Kori (caste)

Kori is an Indian caste, who were traditionally weavers and fishermen. They are descendants of Ishvakuwanshi Raja Mandhata ji and Saint Kabir Das Ji Maharaj. Other names for this caste include Kamal, Kamalvansi and Shankhawar, Kabirpanthi and Julaha

The Koris/kolis are classified as a Scheduled Caste or Other backward classes in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Koris are weaver by profession but they suffered a lot by industrialization of weaving machines.

The Kori scheduled caste population in Uttar Pradesh at the 2011 census of India was 2,293,937. The Kori's traditional caste councils, plans and implements welfare activities and also settles disputes. Imposition of cash fine is a form of punishment inflicted by the council.

Etymology
The name "Kori" is associated to "kol" which is a tribe mainly in UP,MP Jharkhand.

History
Harold Gould noted in his research of the jajmani system in Uttar Pradesh that by the 1960s, all of the Koris in the villages studied by him had adopted roles as agriculturist, ploughmen, and midwives, because industrialisation had made their traditional occupation as weavers redundant.