Thori (tribe)

The Thori are a scheduled caste found in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana in India. They are also known as the Nayak.

History and origin
The Thori trace their descent from the Suryavanshi Rajputs. They claim that they held the role of commanders in the army of the various Rajput Rajahs of Rajputana. As their power grew, the Rajahs tried to defame them. This led a split a split with the wider Rajput community, and the Thori acquired a distinct identity.

Present circumstances
They are found mainly in the districts of Ganganagar, and Churu. Their spoken language is Marwari.

The Thori are a landless community, and economically marginalized. They work as daily wage labour in the industrial and agricultural sector. They have an effective caste council, known as the Nayak Samaj, which acts as quasi-judicial body and deals with intra-community dispute. The Thori are Hindu, with Pabuji being their main deity.

The Thori of Gujarat are also known as Utloiwala, Batwala and Jhori. They have two endogamous groups, the Makwana and Barasia. The Thori are a nomadic community, moving in bands of ten and fifteen and live in small reed huts. Like other Gujarat communities, they have a number of clans, called ataks. Their main ataks are the Parmar, Makowara, Gatar, Kharkaria, Bhoping, Narodia, and Mangarchi. The community is still mainly involved with the manufacturing of baskets. Their range is northern and central Gujarat, particularly the districts of Ahmadabad, Surendranagar, Sabarkantha, Panchmahal and Baroda. Like the Rajasthan Thori, they speakl Mewari.