Who are the martial race of India

Martial Race

Martial Race

 

Martial race was a designation created by Army officials of British India after the Indian Rebellion of 1857, where they classified each caste into one of two categories, 'martial' and 'non-martial'. The ostensible reason was that a 'martial race' was typically brave and well-built for fighting,[1] while the 'non-martial races' were those whom the British believed to be unfit for battle because of their sedentary lifestyles. However, an alternative hypothesis is that British-trained Indian soldiers were among those who rebelled in 1857 and thereafter recruitment policy favoured castes which had remained loyal to the British and diminished or abandoned recruitment from the catchment area of the Bengal army.[2] The concept already had a precedent in Indian culture as one of the four orders (varnas) in the Vedic social system of Hinduism is known as the Kshatriya, literally "warriors."

Criteria

In their attempts to assert control in India, the British faced fierce resistance in some regions while easily conquering others. British officials sought 'martial races' accustomed to hunting, or from agricultural cultures from hilly or mountainous regions with a history of conflict. Others were excluded due to their 'ease of living' or branded as seditious agitators.[3] The doctrine of 'martial races' postulated that the qualities that make a useful soldier are inherited and that most Indians, with the exception of the specified groups, did not have the requisite traits that would make them warriors.[4]

Tribes and groups designated as martial classes

These caste reference link : https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Martial_Race

British-declared 'martial races' in the Indian Subcontinent[16]

• Ahirs [17]
• Arain
• Awans[18]
• Bhumihar Brahmin (excluded later after rebellions)
• Bunts
• Dhangars (Gadariya)[19]
• Dhund Abbasis
• Khatris
• Dogra[20]
• Gakhars
• Garhwalis[21]
• Ghumman
• Gujjar[20]
• Gurkhas[22]
• Janjua[20]
• Jats[23]
• Kamboj/Kamboh.[24]
• Khokhar[20]
• Kodava (Coorgs)
• Kumaoni/Kumaunis[25]
• Mahars
• Marathas[26]
• Mohyals
• Nairs[27][28][29][30] (removed after rebelling)
• Pashtuns[20]
• Parashar (excluded later after rebellions)
• Qaimkhanis
• Rors
• Reddys[31]
• Rajputs[23]
• Sainis[20][32][33]
• Sikhs[34][35]
• Sudhan
• Tanolis[36][37]
• Tarkhans

The Marathas were classified as 'non-martial' after the 1857 rebellion. The recruitment of 'Madrassis' for infantry only took place during the Second World War when large numbers of troops were required to defend the British Empire in the form of a newly raised Madras Regiment. The Nairs of Kerala were initially included in the list, however after the Nairs of Travancore rebelled against the British under Velu Thampi Dalawa, they were recruited in lower numbers.