Doms

This article is about the Bengali Hindu caste. For the singular "Dom" of the plural "Doms", see Dom. For other uses, see DOMS.

Dom ডোম
Religions	Hinduism
Languages	Bengali
Populated States	West Bengal, Bangladesh
Population	316,337 (2001 census)
Family names	Dom, Bansfor, Mallick

Doms (Bengali: ডোম)are a Bengali Hindu caste found in large numbers in Birbhum, Bankura and other districts in the western fringe of the Indian state of West Bengal. Traditionally, Doms were basket-makers, cultivators, labourers and drummers; their wives serving as midwives.

The Doms were formerly classified as a criminal tribe under the Criminal Tribes Acts of the British Raj.

Demographics

Doms numbered 316,337 the 2001 census and were 1.7 percent of the scheduled caste population of West Bengal. 46.0 percent of Doms were literate – 58.9 percent males and 32.6 percent females were literate.

Groupings

Some of the major groups derived from the principal professions they follow or the crafts they practice; for example, the cattle-breeding group takes the significant name of Gawli, derived from a Sanskrit word for cow. The names of the shepherd castes seem to be derived from words meaning sheep, which is at least the case with Gadaria from 'gadar', on old Hindi word for sheep. Many others of these major groups called castes bear merely tribal or ethic names. Such are for example: Arora, Gujjar, Lohana, Bhatia, Meena, Bhil, Dom, Oraon, Munda, Santal, Koch, Ahir, Mahar, Nayar, Maratha, Gond, Khond, etc.