Emergence of Mahishya: A Forward Agrarian Caste of South Bengal

Mahishya is a Bengalee Hindu agrarian caste. They are traditionally found in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Odisha. In West Bengal, they live especially in Howrah, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Hooghly and South 24 Parganas. In this paper, I would like to discuss the origin of the Mahishya caste with special reference to their relation with the Chasi-Kaibartta caste as well as their socio-economic and cultural condition during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Keywords: Mahishya, Agriculture, Business, Chasi-Kaibartta.