Gadaril. The occupational shepheid caste of 1 General no.1 thern India The name is derrved from the Hindi gactar Home and the Sansknt garzctkara, a sheep, the Sanskrit name bemg taken from the country of Gandhara or Kandahar, from which sheep were first brought The three mam shepherd castes all have functional names, that of the Dhangars Maratha shepherds being derived from dhan, small stock, while the Kuramwars or Telugu shepherds take their name like the Gadarias from kuruba, a sheep. These three castes are of similar nature and status, and differ only in language and local customs In 191 the Gadarias numbered 41,000 persons They are found in the northern Districts, and appear to have been amongst the earllest settlers in the Nerbudda valley, for they have grven then" name to several villages, as Gadarlakheda and Gadarwara The Gadar1as are a very mixed caste They themselves say that their first ancestor was created by Mahadeo to tend his iams, and that he married three women who were fascinated by the srght of him sliearing the sheep These belonged to the Brahman, Dhimar and Barai castes respectwely, and became the ancestors of the Nikhar, Dhengar and Barmaiyan subcastes of Gadanas The Nikhar subcaste are the highest, their name meanmg pure Dhengar is probably, in reallty, a corruptlon of Dhengar, the name of the Maratha shepherd caste.

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