Kalita (caste)

According to the "Purana Tradition", the Kalitas are considered as "pure Aryan".[5] Though the Aryan descent theories endorse the arrival of the Kalitas "before the rise of the existing professional castes", the Kalitas generally claim to belong to the Kshatriya caste, and call themselves kulalupta,[6] kula meaning caste and lupta meaning gone ("lost caste") in the context of the legend that the Kalitas "were Ksatriyas who fled from the wrath of Parasurama who was determined to exterminate the Ksatriyas. But this seems to be a false etymology."[7]

The Kalitas in Assam are considered next only to the Brahmins in the caste-hierarchy.[8][9] According to the legends, they are "the non-Vedic Aryans" who are responsible for bringing Aryan culture to Assam. Having mingled with local population, they still preserve certain elements of Aryan culture even after localising their culture to some extent.[9]

B.S. Guha has found similarities between some surnames of "Alpine Nagar Brahmins" of Gujarat with those of North East India, as referred in the Nidhanpur land grants of Kamarupa King Bhaskaravarman (6th century A.D.) such as Datta, Dhara, Deva, Nandi, Sena, and Vasu, etc. and connects them with the Kalitas of Assam.[10] Again, historian Kanaklal Barua mentions these surnames while referring to the Nidhanpur inscription and says that these surnames "now belong almost exclusively to the Bengali Kayasthas".[11]

Few scholars including K.R. Medhi, K.L. Barua, P.C. Choudhuri, M. Neog, B. K. Kakati made speculations by drawing the references of Greek records, words like Kakatiai, Kalaiai, Kaltis, Koudontai, Kudutai, Gurucharitis and few early religious literatures to establish the Kalitas through materials not based on ethnology or anthropology. Some even tried to relate Kalitas to Naraka-Bhagadatta, who were essentially of Tibeto-Burmese in origin.[10]

Mirroring the history of Assam, the Kalitas were called the priest of the Koches[12] and it is assumed that the struggle for religious supremacy for the Koches continued for a long time between the local priest like Kalitas, Deosis and the Brahmanas, before the latter replaced the former.[13] According to B.C. Allen, all the Hinduised people except Brahmins were Kalita barring other aboriginal groups like Bodo-Kachari.[14]

Since 1988, few people of the Kalita community has been demanding Scheduled Tribe status.[web 3] After six tribal groups were granted ST status by the government in 2018 barring the Kalitas, the latter threatened agitation.[web 4] All Assam Kalita Janogosthi Student Union (AAKJSU) has demanded 50% reservation in government sector jobs and demanded reservation of 25 MLA seats in Assam, 3 in Lok Sabha and 2 in Rajya Sabha seats from Assam.[web 3] They also demanded the formation of a Kalita Development Council and the Pagjyotishpur Autonomous Council.[web 5]

• Madhavdev, Vaisnavite Saint, writer, social reformer.
• Maniram Dewan, Freedom fighter, one of the first people to establish tea garden in Assam.[15]