Bansphor

The Bansphor are a

The Bansphor practice strict community endogamy, as well as clan exogamy, which a common practice among most North Indian Hindus. Their clans are called gotras, the main ones being the Mahawati, Chamkel, Gaushal, Samudra, Nahar, Kalai and Saraiha. Marriages do not occur with the Muslim Bansphor community. The Bansphor live in multi-caste villages, but occupy their own distinct quarters. Each of their settlement contains an informal caste council, known as a panchayat. The panchayat is headed by a pradhan, a position which is heredity. In addition, there is an overarching panchayat of between three and four villages, which headed by a chaudhary. The panchayat resolves any intra-community dispute, as well as acting an instrument of social control. They are Hindus, except for the now-distinct community of Muslim Bansphor, and have Hanuman as their tribal deity.^[1]

The Bansphor are still involved in their traditional occupation, which is the manufacture of bamboo furniture. These are then sold at the local market. A significant number of Bansphor are agricultural labourers, while other often migrating to Mumbai and Delhi to work as daily wage labourers. Like other scheduled caste communities, they live an extremely marginal economic existence.^{[citation needed]}

The