The essence of Himalayas is incomplete without making mention of Khasas; of which Dogra is one of important sub-tribe. It's thing of worth mentioning that the dialect of Dogri being spoken in Riasi in the south-east of the river Chenab is commonly known as "Khasi" which is
akin to Khasali dialects of Dogri spoken in Doda and Udhampur, that bring out Dogra 's Khasa relation.
Khas has always been the powerful race whose imprints is easily accessible as far as to Central Asia, Kashgar, Kashkara, the Hindu-Kush, Kashmir and in the territories bearing
Khas has always been the powerful race whose imprints is easily accessible as far as to Central Asia, Kashgar, Kashkara, the Hindu-Kush, Kashmir and in the territories bearing
similar root name in the hilly areas extending from Durgāra to Nepal. Khasa's frequent mention has been made in various ancient literatures with some variants such as Khasha, Khasa, Khasira & Kasira etc.
The Dogra which is one of the infamous tribe of Khasa stock is seen to
The Dogra which is one of the infamous tribe of Khasa stock is seen to
have shun their pride for having Khas ancestry. It's not only with Dogras but with all the hill tribes who have the Khasa lineage. Any successful tribe of hills who is well celebrated usually ashamed to address itself as the stock of Khasas because the word Khas has not much good
reputation in Hindu scriptures. Khasas are being pointed there as degraded, outcasted, vrashal or even malechchhas or barbarians. The main reason behind such appellation was that they have somewhat different religious rites as that of mainstream Vedics.
The practices followed by them were shamanic which was not acceptable in reality; that's why Bhagavata Purana mentioned that they would get salvation only after adopting the religion of Vaishnavas. This thing led the different sub-tribes of Khasas to hide their base and in order
to conceal their background as well as to isolate themselves from their own people, they commissioned the knowers of scriptures to create fictional genelogical orders relating them to plains of India rather than their own people.
When we make mention of Dogras, then it is to be noted that almost all the Dogras are of Khasa background. Especially the Dogra Rajputs and Brahmins who are completely of same stock, are indistinguishable from each other in most respect
as you will find that in most of the aboriginal religious places of Dogras, the priest belong to both castes. Even caste distinctions between the two are not as rigid as in Indian plains. This thing can also be seen in other sub-tribes of Khasa stock.
All castes among Dogras has good intercaste interaction and relationships. In our hills there is little opportunity for cultural differences to arise or to be maintained among castes simply because there is little intercaste isolation in anyone locality.
In Indian plains the situation is reversed; caste isolation is the rule and intercaste cultural differences is somewhat compulsion.
Our intercaste relations differ from those of the plains as characteristically, such contacts in the plains are formal, "contractual," restricted
Our intercaste relations differ from those of the plains as characteristically, such contacts in the plains are formal, "contractual," restricted
in scope and content, and are accompanied by a good deal of inhibition on both sides. In contrast, in the our area they are more often informal, intensive, and extensive. Plains castes exclude one another from knowledge of, and participation in, their problems and ways of life;
we exclude outsiders but are little concerned with concealing their affairs from local members of other castes. Our castes are thus not "closed subgroups" to the extent that plains castes tend to be.
Our people have to understand one thing that being Khasa is a thing of pride as it brings the sense of brotherhood among all the castes of hills and lead us towards the acceptance of direct orders of our aboriginal gods.
One more thing I want to mention that all the people of the Sub-Himalayan hills as far as to Nepal are referred by the generic term Pahari which means "from the mountains" and it's not any ethnic identity or particularly precise term but still I can say is useful one and is
recognised throughout Indian Sub-continent. So, you people are not authorised to accept one identity and reject other as it will just bring the identity crisis and nothing else.
Dogras who used to say that they are Paharis but not Dogras or further they are Dogras but not Khasas; should understand the minor line intermediate between the proximity of identity.
Everyone who are aborignal to hills are Pahari but when their nativeness is related to Durgāradesa, then they are termed Dogra and every true-blooded Dogra is ultimately a Khas.
This same model applies to all other sub-tribes of Khasas according to their respective Hills. We should understand this basic thing as it will help us to know our roots!
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