Valmiki caste

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{{short description|Caste in India}}

{{About-distinguish|the Indian caste community|Balmiki sect}}

{{use British English|date=May 2015}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}

The Valmikis are a variety of communities throughout India who all claim descent from the legendary author of the Ramayana, Valmiki. The Valmikis can be classified as a caste or sampradaya (tradition/sect).{{cite book|url=https://books.google.comVa?id=IEVqCwAAQBAJ|title=Valmiki Hindu Jati|date=19 January 2021|isbn=9789350485668|language=Hindi}}

In the north-west Punjab region, this caste had adopted Sikhism. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, many Valmiki were prominent rebels. Notable examples include Matadin Bhangi, Gangu Mehtar and Bhura Singh Valmiki.

According to the 2001 Census of India, the Valmikis formed 11.2 per cent of the Scheduled Caste population in the Indian state of Punjab{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_sc_punjab.pdf|publisher=Census I |title=Punjab: Data Highlights: The Scheduled Castes |year=2001|access-date=2015-01-05}} and were the second-most populous Scheduled Caste in Delhi National Capital Region.{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_sc_delhi.pdf|title=Delhi: Data Highlights: The Scheduled Castes |year=2001 |publisher=Census India|access-date=2015-01-05 |page=1}}Leslie, J.(2003) Authority and Meaning in Indian Religions: Hinduism and the Case of Valmiki. Ashgate publishing their favorite weapon is karha . {{ISBN|0754634302}}{{page needed|date=April 2020}} The 2011 Census of India for Uttar Pradesh showed the Valmiki population, which was classified as a Scheduled Caste, as 1,319,241.{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/SC_ST/PCA-A10/SC-0900-PCA-A-10-ddw.xlsx |title= A-10 Individual Scheduled Caste Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix - Uttar Pradesh |publisher=Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=2017-02-04}}