"It was a wonderful experience interacting with you and appreciate the way you have planned and executed the whole publication process within the agreed timelines.”
Subrat SaurabhAuthor of Kuch Woh PalThe Ghrits inhabiting the Kangra Valley is a demographic uniqueness of the Kangra hills. An ICS officer in 1848 described the Ghrits (Ghirath) physiognomy as peculiar to the Kangra hills. Throughout the country this caste is found only in Kangra hills of Himachal Pradesh. Many people believe that Ghrit is a puranic caste and the Ghrits are the original inhabitants of Trigarta of the Mahabharta period, which also led to locate the Trigarta in Kangra. However, the aboriginality of the Ghrits in Kangra has not been supported by any fact and it is based just on the surmises and suppositions. In the present work the origin of the Ghrit caste has been traced with the help of physiognomic, historical, sociological and linguistic facts supported by art forms, traditions, culture, occupation etc. The long standing controversy about the right place of the Ghrit caste in the four Varnas has also been settled with the help of historical facts. This book gives an insight about the physiognomy, nature, religious beliefs, occupation etc. of the Ghrits in detail. It also provides an opportunity to the urban populace of this caste to know about their culture and traditions which are fast disappearing due to technological advancements and changing pursuits for livelihood among the youth.
D K Chaudhary
Born and brought up in a village of Himachal Pradesh, the author of this book D K Chaudhary is a serving IPS officer of Himachal Pradesh and belongs to the community about which the book is written. The vacuum of authenticated information about the Ghrit caste among the different social groups as well within the Ghrit community compelled D K Chaudhary to pursue his efforts to trace the origin of the caste. This work involved research as well as his firsthand knowledge about the Ghrits, combined with already existing information. Though the author comes from an educational background of biological sciences and with an unrelated job profile, his quest to trace the roots of the Ghrit community has led him to venture into the arena of social studies. The well-reasoned and researched book, The Ghrits: A Demographic Uniqueness of Kangra is the result of the author’s conviction to bring forth the lesser known tribe of the Kangra hills.
