The Naths of Bengal and Their Marginalisation During the Early Medieval Period

Abstract

This article is about the Naths (also known as Yogi, Jogi and Jugi) of Bengal and the evidence about the depression of their status that occurred during the early medieval times. Today the householder Naths, who maintain a caste framework, are quite distinct from the ascetic branch of the Nath Sampradaya (community). The householder Naths were apparently degraded by the smarta-ruled Brahmanical society during the twelfth century, the marginalisation being multidimensional—social, political, economic and cultural. Because of their backwardness, the householder Naths were put among Other Backward Castes by the Central government and West Bengal state government in the 1990s. Thus, the householder Naths endure ambiguous identities—claiming high caste status themselves but placed in the Sudra varna by others. This article is an attempt to investigate the historical background of the marginalisation of the householder Naths in Bengal.