The Patidar are a Hindu ethnic group found primarily in the state of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh in India.
Patidars are also known as Patel, a common surname within the community.[1]
D. F. Pocock, an anthropologist who lived among the community, noted that those in Gujarat practiced a form of hypergamy.[2]
There are two main groups of Patidars in Gujarat that make up the community:
In the Hindu ritual ranking system (varna) they were considered to be Shudra, but they improved their status in some Indian communities. Through ownership of land, and later through their role as tax agents under British administration, the Patidars rose to a position of respectability.[4]
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