Jai Dharanidhar – Jai Dhakad

He used the plough (Hal) both as an agricultural tool and as a weapon in war.
Therefore, he is called Haladhar.
He gave great importance to agriculture and made significant contributions to its development.
Our community too is primarily a community of farmers.
Lord Haladhar Dharanidhar Shri Balram is our revered deity.
The famous temple of Dharanidhar Bhagwan is situated near a beautiful lake in Mandookla (Rajasthan).

Brief Introduction

According to the Dhakad Purana, the group known as Dhakad Kshatriya originated during the Mahabharata period.
After the 12th century, the Dhakad Kshatriya group developed into a distinct caste.
"Dhakad" is the name of a group formed from ancient royal Kshatriya lineages whose primary occupation was agriculture.
Eventually this group transformed into a caste.

An old saying about the ancient Dhakad Kshatriyas states:

“Dhakad lakad sair sa, nar bare Nal vansh”
Meaning: The descendants of King Nal (Nar Bar) were strong like the wood of the Sair tree.

The British military officer James Madrid once wrote:

“Dhakad Kshatriyas are strong, skilled and intelligent warriors like Afghan horses.”

Even today, the word Dhakad is used to describe someone bold, brave and powerful, which shows that the Dhakad Kshatriyas once possessed great prestige and dominance.

Some Dhakad Kshatriya descendants served as nobles and chiefs in the royal court of Prithviraj Chauhan (Prithviraj III). Their bravery and prosperity are described in the text "Prithviraj Raso" in the line:

“Dhabbre dhabbar dhakkarai ran bankarai”

Dhakad Kshatriyas in India mainly belong to three subgroups:
Nagar, Malav, and Kirad.
They are generally found in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Dhakads worship Shri Dharanidhar Bhagwan (Balram/Haldhar) as their deity.
There are magnificent temples of Dharanidhar Bhagwan in Mandakla village in Nagar Chaal region and Sugar village in Jhalawar district.

According to historical evidence, before the 12th century, all Kshatriya lineages were referred to only as Kshatriya.
After the 12th–13th century, royal warrior clans came to be called Rajputs, and agricultural warrior clans came to be called Dhakad.
Thus Dhakad represents a group formed from various Kshatriya branches whose primary work was farming.

Across India most people belonging to the Dhakad caste are agriculturalists.
Earlier, doing someone’s job was considered disgraceful in the Dhakad community.
Following the belief:

“Uttam kheti, madhyam vyapar, kanistha chakri”
(Agriculture is best, trade is respectable, service is lowest)

Today also the Dhakad caste has hardworking farmers.

Dhakad Kshatriyas are currently divided into three subgroups: Nagar, Malav and Kirad.
There exist intermarriage and social relationships (Roti-Beti relations) among these groups.
There is no purdah (veiling) tradition in the Dhakad community.
The community is mostly found in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Literal Meaning of the word Dhakad