Poundra (caste)
Poundra is a section of the Scheduled Caste community from West Bengal. They are called Purno in North Bengal, Pod and Padmaraja in South Bengal, and Baleya in Medinipur and Baleshwar. They find the name Pod offensive. Their population was around two and a half million in 2011. As per census of India 2001, their overall literacy rate was 72 % - male 83% and female 59%. Their main subcastes are or used to be, the Chasi Poundra, the Mecho Poundra, the Tanti Poundra and the Dhamna Poundra. The differentiation between seems to have its origin in the occupations. They are divided in a number of gotras. History Medieval Bengal No mention is found in the Bṛhaddharma Upapuraṇa (c. 13th century), which remains the earliest document to chronicle a hierarchy of castes in Bengal. The Brahma Vaivarta Purana, notable for a very late Bengali recension c. 14/15th century, notes "Paundrakas" to be the son of a Vaisya father and Sundini mother but it is unknown if the groups are connected. Mentions remain scarce in medieval vernacular literature. Colonial Bengal In his 1891 survey of castes, Herbert Hope Risley documented the Pods to be a branch of Chandala. Akin to Bagdi