A scheduled caste community of Odisha.

  1. Location (Major):  Kalahandi, Nuapara
  2. Language:  Odia
  3. Major Occupation: Tilling, Digging Soil, Animal Husbandry

Population : 3725
Male Population : 1807
Female Population : 1918

Population Graph:

Sex Ratio:

Literacy Graph:

  1. Major Festivals & Rituals:  Holi, Diwali, Ramanavami, Khichri
  2. Religion:  Hinduism

The term Beldar has been derived from the word bel meaning hoe and dar meaning the man using it. Thus, it means the man who works with the hoe. Beldar is an endogamous community divided into two groups i.e. Maghara and Sonpaia and in two sub-groups such as Chauhan and Kathawa. They have various exogamous clans (gotra) such as hasu, mangria, murhi, behatar, gond (gondli), jibutat, kantial (kardial) etc. Beldar family is nuclear, patrilocal, patrilineal,. Inheritance of parental property follows the rule of equigeniture in male line only. Monogamy is the norm and they practise both adult and child marriage. Marriage through negotiation is considered ideal. Dowry is paid both in cash and kind. Cross cousin marriage, junior levirate, junior sororate, remarriage of widows, widowers and divorcees are allowed in their society. Birth pollution (chutikia) is observed for twenty one days and pre-delivery ritual saduri is performed on seventh month of pregnancy. Tonsure (mundan) and first feeding of cereals (annaprashan) is ritually observed. They cremate their dead and death pollution is observed for ten days. They have their own traditional council called beldar sabha headed by sardar and assisted by sokha their traditional priest, pandit, their sacred specialist, ojha their sorcerer and dakua their messenger. They have rich tradition of folk songs and folk tales.


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