Charan
| Charan | |
|---|---|
Painting depicting Charan Gordhan Singh in Bikaner kingdom, 1725 CE (Metropolitan Museum of Art) | |
| Religions | Hinduism |
| Languages | Rajasthani • Marwari • Mewari • Gujarati • Sindhi • Marathi |
| Country | India • Pakistan |
| Region | Rajasthan • Haryana • Gujarat • Madhya Pradesh • Maharashtra • Sindh • Balochistan |
Charan (IAST: Cāraṇ; Sanskrit: चारण; Gujarati: ચારણ; Sindhi: چارڻ; IPA: cɑːrəɳə) is a caste natively residing in the Rajasthan and Gujarat states of India, as well as the Sindh and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan. Historically, Charans have been engaged in diverse occupations like bards, poets, historians, pastoralists, agriculturalists and also administrators, jagirdars and warriors and some even as traders.