About 90 per cent of the population of Himachal Pradesh is Hindu having common culture, religion and traditions. The major communities are the Brahmins, Rajputs, Kannets, Rathis and Kolis.
The tribal population of the state can be divided into five main groups: the Gaddis, the Kinners, the Gujjars, the Pangawals and the Lahaulis.
Being hardy and adventurous people, the Gaddis are traditional shepherds who reared sheep and moved down from the alpine pastures to the lower regions during the winter months.
The Kinners are pastoral people who inhabited the hilly tracts of Kinnaur. They practiced polygamy.
The Gujjars, originally Aryan, are generally nomadic in nature that rear buffalo herds.
The Pangawals, belong to the Pangi area in the Chamba district and have a composition of both high and low caste Hindus.
The Lahaulis are a tribe of the Lahaul-Spiti region and are predominantly Buddhists. |
