A
small tribe of the Bhotbarmi group. They entered Bangladesh territory
from the Himalayan region and the Brahmaputra valley. Rajbangshis are
people of a mixed race, although identified by many as a branch of the
Ksatriyas known as the Kotch. They are short and have flat noses and
raised jaws. They are followers of Vaisnavism. Some of them now adopted
Islam and some Christianity. In Bangladesh, they live mostly in Rangpur,
Dinajpur and Rajshahi districts and a small number of them in the
districts of Bogra and Mymensingh. In the censuses conducted in 1941 and
later, they were treated as part of the Hindu community and as a
result, their number could not be properly ascertained. Rajbangshis are
now a declining community in Bangladesh area. In 1991, their total
population was a little higher than five thousand.
Agriculture
is the main profession of Rajbangshis. They also catch and sell fish.
Rajbangshi women are skilled in handicrafts and cottage industry. In
their community, the father is the head of the family. Only male
children inherit the property of their father after his death.
Rajbangshis worship Hindu gods and goddesses
