Agariya people

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The Agariya are a community in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, India. In the Mirzapur area, they were involved in iron mining and smelting during British rule. They speak the Agariya language, as well as Hindi and Chhattisgarhi. There is also a group called the Agariya in Gujarat who are salt makers in the desert. A ritual in this community involves burning the soles of the feet, connected to their work in salt fields; it is said this helps them not burn easily during funerals. It is not clear if these Agariya are related to the others.

In the early 20th century, Mirzapur Agariya were divided into totemic groups and were heavily influenced by Hinduism. They called themselves Hindu but did not worship the major Hindu deities. The Uttar Pradesh government classed the Agariya as a Scheduled Caste, but in 2007 it redesignated them as a Scheduled Tribe. As of 2017, this tribal designation applies only in Sonbhadra district; they are a Scheduled Tribe in Madhya Pradesh. The 2011 Census of Uttar Pradesh recorded 5,803 Agariya as Scheduled Caste.