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Khash Documentation
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People and Languages
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Khash language is spoken in Sarsi-Daryan Village located in the District Doda of
Jammu and Kashmir State of India. The Village is 40 kms away from the main Doda
city of Jammu and Kashmir State. The population of Sarsi village is around 1100,
out of which 700-750 people are Muslims and the rest 350-400 are Hindus. The Village
is known not only for its cultural heritage and ethnic values, but also for its
secularism and religious tolerance.The languages spoken in Sarsi village panchayats
are mostly Kashmiri, which is spoken by Muslims and Khash, which is spoken by Hindus
also. Khash language is one of the members of the Indo-Aryan language family. As
the speakers of Khash language are less than 500, it is considered to be one of
the endangered languages in India. Although some Muslims can also speak Khash, but
it is not their native language. Other than Kashmiri and Khash, the people of Sarsi
village know Urdu and Hindi. Urdu is the lingua-franca of the area. Khash language
has no script and is not taught in any of the local schools. There is no available
literature in Khash language, but the language is rich in oral tradition, folk songs
and folklore. No linguistic research or documentation of this language has been
done till date. It remains unexplored as far as the linguistic description of the
language is concerned.
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Religion and Occupation
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The people of the Khash community belong to Hinduism. They worship gods and goddesses
of the Hindu religion. The main concept regarding the substantive belief revolves
around the faith in Kul Devta (a name assigned to Lord Shiva) and Kul Devi (Khol).
While worshipping Lord Shiva is almost a common practice in Hinduism, Khash people
differ from other Hindus in worshipping Khol as their Kul Devi. The main and grand
ritual called Yag popularly known as Khadal (kʰaɖaːl) in Khash community of Sarsi-Daryan
is performed during night to please Lord Shiva. In this ritual the devotees mainly
worship the Shivlinga in order to praise and thank the god. Agriculture is the main
occupation of Khash people. The major crops grown by the Khash people are maize
and rice. There are other occupations like wood cutting, cattle grazing, etc, mostly
done by the male folk of the community.
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The Present Work
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At present the documentation and description of the language is going on. It includes
providing a brief grammatical sketch of the language and compilation of the pictorial
dictionary of the language. The work to document the ethno linguistic profile of
the community is undergoing with domains like stories, narratives, folklore, transportation,
games and entertainment, religion and rituals, social customs and communicative
behavior yet to be completed. The documentation of various aspects of Khash language
and community is being done in audio and video form.
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