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Kurmis are a caste of people who claimed themselves "Kurmi Kshatriyas", traditionally farmers, in Nepal and West India. They are officially classified as an Other Backward Class by the government of India.

The word Kurmi in Sanskrit dictionary – "Bhuhu Ashy Iti Kurmi" means whoever has the land is a Kurmi. "Kurmi" in Sanskrit literally translates as "I can" or "I am able" and is directly associated with the self, ability and action -- all traits ascribed to kshatriyas. Kurmis divide themselves into Suryavanshis and Chandravanshis with the Suryavanshis claiming to be from the same clan as the legendary King Rama of Ayodhya, the name of whose wife Sita literally means "furrow" or the line made by a plow. The Kurmis along with the Khatris, Yadavas and Khanbis are often considered to form the original Aryan Vedic kshatriyas

Note: Many kurmis now go by the title Patel.

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