Bhat, Hindu of
The Bhat are known for ‘phakra’ (speaking poetically in praise of others). The Bhats are an offshoot of Brahmans, as their name is merely a corruption of the term Brahman. They are mainly a landowning community. They work in temples as priests who sometimes read the Bhagat and Puranas. They worship Tusu and Bhadu and local deities such as Kudra. The Bhat shun manual work. Literacy is very low among the Bhat, particularly among women.