What is "bhope"

Bhope is a small caste community in Maharashtra. These people are hereditary pujaris of the goddess Bhavani and are concentrated in the Osmanabad district. Earlier references from 1920 had noted this community same as the Bhute community, but recent sources have noted it as different one from Bhute and marriages are not permitted between the two. This caste is included in the central list of Other Backward Classes for the state of Maharashtra.