Dhangar is a herding caste of people found in the
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
n states of
Maharashtra,
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...
,
Goa,
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...
and
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
. They are referred as Gavli in southern Maharashtra, Goa and northern Karnataka,
Golla in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and Ahir in northern Maharashtra (
Khandesh region).
Some Gavlis live in forested hill tracts of India's
Western Ghats.
Gavli, also known as Dange or Mhaske, and Ahir are a sub-caste of Dhangar. However, there are many distinct
Gavli castes in
Maharashtra and
Dhangar Gavli is one of them.
History
Etymology
The word "''Dhangar''" is inscribed in a Buddhist cave in
Pune district
Pune district (Marathi pronunciation: uɳeː is the most populous district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The district's population was 9,429,408 in the 2011 census, making it the fourth most populous district amongst India's 640 distric ...
of Maharashtra. It is believed that this inscription has its origin between the first and the third century AD. Multiple theories have been proposed for the origin of the word Dhangar. It may be associated with a term for "cattle wealth".
Bhagwan Lal Indraji maintains that it is derived from Sanskrit word Dhang which means hill. Syed Siraj-Ul-Hassan noted that some people of his time believed the term to come from the Sanskrit "''dhenugar''" ("cattle herder") but dismissed that etymology as being "fictitious". In
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
, the word Danagãra means cowherd and is derived from Dana which means cattle. Dana is the
tadbhava
(Sanskrit: तद्भव, , lit. "arising from that") is the Sanskrit word for one of three etymological classes defined by native grammarians of Middle Indo-Aryan languages, alongside tatsama and deśi words. at pp. 67-69. A "tadbhava" is a ...
of Dhana, which comes from Go-dhana which means cattle in
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...
.
According to
Shamba Joshi, Hatakara-Dhanagara (
Hatkar-Dhangar) is a compound of two words of the same meaning. In
Old Kannada
Old Kannada or Halegannada ( kn, ಹಳೆಗನ್ನಡ, Haḷegannaḍa) is the Kannada language which transformed from ''Purvada halegannada'' or ''Pre-old Kannada'' during the reign of the Kadambas of Banavasi (ancient royal dynasty of K ...
, the meaning of Hatti-Kara (
Hatkar) is Gavli (milkman/cowherd) and Hatti means cattle pen or fold. Patti in
Tamil would mean cowstall, sheepfold, a measure of land sufficient for sheepfold, cattle pound, a hamlet, a village, a place. He observes that Hatti-Karas are descendents of Patti-Janas, people who were settled in the south of
Narmada River during the Middle Ages. This region was called Hatta-Desa. He theorizes that the word
Mar-Hatta comes from the word Hatta-Desa, the settlement of Hatti-Karas. After the 12th century AD, the civil strife between the
Yadavas of Devagiri and
Halebidu (
Hoysala
The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later move ...
's capital) split this land into two, into Marhätta and Karnätaka.
Saint Ramdas refers to the two parts, Hatak for Marhätta and Karnatak for Karnätaka, in one of his
Aratis.
Subdivisions
Initially there were twelve tribes of Dhangar, and they had a
division of labour
The division of labour is the separation of the tasks in any economic system or organisation so that participants may specialise (specialisation). Individuals, organizations, and nations are endowed with, or acquire specialised capabilities, an ...
amongst brothers of one family. The nation around
Hingoli was called Bara-Hatti which means country of twelve Hatkar-Dhangars. These twelve tribes later formed three sub-divisions and one half-division. These three being
Hatkar (shepherd),
Gavli or Dange (cowherd) and
Khutekar (wool and blanket weaver)/Sangar. The half-division is called
Khatik (butcher). All sub-castes fall in either of these divisions. The number three and a half is not a random selection but has a religious and cosmological significance.
Historical migrations
The archaeological evidence and ethnographic data suggest that the contemporary Dhangar castes are the result of more than one migration from North-West
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
, between 4000 and 10000 BC.
The density and distribution patterns of the different groups of Dhangars seem to have been guided by the suitability of the region for the sustenance of the animals that they traditionally maintained and the products of those animals on which the specific groups subsisted. Ethno-historic investigations among the Dhangars suggest that the Kannade,
Unnikankan and
Kurmar who speak
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
were originally from
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...
and might have migrated to the present habitats in
Maharashtra at different points of time. Whereas
Hatkar, Zende, Thellari and Dange trace their origin to a single caste in the remote past, Shegars or
Sagar Rajputs claim that they have nothing to do with the Dhangars and are descendents from
Rajputs
Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
of
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...
.
Ahirs
Ahir or Aheer are a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most members of which identify as being of the Indian Yadav community because they consider the two terms to be synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a ...
speak "
Ahrani", also known as
Gavli boli, a mixed dialect of
Gujarati and
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people
*Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece
See also
*
* ...
and are closely related to the Ladshe and Dange who have supposedly come from
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...
. On the other hand,
Gadhari-Nikhar and
Gadhari-Dhangar, having migrated from
North India
North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Centr ...
, speak
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...
. Telangi speaks
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
and probably migrated from
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to t ...
, the remaining groups speak
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people
*Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece
See also
*
* ...
. The
Khatiks are said to have derived from Khutekars.
Past occupation
The Gavli or Dange Dhangars found in the coastal strip practiced cattle/buffalo herding and
shifting cultivation
Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned while post-disturbance fallow vegetation is allowed to freely grow while the cultivator moves on to another plot. The period of cul ...
.
Ahir
Ahir or Aheer are a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most members of which identify as being of the Indian Yadav community because they consider the two terms to be synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a ...
,
Gadhri-Nikhar, Halmat, Khutekar,
Kurmar-Unnikankan, Mendhe,
Shegar, Telangi,
Unnikankan and Zade herded sheep and wove woolen blankets.
Gadhri-Dhangar, Hande,
Hatkar,
Hattikankan, Kannade,
Kurmar-hattikankan and Zende reared only Sheep. However, Hatkars in Sangli district also maintained cattle and some Zendes used to maintain ponies. Thellaris herded both sheep and cattle. Sangars were weavers of woolen blankets. Khatik Dhangars sold sheep/goat meat, but did not rear sheep.
In the past, some Dhangars were
Inamdars and some were tenure-holders, holding lands either by a share or by paying a lump sum for a certain period.
Dhangars were also known for producing fine breeds of cattle and ponies.
Khillari cattle
The Khillari is a cattle breed. It is a member of the ''Bos indicus'' sub-species, native to Satara, Sangali and Kolhapur regions in Maharashtra and Bijapur, Dharwad and Belagavi districts of Karnataka in India. The breed is well adapted to the ...
, a mixture with a breed of
Mysore
Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
, was pioneered by a Dhangar of
Nashik
Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nash ...
named Gowdia who owned cattle in
Mysore state
Mysore State, colloquially Old Mysore, was a state within the Dominion of India and the later Republic of India from 1947 until 1956. The state was formed by renaming the Kingdom of Mysore, and Bangalore replaced Mysore as the state's capita ...
. Similarly, Dhangar or Khilari
pony
A pony is a type of small horse (''Equus ferus caballus''). Depending on the context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. Compared t ...
is considered the best breed of ponies in Deccan. It is believed that their superior excellence is due to the Dhangar's practice of castrating them.
Role in the Maratha Empire
Dhangars are noted for their martial qualities. A large number of
Shivaji
Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adi ...
's most trusted
Mawalas
The Mavala is a Title used for the Kolis of Maval region. Most of the inhabitants of maval region were Mahadeo Kolis. Maval region, also known as Bavan Mavals (52 valley), was known as Koli country and each Mavals were under the control of Koli ...
or
Maratha
The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a ...
footmen were West-
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
Dhangars. On the other hand,
Hatkar Dhangars, who are found mainly in the former
Nizam state
Hyderabad State () was a princely state located in the south-central Deccan region of India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, ...
, especially in
Nanded
Nanded is a city in Maharashtra state, India. It is the tenth largest city in the state and the seventy-ninth most populous city in India. It is the second largest city in Marathwada region. It is the district headquarters of Nanded distr ...
,
Parbhani
Parbhani (, IPA ) is a city in Maharashtra state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Parbhani District. Parbhani is one of the largest cities in Marathwada region. Parbhani is around away from regional headquarters of Aurang ...
and
Vidarbha
Vidarbha (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, id̪əɾbʱə is a geographical region in the east of the Indian state of Maharashtra and a Proposed states and union territories of India#Maharashtra, proposed state of central India, comprising th ...
, are known as
Bargi
Bargis were a light cavalry mercenary group of Maratha Empire's who indulged in large scale plundering of the countryside of western part of Bengal for about ten years (1741–1751) during the Maratha invasions of Bengal. Maratha invasions took ...
Dhangars or "shepherds with the spears" and were perhaps
Bargi
Bargis were a light cavalry mercenary group of Maratha Empire's who indulged in large scale plundering of the countryside of western part of Bengal for about ten years (1741–1751) during the Maratha invasions of Bengal. Maratha invasions took ...
rs or mounted troopers during the time of the
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of S ...
. However,
Bargi
Bargis were a light cavalry mercenary group of Maratha Empire's who indulged in large scale plundering of the countryside of western part of Bengal for about ten years (1741–1751) during the Maratha invasions of Bengal. Maratha invasions took ...
or Bande Dhangar is a distinct sub-caste from them. Hatkars were in the army of
Shivaji
Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adi ...
in large numbers and were known for their bravery in the
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of S ...
. "Naik" and "Rao" were the titles given to them.
Hatkars were a dread to others and even
Nizam
The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...
was afraid of them. It is on the historical record that for restraining the Hatkars, Nizam had sought help from the
British Indian army. While some sources claim
Malhar Rao Holkar
Malhar Rao Holkar (16 March 1693 – 20 May 1766) was a noble subedar of the Maratha Empire, in present-day India. He was one of the early officers along with Ranoji Scindia to help spread the Maratha rule to northern states and was given the ...
, Founder of the
Maratha Indore state, belonged to the Hatkar Dhangar sub-caste, the
bakhar
''Bakhar'' is a form of historical narrative written in Marathi prose. are one of the earliest genres of medieval Marathi literature. More than 200 bakhars were written in the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, the most important of them chroni ...
s of
Holkar dynasty
The Holkar (Pronunciation: o(ː)ɭkəɾ dynasty was a Maratha clan of Dhangar origin in India. The Holkars were generals under Peshwa Baji Rao I, and later became Maharajas of Indore in Central India as an independent member of the Marath ...
say that he was a Khutekar Dhangar.
Relationship with Deccan Yadavas
The word ''Yadava'' does not have known
Indo European etymology. According to
Franklin Southworth, it might be of
Dravidian origin, meaning "herder". Yadu means goat or sheep in
Tamil and Yaduvan means goat/sheep-herd. He further claims that Yadava is the original word and mythical
Yadu
This is a list of ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes that are mentioned in the literature of Indic religions.
From the second or first millennium BCE, ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes turned into most of the population in the northern p ...
is derived from Yadava by back-formation. Similarly, Kuri means goat or sheep in Kannada and
Kuruba means shepherd. While in
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
Danagara/Hattikara/Gavli means cowherd/milkman,
in
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people
*Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece
See also
*
* ...
Dhangar/
Hatkar (derived from Danagara/Hattikara) refers to shepherd and Gavli means cowherd/milkman. Similarly in
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
, the word
Golla is synonymous with Gavli but both Gollas and
Kuruvas (Kuruba) engage in sheep/goat and cattle pastoralism, in that they either herd exclusively sheep, or a mixed herd of sheep and goats, or cattle.
According to Sontheimer,
Gollas and
Hatkar-Dhangars underwent an occupational change from cattle keeping to sheep pastoralism because of the operational advantages offered by the sheep/goat pastoral system in the semi-arid grasslands.
The original worshippers of pastoralist god
Vitthal – the Gollas and Kurubas of
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to t ...
and
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...
and
Gavlis and Dhangars of
Maharashtra, especially southern Maharashtra – are continued to be called "Yāḍavas" in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Similar to them, several royal families who enhanced the magnificence of Vitthal's worship are called "Yādavas". These families elevated their traditional pastoralist god (Vitthal) into a form of
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within ...
-
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...
and accorded high prestige to his worship.
Seuna Yadavas and
Hoysala Yadavas were originally pastoralists, and ruled
Marhatta and
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...
respectively.
Furthermore, Hoysalas was a
Kannadiga power and epigraphic evidence suggests that Seunas too emerged from a
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
-speaking background. In one of his
Aratis,
Saint Ramdas mentions that, because of the civil strife between
Seunas
The Seuna, Sevuna, or Yadavas of Devagiri (IAST: Seuṇa, –1317) was a Medieval Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a kingdom stretching from the Narmada river in the north to the Tungabhadra river in the south, in the western part of t ...
and
Hoysala
The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later move ...
s, the country of
Hatkars (Hatta-Desa) was split into Hatak (
Marhatta) and Karnatak (
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...
).
In
Old Kannada
Old Kannada or Halegannada ( kn, ಹಳೆಗನ್ನಡ, Haḷegannaḍa) is the Kannada language which transformed from ''Purvada halegannada'' or ''Pre-old Kannada'' during the reign of the Kadambas of Banavasi (ancient royal dynasty of K ...
, Hatti-Kara (
Hatkar) means Gavli (cowherd).
According to the traditional sources,
Devagiri, the capital of Seuna Yadavas, was founded by a king who was a Dhangar Gavli. Moreover,
Seunas
The Seuna, Sevuna, or Yadavas of Devagiri (IAST: Seuṇa, –1317) was a Medieval Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a kingdom stretching from the Narmada river in the north to the Tungabhadra river in the south, in the western part of t ...
are traditionally called "Gavli Kings".
Apart from Seunas and Hoysalas,
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Mahar ...
's founders of the
Sangama dynasty,
Pallava
The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as f ...
s,
Rashtrakutas of
Malkhed, and rulers of
Pakanadu and
Kammanadu also claimed Yadava lineage.
This claim legitimized the process of Aryanization. According to
R. C. Dhere, two factors made it easy for medieval South Indian pastoralist groups to associate themselves to the famous
Yadu
This is a list of ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes that are mentioned in the literature of Indic religions.
From the second or first millennium BCE, ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes turned into most of the population in the northern p ...
family from the
Puranas
Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...
to which
Lord Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
belonged. First, by occupation these South Indian groups were herdsmen, cattle herders, just like the famous
Yādavas in the Puranas. Secondly, the Puranas family were "Yādavas" and the South Indian pastoralists were "Yāḍavas". The difference between "ḍ" and "d" is subtle, and so
Dravidian "Yāḍavas" became
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...
ized "Yādavas".
Lord Vitthal
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...
is of
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
origin and has Dhangar roots.
He is still worshiped by Dhangars in his original pastoralist form. In Dhangar traditions he survives as a Gavli cowherd and continues his relationship with Dhangar's renowned popular god
Biroba.
Vithoba
Vithoba, also known as Vi(t)thal(a) and Panduranga, is a Hindu deity predominantly worshipped in the Indian state of Maharashtra and Karnataka. He is generally considered as a manifestation of the god Vishnu, or his avatar Krishna. Vithoba is ...
and Biroba are considered brothers by Dhangars and they worship them as inseparable companions. However, Initially they were worshiped independently among Dhangars.
Present day
Temple of Vitthal at Pandharpur, his original center of worship, is still surrounded by many Dhangar settlements and displays numerous marks of previous Kannada influence.
Kurubas worship these gods as
Vitthal and
Birappa.
Virupaksha
Virupaksha Raya (born 1365, reign 1404–1405 CE) was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire.
With the death of Harihara II in 1404, the throne for the Vijayanagara Empire was disputed amongst his sons: Deva Raya I, Bukka Raya II, and Virupaksha ...
,
Virabhadra
Virabhadra (), also rendered Veerabhadra, Veerabathira, and Veerabathiran, is a fierce form of the Hindu god Shiva. He is created by the wrath of Shiva, when the deity hurls a lock of his matted hair upon the ground, upon hearing of the self ...
,
Birappa and
Biroba are the same god and are a form of
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hin ...
. Virupaksha is a sanskritized version of ''Virupa'', where Virupa means strange looking or ugly, indicating the strange three eyes of Shiva and ''aksha'' in
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...
means eyes. Birappa, also known as Virappa, and Biroba are honorific versions of ''Virupa'', where "''-appa''" and "''-ba''" are honorific suffixes indicating fatherhood in
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
and
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people
*Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece
See also
*
* ...
respectively. According to the traditional sources, founders of the
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Mahar ...
, who belonged to the
Sangama dynasty, were of
Kuruba origin. Virupaksha was their family deity (
kuladevata
A kuladevatā (), also known as a kuladaivaṃ, is an ancestral tutelary deity in Hinduism and Jainism.
Such a deity is often the object of one's devotion ('' bhakti''), and is coaxed to watch over one's clan (''kula''), gotra, family, and c ...
) and became the principal deity of the state during their reign. Moreover, Biroba/Birappa has been exclusively a god of the Dhangars and Kurubas.
On the other hand,
Vithoba
Vithoba, also known as Vi(t)thal(a) and Panduranga, is a Hindu deity predominantly worshipped in the Indian state of Maharashtra and Karnataka. He is generally considered as a manifestation of the god Vishnu, or his avatar Krishna. Vithoba is ...
and
Venkateshwara are derived from the same god and are forms of
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within ...
. However, they were initially worshiped as a form of Shiva and underwent vaishnavization process to be worshiped as a form Vishnu. Yadava dynasties worshiped Vishnu and Shiva as a unity which are seen in the forms like Vithoba-Biroba, Vitthal-Birappa and Virupaksha-Vitthal. Emperors of Vijayanagara were devoted to both Virupaksha (earlier worshiped as Birappa) and Vitthal and built/extended their temples at both
Hampi
Hampi or Hampe, also referred to as the Group of Monuments at Hampi, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Hampi town, Vijayanagara district, east-central Karnataka, India.
Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th&n ...
and
Lepakshi, and Virabhadra temple at Lepakshi. Similarly, during the reign of
Seunas
The Seuna, Sevuna, or Yadavas of Devagiri (IAST: Seuṇa, –1317) was a Medieval Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a kingdom stretching from the Narmada river in the north to the Tungabhadra river in the south, in the western part of t ...
and
Hoysalas the temple of Vitthal at
Pandharpur
Pandharpur (Pronunciation: əɳɖʱəɾpuːɾ is a well known pilgrimage town, on the banks of Candrabhagā River, near Solapur city in Solapur District, Maharashtra, India. Its administrative area is one of eleven tehsils in the Distric ...
, under their care, grew from a small pastoral deity site to a major temple complex. Furthermore, Yadava Kings (Yadavarayas) of
Tondaimandalam enhanced the worship of Venkateshwara and built/extended
Venkateshwara Temple
Sri Venkateswara Swami Vaari Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared ...
at
Tirupati.
Another form of
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hin ...
worshiped by Dhangars in Maharashtra is
Malhar (
Khandoba). When
Holkars, who were of Dhangar origin, came to power in the
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of S ...
, they increased the splendor of the worship of Malhar, who was their
Kuladevata
A kuladevatā (), also known as a kuladaivaṃ, is an ancestral tutelary deity in Hinduism and Jainism.
Such a deity is often the object of one's devotion ('' bhakti''), and is coaxed to watch over one's clan (''kula''), gotra, family, and c ...
.
Jejuri temple of Khandoba was substantially enlarged by Holkar queen
Ahilyabai Holkar
Ahilya Bai Holkar (31 May 1725 – 13 August 1795) was the hereditary noble queen of the Maratha Empire, in early-modern India. She established Maheshwar (in Madhya Pradesh) as the seat of Holkar Dynasty.
After the demise of her husband Khan ...
and her general
Tukojirao Holkar. Similar to Dhangars, the
Kuruvas in southwestern
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to t ...
worship
Mallikãrjuna, the
Kurubas in northwestern
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...
and northwestern Andhra Pradesh are devotees of
Mailãr, and the
Gollas in Andhra Pradesh are worshipers of
Mallanna. All of these gods are said to be incarnations of
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hin ...
. They are not completely identical and share many common features. Historically, they may be traced back to a prototype god who made his appearance in the early
Tamil (
Sangam) literature of the second to fourth century AD in which he is called
Murukan. Murukan, who is later identified with
Kãrttikeya or Skanda, has especially one feature in common with other gods, namely that they all have two wives. One of his wife comes from the settled advanced communities who were either agricultural, but with a propensity towards cattle keeping, or the once influential merchant groups. The second wife of the god, often regarded as a concubine, comes from the pastoral communities.
Relationship with Yadavs
According to the
1891 Census of India
The 1891 Census of India was conducted by the British Raj and covered the lands now part of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma. The Census Commissioner was Jervoise Athelstane Baines, who was later knighted for his work in India. Baines change ...
, the pastoral class of Indian population was divided into two groups. First group was called cattle graziers which included
Ahirs
Ahir or Aheer are a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most members of which identify as being of the Indian Yadav community because they consider the two terms to be synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a ...
,
Gopas,
Gawali and
Golla. The second group was called shepherds which included
Gadaria, Dhangars,
Kuruba,
Idaiyan,
Bharwad
The Bharwad, also known as gadaria, are a Hindu caste found in the state of Gujarat in India, primarily engaged in herding livestock.
History
The Bharwads claim they are the descendants of (Hinduism). According to Sudipta Mitra, historians ...
and
Rabari.
In the early 1920s, the leaders from the North Indian
Ahir
Ahir or Aheer are a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most members of which identify as being of the Indian Yadav community because they consider the two terms to be synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a ...
and the Maharashtrian
Gavli community, who founded
All-India Yadav Mahasabha
The All India Yadav Mahasabha is a caste-based community organisation established on 17 April 1924 to serve a broad body of Indian social groups collectively known as the Yadav caste.
The educated elite among the Yadavs instigated the formati ...
, insisted cowherds, herdsmen and milksellers all over India to call themselves Yadav, adopt the last name "Yadav", and practice vegetarianism and teetotalism. Various communities, all over India, who were traditionally involved in cattle related occupations enthusiastically followed these recommendations. They claimed descendancy from the
Yadu
This is a list of ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes that are mentioned in the literature of Indic religions.
From the second or first millennium BCE, ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes turned into most of the population in the northern p ...
dynasty of the
puranas
Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...
, hence the term ''Yadav'', through the
Abhira tribe and
Lord Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
, a cowherd, is the hero-god of Abhiras. This effort was part of the process of
Sanskritization
Sanskritisation (or Sanskritization) is a term in sociology which refers to the process by which castes or tribes placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek 'upward' mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the dominant castes or upper ...
and Aryanization. Soon, the adoption of the name Yadav began to take traction.
Today, the
Yadav society consist of different allied castes of several denominations such as Ahir in
North India
North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Centr ...
, Thetwar and Raot in
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...
, Gavli in
Maharashtra, Idaiyan in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...
, Golla in
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to t ...
and
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...
, and Gopas in
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
. On the other hand, Dhangar society in India includes Dhangars in Maharashtra and
Goa, Gadaria in North India, Bharwad in
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...
, and Kuruba both in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. However,
Dhangar Gavli is a distinct caste from
Yadav Gavli in
Maharashtra and
Goa.
Moreover,
Ahirs
Ahir or Aheer are a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most members of which identify as being of the Indian Yadav community because they consider the two terms to be synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a ...
of Maharashtra prefer to be known as Ahir Dhangars and
Maratha
The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a ...
s of
Indore
Indore () is the largest and most populous city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is the only city to ...
(Madhya Pradesh), like
Holkar
The Holkar (Pronunciation: o(ː)ɭkəɾ dynasty was a Maratha clan of Dhangar origin in India. The Holkars were generals under Peshwa Baji Rao I, and later became Maharajas of Indore in Central India as an independent member of the Mar ...
s, call themselves Dhangar Ahir. In North India the Ahirs, who call themselves
Yadav, were at one time a wing of Dhangar society. Ahir is one of the
gotra
In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotra ...
of Dhangars. Historians such as P. M. Chandorkar has used epigraphical evidence to argue that Ahirs and Gavlis are representative of the ancient
Yadavas and
Abhiras mentioned in the classical
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...
works. Furthermore,
Khandesh region of
Maharashtra, at one point ruled by the Abhiras, was formerly known as the land of the Ahirs, and Ahirs in the present day Khandesh region speak
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people
*Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece
See also
*
* ...
dialect which is continued to be called
Ahirani
Khandeshi is a language spoken in the Maharashtra state of India. It is spoken in the Khandesh region (Districts Dhule, Jalgaon and Nandurbar ुळे, जळगाव आणि नंदुरबार wedged between the territory of Bh ...
.
Varna status
The Dhangars as a caste are a cluster of many endogamous communities which are traditionally categorised as
Kshatriya
Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the co ...
along with the cultivators
Maratha
The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a ...
Kunbis and the artisan caste such as Kumbhars. According to
Shyam Singh Shashi
Shyam Singh Shashi is an Indian socio–anthropologist, litterateur and poet.
Biography
Shashi was born on 1 July 1935 at Haridwar in India. He did a master's degree in Man Management and Manpower Planning from Manchester University and obtai ...
, 80 percent of
gotras of Dhangars are similar to
kshatriya
Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the co ...
s though 15 percent resembles those of
Brahmins
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...
,
Vaishyas and backward classes. While the social status of Dhangars outside Konkan region is on par with Marathas and Kunbis, in Konkan Dhangars are ranked below them. The status was determined by the essential economic importance of their occupation. Dhangars were seasonal migrants to Konkan and while they had good and enduring relationships with farmers they provided only a valuable supplement to agriculture.
The Shegar Dhangars, also known as
Sagar Rajputs, were previously identified as shepherd by occupation and Shudra by Varna but later they changed their surname to
Rajput
Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
and started wearing
sacred thread.
Dhangars employ
Brahmins
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...
for religious and ceremonial purposes, and these
Brahmins
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...
are received on terms of equality by other
Brahmins
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...
. When Brahmins are not easily available, the elders of the caste perform the ceremonies. The marriage ceremonies of Dhangars do not differ much from those of
Maratha
The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a ...
Kunbis.
Affirmative action: Reservation in India
As per India's
system of reservation, Dhangars are classified as
Other Backward Class
The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with Forward caste, Gen ...
in Goa,
Karnataka,
Gujarat,
Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh,
Uttar Pradesh,
Uttarakhand
and Delhi.
In Maharashtra, they are classified as a
Nomadic Tribe
A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the po ...
, which comes under
Other Backward Class
The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with Forward caste, Gen ...
category.
According to
Gail Omvedt and
Bharat Patankar
Bharat Patankar (Marathi: ') is a leading activist (co-founder and President) of the left wing of Shramik Mukti Dal and of the peasant movement in Maharashtra. Bharat Patankar is an activist who has worked for almost 40 years in movements of wor ...
, The group considering themselves "highest" in the
Other Backward Class
The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with Forward caste, Gen ...
category are mainly the peasant castes (
Jat and
Kurmi
Kurmi is traditionally a non-elite tiller caste in the lower Gangetic plain of India, especially southern regions of Awadh, eastern Uttar Pradesh and parts of Bihar. The Kurmis came to be known for their exceptional work ethic, superior til ...
in north India,
Kunbi in Maharashtra,
Vellalar in south India, etc.), close to these are the herding (
Yadav, Dhangar,
Kuruba) and gardening (
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Ma ...
,
Saini) communities. Ranging below these are the various artisan and service groups – goldsmiths, blacksmiths, potters, barbers, washermen etc.
Culture
Khandoba (literally "father swordsman"), the guardian deity of the
Deccan
The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by t ...
is the favorite god of the caste and is worshiped every Sunday and on Saturday – the light sixth of
Margashirsha day – with offerings of sweetmeats.
Vithoba
Vithoba, also known as Vi(t)thal(a) and Panduranga, is a Hindu deity predominantly worshipped in the Indian state of Maharashtra and Karnataka. He is generally considered as a manifestation of the god Vishnu, or his avatar Krishna. Vithoba is ...
of
Pandharpur
Pandharpur (Pronunciation: əɳɖʱəɾpuːɾ is a well known pilgrimage town, on the banks of Candrabhagā River, near Solapur city in Solapur District, Maharashtra, India. Its administrative area is one of eleven tehsils in the Distric ...
is worshiped daily in every household.
Biroba and
Mhaskoba
Shreenath Mhaskoba is Kaal bhairava an Avatar of the Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used ...
are other popular gods amongst Dhangars.
Gaja Nach, which literally means the dance of elephant, is a traditional dance of the Dhangars. Since it is considered auspicious, the dance is also performed at the time of temple festivals. The dancers also hold colorful scarves which when moved in a swaying manner suggest the fanning of elephant's ears.
Dhangari Ovi is a type of folk singing, which is about women's work songs and the epic-length performances of Dhangars, in which sung verses alternate with narrative passages in prose.
Current situation
Traditionally being shepherds, cowherds, buffalo keepers, blanket and wool weavers, butchers and farmers, the Dhangars were late to take up modern-day education. In
Maharashtra, the Dhangars are classified as a
Nomadic Tribe
A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the po ...
but in 2014 were seeking to be reclassified as a
Scheduled Tribe
The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...
in India's
system of reservation.
The Dhangar community's population in Maharashtra is around 1.5 crore, which is 13% of the total 11.25 crore (112.5 million) population of the state.
Devendra Fadnavis
Devendra Gangadharrao Fadnavis (Marathi pronunciation: ेवेंद्र फडणवीस born 22 July 1970) is an Indian politician serving as the 9th and current Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra since 30 June 2022. He served as ...
, former
Chief Minister of Maharashtra, had said that "The situation of the Dhangars in some areas of the state was worse than that of
Scheduled Tribe
The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...
s, and the government was committed to providing them reservation under the
ST category".
Dhangar vs Dhangad issue in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra
Dhangar (shepherds) is a sub-caste of the
Gadaria caste in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders wi ...
,
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...
and
Chhattisgarh, the
Kuruba caste in Karnataka and the
Bharwad
The Bharwad, also known as gadaria, are a Hindu caste found in the state of Gujarat in India, primarily engaged in herding livestock.
History
The Bharwads claim they are the descendants of (Hinduism). According to Sudipta Mitra, historians ...
caste in
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...
.
Gadaria, Kuruba are classified as
Other Backward Class
The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with Forward caste, Gen ...
in those respective states while Bharwad is classified as
Scheduled Tribe
The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...
in Gujarat, in India's
system of reservation.
In
Maharashtra, the Dhangars come under
Nomadic Tribe
A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the po ...
category within the larger
Other Backward Class
The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with Forward caste, Gen ...
category.
On the other hand, Dhangad (cultivators), also known as
Oraon
Oraon may refer to:
* Oraon people, an ethnic group of India
* Oraon language, a Dravidian language
Persons with the surname
* Dinesh Oraon, politician
* Kartik Oraon, politician
* Lalit Oraon, politician
* Laloo Oraon, politician
* Manoj Kum ...
, Dhanka and Dom, are listed as
Scheduled Tribes
The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...
in the states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and
Orissa
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of S ...
. In
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
,
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . ...
and
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the four ...
Dhangad or Dom is listed as
Scheduled Caste whereas Oraon as
Scheduled Tribe
The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...
.
According to the 27th report of Standing Committee on Labour and Welfare with regards to SCs and STs order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2002:
On 17 January 2019, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI) wrote a letter to the Principal Secretary to the
Government of Uttar Pradesh
The Government of Uttar Pradesh ( ISO: Uttar Pradesh Sarkār; often abbreviated as GoUP) is the subnational government of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh with the governor as its appointed constitutional head of the state by the President of ...
stating the difference between Dhangar and
Gadaria, and that the
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...
version of the word Dhangar is धंगड़ (Dhangad), which is classified as
Scheduled Caste in
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
, as per the Gazette notification issued in 1950 by the
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...
/
Indian Government
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
. They recommended that the
Gadaria community's धनगर (Dhangar) should not be included in the
Scheduled Caste category and rather belong to the
Other Backward Class
The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with Forward caste, Gen ...
category in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
but nowadays the word Dangad is corrected as Dhangar and government of Uttar Pradesh also passed GO i.e Dhangar is sub caste of Gaderia.
Notable people
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
* Baviskar, B.S., "Co-operatives and caste in Maharashtra: A case study". ''Sociological Bulletin'', XVIII:2:1969:148-166.
* Chaubey Ganesh, "The Dhangar Songs", ''Folklore'', Vol. I No 4, Calcutta, 1958, pp. 22–25.
* Malhotra, K., 1980a, "Inbreeding among the four Dhangar castes of Maharashtra. India". Collegium antropologicum, 3.
* Malhotra, K., 1980b, "Matrimonial distances among four Dhangar castes of Maharashtra", ''South Asian Anthropology'', 1.
* Malhotra, K., 1984, "Population structure among the Dhangar caste cluster of Maharashtra", in J.R. Lukacs (ed.), ''The People of South Asia''.
* Prasad Satyanarain. "Modern education among the tribals of Bihar in the second half of the 19th century". ''Man in India'', LI:4:1971:365-393.
* Saksena, R.N., and Chinchalkar, "Dhangars and Gadariyas: The Most backward divisions of Indian tribes and caste". ''Vanyajati'', XXV:2: 1977:14–17.
* Prof. Prabhu N Kokane,"Socio-Legal" Identification of Scheduled Castes/Tribes & Backward Classes (2007). Nanded, Maharashtra.
External links
Dhangar gotra listat
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
{{Authority control
Herding castes
Dhangar
Social groups of Maharashtra
Social groups of Goa
Ahir