Dhobi known in some places as Dhoba or Rajaka, Madivala is a group of
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
in India and the greater
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
whose traditional occupations are
washing
Washing is a method of cleaning, usually with water and soap or detergent. Washing and then rinsing both body and clothing is an essential part of good hygiene and health.
Often people use soaps and detergents to assist in the emulsification o ...
and
ironing
Ironing is the use of a machine, usually a heated tool (an iron), to remove wrinkles and unwanted creases from fabric. The heating is commonly done to a temperature of 180–220 °Celsius (356-428 Fahrenheit), depending on the fabric. Ironing wor ...
,
Cultivator
A cultivator is a piece of agricultural equipment used for secondary tillage. One sense of the name refers to frames with ''teeth'' (also called ''shanks'') that pierce the soil as they are dragged through it linearly. It also refers to mac ...
,
agricultural workers.
They are a large community, distributed across
northern,
central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
,
western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
and
eastern India
East India is a region of India consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha
and West Bengal and also the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The region roughly corresponds to the historical region of Magadha fr ...
; as well as in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
,
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
, and
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.
A majority of the community associate themselves with
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
.
Many religiously follow Sant Gadge (
Gadge Maharaj
Gadge Maharaj (23 February 1876 - 20 December 1956; also known as Sant Gadge Maharaj or Sant Gadge Baba) was an Indian mendicant-saint and social reformer from the Indian state of Maharashtra. He lived in voluntary poverty and wandered to differ ...
), whose ''jayanti'' (birth anniversary) they celebrate every 23 February.
The word ''dhobi'' is derived from the
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
word ''dhona'', which means 'to wash'. As such, Dhobi communities in many areas today come under the status of
Schedule Caste
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 many status, while
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 General castes, ...
in other states and region.
In 2017,
Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...
noted calling people ''dhobi'' was offensive.
Origins
In mythology
![Virabhadra Daksha](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Virabhadra_Daksha.jpg)
There is a tradition that they are descendants of the mythological hero
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- ...
,who was ordered by
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 Hindu ...
to wash the clothes of all men,as an expiation of the sin of putting many people to death in
Daksha
In Hinduism, Daksha (Sanskrit: दक्ष, IAST: , lit. "able, dexterous, or honest one") is one of the '' Prajapati'', the agents of creation, as well as a divine king-rishi. His iconography depicts him as a man with a stocky body and a ha ...
s Yaga,hence the
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
dhobis are frequently called virabhadran
Synonyms
Rajasthan
Dhobi or Dhoba,have derived the name from the Hindi word dhona which means to wash.They claim to have originated from
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 ...
.They are distributed all over the state.Their main concentration is in Ajmer district. They speak in Mewari and Hindi.and Devnagari script.The Dhobi are non-vegetarian,The community has twelve exogamous ataks clans Some of them are Chauhan,Marwara,Hilogia.
Haryana
The Dhobi of Haryana are said to have originated from
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
and
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 si ...
. They are scattered throughout the state.Like other
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 as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
communities,they are divided into clans called
gotras. Some of the major gotras are the
Chauhan, Shukravar, Rajoria, Tonwar, Panwar, Badera, Satmase, Akhasriya, Mahavar, Basvadiya and Sunaria. These clan names are also used as surnames. There main occupation remains washing of and drying of clothes. A small number of Dhobi are marginal farmers.
Maharastra
In
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
, the Dhobi are found throughout the state, and are also known as Parit.They claim to have originally belonged to the
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 ...
community, and in particular the
Chauhan clan.The Dhobi have been listed as an
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 General castes, ...
.They 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
*
* ...
among themselves,and
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
with outsiders.
The community are endogamous, and practice clan exogamy. There main clans in
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
are the Abidkar, Bannolkar, Belwarkar, Chawhan, Chawlkar, Chewakar, Dhongde, Gaikwad, Ghousalkar, Harmekar, Hedulkar, Kalyankar, Kanekar, Kalatkar, Lad, Malekar, Nandgaonkar, Nane, Pawar, Pabrekar, Palkar, Purwarkar, Salekar, and Waskar. Marriage within the clan is prohibited.
Karnataka
The Agasa a washerfolk community,are also known as Madivala, Nanjundayya and Iyer (1928) record that on the occasion of Dakshabrahma's sacrifice, Lord Siva created a ferocious person,
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- ...
,who in his anger,got his clothes bloodstained while killing
Daksha
In Hinduism, Daksha (Sanskrit: दक्ष, IAST: , lit. "able, dexterous, or honest one") is one of the '' Prajapati'', the agents of creation, as well as a divine king-rishi. His iconography depicts him as a man with a stocky body and a ha ...
and his com panions.
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- ...
appeared before
Lord 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 Hindu ...
and thought lessly allowed his impure garments to come in contact with the god.
Uttar Pradesh
Perhaps the largest concentration of Dhobis is found 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 ...
. They have been granted
scheduled caste status.The community is strictly endogamous,and practice clan exogamy.Their main clans, known as
gotras,are the Ayodhiabasi, Mathur, Srivash, Belwar and Jaiswar.Belwar, practice hypergamy, with clans of lower status giving girls in marriage to those of higher status,but not receiving girls.They are used titles like Kanaujia
Diwakar
Dhivagaran Santhosh (also known as ''Diwakar'') is an Indian playback singer and live performer. He is best known for winning season 4 of '' Airtel Super Singer'', a Tamil language musical reality TV show which was telecast from December 2012 ...
, Bharti,
Choudhary
Chowdhury is a title of honour, usually hereditary, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is an adaption from Sanskrit. During the Mughal rule, it was a title awarded to eminent people, while during British rule, the term was associated ...
etc.They speak the various dialects of
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
, such as
Khari boli
Kauravi ( hi, कौरवी, ur, ), also known as Khaṛībolī is a set of Western Hindi varieties of Shauraseni Prakrit mainly spoken in Northwestern Uttar Pradesh.
Standard Hindi and Urdu are based on Khariboli, specifically on its De ...
and
Awadhi
Awadhi (; ), also known as Audhi (), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in northern India and Nepal. It is primarily spoken in the Awadh region of present-day Uttar Pradesh, India. The name ''Awadh'' is connected to Ayodhya, the ancient city, w ...
The Dhobi are still involved in their traditional occupation, which is washing clothes. Traditionally, the community would wash clothes for particular families, and would receive grain and services from them. But with the growth of the cash economy, most Dhobi are now paid money for their services. A significant number of Dhobis are cultivators, and this particularly so in western
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 live in multi-caste villages, but occupy their own distinct quarters. Each of their settlement contains an informal
caste
Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...
council, known as a biradari panchayat. The panchayat acts as instrument of social control, dealing with issues such as divorce and adultery.
Andhra pradhesh
Rajaka Community Rajaka community has two dependant sub-castes,namely Patamuvaru and Ganjikutivaru.They are also called Patamollu,Patamchakallu or Arogya Brahmins in Andhra Pradesh. They recite Rajaka Puranam which is also called
Basavapuranam or Basava Vijayamu with the help of Coprtad at 96 Art and Culture of Marginalised Nomadic Tribes in Andhra.a Patam in which they trace the origin and evolution of the Rajaka community. There is a legend regarding the origin of Patamuvaru.According to it,
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- ...
who was sent to destroy
Daksha Yajna
Dakṣayajña is an important event in Hindu mythology that is narrated in various Hindu scriptures. It refers to a yajna (ritual-sacrifice) organised by Daksha, where his daughter, Sati, immolates herself. The wrath of the god Shiva, Sati's h ...
by Lord
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 Hindu ...
,was supposed to have committed a grave sin by the destruction of Yajna which was equal to that of killing of gods.Siva though admired Virabhadra for his valour and achievement,ordered him to wash the clothes of gods to propitiate his sin.Virabhadra went to Swarnakamala sarasu and he was very much disturbed how to do this job. While he was worrying about the ignominy of such act, two drops of his sweat fell on two Kamalams (lotus flowers) in the lake. One such drop emerged as
Madivala Machideva
Madivala Machideva, also known as Veera Ganachari Madivala Machideva, was an Indian warrior of the 12th-century.
Airport
The Old Airport Road that connects Domlur and the old Bangalore airport was renamed as 'Madiwala Machideva Road' in his h ...
who was ordered to wash the clothes of gods.After completing the job, he approached Virabhadra and prayed him to show him the source for his livelihood.Virabhadra asked him to go to Bhuloka and wash the clothes of men and thus earn his livelihood. His progeny came to be known as Rajakas. Another person who emerged from the drop of sweat of Virabhdra from another lotus flower refused to wash the clothes.He was cursed by Virabhadra to depend on the Rajakas for the livelihood.Thus a dependant caste of Patamuvaru came into being5 The story of Madivelu Machaiah is also described in Basavapuranam.We also find Machaiah katha in the folk songs of Karnataka.The Rajakas worship Madivelu Machaiah as an incarnation of Virabhadra.Patamuvaru visit their Mirasi villages once in three years to recite Rajaka Puranam and Gotras of Rajakas.In the Rajaka Puranam they narrate Madivelu Machaiah's origin,family and the war between Madivelu Machaiah and Bijala Raju
Tamil Nadu
Vannar
Vannar is a Tamil caste found primarily in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and northeastern parts of Sri Lanka. The community has traditionally been involved in laundry. also agricultural workers
They are in Tamil Nadu classified as Most Backwar ...
belongs to the Valangai ("Right-hand caste faction").Some of The Valangai comprised castes with an agricultural basis while the Idangai consisted of castes involved in manufacturing,Valangai,which was better organised politically
About Tamil Vannar and Vaduka Vannar
As told in the histories of Bharatavarsha
In the Tirunelveli region,Thai deities (female deities) are worshiped in large numbers and are worshiped with a pedestal or trident.in states like
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 ''Karnat ...
and
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 the ...
,Vannars are still the priests of the
Mariamman temple
Kerala
Kerala Dhobis can be called mannan or vannan, at the
Pooram
Pooram pronounced is an annual festival, which is celebrated in temples dedicated to goddesses Durga or Kali held especially in Valluvanadu area and other adjoining parts of north-central Kerala (Present Palakkad, Thrissur, Kannur, Kasara ...
festival in
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
,the goddess is usually seen wearing a white robe with a large handle in red green orange black white colours
In India, the largest
Dasara festival is held in October in
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 ''Karnat ...
and
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
during the month of October, the honorable sword given at Dasara is given to the vannan only
Mannan are also the priests of the
Bhagavati Amman temple
Dandu army clan
Dandu Agasa indicating army washerman occurs as a name for some
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 M ...
Dhobis in
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 ...
,whose forefathers probably accompanied armies in times of
War
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
.
Demographics
Notable peoples
*
Chintamoni Dhoba
Chintamoni Dhoba (died 1300AD), was ruler of Dhalbhum region and established capital at Ambikanagar (now in Bankura). Chintamoni belonged to the Dhobi caste. The 'pai' or grain measure used in these parganas was for a long time called 'Chintamon ...
: Ruler of
Dhalbhum
Dhalbhum was the name given to parganas Supur and Ambikanagar in the Khatra area of present Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal.O’Malley, L.S.S., ICS, ''Bankura'', ''Bengal District Gazetteers'', pp. 194-195, 1995 reprint, firs ...
region and established capital at Ambikanagar.
*
Gadge Maharaj
Gadge Maharaj (23 February 1876 - 20 December 1956; also known as Sant Gadge Maharaj or Sant Gadge Baba) was an Indian mendicant-saint and social reformer from the Indian state of Maharashtra. He lived in voluntary poverty and wandered to differ ...
: Marathi Hindu saint.
See also
*
Dhobi Ghat, Mumbai
*''
Dhobi Ghat
Mahalakshmi Dhobi Ghat is an open air laundry place in Mumbai, India. It is located at Mahalaxmi railway station in southern Mumbai, it is also accessible from the Jacob Circle monorail station. The washers, known as '' dhobis'', work in t ...
'', 2010 movie
*
Hēna
This was researched by Banu Mallesh Chintakindi from Raipole. "Rajas" means dirt in Sinhala and Pali or Sanskrit, and "Rajaka" means the removers of dirt. They collected cloths by traveling home to home of higher castes but now that was obsolete ...
References
External links
{{Authority control
Cheppedu found at Chidambaram Natarajar Temple and these are the people who came through Veerapathiran
Social groups of India
Laundry
Social groups of Pakistan
Dalit communities
Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh
Scheduled Castes of Bihar
Scheduled Castes of Rajasthan
Scheduled Castes of Jharkhand
Scheduled Castes of Odisha
Scheduled Castes of Assam
Scheduled Castes of Madhya Pradesh
Scheduled Castes of Delhi
Scheduled Castes of Uttarakhand
Scheduled Castes of Mizoram
Scheduled Castes of Meghalaya
Other Backward Classes of Karnataka