The Pathani ( Kumaoni: पथनी) are an ethnic group of the Attigoan and Kamsyar region of

Gangolihat Gangolihat is a Himalayan hill station in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, India. It is said that here Adi Shankaracharya did penance to please Adi Shakti. Gangolihat is known for its Shakti Peeth of Haat Kalika Temple - Adi Shakti and ...

tehsil

Pithoragarh district Pithoragarh district is the easternmost district in the state of Uttarakhand. It is located in the Himalayas and has an area of and a population of 483,439 (as of 2011). The city of Pithoragarh, located in Saur Valley, is its headquarters. T ...

of the Kumaon

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over ...

of the Indian state of

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in the North India, northern part of India. It is often referred to as t ...

. Pathani people are members of a hill raja clan that migrated from

Pathankot Pathankot is a city and the district headquarters of the Pathankot district in Punjab, India. Pathankot is the 6th most populous city of Punjab, after Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala and Bathinda. Its local government is a municipa ...

, Nurpur in India to Bhaaloaagar and then to their current location in Uttarakhand in the early 16th century.History of the Panjab Hill States By J. Hutchison, J.P. Vogel, Asian Educational Services,p213 Atkinson described them as the groups holding small principalities in Kumaon at the end of Katyuri rule and the advent of the Chand dynasty in Kumaon. After a brief stint with the Chands, they were awarded a grant of the Patti of Attigaon and Kamsyar i.e. the area from Ganaigangoli to Banspatan.

Origins

Raaths

They are divided into four Raaths () corresponding with descendants of the four sons of Dham Singh, the original founder of the clan. * Padhan Raath; () * Dhuri Raath; () * Malla Raath; () * Paar Raath; () The word Raath comes from the

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 ...

word ''ratha'', meaning chariot, to symbolize that they are bearers of the founder's legacy.

Language and culture

Language

They speak the Gangoli dialect of Kumaoni (गंगोली कुमाँऊनी) and

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 ...

Religion

The majority of the Hindu population worships the Hindu pantheon as well as other local deities such as Golu Devta, Kaisinn, Kalbisht, and Nanda Devi, similar to other Kumaonis. The clan's principal deity is Sem Dev (सैम देव), who is always invoked along with his brother Haru Dev (हरु देव), the divine spirit of Raja Harish of the Chands. The Dhuri Pathanis also worship Ma Haatkalik, Mata of Gangolihaat and Pardevi along with Haru-Sem.

Customs

As Kumaoni

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 ...

, their customs and culture are the same as other Kumaonis. The tradition of Kumaoni Holi, Jhoda and Chanchari songs, and Jaagar the ballads of Gods, Sarau and Choliya the sword dances of Kumaon are a cherished part of their culture.

Priests

Their customary priests are the

Upadhyay Upadhyaya is a Brahmin name from Sanskrit ''upādhyāya'' "teacher" (from ''upa'' ‘with, under’ + ''adhyāya'' ‘studying’).https://www.ancestry.ca/name-origin?surname=Upadhyay Notable people *Amar Upadhyay, Indian model, film and telev ...

clan 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 ...

of Devrari Kuna.

Festivals

Their principal festivals are

Harela Harela is a Hindu festival celebrated in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and in some regions of Himachal Pradesh. This festival is very popular in the Kumaun region of Uttarakhand, and is celebrated by the name Harela (हरेला). This nam ...

- a harvest festival celebrated all over Kumaon ''

Vijayadashami Vijayadashami ( sa, विजयदशमी, Vijayadaśamī, translit-std=IAST), also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hin ...

'' (बिजय दशमी) i.e. Dusshera. On this day, the victory of

Lord Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being ...

over the demon King Ravana is celebrated; It has special significance for 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 as weapons are also worshipped on this day.

Raksha Bandhan Raksha Bandhan Quote: m Hindi ''rakśābandhan'' held on the full moon of the month of Savan, when sisters tie a talisman (rakhi q.v.) on the arm of their brothers and receive small gifts of money from them. is a popular and traditionally Hi ...

or Rakhi or the ''Shravani Purnima'' there signifies the day for changing the sacred thread ''yagnopavit''. Aanthoo festival is dedicated to

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 ...

and his consort Mata Parvati. They also celebrate Nandashthami, which is dedicated to Ma Nanda and Ma Sunanda, the patron deities of Kumaon. They participate in the annual Baurani fair commemorating the adventures of Sem Devta with his brother Haru Dev and their nephew Golu Devta, all of whom are worshipped in the Kumaon region as gods.

References

External links

* ''The Himalayan Gazetter'' by E. T. Atkinson * ''The History of Kumaun'' by B. D. Pandey * Uma Prasad Thapliyal (2005). ''Uttaranchal: Historical and cultural perspectives''. B.R. Pub. Corp.,. . * Umachand Handa (2002). ''History of Uttaranchal''. Indus Publishing. {{ISBN, 81-7387-134-5 Rajput clans Kumaoni Rajputs Social groups of Uttarakhand Indian surnames Pithoragarh