The Ramnami Samaj is a

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 ...

sect founded by Parasuram in the 1890s that worships the god Ram. Living mainly in

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...

, its adherents tattoo the word "Ram" on their bodies and wear shawls with the word "Ram" printed on it and headgear made of peacock feathers. Estimates of the group's population range from about 20,000 to more than 100,000.

History

Parasuram, the Chamar founder of Ramnami samaj born in 1870s at Charpora village according to anecdotal accounts, is believed to be the first person to tattoo the word "Ram" on his forehead in the 1890s and is considered to be the sect's founder. Parasuram tattooed himself as an act of defiance after being denied entry to a temple because of his caste. Majority of its followers belonged to Chamar community but later Brahmin, Banik, Kurmi, etc all joined the movement. According to Ramdas Lamb, the sect is a continuation of the 15th-century

Bhakti movement The Bhakti movement was a significant religious movement in medieval Hinduism that sought to bring religious reforms to all strata of society by adopting the method of devotion to achieve salvation. Originating in Tamilakam during 6th centur ...

and an offshoot of the region's Satnampanth. In 1910, the Ramnamis won a court case against upper caste Hindus over the right to use the name of the god Ram. As late as the 1980s tattooed followers were denied entrance to temples because their tattoos "gave away their caste."

Practices

The sect's adherents do not drink or smoke, chant the name of Ram everyday, tattoo the word "Ram" on their body, and wear a shawl with the word "Ram" printed on it and a headgear made of peacock feathers. Those with full body tattoos are knows as "''purnanakshik''" and are mostly in their seventies; the younger generations of Ramnamis are no longer tattooed, fearing that they might be discriminated against and denied work because of the tattoos. Ramnamis gather every year for a three-day Bhajan Mela at the end of the harvest season in December–January in the village of Sarsiwa in Raipur district where they erect a '' jayostambh'' (a white pillar with the name of Ram inscribed on it) and chant from the ''

Ramcharitmanas ''Ramcharitmanas'' ( deva, श्रीरामचरितमानस, Rāmacaritamānasa), is an epic poem in the Awadhi language, based on the ''Ramayana'', and composed by the 16th-century Indian bhakti poet Tulsidas (c. 1532–1623). This ...

''.

Demographics

Since Ramnamis are listed simply as Hindus in official records, accurate demographic data is unavailable but elders estimate their population to be no more than 20,000 based on the attendance at the annual Bhajan Mela; although others estimate it to be more than 100,000. Ramnamis live primarily in villages along the Mahanadi river in

, but some adherents also live in border regions of

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 ...

and Odisha.

References

Notes

Sources

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External links

Ramnami Community of Chhattisgarh
on

Sahapedia Sahapedia is a website which seeks to make the culture and history of India accessible to all. Sahapedia is a portmanteau of the word Saha and encyclopedia. Saha is Sanskrit for "together with". It uses a method of collaboration between scholars ...

Hindu denominations Hinduism in Chhattisgarh Dalit communities Scheduled Castes of Chhattisgarh Scheduled Castes of Madhya Pradesh Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh Scheduled Castes of Odisha