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
Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to:
Animals
* A male sheep
* Ram cichlid, a freshwater tropical fish
People
* Ram (given name)
* Ram (surname)
* Ram (director) (Ramsubramaniam), an Indian Tamil film director
* RAM (musician) (born 1974), Dutch
* ...
. Living mainly in
Chhattisgarh, 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
Chamar is a Dalit community classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's system of affirmative action. Historically subject to untouchability, they were traditionally outside the Hindu ritual ranking system of castes known as varna ...
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
Chamar is a Dalit community classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's system of affirmative action. Historically subject to untouchability, they were traditionally outside the Hindu ritual ranking system of castes known as varna ...
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 and an offshoot of the region's
Satnampanth
Satnampanth, also called Satnami Samaj, Satnami movement, or Sadhanpanth, This sect is thought to be an offshoot of the Ravidassia sect (sampradaya) founded by Bir Bhan (1543-1620 AD), of Narnaul district. His guru was Udhodas, the pupil of Sain ...
.
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
Raipur district is a district in the Chhattisgarh state of India. Its administrative headquarters is the city of Raipur. The district is rich in mineral resources and there are many wildlife sanctuaries. With a population of 2 million, it is the m ...
where they erect a ''
jayostambh'' (a white pillar with the name of Ram inscribed on it) and chant from the ''
Ramcharitmanas''.
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
The Mahanadi is a major river in East Central India. It drains an area of around and has a total length of . Mahanadi is also known for the Hirakud Dam. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha and finally merged with Bay ...
in
Chhattisgarh, but some adherents also live in border regions of
Maharashtra and
Odisha
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 ...
.
References
Notes
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External links
Ramnami Community of Chhattisgarhon
Sahapedia
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