Bhil or Bheel is an ethnic group in western India. They speak the Bhil languages, a subgroup of the

Western Zone 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 i ...

of the Indo-Aryan languages. As of 2013, Bhils were the largest tribal group in India. Bhils are listed as tribal people of the states of

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 ninth ...

, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan—all in the western

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 the ...

regions and central India—as well as in

Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the ea ...

in far-eastern India, on the border with Bangladesh. Bhils are divided into a number of

endogamous Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific social group, religious denomination, caste, or ethnic group, rejecting those from others as unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relationships. Endogamy is common in many cultu ...

territorial divisions, which in turn have a number of clans and lineages. Many Bhils now speak the dominant later language of the region they reside in, such as Marathi, Gujarati or a Bhili language dialect.

Etymology

Some scholars suggest that the term Bhil is derived from the word ''billa'' or ''billu'' which means bow in the Dravidian lexis. The term Bhil is used to refer to "various ethnic communities" living in the forests and hills of Rajasthan's southern parts and surrounding regions of western India, highlighting the "popularity of the bow and arrow as a weapon among these groups". It is also used as a blanket term to refer to the

autochthonous Autochthon, autochthons or autochthonous may refer to: Fiction * Autochthon (Atlantis), a character in Plato's myth of Atlantis * Autochthons, characters in the novel ''The Divine Invasion'' by Philip K. Dick * Autochthon, a Primordial in the ...

peoples of these areas.

History

The Bhil Kings have been mentioned in the Mahabharata as rulers of

Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syn ...

and Central India . From the time of the Mahabharata to 325 B.C Bhils were originally rulers Idar, Rajpipla, Mándvi Bánsda and Dharampur in southern Gujarat

Rebellion against Mughal

Rana punja was grandson of Bhil Chief Harpal Bhil of Oghna Panarawa. He was the king of Merpur and he supported Maharana Pratap against Akbar. A family of Bhil hunters

Bhil Rebellion

The Bhils of what is now the state of Gujarat rebelled on several occasions during the British colonial era, notably in 1846, 1857–58 and 1868. Along with a number of other Indian social groups, the Bhils were designated as a criminal tribe by the British colonial government under the Criminal Tribes Act 1871, which meant that a Bhil could be "randomly picked up, tortured, maimed or even killed" by the colonial authorities. Susan Abraham notes that many of the tribes characterized as criminal under the Act had earlier rebelled against the East India Company and participated in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. She claims that the British colonial government legislated the Act in 1871 in the wake of these autochthonic tribes' proclivity for rebellion.

Mutiny against Mewar State

According to Ram Pande, in 1881, the Bhils protested against "the census classification, prohibition on alcohol manufacture, establishment of police and customs, and the ban on the killing of witches". Their campaigning was stepped up and given meaning by Govind Guru who was a social and political leader. Pande suggests that because of his long-term

Brahminical Hinduism The historical Vedic religion (also known as Vedicism, Vedism or ancient Hinduism and subsequently Brahmanism (also spelled as Brahminism)), constituted the religious ideas and practices among some Indo-Aryan peoples of northwest Indian Subco ...

missionary work among the tribe, Govind was able to stop them consuming meat and alcohol, and to pressurize the state for the formation of village councils which could administer their own affairs and for barring forced labor. In 1917, Mewar State's

Girasia Garasia, alternatively spelled Girasia, Girasiya or Garasiya, is a Indian honorifics, title used by the Koli people, Koli Tribal chief, chieftains of petty Princely state, states or Jagirdars in India who held the villages as ''Giras'' granted ...

s joined the Bhils in the struggle to get the petty taxes and forced labour quashed, and to get the land revenues decreased. Taking note of these protests, the '' jagirdars'' of Mewar had called on a British political agent to suppress the mutiny. Pande noted that 1,500 Bhils got shot in 1908. In 1921, the tribals and peasants united under the leadership of Motilal Tejawat in the struggle against "forced labour, petty taxes, the disparity in taxes, high taxes and the tyrannical ways of the ''jagirdars''". Tejawat's thoughts drew followers from the Bhils and Girasias of the Danta, Idar, Palanpur and Sirohi regions of Gujarat; and he "became a notorious offender against the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Demographics

The Bhils are inhabitants of

Dhar Dhar is a city located in Dhar district of the Malwa region in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of the Dhar district. Before Indian independence from Great Britain, it was the capital of the Dh ...

Jhabua Jhabua is a town and a municipality in Jhabua district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Jhabua District. Recently the district has got international recognition because of its endemic hen species ...

Khargone Khargone is a city and administrative headquarters of an Khargone district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The city is located on the bank of the Kunda river and is known for its cotton and chilly (chili pepper) production. It is also ...

and

Ratlam Ratlam, known historically as Ratnapuri (lit. ''gem city''), is a city in the northwestern part of the Malwa region in Madhya Pradesh state of India. The city of Ratlam lies above sea level. It is the administrative headquarters of Ratlam di ...

districts of Madhya Pradesh. Bhilai (Bhil= Tribe, Aai= Came, meaning Bhils came), a city in

Durg district Durg district is a district situated in Chhattisgarh, India. The district headquarters is Durg. The district covers an area of 2,238 km². As of 2011 it is the second most populous district of Chhattisgarh (out of 18), after Raipur. Th ...

of Chhattisgarh is named after this. A large number of Bhils live in the neighbouring states of Maharashtra,

and Rajasthan. They constitute the largest tribe of

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 so ...

. According to Victoria R. Williams, the Bhils are India's "most widely dispersed tribal group". A small population of Bhils also resides in Pakistan's Sindh who are known as the

Meghwar Bhil The Sindhi Bhils/Bheels (Sindhi language, Sindhi: ) are a Sindhis, Sindhinised sub-group of the Bhil, Bhil people who live in the Sindh, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, and Balochistan, Pakistan, Balocistan provinces of Pakistan. They are one of major ...

or just Meghwar.

Present circumstances

The Bhil are classified as a Scheduled Tribe in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,

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 ...

, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and

under the Indian government's reservation program of positive discrimination.

Sub-divisions

The Bhil are divided into a number of endogamous territorial divisions, which in turn have a number of clans and lineages. In Rajasthan, they exist as

Bhil Garasia The Bhil Garasia are a clan of the Bhil ethnic community and are found in the state of Rajasthan, India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, se ...

Dholi Bhil The Dholi Bhil are a clan of the Bhil ethnic community and are indigenous to the current state of Rajasthan, India. Social status , the Dholi Bhil were classified as a Scheduled Tribe The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) ...

Dungri Bhil The Dungri Bhil are a clan of the Bhil ethnic community and are found indigenous to the current state of Rajasthan, India. Social status , the Dungri Bhil were classified as a Scheduled Tribe The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Trib ...

Dungri Garasia The Dungri Garasia are a clan of the Bhil ethnic community found in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India. They have scheduled tribe status. Origin The word Dungri literally hills and Garasia means a clearer of forest in the Rajasthani ...

Mewasi Bhil The Mewasi, or Mevasi, Mehwasi is a Indian honorifics, title of Koli people, Koli Caste system in India, caste found in States and union territories of India, Indian state of Gujarat. The Koli Tribal chief, chieftains who ruled over villages popu ...

, Barda , Warli,

Bagdi The Bagdi or Wagdi are a people of India who are one of the Bhil tribes. They historically spoke the Wagdi language. However today the largest number of Bagdi speak Hindi with others speaking such languages as Malvi The Malvi or Malavi, a ...

Dhodia Dhodia are an Adivasi people who have been placed in the Indian communities recognition, under Schedule Tribes. The majority of the Dhodia tribes are located in the southern part of Gujarat ( Navsari, Surat and Valsad districts), Dadra and Nagar H ...

Nirdhi Bhil Nirdhi Bhil or sometimes pronounced as Nilde Bhil are a Muslim community found in India. Some Bhil, it is said to have occurred during the rule of the Faruki kings. Satmalas hills formed part of the territory the Faruqi dynasty, Faruqi kingdom, ...

Gamit The Gamit are Adivasi, or indigenous Bhil people of Gujarat, India. They are mainly found in Tapi, Surat, Dang, Bharuch, Valsad and Navsari districts of Gujarat and some parts of Maharashtra. They are included in state list of scheduled tribes. ...

Rawal Bhil The Rawal Bhil are a clan of the Bhil ethnic community and are found in the state of Rajasthan, India. Social status , the Rawal Bhil were classified as a Scheduled Tribe The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially ...

, Tadvi Bhil,

Bhagalia The Bhagalia are a clan of the Bhil ethnic community and are found in the state of Rajasthan, 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 ...

, Bauris, Bhilala,

Rathwa The Rathva or Rathwa also spelled as Rathava and Rathawa is a Subcaste of the Koli caste found in the Indian state of Gujarat. Rathava Kolis were agriculturist by profession and turbulent by habits but now lives like Adivasis such as Bhil be ...

, Pawra, Barda, Warli , Nayak, Nahals ,Mathvadi, Dorepis, Dhanka, Vasava and

Vasave The Vasava are an Adivasi clan of the Bhil ethnic community found in the States and union territories of India, states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan in India. They have scheduled tribe status. In Rajasthan, they are also known as Vasave. ...

Language

The language commonly spoken by Bhils throughout their geographic distribution is Bhili. Bhili has about up to 36 identified dialects and pronunciation differs by region. Bhili is based on Gujarati, but dialects of Bhili gradually merge into more widely spoken languages such as Marathi in the southeast and Rajasthani in the northwest. Around 10 million people recorded themselves as speaking a Bhili dialect in the census. Estimates of individuals speaking the language are often inaccurate as speakers of minor languages like Bhili have sometimes been treated as having major languages (such as Marathi or Gujarati) as their mother tongue. The Bhil in Sindh speak

Sindhi Bhil Sindhi Bhil, () is an Indo-Aryan dialect spoken in the Pakistani province of Sindh, as well as some parts of Balochistan. Sindhi Bhil is often referred as a Sindhi dialect than a language alongside Lasi. Characteristics Sindhi Bhil is know ...

Culture

Bhils have a rich and unique culture. The Bhilala sub-division is known for its Pithora painting. Ghoomar is a traditional folk dance of the Bhil tribe. Ghoomar is the symbol of womanhood. Young girls take part in this dance and declare that they are stepping into the shoes of women.

Art

Bhil painting is characterised by the use of multi-coloured dots as in-filling.

Bhuri Bai Bhuri Bai is an Indian Bhil artist. She was born in Pitol village, situated on the border of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Pitol is a village of Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh. Bhuri Bai belongs to the community of Bhils, the largest tribal gr ...

was the first Bhil artist to paint using readymade colours and paper. Other known Bhil artists include

Lado Bai Lado Bai is a tribal artist from the Bhil people, Bhil tribe of Madhya Pradesh. Her work has been showcased in various exhibitions in India, France and the UK. She lives and works in the Adivasi Lok Kala Academy, Bhopal. Early life and career ...

, Sher Singh, Ram Singh and Dubu Bariya.

Cuisine

Main foods of Bhils are maize,

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onio ...

, garlic and chili which they cultivate in their small fields. They collect fruits and vegetables from the local forests.

Wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

and

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

are used at time of festivals and other special occasions only. They keep self-made bows and arrows, swords, knives, axes etc. with them as weapons for self-defense and hunting the wild fauna which also form the major part of their diet. They profusely use alcohol distilled by them from the flower of Mahua ( Madhuca longifolia). On festive occasions, various special preparation from the dish rich, i.e. maize, wheat, barley, malt and rice. Bhils are traditionally non-vegetarian.

Dress

The traditional dresses of men are the

Pagri Phari or Pagri (; ) is a town in Yadong County in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China near the border with Bhutan. The border can be accessed through a secret road/trail connecting Tsento Gewog in Bhutan () known as Tremo La. the town had a popula ...

Angarkha Angarkha is an outer robe with long sleeves which was worn by men in South Asia. By the 19th-century it had become the generally accepted attire of an educated man in public. It had evolved from the Persian cape ''balaba'' or ''chapkan'' as a ...

Dhoti The dhoti, also known as veshti, vetti, dhuti, mardani, chaadra, dhotar, jaiñboh, panchey, is a type of sarong, tied in a manner that outwardly resembles "loose trousers". It is a lower garment forming part of the ethnic costume for men in the ...

and

Gamchha A gamucha () is a traditional thin, coarse cotton towel, often with a Checked shirt, checked design, found in the Indian subcontinent, mainly India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, as well as various parts of South and Southeast Asia. It is used for dryin ...

. Traditionally women wear Sari and Ghagra Choli. There are many traditional ornaments of Bhils. Men wear Kada, Bajuband, Chain, ear rings, Kardhani. Women wear variety of ornaments such as hansli, ring, Zele-zumke, earring in Bhil language, narniyan (bangle), nathni (nose-jewel) etc.

Tattooing A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing p ...

is traditional custom among them. Women folks do tattooing generally before marriage.

Faith and worship

Every village has its own local deity ( Gramdev) and families too have their Jatidev, Kuldev and Kuldevi (house hold deity) which is symbolised by stones. 'Bhati dev' and 'Bhilat dev' are their serpent-god. 'Baba dev' is their village god. Karkulia dev is their crop god, Gopal dev is their pastoral god, Bag dev is their Lion god, Bhairav dev is their dog god. Some of their other gods are Indel dev, Bada dev, Mahadevel, Tejaji, Lotha mai, Techma, Orka Chichma and Kajal dev. They have extreme and staunch faith in superstitious beliefs and

Bhopa The Bhopa people are the priest-singers of the folk deities in the state of Rajasthan, India. They perform in front of a scroll, known as (''par'' in the Rajasthani language) that depicts the episodes of the narrative of the folk deity and fu ...

s for their physical, mental and psychological treatments. * Bhensasaur - Bhil people worship buffalo as Bhensasaur According to Victoria R. Williams, the Bhils "identify largely as Hindu". The Dang Bhils follow Christianity, and the Nirdhi and Tadivi Bhils follow Islam. A number of other Bhils follow Sonatan (Sanskrit: Sanatan) which is their "own religion". Williams states that Sonatan "blends Hindu beliefs and animistic philosophies". Bhil saints were mainly

Vaishnava Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

Hindus, and include Dhanraj Lodha, Govind Guru, Gulia Bhamda, Ramdas, Surmaldas, Tantya Mama, and

Maharishi Valmiki Valmiki (; Sanskrit: वाल्मीकि, ) is celebrated as the harbinger-poet in Sanskrit literature. The epic ''Ramayana'', dated variously from the 5th century BCE to first century BCE, is attributed to him, based on the attribution ...

Festivals

There are a number of festivals, viz. Rakhi, Navratri, Dashera, Diwali, Holi which are celebrated by the Bhils. They also celebrate some traditional festivals viz. Akhatij, Navmi, Howan Mata ki Chalavani, Sawan Mata ki jatar, Diwasa, Nawai, Bhagoria, Gal, Gar, Dhobi, Sanja, Indel, Doha etc. with ceremonious zeal and enthusiasm. During some festivals there are a number of tribal fairs held at different places of districts. Navratri mela, Bhagoria mela (during Holi festival) etc. Bhil community of Udaipur celebrate

Gavari Gavari, also spelt Gavri, is a 40-day long festival celebrated in July and September of each year in the Mewar region of Rajasthan, India. The Gavari season Each year, ''bhopa'' shamans from Mewar's Bhil communities petition the Goddess t ...

festival each year after Holi.

Communal dance and festivities

The chief means of their recreation is folk songs and dances. Women dance at birth celebrations, marriage functions and on a few festivals in traditional Bhili style accompanied by a drum beat. Their dances include the Lathi (staff) dance, Dhol dance, marriage dance, Holi dance, Battle dance, Bhagoria dance, Deepawal dance and hunting dance. Musical instruments include the

Harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. Th ...

Sarangi The sārangī is a bowed, short-necked string instrument played in traditional music from South Asia – Punjabi folk music, Rajasthani folk music, and Boro folk music (there known as the ''serja'') – in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. It is ...

, Kundi, Bansuri, Apang, Khajria, Tabla, Jhanjh, Mandal and Thali. They are usually made from local products.

Local political structure

Traditional each Bhil village is led by a headman (''gameti''). The ''gameti'' has authority and decision-making powers over most local disputes or issues.

Genetics

According to a genetic study on the Indian population in 2009, Bhill people of

carried around 27.27% of Y haplogroup H, 18.18% Haplogroup J, 18.18% Haplogroup L, 18.18%

Haplogroup R2 Haplogroup R2, or R-M479, is a Y-chromosome haplogroup characterized by genetic marker M479. It is one of two primary descendants of Haplogroup R (R-M207), the other being R1 (R-M173). R-M479 has been concentrated geographically in South Asia ...

, 9.09%

Haplogroup R1a Haplogroup R1a, or haplogroup R-M420, is a human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup which is distributed in a large region in Eurasia, extending from Scandinavia and Central Europe to southern Siberia and South Asia. While R1a originated c. 22,000 to ...

and 9.09% Haplogroup C.

Notable people

, Artist *

, Artist * Tantia Bhīl, freedom fighter * Bhima Nayak, Freedom fighter * *

Chhotubhai Vasava Chhotubhai Amarasinhbhai Vasava (born 15 July 1945) is Indian politician from Western Indian state of Gujarat. He founded the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) in 2017 after leaving Janata Dal (United). He is a seven term Member of the Legislative Ass ...

, Politician *

Rajkumar Roat Rajkumar Roat (born 26 June 1992) is an Indian politician and a two-time MLA from Chorasi Assembly constituency, Chorasi constituency. He founded the Bharat Adivasi Party, Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) in 2023 after leaving Bharatiya Tribal Party, ...

, Politician * Shabri, As per legend a woman that interacted with Sri Rama

References

Notes Citations

External links