Raval Jogi: Deccan
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Raval Jogi
This article is an extract from THE CASTES AND TRIBES OF H. E. H. THE NIZAM'S DOMINIONS BY SYED SIRAJ UL HASSAN Of Merton College, Oxford, Trinity College, Dublin, and Middle Temple, London. One of the Judges of H. E. H. the Nizam's High Court of Judicature : Lately Director of Public Instruction. BOMBAY THE TlMES PRESS 1920 Indpaedia is an archive. It neither agrees nor disagrees |
Raval, Raul, Shiv Jogi, Kanialanath Raval — a very numerous sect of Jogis, extending as far as the Karnatic in the south and Gujarath in the north. The etymology of the name 'Raval' is obscure, and the meagre traditions of the Ravals throw no light upon their origin. The Maratha Ravals, like the Davre Jogis, appear to have been mainly recruited from the Maratha Kunbis, as most of their exogamous sections are purely of the Maratha type. Some of the section names, given below, will illustrate this point —
Shinde. Petkar.
Lakhe (lac). Bhopale (gourd).
Jirekar (cummin seeds). Keskar.
Yadav. Sukale.
Chaturbhuj. Bhise.
Bhot. Diwale.
Unode. Narwade.
Chavan. Jadhav.
Pawar. Kavade.
Outsiders are freely admitted into the' community, provided that they are Kunbis, Malis, Rajputs, or members of castes higher than these in social status. The ceremony of initiation slightly differs from that of the Davre Jogis. A square of limesWne powder is traced on the ground and is surrounded by nine burning lamps made of wheaten flour. The novice, with his head shaved and after having bathed, is seated within it on a low wooden stool. His body is smeared with ashes of burnt cowdung and two necklaces, one of a black woollen string of nine threads and another of rudraksha wcxkI (Elaocarpus Ganitrm), containing a hundred and eight beads, a^e hung about his neck. The guru then gives to the oonvert a "Trident, a piece of cloth (koupin) and a zoli (alms bag) and whispers in his ear the manlra or sacred word. Their ears are not necessarily bored, but, when they are perforated, mudras, or ear- rings made of conch shell, are inserted in them.
The Rawals profess to haVe one gotra, 'Shastra' only, which is of course inoperative in the regulation of their marriages, which are governed by the exogamous sections mentioned above. Marriage between persons belonging to the same section is forbidden. A man may marry the daughter of his sister, his paternal aunt or his maternal uncle, but he cannot marry his maternal aunt's daughter. Polgamy is permitted, but is rarely resorted to in practice. •
Marriage
The Ravals profess to marry their daughters as infants, but cases of girls being married after puberty are not uncom- mon, when the parents are poor, or if for any other reason there has been a difficulty in finding a husband. Their marriage ceremony is of the standard type. At the Mangani, or betrothal, the girl is presented with clothes by the father of the bridegroom and liquor is provided for the parichds and other caste brethren present on the 'occasion, in con- firmation of the match Their marriage guardian, or deoak, consists of leaves of the mango, rui (Calotropis gigantea) and saundad (Prosopis spicigera) trees. On the wedding day, the boy is con- ducted on a horse or a bullock to the girl's house where, on arrival, he is received at the door by the girl's mother. The bridal pair stand facing each other under the wedding booth, the antarpat, 6t curtain, is held between, them and mangalashtak., or sacred texts, are repeated by the Brahman officiating as priest. This ritual is deemed to be the binding and essential portion of the ceremony. After this cerimony, the garments of the wedded couple are tied in a knot and they bow down before the family gods and elders ; the caste people and relatives are entertained at a feast and the ceremony is brought to an end.
Widow-Marriage and Divorce
Widows are allowed to marty again by the meagre form of Mohatar, which consists in tying the garments of the bridal pair in a knot and in bringing their foreheads into contact. A Brahman officiates as a priest. The caste council claim Rs. I2'/2 at the marriage of a widow and Rs. lYz at that of a virgin. Divorce is permitted with the sanction of the caste Panchayat and is symbolised by the breaking of a straw. Divorced women may marry again by the same form and in the same manner as widows.
Religion
In matters of religion, the Ravals differ very little from the Davre Jogis. Their favourite deities are Bhairav, Khandoba, Jotiba, Bhavani and Renuka. They observe all the fasts and festivals of the local Hindus and make pilgrimages to holy places. Reverence is paid to Gorakhnath, the founder of the sect), Machindranath, and also to the 'Trident' and Unga of Siva. Like the Maratha Kunbis, they worship images of departed ancestors, especially of those who have died childless or as bachelors. They employ Brahmans on religious and ceremonial occasions.
On the eighth of the light half of Aswin (October) they perfofm their chief religious ceremony, known as Bija Horn. On that day a goat is sacrificed in honour of Bhairav. Its blood is thrown on the stoed fire kindled for ithe occasion and its flesh i is cooked and offered to Bhairav. The cooked flesh is afterwards eaten by- the members' of the family. This ceremony is performed by the house-holder himself.
Disposal of the Dead
When a Raval is on the point of death, a few drops of Ganges water and some cow's urine are poured into his mouth. After death the corpse is washed, smeared with VihhuU (ashes of burnt cowdung) and covered with clothes of an ochre colour (bhagava). The body is then placed in a sitting posture, with its legs crossed, and frankincense and camphor are burnt before it. After this, it is carried to the burial ground in a zoli (bag of cloth) by four men, a fifth one holding the top knot of the corpse agd a sixth man heading the funeral procession and blowing a conch shell.
The grave is three sided and about four feet deep, and at the bottom an arched niche is cut for the reception of the corpse. On arrival, the body is lowered into the grave and seated in the niche with the face pointing to the east. After a sufficient quantity of salt has been thrown over the dead body, the grave is filled in with earth and a mound is raised over it. Finally, a Raval stands over the mound, blows the conch shell and recites mystic hymns (mantras) for the benefit of the depauted soul. On the utterance of the last syllable, each member of the funeral party throws a handful of dust on the mound and they all return home. The mourners besmear their fore- head with vibhuti, signifying that they are free from impurity. No regular Sradha is performed, but on the third day after death, and on the eleventh, a garland of flowers is hung from the roof of the house so that its free end may be just over a water pot and a dough lamp fed with ghi. A goat is killed and its flesh is offered before the emblem. The funeral rites terminate with a feast to the caste brethren. Souls of departed ancestors, in general, are propitiated on Nagapanchami or the 5th of the light half of Shravana (August) and also in the dark half of Bhadrapad (September).
Social Status and Occupation
The Ravals rank socially below the Maratha Kunbis, from whose hands they accept kflchi, or uncooked food. Only the lowest unclean classes will eat food cooked by a Raval. The members of the caste eat all flesh, except beef and pork, and indulge in strong drink. Their characteristic occupation is the collecting of alms in the name of Bhairava. Many of them have now taken to cultivation and trading and a few have adopted the profession of tailors. They also weave coarse cloth and tape.
