Dhangar
Contents |
The Dhangars of Madhya Pradesh, Maharasthra
This article was written in 1916 when conditions were different. Even in Readers will be able to edit existing articles and post new articles directly |
From The Tribes And Castes Of The Central Provinces Of India
By R. V. Russell
Of The Indian Civil Service
Superintendent Of Ethnography, Central Provinces
Assisted By Rai Bahadur Hira Lal, Extra Assistant Commissioner
Macmillan And Co., Limited, London, 1916.
NOTE 1: The 'Central Provinces' have since been renamed Madhya Pradesh.
NOTE 2: While reading please keep in mind that all articles in this series have been scanned from the original book. Therefore, footnotes have got inserted into the main text of the article, interrupting the flow. Readers who spot these footnotes gone astray might like to shift them to their correct place.
The Maratha caste of shepherds and blanket- weavers, numbering 96,000 persons in the Central Provinces and Berar. They reside principally in the Nagpur, Wardha, Chanda and Nimar Districts of the Central Provinces and in all Districts of Berar. The Dhangars are a very numerous caste in .Bombay and Hyderabad. The name is derived either from the Sanskrit dhenu, a cow, or more probably from dhanf wealth, a term which is commonly
applied to flocks of sheep and goats. It is said that the first sheep and goats came out of an ant-hill and scattering over the fields began to damage the crops of the cultivators. They, being helpless, prayed to Mahadeo to rescue them from this pest and he thereupon created the first Dhangar to tend the flocks. The Dhangars consequently revere an ant-liill, and never remove one from their fields, while they worship it on the Diwali day with offerings of rice, flowers and part of the ear of a goat. When tending and driving sheep and goats they ejaculate 'Har, Har,' which is a name of Mahadeo used by devotees in worshipping him.
Soldiers
The Dhangars furnished a valuable contingent to Sivaji's guerilla soldiery, and the ruling family of Indore State belong to this caste. It is divided into the following subcastes : Varadi or Barade, belonging to Berar ; Kanore or Kanade, of Kanara ; Jhade, or those belonging to the Bhandara, Balaghat and Chhindwara Districts, called the Jhadi or hill country ; Ladse, found in Hyderabad ; Gadri, from gddar, a sheep, a division probably consisting of northerners, as the name for the cognate caste of shepherds in Hindustan is Gadaria ; Telange, belonging to the Telugu country ; Marathe, of the Maratha country ; Mahurai from Mahur in Hyderabad, and one or two others.
Sub-castes
Eleven subcastes in all are reported.
Names of some of the exogamous sects of Dhangar caste are
Powar, a Rajput sept;
Dokra, an old man;
Marte, a murderer or slayer;
Sarodi, the name of a caste of mendicants;
Mhali, a barber;
Kaode, a crow;
Chambhade, a Chamar;
Juade, a gambler;
Lamchote, long-haired;
Bodke, bald-headed;
Khatik, a butcher;
Chandekar, from Chanda;
Moya, a grass
Dambhade, one having pimples on the body;
Gujde, a Gujar;
Ilalle, a he- buffalo ;
For the purposes of marriage a number of exogamous groups or septs exist which may be classified according to their nomenclature as titular and totemistic, many having also the names of other castes. The sept names show that the caste is a functional one of very mixed composition, partly recruited from members of other castes who have taken to sheep-tending and generally from the non-Aryan tribes.
(1 Compiled mainly from a paper by Kanhya Lai, clerk in the Gazetteer office. '^ Cf. the two meanings of the word ' stock ' in English.)
A man must not marry within his own sept or that of 2. Mar- his mother, nor may he marry a first cousin. He may wed "'^^^' a younger sister of his wife during her lifetime, and the practice of marrying a girl and boy into the same family, called Anta Santa or exchange, is permitted. Occasionally the husband does service for his wife in his father-in-law's house. In Wardha the Dhangars measure the heights of a prospective bride and bridegroom with a piece of string and consider it a suitable match if the husband is taller than the wife, whether he be older or not. Marriages may be infant or adult, and polygamy is permitted, no stigma attaching to the taking of a second wife. Weddings may be celebrated in the rains up to the month of Kunwar (September), this provision probably arising from the fact that many Dhangars wander about the country during the open season, and are only at home during the rainy months. Perhaps for the same reason the wedding may, if the officiating priest so directs, be held at the house of a Brahman.
This happens only when the Brahman has sown an offering of rice, called Gag, in the name of the goddess Rana Devi, the favourite deity of the Dhangars. On his way to the bride's house
the bridegroom must be covered with a black blanket. Nowadays the wedding is sometimes held at the bridegroom's house and the bride comes for it. The caste say that this is done because there are not infrequently among the members of the bridegroom's family widows who have remarried or women who have been kept by men of higher castes or been guilty of adultery. The bride's female
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relatives refuse to wash the feet of these women and this provokes quarrels. To meet such cases the new rule has been introduced. At the wedding the priest sits on the roof of the house facing the west, and the bride and bridegroom stand below with a curtain between them. As the sun is half set he claps his hands and the bridegroom takes the clasped hands of the bride within his own, the curtain being withdrawn.
The bridegroom ties round the bride's neck a yellow thread of seven strands, and when this is done she is married. Next morning a black bead necklace is sub- stituted for the thread. The expenses of the bridegroom's party are about Rs. 50, and of the bride's about Rs. 30. The remaining procedure follows the customary usage of the Maratha Districts. Widows are permitted to marry
again, but must not take a second husband from the sept to which the first belonged. A considerable price is paid for a widow, and it is often more expensive to marry one than a girl. A Brahman and the malguzar (village pro-
prietor) should be present at the ceremony. If a bachelor marries a widow he must first go through the ceremony
with a silver ring, and if the ring is subsequently lost or
broken, its funeral rites must be performed. Divorce is
allowed in the presence of the caste panchayat at the
instance of either party for sufficient reason, as the mis-
conduct or bad temper of the wife or the impotency of the
husband. 3. Reii- Mahadeo is the special deity of the Dhangars, and they ^'°"" also observe the ordinary Hindu festivals. At Diwali they worship their goats by dyeing their horns and touching their feet. One Bahram of Nachangaon near Pulgaon is the tutelary deity of the Wardha Dhangars and the pro- tector of their flocks. On the last day of the month of Magh they perform a special ceremony called the Deo Puja.
A Dhlmar acts as priest to the caste on this occasion and fashions some figures of idols out of rice to which vermilion and flowers are offered. He then distributes the grains of rice to the Dhangars who are present, pronouncing a bene- diction. The Dhlmar receives his food and a present, and
it is essential that the act of worship should be performed
by one of this caste. In their houses they have Kul-Devi
and Khandoba the Maratha licro, who arc the family deities. But in large families they are kept only in the house of the eldest brother. Kul-Devi or the goddess of the family is worshipped at weddings, and a goat is offered to her in the month of Chait (March). The head is buried beneath her shrine inside the house and the body is consumed by members of the family only. Khandoba is worshipped on Sundays and they identify him with the sun. Vithoba, a form of Vishnu, is revered on Wednesdays, and Balaji, the younger brother of Rama, on Fridays. Many families also make a representation of some deceased bachelor relative, which they call Munjia, and of some married woman who is known as Mairni or Sasin, and worship them daily. The Dhangars burn their dead unless they are too poor 4. Birth, to purchase wood for fuel, in which case burial is resorted social^" to. Unmarried children and persons dying from smallpox, status. leprosy, cholera and snake-bite are also buried. At the pyre the widow breaks her bangles and throws her glass beads on to her husband's body. On returning from the burning ghat the funeral party drink liquor. Some ganja, tobacco and anything else which the deceased may have been fond of during his life are left near the grave on the first day. Mourning is observed during ten days on the death of an adult and for three days for a child.
Children are usually named on the twelfth day after birth, the well- to-do employing a Brahman for the purpose. On this day
the child must not see a lamp, as it is feared that if he should do so he will afterwards have a squint. Only one name is given as a rule, but subsequently when the child comes to be married, if the Brahman finds that its name does not make the marriage auspicious, he substitutes another and the child is afterwards known by this new name. The caste employ Brahmans for ceremonies at birth and marriage. They eat flesh including fowls and wild pig, and drink liquor, but abstain from other unclean food. They will
take food from a Kunbi, Phulmali or a Sunar, and water from any of the good cultivating castes. A Kunbi will take water from them. The women of the caste wear bracelets
of lead or brass on the right wrist and glass bangles on the left* Permanent or temporary excommunication from caste
is imposed for the usual offences, and among those visited with the minor penalty are selling shoes, touching the carcase of a dog or cat, and killing a cow or buffalo, or allowing one to die with a rope round its neck. No food is cooked for five weeks in a house in which a cat has died. The social standing of the caste is low.
The traditional occupation of the Dhangars is to tend sheep and goats, and they also sell goats' milk, make blankets from the wool of sheep, and sometimes breed and sell stock for slaughter. They generally live near tracts of waste land where grazing is available. Sheep are kept in open
and goats in roofed folds. Like English shepherds they carry sticks or staffs and have dogs to assist in driving the flocks, and they sometimes hunt hares with their dogs. Their dress consists frequently only of a loin-cloth and
a blanket, and having to bear exposure to all weathers, they are naturally strong and hardy. In appearance they are dark and of medium size. They eat three times a
day and bathe in the evening on returning from work, though their ablutions are sometimes omitted in the cold
weather.
Dhangars in Goa
Occupation of Dhangars
A section of Goullis are Weavers and make yarn and knit. When they take their cattle for grazing, they invariably carry a stick and are accompained by one or 2 dogs. The dogs assist them in driving the flock and in saving them from wild animals. Such practices are not confined to the Goullis of Goa as we see these among all tribes whose main activity is cattle grazing. The cattle kept by Goullis were known for the dairy product they used to sell mainly Ghee( clarified butter), Loni. For survival they are engaged in agriculture for subsistence, Ragi being grown in patches of land. Goullis would walk several kilometers with kilos of butter neatly packed in leaves and found a ready market for their home made produce. the butter was so pure that when it was heated to be made into ghee, no residues remained.
Most of the Goullis in Goa are landless. Their chief and hereditary occupation is to rear sheep. Some of them domesticate cows and buffaloes especially for milk. One family is tending at least fifteen to twenty Sheep and Goat. They also sell milk of goats and buffaloes sometime they sell the wool of sheep. The women collect roots,fruits,tubers etc. From the nearest forest for their subsistence. The boys of 10-15 years of age are engaged in tending their cattle. When men go outside to work as labourers, the women look after their domestic animals Goullis work mostly in the agriculture fields either as labourers or as share-cropper. They give one-sixth share of the total produce to the land owner as share-cropper.
Marriage
They arrange marriages in groups. The practice of child marriage has died out. Marriage between people with the same surname or within the same clan is forbidden, widow remarriage and polygamy are allowed. Marriage with nephew and niece is allowed. Sexual licence before marriage is strictly prohibited. The age of marriage for the boys varies from 22 years to 25 and for the girls from 18 years to 21 years. Earlier the marriageable age was from 16 years to 20 years for the boys and for the girls 14 to 16 years. Mangalsutra and green bangles are the symbols of a married girl. The person bearing the same surname cannot marry each other because the members of the same surname have the same 'kul', but they can marry in the same Devak. They may marry outside kul. The priest who presides over their religious ceremonies is not a Brahmin but a 'Sikadi' ( a priest of their own cast). It is the sikadi who selects the day of marriage. In Dhangar samaj they talk about a groop (joto) on engagement day. The groop consist of green sari, green bangles,9 yards saree, deveracha aaher sari, turban, headgear, braclete, mangalsutra, handerchief, bouquet as discussed by both family on same day the marriage is fixed.
The day before the marriage there is a practice of grinding of dried turmeric, to be applied to the bride which is made at bride's house and for groom at groom's place. All the villagers are invited for this ritual. Primitive wooden tool known as the 'musal' is used grinding and songs are also sung. After the end of haldi ceremony, ceremonial bath is given to both the bride and the groom. The bath is given by the younger sister of bride and the groom and is folloed strictly. On the day of marriage the bride wears the sari while the groom is adorned with dress,hat, dhotar and the special hat specially made for the grooms for marriage. Groom holds the coconut and knife as he enters the hall, then the bride is brought and marriage ceremony takes place by holding a cloth between bride and the groom i.e. antarpat and marriage rituals are performed by special people known as yadegae labore who are considered as the priests.
Once the bride's parents give their girls hand in the hand of her husband and their son-in-law, she changes her surname and uses husband name instead of father's name. The groom visits the bride's house and steals their god and after accepting some obligation he returns it to them and comes to his house along with his wife. The groom visits the brie are kept in the courtyard and the bride and groom play the traditional game known as the Kalshicha Khel. In this ritual the turmeric water, coins and finger ring are kept and this ritual has very high importance in Dhangar samaj. The bride has to use both hands whereas the groom has to use only the right hand and take the objects. The bride has to open the folded fingers of the groom with both hands and then has to take name of her husband and that too in riddle. After this ritual, meal is offered to the relatives and the invitees.
After that four or five bhakaris" usually prepared from nachni are kept on one another. The newly wedded bride and groom keeps their palma on these bhakaris and five married women after taking the names of their husbands in riddles pick up on bhakari each. This ritual concludes the marriage ceremony.
Dress
It is one of the essential things in the life of any people. On the dress code we can identify the persons region, cast etc. Dress changes with the change in situation and according to modernization.
The men and women of this tribe are all tall and strong. Men used loin cloth(Cashti) and turban (feta) on the head. Men shave their head and leave a top-knot back(possibly a later adaption of the thuft of hair that Hindu Brahmins keep). A waist cloth called rummal is loosely fashioned on a gap(silver girdle). Sometimes they wear a fidi (a shot coat) and a Pagottem or headwrap. They always carry a waist purse to carry momney, tobacco,betel nuts,betel leaves and lime with them. Men wear earings called Rajkadi, they also wear Kada or thick bangle in their Hand. The chief davo wears a small but magnificient gold earing in his upper lobe which is made up of fine gold and is exceptionally beautiful.
Food
Food mostly means nourishment, subsistence,nutrient diet,etc which is the most essential thing in every living life small or big. Food is also one of instincts of human life. Food is the only thing which keeps living along with water. The staple food of Goa is said to be fish,curry and rice.
Dhangars are non-vegetarian and they take fish, meat of goats,sheep.fowl,deer,hare etc. But they do not eat beef and pork. Since they do not have good agricultural lands,they produce millets (Ragi) and Jowar in their lands which lie under the foothills mostly covered by laterite soil. So, the Ragi is their staple food crop. The men mostly take liquor prepared from molasses; women take it generally on festive and cremonial occasions. They usually do not prepare it at home. Both men and women( mostly aged) smoke bidi. They drink tea without milk. They earn money by selling milk. During the lean season, they sometimes eat roots,tubers,leafy vegetables and fruits collected from the forests. They usually do not use any oil as the cooking medium, but coconut is used for preparation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. They do not take cooked food and water from the Chamars, Mahars,Parits (dhobis), Mhalos(Barbers) Christian and Muslims. Ambil which is made up of Nachni flour and fermented overnight with curds, is the staple breakfast drink of Dhangars of Goa.
Death rituals among the Dhangars
In Dhangar community dead body is buried in their own graveyard. Mourning is observed for twelve days on the death of an adult and for three days for a child. They employ bhatji to perform the Shraddh ceremony. On the twelth day only the eldest son offers his hair and the mundane or tonsure is done by the barber. On that day a goat is sacrificed by the family of the deceased to offer a feast to the relatives and friends. They take non-vegetarian food(meat of sacrificed goat and alcoholic drinks), The mourning period is observed by taking vegetarian food, as a mark of respect to the deceased. In Dhangar community the dead body is kept in sitting position by using the pillar in the house. Some money is tied to the waist of the dead body. All the family members take the body to the burial ground and the elder son of the deceased has to throw certain types of grains on the way to the burial ground. The digging of the pit has to be started by the eldest son and than the other people help him in digging the pit.Before burying the body a stone is kept beside the body calles as eyasao by elder son, while for mother it is kept by the younger son.
After returning from the cemetery, chilled water is sprinkled on them by using black current leaves. The uttarkriya ritual takes place where in, the elder or the younger son has to give pindadann or food offering is done. If the marriage or any other function is fixed then it has to be celebrated within a year.
There is also one belief that the seeds from the the house of the deceased house are not be presented for next cropping season.Keeping these seeds is believed to be inauspicious. The seeds should be sowed in that year and should pay the rate of that seeds. None of the functions are celebrated in that house for next three years. On eleventh day some rituals takes place for the welfare of the deceased house. Next the elderly come for bending on left leg and this is called Durund. After this, an elderly person brings a utensil called the Hadgadi. In this the rice flour is kept and is covered with cloths. This is done to see, in which form has the dead person taken the rebirth. This is strongly believed by the elderely people.
Whether the dead person has taken birth as tiger or in any other form, is identified by seeing the footprints that comes on the rice flour. On the twelteth day there is a goat sacrifice and feast is given to all elderly is prepared by using small suts of mango tree, coconut and the elderly people stay awake the whole night and tell the stories.
If any women dies within six months after giving birth to a girl child then, the women is considered inauspicious and is called as aragath.
As compared to other cults and tribes in Hinduism, the cremation ritual and ceremony is totally different in Dhangar samaj. The dead body is taken out of the house from legside it is believed that by doing this the soul of the dead directly reaches to the heaven.
Dhangars of Maharashtra
As in 2024
Parthasarathi Biswas, Aug 23, 2024: The Indian Express
Who are the Dhangars of Maharashtra and why are they asking for ‘grazing corridors’ in forests?
The nomadic community of shepherds has also been demanding ST status for long. With elections approaching, they hope the demand for grazing rights will get some traction
A large group of Dhangars recently marched to the office of the subdivisional officer in Khamgaon of Maharashtra’s Buldhana district, demanding a “grazing corridor” for their sheep and goats. Who these herdspeople, and what is meant by a grazing corridor?
What is the Dhangar community?
The Dhangars are a community of shepherds with populations in several states. Besides Maharashtra, they live in Gujarat, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, as well, and are known by other names such as Golla and Kuruba elsewhere.
The Dhangars are on Maharashtra’s list of Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes (VJNT), but have been demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for decades. According to Dhangar leaders, the community is identified as “Dhangad” elsewhere in the country, and gets reservation as an ST.
Livelihood & culture
According to Sourabh Hatkar, leader of the Mendhpal Putra Army (Army of the Sons of Shepherds), Dhangars have herded their animals along specific routes since time immemorial. In recent decades, however, as the forest department has started marking out protected forests, the movements of the community have come to be seen as encroachment on forest lands.
“The forest department has erected walls along the routes and we are looked at as encroachers. We are slapped with heavy fines and cases are filed against us,” Hatkar said.
According to Hatkar, the community follows the rains, and are normally on the road for the better part of the year. “They take certain routes — in Vidarbha they travel from Buldhana to Amravati to Akola, while some go till Chandrapur. In Western Maharashtra they go till Konkan and come back,” he said.
These routes are both the economic lifeline and a cultural heritage for the community, Hatkar said. “It will not be economically feasible for us to change our grazing routes,” he said.
Grazing and forests
The community’s demand for “grazing corridors” is essentially a demand for the recognition of their right to graze along their traditional routes.
Hatkar argued that grazing by small ruminants does not harm the forest. “In fact, small animals such as sheep and goats enrich the land through which they pass. Our livelihood depends on the forest, and there is no question of us causing harming to it,” he said.
“Our people have coexisted with forests for ages; we have passed through these areas repeatedly. Our only demand is that we should be allowed to do so,” Hatkar said.
Caste of Dhangars
The community’s demand for grazing rights is linked to its demand for ST status, which has not made much headway mainly due to opposition from the STs in Maharashtra who fear dilution of their quota benefits if they are shared among a larger population.
The Forest Rights Act, 2006, allows traditional occupations including grazing, but it has helped only STs get access to grazing grounds. Dhangars, who come under the nomadic tribes category, have not benefited.
Community profile
In the absence of a caste-based socio economic survey, the current population of Dhangars is uncertain. The community is believed to be around 1 crore strong, which would make them about 9% of the state’s 11.2 crore population (2011 census).
Around 40% of the Dhangar population is believed to be solely dependent on herding. Hatkar said that while he is studying for a PhD from the University of Edinburgh, his elder brother still migrates with the family’s flocks of sheep and goats. The nomadic life hampers the community’s access to education and healthcare, he said.
Political aspects
The community has a significant presence in Western Maharashtra and in pockets in Vidarbha, and is seen to have the potential to influence election results in four of the state’s 48 Lok Sabha seats, and about 30-35 of the 288 Assembly seats.
Two prominent members of the community, Mahadev Jankar and Gopichand Padalkar, are with the ruling Mahayuti.
Jankar, founder of the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, which is part of the Mahayuti, is a former Maharashtra minister who lost the Lok Sabha election for the Parbhani seat to the candidate from the Shiv Sena (UBT). Padalkar is a BJP MLC.
Back in 2014, the community had rallied around the demand for inclusion in the ST category, and had backed the BJP-led alliance in the state. As Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis had promised a slew of welfare measures for the community.
However, there is currently no political issue that binds the community together, Hatkar said. “Most of them support their local leaders. In 2019 and in 2024 the community did not vote as a united bloc,” he said. Hatkar hopes that with Assembly elections approaching, the demand for grazing corridors would get some traction with political parties.
Uttar Pradesh
2014: U.P. Dhangars demand SC certificate
`Give SC certificate or 1.5L will convert'
Ishita Mishra The Times of India Dec 30 2014
Dhangar Community Warns UP
Representatives of the Dhangars -a caste of herders from Agra and nearby regions who were recognised in 1950 as Scheduled Caste -held a mahapanchayat in Agra in Dec 2014 and declared that if they were not given SC certificates in a month's time, they would convert en masse to Christianity.
They said the state government had done little for them. The community had received little help by way of education and employment, they had no pucca houses, and did not so much as have a certificate to show that they were an SC group.
Representatives of the community said that if the state government continued to neglect them, and if no certificate was granted to them in a month's time, showing them as SC, they would embrace Christianity .
Dhangars have a strong presence in the Braj region and across the state. Community chiefs said about 1.5 lakh people could join the Christian fold if the caste certificates were not forthcoming.
More than 300 representatives of the herding community from across the state attended the mahapanchyat at Hariyali Vatika in Agra in Dec 14 .
Representatives from Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Mathura, Gokul, Vrindawan, Etah, Firozabad, Aligarh and Mainpuri discussed the issue of their identity and status. Members expressed their resentment that the state government had been so cavalier about matters that related to their welfare.
JP Dhangar, state president of the Dhangar Mahasabha (UP), told The Times of India that his community was among the most neglected in the state. He said the government had been unmoved by HC orders, and no caste certificate had been issued to them in six decades.
“The Dhangars were declared a Scheduled Caste in 1950. Since then, we have been waiting for our caste certificates, and have been unable to avail the benefits that SCs receive. The Allahabad high court and the National SCST Commission have asked the UP government to get our caste certificates made as soon as possible. The process is delayed despite that,“ Dhangar said.
JP Dhangar said the high court had asked the state government to issue caste certificates to the community on July 10, 2006. The SCST commission directed the government to issue caste certificates to the community twice, in 2008 and 2012, he said.
“We have taken out hundreds of cycle rallies and protests and demonstrations. No heed has been paid to our demands. The government now has one month, from December 28, 2014 to January 28, 2015. It we do not receive caste certificates, we will all convert to Christianity,“ JP Dhangar said.
