UpdateBot at 16:10, 19 November 2021

2021-11-19T16:10:18Z

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A '''''gotul''''' is a [[tribal youth dormitory]] in form of a spacious [[hut (dwelling)|hut]] surrounded by earthen or wooden walls. It is an integral part of [[Gond people|Gond]] and Muria tribal life in regions of [[Chhattisgarh]] and the neighboring areas in Madhya Pradesh, [[Maharashtra]] and [[Andhra Pradesh]] in [[India]]. It is a place for youths, an independent and autonomous "children’s republic" as described by [[Verrier Elwin]]. The ''gotul'' is central to social and religious life in Gond society. According to Gond legend, Lingo, the supreme deity, created the first ''gotul''.<ref name="CGNet">{{citation|url=http://www.cgnet.in/FT/ghotul |publisher=GCNet |place=IN |title=Ghotul |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030033420/http://www.cgnet.in/FT/ghotul |archivedate=2007-10-30 }}.</ref>

==History and function==
Lingo, the supreme deity and the heroic ancestor of the tribe, was the founder of the first ''ghotul'', and is at the centre of the ''ghotul'''s culture. It has an elder facilitator with young, unmarried boys and girls as its members. Girl members of the ''ghotul'' are called ''motiaris'', while boy members are called ''cheliks''; their leaders are called the ''belosa'' and ''siredar'' respectively. The members are taught lessons of cleanliness, discipline, and hard work. They are taught to take pride in their appearance and to respect themselves and their elders. They are also taught the idea of [[public service]].

==Ghotul system of marriage==
The ''ghotul'''s social sanction makes it one of the most important social institution in Madia society—no major social activity could happen without participation of ''ghotul'' members. The boys act as [[acolyte]]s at festivals, the girls as [[bridesmaid]]s at weddings. This participation continues until death ceremonies in the society. With boys telling stories, asking riddles, reporting daily affairs, planning expeditions and allotment of duties, the ''ghotul'' is a place embedded in and nurtured by the larger socio-religious landscape of the Gond society—a sacred place where no wrongs can be committed.

The [[Madia Gond]] ''ghotuls'' are different from the Bastar ''ghotuls'' in that boys and girls return to their homes to sleep.<ref>{{citation | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=DEAlCTxJowUC&q=ghotul+madia&pg=PA718 | title = Maharashtra| isbn = 9788179911006| last1 = Bhanu| first1 = B. V.| year = 2004}}.</ref>

[[Verrier Elwin]] stated: "The message of the ghotul—that youth must be served, that freedom and happiness are more to be treasured than any material gain, that friendliness and sympathy, hospitality and unity are of the first importance, and above all that human love—and its physical expression—is beautiful, clean and precious, is typically Indian."<ref name = "CGNet" />

==References==
[http://ustjdp.com/ ustjdp.com]{{reflist}}

[[Category:Culture of Chhattisgarh]]

Ghotul - Revision history

UpdateBot at 16:10, 19 November 2021