Dhangar

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About: the pastoral community in Maharashtra and Goa


the town in Sagar district, India

Template:Pp-extended Template:Cleanup rewrite


The Dhangars is a caste or clan whose members are found in the Indian states of Maharashtra, northern Karnataka, Goa, and Madhya Pradesh. They are referred to as Gavli Dhangars in northern Maharashtra (Khandesh region) and the forested hill tracts of India's Western Ghats.[1][2][3]Template:Sfnp There are many distinct Gavli castes in Maharashtra, and Dhangar Gavli is one of them.Template:SfnpTemplate:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp

History

Etymology

The word "Dhangar" is inscribed in a Buddhist cave in Pune district of Maharashtra. It is believed that this inscription has its origin between the first and the third century AD. Multiple theories have been proposed for the origin of the word Dhangar. It may be associated with a term for "cattle wealth". Bhagwan Lal Indraji maintains that it is derived from the Sanskrit word Dhang which means 'hill'.Template:Sfnp Syed Siraj-Ul-Hassan noted that some people of his time believed the term to come from the Sanskrit "dhenugar" ("cattle herder") but dismissed that etymology as being "fictitious".Template:Sfnp In Kannada, the word Danagãra means 'cowherd' and is derived from Dana which means 'cattle'. Dana is the tadbhava of Dhana, which comes from Go-dhana, meaning 'cattle' in Sanskrit.[4]

According to Shamba Joshi, Hatakara-Dhanagara (Hatkar-Dhangar) is a compound of two words of the same meaning.[5]

Subdivisions

Initially there were twelve tribes of Dhangar, and they had a division of labour amongst brothers of one family. The nation around Hingoli was called Bara-Hatti which means country of twelve Hatkar-Dhangars. These twelve tribes later formed three sub-divisions and one half-division. These three being Hatkar (shepherd), Gavli or Dange (cowherd) and Khutekar (wool and blanket weaver)/Sangar. All sub-castes fall in either of these divisions.[6]Template:Sfnp

Historical migrations

The archaeological evidence and ethnographic data suggest that the contemporary Dhangar castes are the result of more than one migration from North-West India, between 4000 and 10000 BC.[3] The density and distribution patterns of the different groups of Dhangars seem to have been guided by the suitability of the region for the sustenance of the animals that they traditionally maintained and the products of those animals on which the specific groups subsisted. Ethno-historic investigations among the Dhangars suggest that the Kannade, Unnikankan and Kurmar who speak Kannada were originally from Karnataka and might have migrated to the present habitats in Maharashtra at different points of time. Whereas Hatkar, Zende, Thellari and Dange trace their origin to a single caste in the remote past, Shegars or Sagar Rajputs claim that they have nothing to do with the Dhangars and are descendants from Rajputs of Rajasthan. Ahirs speak "Ahrani", also known as Gavli boli,[7] a mixed dialect of Gujarati and Marathi and are closely related to the Ladshe and Dange who have supposedly come from Gujarat. On the other hand, Gadhari-Nikhar and Gadhari-Dhangar, having migrated from North India, speak Sanskrit and Hindi. Telangi speaks Telugu and probably migrated from Andhra Pradesh, the remaining groups speak Marathi.[3][8]

Past occupation

The Gavli or Dange Dhangars found in the coastal strip practiced cattle/buffalo/sheep herding and shifting cultivation.[1] ahir, Halmat, Khutekar, Kurmar-Unnikankan, Mendhe, Shegar, Telangi, Unnikankan and Zade herded sheep and wove woolen blankets. Dhangar, Hande, Hatkar, Hattikankan, Kannade, Kurmar-hattikankan and Zende reared only Sheep. However, Hatkars in Sangli district also maintained cattle and some Zendes used to maintain ponies. Thellaris herded both sheep and cattle. Sangars were weavers of woolen blankets.[9][10]Template:Sfnp In the past, some Dhangars were Inamdars and some were tenure-holders, holding lands either by a share or by paying a lump sum for a certain period.Template:Sfnp

File:Ponies used by Dhangar tribe of Maharashtra IMG 1795 (5).JPG
Ponies used by Dhangar tribe of Maharashtra

Dhangars were also known for producing fine breeds of cattle and ponies. Khillari cattle, a mixture with a breed of Mysore, was pioneered by a Dhangar of Nashik named Gowdia who owned cattle in Mysore state.Template:Sfnp Similarly, Dhangar or Khilari pony is considered the best breed of ponies in Deccan. It is believed that their superior excellence is due to the Dhangar's practice of castrating them.Template:Sfnp

Role in the Maratha Empire

Dhangars are noted for their martial qualities. A large number of Shivaji's most trusted Mawalas or Maratha footmen were West-Pune Dhangars.Template:Sfnp On the other hand, Hatkar Dhangars, who are found mainly in the former Nizam state, especially in Nanded, Parbhani and Vidarbha, are known as Bargi Dhangars or "shepherds with the spears" and were perhaps Bargirs or mounted troopers during the time of the Maratha Empire. However, Bargi or Bande Dhangar is a distinct sub-caste from them.Template:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp Hatkars were in the army of Shivaji in large numbers and were known for their bravery in the Maratha Empire. "Naik" and "Rao" were the titles given to them. Hatkars were a dread to others and even Nizam was afraid of them. It is on the historical record that for restraining the Hatkars, Nizam had sought help from the British Indian army.Template:Sfnp While some sources claim Malhar Rao Holkar, Founder of the Maratha Indore state, belonged to the Hatkar Dhangar sub-caste, the bakhars of Holkar dynasty say that he was a Khutekar Dhangar.Template:Sfnp Template:Blockquote Template:Blockquote

Relationship with Yadavs

According to the 1891 Census of India, the pastoral class of Indian population was divided into two groups. First group was called cattle graziers which included Ahirs, Gopas, Gawali and Golla. The second group was called shepherds which included Gadaria, Dhangars, Kuruba, Idaiyan, Bharwad and Rabari.[11]

In the early 1920s, the leaders from the North Indian Ahir and the Maharashtrian Gavli which were ritually considered as lower castes and formed the bulk of landless peasants in Gangetic plains, founded All India Yadav Mahasabha (AIYM) in order to lay claims to Yadava identity through sanskritisation of their constituents and by re-imagining a glorified past based on a fabricated descent from the mythical Yadu. Many castes across India adopted Yadav as the last name, illustrating claimed descent from Yadu. They also started practicing vegetarianism and teetotalism. Various communities, all over India, who were traditionally involved in cattle related occupations enthusiastically followed these recommendations.Template:Sfnp This effort was part of the process of Sanskritization and Aryanization.Template:SfnpTemplate:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp

Dhangar society in India includes Dhangars in Maharashtra and Goa, Gadaria in North India, Bharwad in Gujarat, and Kuruba both in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. However, Dhangar Gavli is a distinct caste from Yadav Gavli in Maharashtra and Goa.[1][12]Template:Sfnp Moreover, Ahirs of Maharashtra prefer to be known as Ahir Dhangars and Marathas of Indore (Madhya Pradesh), like Holkars, call themselves Dhangar gadaria. In North India the gadaria, who call themselves dhangar, were at one time a wing of Dhangar society. Ahir is one of the gotra of Dhangars.Template:Sfnp

Rajputisation attempt

The Shegar Dhangars, also known as Sagar Rajputs, were previously identified as shepherd by occupation and Shudra by Varna but later they changed their surname to Rajput and started wearing sacred thread.[13][14]

Culture

Khandoba (literally "father swordsman"), the guardian deity of the Deccan is the favorite god of the caste and is worshiped every Sunday and on Saturday – the light sixth of Margashirsha day – with offerings of sweetmeats. Vithoba of Pandharpur is worshiped daily in every household.Template:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp Biroba and Mhaskoba are other popular gods amongst Dhangars.Template:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp

Gaja Nach, which literally means the dance of elephant, is a traditional dance of the Dhangars. Since it is considered auspicious, the dance is also performed at the time of temple festivals. The dancers also hold colorful scarves which when moved in a swaying manner suggest the fanning of elephant's ears.Template:Sfnp

Dhangari Ovi is a type of folk singing, which is about women's work songs and the epic-length performances of Dhangars, in which sung verses alternate with narrative passages in prose.Template:Sfnp

Current situation

Traditionally being shepherds, cowherds, buffalo keepers, blanket and wool weavers, butchers and farmers, the Dhangars were late to take up modern-day education. In Maharashtra, the Dhangars are classified as a Nomadic Tribe but in 2014 were seeking to be reclassified as a Scheduled Tribe in India's system of reservation.[15] The Dhangar community's population in Maharashtra is around 1.5 crore, which is 13% of the total 11.25 crore (112.5 million) population of the state. Devendra Fadnavis, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, had said that "The situation of the Dhangars in some areas of the state was worse than that of Scheduled Tribes, and the government was committed to providing them reservation under the ST category".[16]

Reservation

As per India's system of reservation, Dhangars are classified as Other Backward Class in Goa,[17] Karnataka,[18] Gujarat,[19] Madhya Pradesh,[20] Chhattisgarh,[21] Uttar Pradesh,[22][23] Uttarakhand[24] and Delhi.[25] In Maharashtra, they are classified as a Nomadic Tribe, which comes under Other Backward Class category.[8][26][27]

Dhangar vs Dhangad issue in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra

Dhangar (shepherds) is a sub-caste of the Gadaria caste in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the Kuruba caste in Karnataka and the Bharwad caste in Gujarat.[20][25][21][18][19] Gadaria, Kuruba are classified as Other Backward Class in those respective states while Bharwad is classified as Scheduled Tribe in Gujarat, in India's system of reservation.[24][22] In Maharashtra, the Dhangars come under Nomadic Tribe category within the larger Other Backward Class category.[8][26][27] On the other hand, Dhangad (cultivators), also known as Oraon, Dhanka and Dom, are listed as Scheduled Tribes in the states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. In Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal Dhangad or Dom is listed as Scheduled Caste whereas Oraon as Scheduled Tribe.[28][29]

According to the 27th report of Standing Committee on Labour and Welfare with regards to SCs and STs order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2002:[30]Template:Blockquote

On 17 January 2019, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI) wrote a letter to the Principal Secretary to the Government of Uttar Pradesh stating the difference between Dhangar and Gadaria, and that the Hindi version of the word Dhangar is धंगड़ (Dhangad), which is classified as Scheduled Caste in Uttar Pradesh, as per the Gazette notification issued in 1950 by the President/Indian Government. They recommended that the Gadaria community's धनगर (Dhangar) should not be included in the Scheduled Caste category and rather belong to the Other Backward Class category in the state of Uttar Pradesh.[23]

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ecology of a pastoral caste: Gavli Dhangars of peninsular India. Human Ecology({Template:Date).
  2. ↑ Govt gives another push to get ST tag for Dhangar-Gouly. The Times of India(2020-09-09). Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Patterns of Variation in a Caste-Cluster of Dhangars of Maharashtra, India. Collegium Antropologicum({Template:Date).
  4. ↑ ETYMOLOGY OF PLACE-NAMES PAṬṬI-HAṬṬI: Some observations on the History of Mahārāṣṭra & Karṇāṭaka. Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute({Template:Date).
  5. ↑ ETYMOLOGY OF PLACE-NAMES PAṬṬI-HAṬṬI: Some observations on the History of Mahārāṣṭra & Karṇāṭaka. Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute({Template:Date).
  6. ↑ Landscapes in Conflict: Flocks, Hero-stones, and Cult in Early Medieval Maharashtra. Studies in History({Template:Date).
  7. ↑ Critical Enquiry Vol.VI Issue IV. Oct.- Dec. 2014
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Template:Cite report
  9. ↑ Haptoglobin and acid phosphatase gene distributions in the Dhangars of Maharashtra, India. Journal of Genetics({Template:Date).
  10. ↑ The ecological basis of the geographical distribution of the Dhangars a pastoral caste cluster of Maharashtra. South Asian Anthropologist({Template:Year).
  11. ↑ Template:Cite report
  12. ↑ Govt gives another push to get ST tag for Dhangar-Gouly. The Times of India(2020-09-09). Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  13. ↑ Land Tenure and Peasant in South Asia{{#if:Frykenberg|, Frykenberg}. Manohar(1984)
  14. ↑ Inside-Outside: Two Views of Social Change in Rural India{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. SAGE Publications(2013-10-30). ISBN 9788132118657
  15. ↑ Demands for quotas from new groups add to Maharashtra govt's woes. DNA(10 February 2014). Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  16. ↑ Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis promises quota for Dhangar community. The Economic Times. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  17. ↑ Template:Cite report
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Template:Cite report
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Template:Cite report
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Template:Cite report
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Template:Cite report
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Template:Cite report
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Adivasis and the Indian State: Deliberately misclassified as SC, Dhangar tribe in UP is being deprived of its constitutional rights. Firstpost.com(2019-08-29). Retrieved 2019-08-29.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Template:Cite report
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Template:Cite report
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Maharashtra's OBC communities not happy with HC ruling on Maratha quota(2019-06-28).
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Maharashtra Dhangar community to launch statewide agitation to press for quota under ST category(2020-09-21).
  28. ↑ Template:Cite report
  29. ↑ Template:Cite report
  30. ↑ Template:Cite report
  31. ↑ The Indian Princes and their States{{#if:Ramusack|, Ramusack}. Cambridge University Press(2004). ISBN 9781139449083
  32. ↑ Urban Politics in India: Area, Power, and Policy in a Penetrated System{{#if:Jones|, Jones}. University of California Press(1974). ISBN 978-0-520-02545-5
  33. ↑ Marathwada University Journal - Volumes 17-18{{#if:Khanolkar|, Khanolkar}. Marathwada University(1979)
  34. ↑ Education and the Disprivileged Nineteenth and Twentieth Century India{{#if:Bhattacharya|, Bhattacharya}. Orient BlackSwan(2002). ISBN 9788125021926
  35. ↑ They'd like you to caste your vote(August 2019).
  36. ↑ Former BJP minister Dange joins NCP(2006-09-30).
  37. ↑ Government positive about the reservation of Dhangar community: Uddhav Thackeray.
  38. ↑ Dy CM Babu Kavlekar on appointment of Shri N. D. Agrawal (G.C.S) as Advisor for Dhangars community(August 2019).
  39. ↑ Goa Gets Four New Ministers in Cabinet Reshuffle, Chandrakant Kavlekar to Become New Deputy CM(July 2019).
  40. ↑ Vidhansabhet Dhangar samajachi sankhya pachavarun ekvar(2019-11-02).
  41. ↑ At 94, Deshmukh ready for 11th term(October 2014).
  42. ↑ BJP poaches Dhangar leader to take on Ajit Pawar(2019-10-01).
  43. ↑ Maharashtra Cabinet expansion: 11 ministers sworn in, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray skips ceremony(8 July 2016). Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  44. ↑ Pawar vs Ram Shinde, an eyeball to eyeball conflict(2019-10-18).
  45. ↑ Dr Vikas Mahatme raises Dhangar reservation demand in Rajya Sabha - Times of India. The Times of India. Retrieved 2018-09-16.

Bibliography

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  • The Shepherds of India{{#if:Shashi|, Shashi}. Sundeep Prakashan, 1978(2011)
  • Rise of a Folk God: Vitthal of Pandharpur South Asia Research{{#if:Dhere|, Dhere}. Oxford University Press, 2011(2011). ISBN 9780199777648
  • The World of Nomads{{#if:Shashi|, Shashi}. Lotus Press(2006). ISBN 978-81-8382-051-6
  • The Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia Language, Material Culture and Ethnicity{{#if:Erdosy|, Erdosy}. Walter de Gruyter(1995). ISBN 9783110144475
  • Caste, Conflict and Ideology{{#if:O'Hanlon|, O'Hanlon}. Cambridge University Press(2002). ISBN 978-0-521-52308-0
  • The Politics of the Urban Poor in Early Twentieth-Century India{{#if:Gooptu|, Gooptu}. Cambridge University Press(2001). ISBN 978-0-521-44366-1
  • The Myth of the Lokamanya: Tilak and Mass Politics in Maharashtra{{#if:Cashman|, Cashman}. University of California Press(1975). ISBN 978-0-52002-407-6
  • This Fissured Land: An Ecological History of India{{#if:Guha|, Guha}. University of CaliforniaPress(1993). ISBN 0520082966
  • Caste in India: its Nature, Function and Origins, third edition{{#if:Hutton|, Hutton}. Oxford University Press(1961)
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  • Maharashtra: Land and its people{{#if:Pathak|, Pathak}. Maharashtra State Gazetteer(2009)
  • Pastoralists and Nomads in South Asia{{#if:Sontheimer|, Sontheimer}. O. Harrassowitz(1975). ISBN 9783447015523
  • Gonds Of The Central Indian Highlands, Volume II{{#if:Mehta|, Mehta}. Concept Publishing Company(1984). ISBN 9788170228509
  • A Dictionary of the Economic Products of India{{#if:Watt|, Watt}. Cambridge University Press(2014). ISBN 9781108068765
  • Socio-economic Archaeology of India{{#if:Dhavalikar|, Dhavalikar}. Archaeological Survey of India, 2014(2014)
  • India's Silent Revolution: The Rise of the Lower Castes in North India{{#if:Jaffrelot|, Jaffrelot}. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers(2003). ISBN 978-1-85065-670-8
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  • A social history of the Deccan, 1300–1761: eight Indian lives. Cambridge University Press.
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Further reading

  • Baviskar, B.S., "Co-operatives and caste in Maharashtra: A case study". Sociological Bulletin, XVIII:2:1969:148-166.
  • Chaubey Ganesh, "The Dhangar Songs", Folklore, Vol. I No 4, Calcutta, 1958, pp. 22–25.
  • Malhotra, K., 1980a, "Inbreeding among the four Dhangar castes of Maharashtra. India". Collegium antropologicum, 3.
  • Malhotra, K., 1980b, "Matrimonial distances among four Dhangar castes of Maharashtra", South Asian Anthropology, 1.
  • Malhotra, K., 1984, "Population structure among the Dhangar caste cluster of Maharashtra", in J.R. Lukacs (ed.), The People of South Asia.
  • Prasad Satyanarain. "Modern education among the tribals of Bihar in the second half of the 19th century". Man in India, LI:4:1971:365-393.
  • Saksena, R.N., and Chinchalkar, "Dhangars and Gadariyas: The Most backward divisions of Indian tribes and caste". Vanyajati, XXV:2: 1977:14–17.
  • Prof. Prabhu N Kokane,"Socio-Legal" Identification of Scheduled Castes/Tribes & Backward Classes (2007). Nanded, Maharashtra.

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