Entry

Tribals in Rajasthan.

Apr 4th, 2008 03:46
kumar gaurav, http://www.rajasthantravelguide.co.in/

From the beginning of man's presence in the area that is now called
Rajasthan, till around 1400 BC, the Bhil and Mina tribes roamed and
ruled the land. The Aran invasion, representedby horse-drawn chariots
and superior bows and arrows,seems to have tyrannised tribal migrations
to the south and the east.Pushed into the natural hideouts-forests and
the ancient and craggy Aravalli ranges, the Bhil and Mina tribes
survived more easily. The northern, nomadic ethnic instrusions continued
into Rajasthan.They were represented by the Sakas, Kusanas, Abhiras,
Hunas and more.Quite a large number of these invaders are now covered by
the blanket term Rajput whose royal lineage stood upon the ruins of the
Gurjara-Pratihara empire.All too naturally, the warrior-invaders fitted
the Aryan martial caste of Kshatriyas which in time came to be divided
into 36 Rajput clans.
Bhils-the bowmen of Rajasthan
The generic term which describes their tribe apparently derives its name
from bil, meaning bow, which describes their original talent and
strength. History corroborates the legends which tell of the Bhil
superiority in archery.From the Mahabharatha emerges Eklavya,a Bhil who
surpassed the skill of Arjuna only to be repressed by the comand of his
guru.The Ramayana tells of Valia, the Bhil bandit who reformed with the
blesings of saraswati, the goddess of learning, to become valmiki, the
renowned poet-sage.
Minas-the militant defenders
The Minas are not just Rajasthan's largest tribal group-they are also
the most widely spread. In the north, they inhabit the Jaipur-Sikar belt
of Shekawati, continuing into Alwar district. The Mina tribesusually
have at all, athletic build with sharp features, large eyes, thick lips
and a light brown complexion.
Gaduliya Lohars-the nomadic blacksmiths
The Gaduliya Lohars derive their beautiful bullock carts, or gadis that
have taken them wandering from their original land, Mewar, to different
parts of India.Legend has it that they were committed to fight on behalf
of Rana Prathap who battled bravely against the Mugul Emperor, Akbar
when Maharana Prathap was ousted from Chittaur and he fought the
historic battle of Haldighati, the Gaduliya Lohars were a clean of
warring Rajputs who swore to enter the Merwar stronghold of Chittaur
only after the victory of their Maharana.
Garasias-the 'fallen' Rajputs
According to the legend,the Garasia tribals are descended from the
chauhan Rajputs of Jalore in south-west Rajasthan.Some six centuries
ago, after defeat in a battle, they fled to the hills,where they mingled
their blood,their myths and rituals with the local Bhil tribals, to
become a distinct group. The Garasias have an interesting custom of
marriage through elopement which usually takes place on the occasion of
the annual gaur fair held during the full moon of March-April. The
Garasis celebrate 'nyat', a feast of honour, for their dead which is
performed only on Mondays and a stone memorial called 'sura' is erected
after the cremation.
Sahariyas-the jungle dwellers
The Sahariyas possibly derive their name from 'sher' or juncle in
Persian. Although they are belived to be an offshoot of the Bhils,they
supposedlyearned this name from the Muslim ruler of Shahbad, since they
had chosen to make their ho0me in the juncle hideouts of the Shahbad
district of Kota, and in the neibhouring regions of Jhalawar, Sawai,
Madhopur, Durgarpur and Udaipur.
Damors-the migrated tribe
The small l community of Damours seems to have moved northwards from
their original home in Gujarat to settle inDungarpur and Udaipur districts.
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