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Ethnic group
Banjara
Total population
ca. 5.6 million
Regions with significant populations
Andhra Pradesh2.2 million
Karnataka1.1 million
Maharashtra0.9 million
Madhya Pradesh0.4 million
Rajasthan0.3 million
Languages
Lambadi, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Marathi
Religion
Hinduism
Related ethnic groups
other Hindustani populations

The Banjara are a class of usually ascribed as nomadic people from the Indian state of Rajasthan, North-West Gujarat, and Western Madhya Pradesh and Eastern Sindh province of pre-independence Pakistan. They claim to belong to the clan of Agnivanshi Rajputs, and are also known as Banjari, Pindari, Bangala, Banjori, Banjuri, Brinjari, Lamani, Lamadi, Lambani, Labhani, Lambara, Lavani, Lemadi, Lumadale, Labhani Muka, Goola, Gurmarti, Gormati, Kora, Sugali, Sukali, Tanda, Vanjari, Vanzara,and Wanji Together with the Domba, they are sometimes called the "Gypsies of India".

They are divided in three tribes, Maturia, Labana, and Charan.

Distribution

The Banjara have spread to Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and other states of India. About half their number speak Lambadi, one of the Rajasthani dialects, while others are native speakers of Hindi, Telugu and other languages dominant in their respective areas of settlement. Rathod, Parmar, Pawar, Chauhan, castes belong to Banjara community in Rajasthan and Gujarat now are in General Seats after the communal rights taken place in Rajasthan for Reservation in 2008 as they were landlords in Amarkot, Fathaykot and Sialkot before Partition of India and Pakistan. They are an ST in Andhra Pradesh (where they are listed as Sugali), Orissa, Karnataka (SC), Haryana, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh.

The word Banjara is a deprecated, colloquial form of the word of Sanskrit origin. The sanskit bi-word Vana chara transliterated as "Forest wanderers", presumably because of their primitive role in the Indian society as forest wood collectors and distributors.

Culture

Food

The traditional food of Lambadis is Bati which is Roti. Daliya is a dish cooked using many cereal (wheat, jawar). Banjara people are very much fascinated about non-vegetarian food. Saloi (made from goat blood and other parts of goat) is a non-vegetarian dish made exclusively by Banjara people. They prefer eating spicy food.

Dress

Women are known to wear colorful and beautiful costumes like phetiya (as ghagra) and kanchalli (as top) and have tattoos on their hands. The dress is considered fancy and attractive by Western cultures. They use mirror chips and often coins to decorate it. Women put on thick bangles on their arms (patli). Their ornaments are made up of silver rings, coins, chain and hair pleats are tied together at the end by chotla.

Men wear Dhoti and Kurta (short with many folds). These clothes were designed specially for the protection from harsh climate in deserts and to distinguish them from others.

Arts, literature and entertainment

Their customs, language and dress indicate they originated from Rajasthan. They live in settlements called thandas. They lived in zupada (hut). Now many of them live in cities. They have a unique culture and dance form. On many occasions they gather, sing and dance.

Their traditional occupation is agriculture and trade. Banjaras are also a group of nomadic cattle herders.

The accurate history of Lambanis or Lambadis or Banjaras is not known but the general opinion among them is that they fought for Prithvi Raj against Muhammad of Ghor. The trail of the Lambadi/Banjara can be verified from their language, Lambadi borrows words from Rajasthani, Gujarati, Marathi and the local language of the area they belong to.

Banjaras originally belong to Rajasthan and they were Rajputs who migrated to southern parts of India for trade and agriculture. They settled down in the southern or central area of the country and slowly loosened contacts with Rajasthan, and their original community. Over a period of time both the communities separated and they adopted the local culture. The language spoken by Banjaras settled in Yavatmal district of Vidarbha, Maharashtra is an admixture of Hindi, Rajasthani and Marathi. The word "Banjara" must have evolved from Prakrit and Hindi and Rajasthani words "Bana/Ban or Vana/Van" meaning Forest or Moorlands and "Chara" meaning 'Movers'. The Banjara are (together with the Domba) sometimes called the "Gypsies of India".

Lambadi Dance is a special kind of dance of Andhra Pradesh. In this form of dance, mainly the female dancers dance in tune with the male drummers to offer homage to their Lord for a good harvest. At Anupu village near Nagarjunakonda, Lambadi dance originated. They are actually semi-nomadic tribes who are gradually moving towards civilization. This dance is mainly restricted among the females and rarely the males participate in Lambadi dance. Lambadi is a special kind of Folk Dance which involves participation by tribal women who bedeck themselves in colorful costumes and jewelry.

Related communities

In Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, there are several communities of Muslim Banjaras, who are simply Muslim converts from the Banjara caste. The Muker, another Muslim community also traces its ancestry from the Banjara. Three other castes that claim kinship with the Banjara are the Labana of Punjab, the Gawaria of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and Lavana of Rajasthan.

Banjara Marriage Culture

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The banjaras are grouped into 4 categories called gotras. The lambadi language term for gotra is Goth/Pada. The gotras are 1. Rathod/Bhukya , 2.Chavan, 3.Amgot/Pawar 4.Jadhav/Vadtya. Under each of these gotras there are several Jaaths. People falling in the same Gotra don't marry, they are considered brother and sister. The term for this is Bhaipana meaning brotherhood. If people fall under different gothras and can marry, the term used is Laagach means can marry. People usually have their jaath name as the surname, A detailed Jaath check of which jaath can marry which jaath and whom they fall under can be done at banjarapoint website in their jaath check / gotras check page. This was traditionally done by people called dhadi bhaats who were kind of knowledge agents/Knowledge experts.

The Rahtod/Bhukya Gotra/category has been said to have split into 2 making Banoth as a separate gotra by itself. So some people say there are 5 gotras.Turi(badawat)is also said to be an additional gotra. It means there are 6 gotras can be said.

Examples of Banjara Marraige Culture

Bhaipana example Ghugloth (Vadtiya) and Aajmera (Vadtiya) cannot marry as fall under same category i.e Vadtiya and they are brother and sister.

Laagacha example Ghugloth (Vadtiya) and Bhukya (Rathore) can marry as they fall under different categories, i.e Ghugloth falls under Vadtiya and Bhukya Falls under Rathore/Rathod.

A detailed check of who can marry whom and which gotra they fall under can be done at banjarapoint website.

banjarapoint.com is the first and only website in the world to codify the banjara marriage culture into software. It was coded by 2 banjara software engineers.

Notable Banjara people

  • Sreedhar Naik Bhukya Ph.D Computer Science,University of Hyderabad,Andhra Pradesh
  • Ramuji Naik, Rathod, Izardar of Yeoli, Distt. Yavatmal, Maharashtra state, India.
  • Reshma (b. ca. 1947), Pakistani singer
  • Vasantrao Naik, Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1963 until 1975
  • Sudhakarrao Naik (1934–2001), Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1991 until 1993
  • Ranjit Naik (22 October 1933 – 30 July 2004), architect and social worker
  • B.T.Lalita naik, Karnataka, poet
  • Revu Naik Belamgi MLA, Gulbarga Rural
  • Prabhu Chouhan MLA, Aurad Tq. Dist: Bidar
  • Late L.Narsingh Naik, M.A., M.Phil., B.Ed., Ex. Member of Parliament from Andhra Pradesh (Nalgonda District), the leader with intelligent and courage in making the Telangana Lambadies into the ST category in 1976. First Lambadi Post Graduate(1970).

.Sunil J. Rathod.( Art Directer FILM CITY MUMBAI)(Raipur Tanda Tq. Kinwat Dist. Nanded) .Anprosh J. Jadhav ( Production Executive in KPCL Kherdi D & NH)

See also

References

  1. population figures from joshuaproject.net
  2. (sir.), Alfred Comyn Lyall (1870). "Appendix A : Sketch of Banjáras of Berár". Gazetteer for the Haidarábád assigned districts commonly called Berár. Printed at the Education Society's Press. p. 195. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  3. "Lambanis or Gypsies". Kamat. Retrieved 3 October 2007.
  4. The Sansis of Punjab; a Gypsy and De-notified Tribe of Rajput Origin, Maharaja Ranjit Singh- The Most Glorious Sansi, pp 13, By Sher Singh, 1926-, Published by , 1965, Original from the University of Michigan
  5. Tribalism in India, pp 160, By Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya, Edition: illustrated, Published by Vikas, 1978, Original from the University of Michigan
  6. Sociological Bulletin,pp 97, By Indian Sociological Society, Published by Indian Sociological Society., 1952
  7. Indian Librarian edited by Sant Ram Bhatia, pp 220, Published by, 1964 Item notes: v.19-21 1964-67, Original from the University of Michigan
  8. "Two, Ranjit Singh who seemingly got “total ascendancy” in Punjab was not a Jat but a Sansi...", Sangat Singh, MCLEOD AND FENECH AS SCHOLARS ON SIKHISM AND MARTYRDOM, Presented in International Sikh conferences 2000, www.globalsikhstudies.net
  9. The Sikhs in History, pp 92, By Sangat Singh, Edition: 2, Published by S. Singh, 1995, Original from the University of Michigan
  10. Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society, Page 114, Gypsy Lore Society - 1912
  11. The History of the Panjab, Page 335, Syed Muhamad Latif, Calcutta, Central Press Company, Limited, 1891
  12. Sir Lepel Griffin, Punjab Chiefs, Vol. 1, p 219 "...and from Sansi the Sindhanwalias and the Sansis have a common descent. The Sansis were the theivish and degraded tribe and the house of Sindhanwalia naturally feeling ashamed of its Sansi name invented a romantic story to account for it. But the relationship between the nobles and the beggars, does not seem the less certain and if history of Maharaja Ranjit Singh is attentively considered it will appear that much his policy and many of his actions had the true Sansi complexion"

External links

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