Mythologies of the Jaunsari Tribe

June 11, 2024

The Jaunsari are a small community found in Uttarakhand, northern India, more specifically in the Jaunsar-Bawar region of the western portion of the state in Garhwal Division. They speak the Jaunsari language which is an Indo-Aryan language. Jaunsari is a generic term for many communities. Jaunsari community reveres ‘Mahasu Devta’ which is principal deity of Jaunsari community. Dance and music are integral part of Jaunsari culture. During festivals both men and women dance under the intoxication of the folk music. Local people perform folk dances such as Harul, Ghundiya Raso, Jhenta Raso, Jangbazi, Thoude, and many more. Fair like Moroj and Bissu are held which mark the harvesting period. As a society which resides in the harsh climate of the Himalayas, their clothing is primarily woollen oriented which would keep them warm. Their attire stands out from the rest of Uttarakhand.

The Jaunsari tribe has got the highest number of people in the state. Jaunsari tribe has got salient body features, resembling that of both the Mongoloid as well as Indo -Aryan groups who have settled in the Himalayan provinces. They claim themselves as the descendants of Pandavas of Mahabharata. They dwell in in Jaunsar in Dehradun, Jaunpur in Tehri Garhwal, Rawain in Uttarkashi and Purola region of Uttar Pradesh. They represent the three main classes, the Khasas as Rajput and Brahmins as high caste, the Luhar, Badai, Bajgi the artisan as the middle class and Harijan Dom, Koli, Kolta, Koi, Auj as the low caste. Khasa play the dominant and leading role in the social, economic and political life of all sections of polyandrous people. Among themselves they speak Jaunsari. Their common language of communication is Hindi. To sustain their livelihood, majority of these Jaunsari tribal communities have taken up the profession of labourers who use to work diligently in the forest grounds or in farms of the rich people. Since these Jaunsari tribes posses small amount of land, they could not adapt to cultivation. They depend on agriculture and animal husbandry to eke out their living. The Khasas have been land holders and cultivators. The traditional craft is weaving. The entire society of Jaunsari tribes is divided into several castes, namely Koltas and Khasas, each having their unique traits and ethnicity, which as a whole constitutes the culture of the Jaunsari tribal community. Marriage plays a vital role among the Jaunsari tribe. Amongst the Jaunsari tribes, the practice of polyandry is in vogue. Festivals and fairs are an integral part of the people of Jaunsari tribal community. Bissu, a type of fair marking the harvesting, is quite a significant one. Song and dance is part and parcel of the life of these Jaunsari tribes. Both men and women dance with the rhythm of melodious songs and music especially at the time of festivals and various social functions and affairs. Mahasu Devta is one of the principal deities whom each and every tribe of the Jaunsari community reveres. The devotees have brought out a procession every year in the month of August. Even a fair has been organized at that time.

The Jaunsari tribe is the second largest tribal group of Uttarakhand. The entire population of the state is scattered all over the state with more than 356 villages. They inhibit Jaunsar-Bawar (Upper Dehradun district) and Rawain (present day Uttarkashi). This group has a distinctive style of dressing and special cultural upbringing. The Jaunsari community is recognized as one of the rare polyandry societies in the world. Jaunsari are known to be Hindu but they do not worship Hindu deities. They have their own gods, the principal among them being Mahasu Devta. The Jaunsari Pahari live primarily in the northern state of Uttarakhand. The term "Pahari" can refer to any mountain dwelling people, but in North India it generally refers to the Indo-European speaking peoples of the Himalayas. The different Paharia groups can be distinguished by region, religion, and caste. With a culture over 4,000 years old and the world's second largest population, India contains a multitude of closely related people groups. Over thousands of years, these countless groups have migrated into this subcontinent, and many have maintained distinctive cultures. Today, more than 800 languages are spoken in India, and the complex caste system has further divided the people into an endless number of social classes. The Jaunsari caste system has only three categories: landowners, servants (those involved in a service occupation or art), and Brahmins (Hindu priests). One's "assignment" to a caste is determined by birth.

Jaunsari (Devanagari: जौनसारी) is a Western Pahari language of northern India spoken by the Jaunsari people in the Chakrata and Kalsi blocks of Dehradun district in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand state. The dialects of Jaunsari share about 60% of their basic vocabulary with each of the neighbouring varieties of Bangani, Jaunpuri, Nagpuriya and Sirmauri. Jaunsari was historically written in Jaunsari Script . The Devanagari script is being used these days in certain works. The language has no official status. According to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the language is of definitely endangered category, i.e. many Jaunsari children are not learning Jaunsari as their mother tongue any longer. The Ethnologue reports otherwise. In 2016, State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) announced that Garhwali, Kumaoni, Jaunsari and Rang languages would be introduced on pilot basis for students in standard one to 10th in government schools Under the ‘Know Your Uttarakhand’ project.