MYTHOLOGIES OF THE BHARWAD TRIBES

The Bharwad, also known as Gadariya Bharwad are a Hinducaste found in the state of Gujarat in India, primarily engaged in herding livestock. The Bharwads claim they are the descendants of Nanda from Gokul(Hinduism). According to Sudipta Mitra, historians believe the Bharwards arrived in northern Gujarat in the 10th century, They then spread out throughout Saurashtra. The Bharvads claim they used to live in Gokul with Krishna. Once, Kans ordered the weather deities to destroy Gokul. To protect the inhabitants and animals, Krishan created another Gokul on his pinky finger to shelter them. However, Kans captured all the Bharvad shepherds. Krishna then created another set of Bharvads and animals, which became known as Motabhai (big brother), while the Bharvads who had been released by Kans became known as Nanabhai. The mother of the Motabhais did not want to recognize the Nanbhais as Bharvads, and it was only at Krishna’s request that they were reaccepted into the community. In another version, the Bharvads enter a cave with their cows, which was actually a giant serpent owned by Brahma. Inside the cave was a duplicate universe, so the Bharvads never realized anything was amiss and did not leave. Krishna then created a new set of Bharvads to replace the ones who were lost. When Brahma released the trapped original Bharvads from his serpent, they became known as Nanabhai, while the ones created by Krishna became the Motabhai.

The Bharwad tribe forms a part of the Hindu caste. They are chiefly the residents of Gujarat in India. Few of them who inhabit in Saurashtra use Ahir as a surname. The Bharwad regard themselves as Nandvanshi Ahirs. The traditional occupation of the Bharwad tribe is that of shepherds. They were hence known as Bharwad. The term has been derived from the Gujarati word badawad. Here the word bada means sheep and wada meaning enclosure. The bharwads can be mainly located in Kutchh and Saurashtra. Legend has it that that these Bharwads had once helped a Chavda prince regain his kingdom. They are said to be the descendents of Anavil Bharwad. The Bharwada have been divided into two endogamous groups i.e. the Mota Bhai and Nanabhai. The later group, Nana bhai Bharwads has been further subdivided into clans such as Parmar, Meer, Jograna, Jograna, Dabhla, Satiya, Algotar, Sabhad, Sindhav, Boriya and many others. The Bharwad have been divided into a number of clans known as ataks. The clans include the Sindhav, Hadagda, Rathadia, Jadhav, Matia, Yadav, Santia, Bathela, Gomara, Kathodi, Mundhva, Dharangia, Colthar, Pancha, Dabi, Garia, Sasda, Babha, Lambari, Dhangla, Ker and Tota.

The Bharwad are a Hindu caste found in the state of Gujarat in India. Their exact population is unclear, but an older census numbered them around 98,000. The term Bharwad is thought to be a modified form of the word ‘Badawad’; ‘bada’ means sheep and ‘wada’ in Gujarati refers to compound or enclosure. Most of the people tend to be farmers, and are herders of cattle, goats and sheep. Their literacy rates are low and they are rarely educated beyond a primary level. Members of this tribe practice monogamy and marriages are arranged. The Bharwads believe they are descendants of Nanda, the foster-father of the supreme deity Krishna. As typical Hindus they pay special reverence to Krishna and are vegetarian. They believe in gods and goddesses like Machhu, Khodiar, Nag Bai, Mahamai, Chamunda, Sindhui, Jatral and Havechi. They also worship the sun, moon, earth, rivers, mountains, forests, trees, animals & snakes, and are known to practice witchcraft and magic. Some people still practice arranged marriages while their babies are in the womb; the engagement ceremony happens when they are 2 – 3 years old and the marriage happens between ages 18 – 20 for women, and 20 – 22 for men.

The Bharwad are tribals primarily engaged in herding livestock. The Bharwad name may derive from the Gujarati word badawad, constructed from bada (sheep) and wada (a compound or enclosure). The Bharwads have numerous subgroups known as ataks or guls (clans) whose main purpose is to determine eligibility for marriage. Constrained exogamy is practised between clans. Bharwad people are seen in whole Saurashtra region of Gujarat. The Bharwad in Saurashtra is divided into two endogamous groups viz., Mota Bhai and Nana Bhai. Basically the Bharwad tribe is nomadic. They move here and there due to their occupation of sheep and goat rearing; in search of water and grasses. Now some Bharwad started staying in a village where they construct their own house. They use Gujarati script and their language belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family. Bharwad tribe has number of Kudame (clan) and mostly clans are divided into many sub-clans. Bharwad tribes are pure vegetarians. They use Wheat, Millet, Kaffir, Maize, Pea, Green bean, Grams, dal, milk, Curd, buttermilk, Ghee and all local vegetables in their food. They drink tea. They have separate terms for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner i.e., Siramad, bapora and viyaro. They believe in Hindu religion and worship Hindu God and Goddess. They celebrate the festivals like- Hatam, Janmastami, Desara, Navratri, Diwali Bestuvaras, Holi, Rakhpacham etc.

The word Bharwad is a modification of the word Badawad, Bada means sheep and
wada means a compound or enclosure. Thus those people who owned cattle and
possessed open lands which were utilised as cattle sheds came to be called
Bharwads. Another nomenclature given to this group is Gadarieas, in South Gujarat
they are referred to as Ahirs. It is believed that these tribes originated near Gokul Vrindavan and thus the city of Mathura was their original home. They are said to have later migrated to Mewar in
Rajasthan and from there on moved further to Gujarat, sociologists also suggest that
these groups may have originated from Bharude, a community of cattle herders from
Madhya Pradesh. While the debate on the geographical origin is still ongoing, these
tribes are dominantly cattle herders, found in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region.

Bharwad tribe has drifted to Gujarat from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh and said to be followers of Lord Krishna. They are found in forested areas of Vadodara and peripheries of Gir forest of Junagarh district and mostly live by forest grazing. Bharwad males wear turban and cotton white trousers and woman wear backless top covered by veils and skirt along with heavy jewelleries. Their cloths are vibrant and mostly has designs of flowers, parrot and peacock. Bharwad tribe celebrate their annual Tarnetar fair along with Janmashthami and Navaratri. They eat non-vegetarian only on festivals and marraiges. It is said that the Bharwad tribe used to live in Uttar Pradesh earlier. The people of the Bharwad tribe were followers of Lord Krishna. At present, this tribe lives in the forest area of ​​Vadodara in Gujarat. This tribe is also famous for its costumes. Bharwad men wear white cotton trousers and turban. And feminist women have heavy jewelry and local clothes. The people of the bharwad tribe celebrate the festivals of Navratri and Janmashtmi every year, which is a moment of cheers and joy for them. At the same time, this TARNETAR Fair is organized. This tribe only feeds meat on festivals.

Garba is a popular dance form from Gujarat, whose name comes from the Sanskrit terms Garbha (womb) and Deepa (dance). It is traditionally danced around a central lamp or Goddess Shakti. Other spiritual dances, such as those of Sufi culture, contain comparable circular and spiral moves. This dance is done by Gujarati women and is associated with Shakti-Puja. It is thought to have originated in the worship of the goddess Jagdamba. Garba dance is performed for nine nights during the Navratri festival. This folk dance is given in a circle by the ladies at events such as Sharad Purnima, Vasant Panchami, and Holi.  During the performance, damru, tabla, nagara, Murli, Turi, and shehnai are commonly used as accompaniments, and the clothing includes a kedia, churidar and Ghagra choli along with elaborate jewelry sets with nose rings, bangles, anklets and earrings. The movements symbolize the life cycle from birth to death, with Goddess Shakti as the only constant. The dance depicts God as the only constant in an ever-changing universe, taking on a feminine form in Garba. Aside from that, there is a variation of Garba known as Garbi that is usually performed by men during religious festivals like Janmashtami.

The Bharvad claim to have descended from the cowherd playmates of the god Krishna and travelled with him in a migration from Mathura and Vrindavan in the north to the region surrounding the temple site of Jhajhawada in northern Gujarat. At Jhajhawada they parted company with Krishna who travelled onward to the tip of the peninsula and there established the capital at Dwarka. To this day the Bharvad mourn the parting and since that time, Bharvadi women have always worn a black wrap-around skirt. In Gujarat, the Bharvad divided into two groups, the Motabhai and the Nanabhai. These groups do not intermarry and have separate religious leaders. Both branches further divide into clans which intermarry. The Bharvad have traditionally exchanged stubble grazing rights in exchange for dung dropped during the night: a farmer permits a herd to graze on the stubble of his field after the crop is taken. In exchange the Bharvad sits his herd in the farmer’s field and gets a payment in grain as well. The dung dropped in the night is useful fertilizer. But with the advance made in high yielding hybrid varieties, it has become a necessity for the farmer to use new chemical fertilizers and insecticides. The animals feeding on the treated stubble contract new diseases that traditional cures cannot contain and veterinarians and modern medicine are inaccessible and expensive.

The Bharwad tribe are considered to be one of the most unique in India as they believe to be descended from a mythological family. According to their traditions, the Bharwads lived around Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. They later moved to Mewar, Rajasthan before later spreading out in Gujarat where many of them are. Many live in and around the Gir Forest National Park but they keep away from the actual forest when grazing their livestock because of the danger of Asiatic lions. They are typically treated in society as below many of the castes as they are rarely educated beyond primary level and mainly herd goats and sheep. But their social position has been improved as they are among the most urbanised of the region and have a niche position in supplying milk. In the modern day, pink and red shawls worn by both men and women is one of the most obvious identifiers. It is even worn by those who prefer to wear Western clothing. The desire to identify through clothing and also tattoos may highlight the community’s traditional lifestyle as a travelling tribe.

Hoodo, another popular folk dance of Gujarat, is a dance form of the Bharwad tribe, a shepherd community in Gujarat. The idea of ​​dance originated from the quarrel of the sheep. Furthermore, This dance is mimicked by the movements of two sheep that surround their heads.  The dancers as well as clap their hands vigorously and rhythmically while traditional instruments of dholak, harmonium, flute, kansi, Jada, and manjira are used as accompaniments.  Basically, Popular in the Panchal region of Gujarat, the beauty of the dance lies within the lavish costumes worn by the dancers.  An interesting part of the dress is the presence of an umbrella with beautiful embroidery patterns and the fine lace and mirror work are simply stunning.

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