Mythologies of the Thakar Tribe

We are Thakars, Thakars.. the butterflies of the woods

The Thakar tribe, an indigenous Adivasi community recognized as a Scheduled Tribe under Indian law, inhabits primarily the forested and hilly regions of Maharashtra's Konkan area, including districts such as Thane, Raigad, and Sindhudurg, with a recorded population of 487,696 in the state as of the 2001 census. Originally forest-dwellers with semi-nomadic lifestyles centered on hunting, gathering, and resource extraction—practices curtailed by modern regulations—they have transitioned largely to agriculture and animal husbandry, though many remain economically marginalized with high illiteracy rates exceeding 55% and persistent poverty. Distinguished by their rich intangible cultural heritage, the Thakar are custodians of Chitrakathi, a traditional folk art form entailing the creation of sequential hand-painted scrolls (pothis) depicting mythological narratives from epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, accompanied by live oral recitation and performative gestures to engage village audiences. This nomadic storytelling tradition, historically tied to their itinerant craftsmen roles, underscores their role in preserving pre-modern oral histories and communal entertainment, alongside dances such as Dandar (performed in traditional attire during weddings and festivals) and Indaar, which emphasize rhythmic harmony with natural elements. Their ecological knowledge, documented in uses of over 140 medicinal plant species and sustainable forest practices, highlights adaptive survival strategies amid environmental pressures, though urbanization threatens cultural continuity and land access. The Thakar tribe, an Adivasi community indigenous to Maharashtra, traditionally occupied the hilly and forested terrains of the Sahyadri mountain range, particularly in North Konkan. Their early settlements consisted of small, dispersed hamlets termed padas, situated on elevated plateaus and slopes to exploit forest resources for subsistence activities such as gathering and hunting. Detailed historical records on their precise origins are limited, with ethnographic observations indicating a pre-colonial presence tied to these rugged landscapes rather than documented migrations from distant regions. The tribe's adaptation to the Western Ghats' ecology suggests an ancient habitation pattern, consistent with other Adivasi groups in the area, though lacking corroboration from archaeological findings specific to the Thakar. For much of their early history, the Thakar maintained a semi-nomadic lifestyle, shifting between seasonal camps within their core territories to follow natural cycles of flora and fauna availability. This mobility, documented in mid-20th-century surveys, underscores their integration with the local environment prior to increased sedentarization influenced by colonial and post-independence policies.

The movie Jait Re Jait, a 1977 Filmfare award winning Marathi language film, directed by Dr. Jabbar Patel, is based on a book by G. N. Dandekar. Its story revolves around the Thakar tribal caste, where Nagya, the protagonist (played by Dr. Mohan Agashe), is a drummer, obsessed with being ‘punyavant’ or pure. He meets Chindhi, (played by the evergreen actress late Ms. Smita Patil) who has abandoned her ineffectual husband. Nagya and Chindhi fall in love and the story unravels their struggle to find union. The movie delivers the message, that if you want to achieve your goals, you should be willing to take efforts, even if it means paying the ultimate price! Additionally, more crucial to the theme, the film depicts the beliefs of the people who worship a bare mountain peak, called ‘Lingana’, as their god. So entwined is this god or force of nature in their lives, that it finds mention as the flora and fauna, the day and night, in every alternate phrase of the tribe’s folk songs. Interestingly, highlighting their close relationship with nature, the people of the tribe also count their days and identify seasons by referring to the colours of leaves and trees. In their folksongs, the Thakar tribe address themselves as the ‘birds of this jungle’. This whole process of making the dhol is intriguing and interesting. It not only shows the amount of patience the tribal members have, but also how wholly dependent they are on nature for meeting their needs and requirements. The patience, intricacies and excitement depicted in this relationship reveals how the people seek joy in nature and in the smaller things of life.

We are the Thakar tribe of state of Maharashtra. Thakar community is considered to be a scheduled tribe with a population of 2000 and the same is sub-divided into thirty six (36) sub-castes or group-castes (Sub-caste is also known as Jamat). Many individuals from this tribe were craftsmen of one type of the other. The main occupation was to move from village to village and entertain people. Many of them used to work as spies of rules and especially during the reign of Maratha Kings, they were very active. Under the pretext of narrating episodes from Ramayana and the Mahabharata through pictures, puppets and other visual aids they used to establish closer contact with the people, in order to extract political secrets and to furnish such information to the village heads. They were granted lands by the rulers for the livelihood so that they could carry on this work without difficulty. Later when the royal patronage were discontinued, people of the tribe opted for several petty occupations such as fishing, laboring in fields, cultivating their own small piece of land or wandering to demonstrate their crafts. A few individuals belonging to the earlier generations were puritan and they opted for the Varkari cult. That is, they were devotees of Vithoba of Pandharpur, so used to travel upto Pandharpur and back on foot once every year. The language they used for narration is Marathi, which they are said to have learnt from the Brahmins. They also have learnt Puranas like Harivijay, Ramvijay, Bhagwat Puran, Pandav Pratap etc. they make use of the musical instruments like tuntune, tal, ekatari etc., as accompainments to their narration. This narration is mostly lyrical.

Thakar community is considered to be a scheduled tribe with a population of 2000 and the same is sub-divided into thirty-six (36) sub-castes or group-castes. Many individuals from this tribe were craftsmen of one type or the other. The main occupation was to wander from village to village and entertain people by narrating episodes from Ramayana and the Mahabharata through pictures, puppets and other visual aids. The Thakar Adivasi Kala Aangan is the first museum of Thakar traditional folk arts, crafts and forms of dance – drama in India, which is situated in ancestral village of Pinguli in Southern Maharashtra. Shri Parshuram V. Gangavane – Founder is working to preserve the traditional Thakar folk art locally and performing it on national level since last 35 years. The trust undertakes ongoing activities in ‘Guru Shiksha Parampara’ , conservation of original art materials and promotion of this beautiful range of folk art. The language they used for narration is Marathi. They also have learnt Puranas like Harivijay, Ramvijay, Bhagwat Puran, Pandav Pratap etc. They make use of the musical instruments like tuntune, tal, ekatari etc. as accompainments to their narration. This narration is mostly lyrical. Like Shri. Parshuram Gangavane his sons, Eknath & Chetan Gangavane are also contributing towards the development of Chitrakathi Paintings and preserve the ancient art form of Pinguli. They also founded Vishram Thakar Adivasi Kala Aangan Charitable Trust in 2007 with a vision of conserving age old Thakar Tribal and Folk Art and spreading it to various parts of the country and overseas. Through this trust, Mr. Gangavane & his family, conducts various training classes for schools, colleges and art lovers.

The Thakars were originally living in all the hilly areas of Sahyadri in Maharashtra,a jawhar,Mokhada, vikramgadh,wada,Bhiwandi talukas in Thane district.their surnames are like morgha, bhore, bambare, Barathe (Baratha), kawh, chibhade, gavte, madi, khutade, govind, vishe, ghugse, Mali & murbad, Shahapur taluka m-Thakur Sure name Wagh, Kavte, Darwada,Ughada, Nirguda, Pardhi, Shid,Mengal,Kevhari, Bhasma, Sawala,T hombre,shende, songal etc.belonging to ka-thakar. a Karjat Khalapur, Panvel, Sudhagad and Pen talukas of Raigad district, Kannad, Khultabad,and Soegaon Talukas of Aurangabad Akole taluka in Ahmednagar districts etc. in the Indian state of Maharashtra in India. They are also found in Satara, Solapur, Aurangabad, Dhule and Jalgaon and scattered all over Maharashtra in the course of time in search of a livelihood. According to the survey of Dr. Ramesh Suryawanshi their population in Aurangabad district is near about 18000. They are distributed in Kannad, Khultabad, Soegaon tehsils of Aurangabad district and Nandgaon tehsil of Nasik District. Their hutments or dwellings are spread in Ajanta range in 30 to 40 spots. and their surnames are like Lendi, Pingale, Pardhi, Mengal, Fasale, Thombre, Aagiwale, Pathave, Aghan, Madhe, Savat,Shinde,More,Chavan in various 30 names. According to the 1941 Census, the population of these indigenous people was 22,182 in the district. As per 2001 census, the population of the Thakurs/Thakars in Maharashtra was 487,696 and the literacy rate was 50.9%. Some Thakar Tribals Came from Sahyadri and are living in Sindhudurg district also.(ref.The Gazette Of Sawantawadi Sansthan) They are scattered in Sindhudurg and are living since 400 years in Sindhudurg. Their population in Sindhudurg District is near about 6000. They are also called by other names like Thakar, Thakur, Ka Thakar, Ma Thakar (क ठाकर,म ठाकर) Ka Thakur and Ma Thakur (क ठाकुर,म ठाकुर). It comes under ST Category which consists of 47 tribes. Thakars and Thakurs are Indo-Aryans and speak a dialect of Marathi. However, the surname Thakar (ठकार) belongs to the Deshastha Brahmin caste in Maharashtra. They are natives of Pune district but can be found in some nearby places of Maharashtra , including Aurangabad. They typically speak Marathi language. They have rich traditions of folk dance, songs and unique culture of their own. They celebrate Diwali in a different way. On this occasion, they light lamps made from a fruit called chibra, which are placed on a stand made of cow-dung. At home, the celebrations are in form of a breakfast of boiled corn, sweet potato and chauli. The grain stored in wicker basket called kangas is worshiped during Diwali. This time of year they do frenetic dance to the beats of dhols, crooning Amhi thakar thakar ya ranachi ga pakhar....