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Historical Background-
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Col.Mackenzie
in his account of the Banjara community remarks "It is certain that Chárans
whoever they were, first rose to demand, which the great armies of Northern
India, contending in the exhausted countries, far from their basis of supply,
created, viz. the want of a reliable and fearless transport service.
The start of which the Chárans acquired, they are retained among the Banjaras
to this day, though in very much diminshed splendour and position. As they
themselves relate, originally they were five brothern, Rathor, Turi, Chavan,
Panwar and Jadon, but fortune particularly smiled on Bhika Rathod, as his four
sons, Mersi, Multasi, Dheda, Khamdar great names in Charans rose immediately to
eminence, a commissariat transporters in North, and not only under the Delhi
Emperors but under Satara, sunsequently under Poona Raj and Subhasanship of the
Nizam, did several of the decendants rise at consideration and power. It thus
seems reasonable hypothesis that the nucleus of Banjara community was
constituted by Charans and Bards of Rajputana". Mr. Bhimbhai Kirparam also
indentifies the Chárans and Banjaras, Col. Mackenzie could not find the exact
passage.
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The
following notice by Col. Tone is of interest in this connecion. He states,
"The vast consumption that attends the Maratha army necessarily super
induces the idea of great supplies, not-with-standing this, the native
powers never concern, themselves, about providing for their forces, and had
no idea of grain and victualling department, which froms so great an object,
in the European campaigns. The Banians or the grain sellers in an Indian
army, have always their servants, ahead of the troops, on the line of march
to purchase in the circumjacent countries whatever necessaries are to be
disposed off. Articles of consumption are never wanting in a native camp,
though they are generally twenty five per cent dearer than in the town
bazzar, but independent of this mode of supply the Vanjaries or itinerant
grain merchants, furnush large quantities, which they bring on bullocks from
an immence distance. These are very peculiar race and appear marked and
discriminated people from any other. "
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Mr.
Irvine notices, Banjaras with the Mughal armies in the said terms,
"It is by these people that the Indian armies in the field are fed, and
they are never injured by either armies. The grain is taken but are
invaribably paid for. They encamp for safety every evening in a regular
square formed of bags of grain, of which they construct a breast work. They
and their families are in the centre, and their oxen are made past outside,
guards with match-locks and spears are plced at the corners, and their dogs
do duty as advance posts. I have seen them with droves of 500 bullocks. They
do not move more than two miles an hour, as their cattle are allowed to
graze as they proceed on march."
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One
may suppose that Chárans acted as carriers for Rajput Chiefs and
Courts both in times of peace and in their continous internal feuds; were
pressed into service when Mughal armies entered Rajputana and passed through
it to Gujrat and Deccan. In adopting the profession of transport agents for
the Imperial troops, they may have been amalgamated into fresh caste, with
other Hindus and Mussalmans doing the same work, just as the camp language
is formed by super imposition of Persian vocabulary on grammatical basis of
Hindi became Urdu or Hindustani.
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The
Cháran Bajaras, Mr.
Cumberledge states came to Deccan with Asafkhan, in the campaign, which
closed with the annexation, by Emperor Shahjahan, Ahmednagar and Berar about
1630 AD. Their leaders were Bhángi and Jánghi of Rathor and Bhagwandas of
Jadon clan. Bhángi and Jánghi had 18,000 pack bullocks and Bhagwan Das had
52,000. It was naturally an object with Asaf Ali to keep his commissariat
well-up with his force.
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And
as Bhángi and Jánghi made diffculties, with the supply of grass and water
to their cattle, he gave them an order engraved on copper, in letters of
gold to the following effect:
"Ránganká Páni
Chapperka ghás
Din ke Tin khun Muáf
Aur Jhan Asaf Khan ke ghore
Wahan Bhángi Jánghi ke bail"
Which may be rendered as follows, "If you find no water elsewhere, you
may take it even from the pots of my followers, grass you make take even
from the roofs of thier huts, I will pardon you, upto three murders a day,
provided whereever I find my cavalry, Bhángi and Jánghi's bullocks shallbe
with them."
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This
grant is still in possesion, with the Bhángi Naik's decendants, who live at
Musi near Hingoli. He is recognised as the head, Naik of Banjara Community
and on his death his successor received the Khillat or Dress of Honour from
His Highness of Nizam. Both Bhángi and Bhagwandas (of Jadon clan) were
slain in feud and Jadons captured the standard consisting of eight thans
of cloth, which was annually presented by Nizam to Bhángi's decendants.
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Mr.
Cumberledge wrote in 1869, this standard was in possession of Naik; a
decendants of Bhagwan Das, who had an estate near Muchi Bunder in Madras
Presidency.
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In
1791-92, Banjaras
were employed to supply grain to the British army under the Marquis of
Cornwalis during the seize of Sering Pattam, and the Duke of Welligton
regularly engaged them as a part of commissariate staff of his army. On one
occasion he said of them, "Banjaras, I look upon in the light of
servants of public, whose grain I have right to regulate sale, always taking
care that they have proportionate advantage."
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They
were first prominently noticed, about at the end of the nineteenth century,
during the wars between Maratha & Tipu Sultan, when immense number of
them were employed by the armies of both sides, as forgers and transporters
of supplies required for the troops. They are to be met with all over Mysore
wandering gangs accompanied by large herd of bullocks especially in the
hilly and forest tracts, where there are a few good roads. They do not keep
fixed to one place, but move from place to place, according to the demand
for their services in gang of twelve to thirty families including twenty
five to one twenty men, women and children.
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Banajara
the caravan men are
found all over the districts of Maharashtra. they say they came from Bombay
and Karnataka when and why they do not know. In south of the district of
Akola (Balapur) are Vanjaries and Banjaras, the two are absolutely distinct.
The Vanjari hold Patilki of sixteen villages in the north of Wasim
taluka, all bearing a kind of allegiance to a "Naik" or the Patil
of Rajpura. In former days, considerable trade between Noth India and the
seaboard passed through the district of Ahmednagar. The carriers were a
class of Vanjaras called as Lamans, owners of herds of bullocks ,but since
the opening of the two lines of the Great Indian Peninsula Railways the
course of traffic has changed. The trade is almost entirely carried on by
means of permanent market. Lamans or Vanjaries, pass through the district of
Ratnagiri (Sawantwadi), along the trade routes between the coast and the
Deccan. Carriers of grain and salt on pack-bullocks, they generally pass
rains in Deccan and after the early harvest is over, come to the coast. They
generally make two trips each fair season. Formerly they were a very large
class, but since the opening of the hill-passes fit for the carts, the
demand for their services has in great part ceased.
- Banjaras of Berar (
Vidharb & Varhad)
are the same people as the Lambadies of Madras Presidency and the Manaris
mentioned by Tavernier. They are supposed to be the people, mentioned by
Arrian in the 4th century B.C., as leading wandering life,
dwelling in tents and letting out their beasts of burden.
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The
roads even though the most wild and unhealthy were traversed by troops of
pack bullock, after several hundreds in number and sometimes numbering in
thousands. They belong to a peculiar class of people named Banjara,who are
both traders and carriers. they travelled at considerable expenses; at some
risk of human life and health and with great wear and tear of cattle and
carriage, the distance maximum 339 miles from Raipur via aran & Sonpur
to Cuttack and Raipur to Ganjam, (Central Provinces)
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The
Banjaras in Sarkar of Basim (Washim)
are mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari, as being under the headship of a
women and it is known from the change of surname, among the local Naiks, who
have their head-quarters in Parbhani district in Hyderabad State (then, now
in Maharashtra), that the office has been decendend atleast once in a female
line.
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That
the deshmukhs of Basim (Washim) received in the seventeenth century a large
number of grants and perqusities from Mughal emperors and the family has
always been of some consideration in the South Berar. From the Imperial
Gazzatteer of India - Khandesh District, we get information that Vanjaries
or Lamans, the pack-bullock carriers of the former and Gypsies of the
present times have suffered much from the increased use of carts and the
introduction of railways.
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We
learn from the book " Punjab Castes" by Ibetson ,1916, that
they were the great travelling traders and carriers of the Central India,
the Deccan and Rajputana; under the Moghal and Afghan Empires were the
commissariats of the Imperial forces. In anarchical times, when breaks of
feuds of the petty governors, would drive the Jats and Gujars to seek
temporary abiding place away from their ancestral villages, Laohans would
stand their ground and perhaps improve their grasp, over the best lands in
the villages in which their less provident, and short sighted lords of
Manor, had permitted them in some former period to take their abode or
purposes of commerce. Several cases of this nature came into the light,
during the settlement, and in most of them the strength and spirit of
progress were as apparent in the Labhanas, as were opposite, qualities,
conspicuous, in their Gujar opponents.
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Places
like Bareilly, Tanda, Sujavli, Parganas, Kharigarh, Philbit, Bijnor,
Jaunpur, Saharanpur, Kanchangarh from Oudh and United Provinces,
inhabited by a large number of Banajaras from the time immemorial, leads us
to doubt, if it was their original home. If we go through the historical
events , our doubts are confirmed. Fox example Tanda-North Eastern Tehsil f
Faijabad district (U.P), Tanda town in the Suhar Tehsil of the State of
Rampur (United Provinces) the place, as its name implies, was originally an
encampment of Banjaras of grain carriers, who still form the chief
inhabitants.They purchased the unhusked rice in the Kumaun Hills or Terai
and carried it to Tanda on ponies. There it was husked by the women and
taken to Murarabad by the railway station. It ecame one of the most noted
weaving centres in India producing muslins which rivalled those of Dacca
(This may be the reason, why Banjaras admitted Patwas in their castes,
though out-siders). Though never a popular city, Tanda, was always a
favourite residence of the Governors of Bengal.
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Northern
Parganas : While
Raikwars and Janwars spreading themselves over thus west and east, the North
was still held by the hill-chiefs and the tribes of the Banjaras, who under
the cover of wood penetrated further south. The Sujauli-Pargana of this time
i.e. prior to 1816 A.D. was almost entirely held by Banjaras, who refused to
pay tribute to any one.
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In
1814 A.D. the
attitude assumed by the Naipal government towards the Honorable Company
became so aggressive that the war was inevitable. by the third article of
the treaty of Sujaoli of 4th March 1816, the whole of the low
lands between river Kali (Sarda) and Rapti, besides the other territories to
the east was ceded to the company, and these lands with district of
Kharigarh, were made over by the British to the Oudh Government in
satisfaction of the loan of crores of rupees borrowed by the company from
the Nawab Vazir in the previous year.
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The
result of the annexation and cession was suppression of the Banjaras in the
Sujaoli Pargana (Dharmanpur) Chakladar-Mehendi in his expedition against
these turbulent genrty, was assisted by the uncle of talukdar of Isanagar,
that they were no longer to hold out and their villages were made over to
the assisting noble. it was no doubt the cession of Tarai to the North, that
encouraged the Hakim to sweep away the Banjaras once for all.
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Kharigarh
: It is alleged that
when the Imperial forces, under Chhatardas Jangre, beseized and took the
fort of Kamp, certain Banajaras accompanied the commander as his priest,
they being Gaur Brahmanas, probability is that they supplied the force with
grains during the long seize. A any rate when the Jangers seized the Bhur
and Dhaurahram, the Banjaras got the Kharigarh, it is alledged from Bisen,
this must have been in the reign of Jahangir.
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At
any rate from the time of expulsion of the family from Dholi in the year
1790 to that at their seizure of Kanchapur, 1830, they wandered about
subsisting either on charity of the Oudh nobles or fighting under the
British Government. The year 1630 is important as it is the year, maintained
as the time, when Banjaras as pack-bullock carriers came to Deccan with Asaf
Ali, Vazir of Shahjahan. It may be the reason, that they prefered, joining
Mughal and Afghan Chiefs, being under their service, either as carriers and
traders or warriors, than to survive on charity of the nobles. The Banjaras
were defeated in 1830, Raj Ganga Sah of Kanchanpur, with the aid of Bhur
Raja, when he planned an attack on the Banjara estate, the Banjara family
entirely disappeared from Oudh. On ancient women, the widow of Gain Singh
came forward in 1870 to claim her husband's property but as the Raja's right
to the entire estate had been admitated, both in 1856, when Oudh was annexed
and in 1858 after mutiny nothing could be done.
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Pilbhit
: Tradition states
that in the 15th century Rao Basant Sah founded Deoria on the
land seized from the Banjaras and then expelled the Bhurs from Gehra Khera.
Banjaras are of considerable importance in the forest tracts, particularly
in Puranpur though many of them are now mussalman.
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Little
is known of the early history of the Banjaras, but as in Kheri also
they gradually rose to considerable power in the forest tracts defying all
authority and extending the predatory raids for long distances in the
surrounding territories, according to the tradition, they held, undisputed
sway in this part of the country for several centuries, and their possession
reduced only when the onward movement of Jangers and Kalehriyas forced them
to retire from Bilaspur and Jahanbad.
Their original home seems to be the mountain tracts from Gorakhpur to
Haridwar in the Northern Provinces.
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