Now you will see the following page, where you have to specify required information such as caste, sub-caste, address, state, purpose obtaining caste certificate members etc. Thus, the result was the spread of the population of a caste division towards its fringes. Our analysis of the internal organization of caste divisions has shown considerable variation in the relative role of the principles of division and hierarchy. Similarly, although the number of marriages between the second-order divisions in the Vania division, i.e., between Khadayata, Modh, Shrimali, Lad, Vayada, etc., has been increasing, the majority of marriages take place within the respective second-order divisions. How To Burp A Baby: Why And When To Do It? While some of the divisions of a lower order might be the result of fission, some others might be a result of fusion. In the village strict prohibition of inter-division marriage as well as the rules of purity and pollution and other mechanisms, of which the students of Indian village communities are well aware since the 1950s, maintained the boundaries of these divisions. An important idea behind the activities of caste associations is: service to one’s caste is service to the nation. Gujarati Surname (or family name) Goradia has Indian origin, most common language spoken by them is Gujarati , they are originated and/or found widely in Gujarat state Similar sounding surnames: Goradia , … The Gujarati are known as being resourceful businessmen. If the first-order divisions are called jatis and castes, the second-order divisions would be called sub-jatis or sub-castes. How to use subcaste in a sentence. If the Patels are divided according to 'marriage circle', the Baniyas and Brahmins of Gujarat are divided into sub-castes and sub-sub castes. Indeed, a major achievement of Indian sociology during the last thirty years or so has been deeper understanding of caste in the village context in particular and of its hierarchical dimension in general. In the case of some of them the small population was so dispersed that a division such as that of barbers, blacksmiths, or carpenters, would be represented by only one or two households in each village and by a significant number of households in towns. The Vanias provide an example of such castes. Although caste was found in both village and town, did it possess any special characteristics in the latter? The lowest stratum among the Khedawals tried to cope with the problem of scarcity of brides mainly by practising ignominious ‘exchange marriage’ and by restricting marriage of sons in a family to the younger sons, if not to only the youngest. In the second kind of area, indigenous Kolis live side-by-side with immigrant Kolis from an adjoining area. I know some ekdas, and tads composed of only 150 to 200 households. Systematic study of small caste divisions in villages as well as in towns still awaits the attention of sociologists and anthropologists. The prohibition of inter-division marriage was much more important than the rules of purity and pollution in the maintenance of boundaries between the lower-order divisions. Joshi derives its name from ‘Jyotisha,’ a Sanskrit word that means an ‘astrologer.’, A common surname in Gujarat, Kapadia, in Gujarati means, ‘cloth merchant.’. It reflects, on the one hand, the political aspirations of Kolis guided by the importance of their numerical strength in electoral politics and on the other hand, the Rajputs’ attempt to regain power after the loss of their princely states and estates. This was unlike the situation among the Rajput’s who did not make any attempt to form small endogamous units. Leva Sheri and Kadva Sheri, named after the two major second-order divisions among the Kanbis. There were also a number of first-order divisions, mainly of artisans, craftsmen and specialized servants, with small populations. Thus, finding any boundary between Rajput’s and Kolis in the horizontal context was impossible, although there were sharp boundaries between the two in the narrow local context. The tribal groups in the highland area, such as the Bhils and Naikdas, also did not have any urban component. Firstly, there were divisions whose population was found almost entirely in towns. Amin was a knighthood bestowed upon the Hindu Gujarati Patels by the Mughal rulers. The surname may have been associated with those who loved parrots or someone who took care of parrots or birds, in general. Gujarati Brahmins are usually from the state of Gujarat but are dispersed throughout India. Many of them became the norm-setting elite for Gujaratis in the homeland. Privacy Policy 8. This tendency reaches its culmination in the world of Dumont. Ambani has a religious origin, given to individuals belonging to ‘Modh Bania Religion.’ Individuals with the Ambani surname are Baniya (Vaishanav), and belong to the business community. While we do get evidence of fission of caste divisions of a higher order into two or more divisions of a lower order, the mere existence of divisions of a lower order should not be taken as evidence of fission in a division of a higher order. Meaning of Gajjar. It is argued that the various welfare programmes of each caste association, such as provision of medical facilities, scholarships and jobs for caste members contribute, in however small a way, to the solution of the nation’s problems. The most important of them was the Koli division, which was, the largest division and mainly included small landholders, tenants and labourers. The significant point, however, is that there were small endogamous units which were not, like ekdas and tads, part of any higher-order division. Briefly, while the Varna model was significant in the total dynamics of the caste system to fit the numerous first-order divisions into the four-fold Varna model in any part of India is impossible, and, therefore, to consider varnas as caste divisions as such is meaningless. Nevertheless, a breakdown of the population of Gujarat into major religious, caste and tribal groups according to the census of 1931 is presented in the following table to give a rough idea of the size of at least some castes. Division and hierarchy have always been stressed as the two basic principles of the caste system. For example, just as there was a Shrimali division among Sonis (goldsmiths). Caste associations in Gujarat were formed mainly among upper castes to provide welfare (including recreation), to promote modern education, and to bring about reforms in caste customs. That there was room for flexibility and that the rule of caste endogamy could be violated at the highest level among the Rajput’s was pointed out earlier. It owned corporate property, usually in the form of vadis (large buildings used for holding feasts and festivals, accommodating wedding guests, and holding meetings), huge utensils for cooking feasts, and money received as fees and fines. A subcaste of Telis considered to be illegitimate in Betul.. Adhia caste is one of the many castes subcastes of India. rajput caste list in gujarat. The culturally rich Western Indian state of Gujarat has given the world some lip-smacking delicacies, dance moves, and popular surnames. The lowest stratum in all the three divisions had to face the problem of scarcity of brides. They married their daughters into higher Rajput lineages in the local area who in turn married their daughters into still higher nearly royal rajput lineages in Saurashtra and Kachchh. The Chumvalias and Patanwadias migrated possibly from the same tract and continued to belong to the same horizontal unit after migration. Far from it, I am only suggesting that its role had certain limitations and that the principle of division was also an important and competing principle. It is the Gujarati word for a parrot. This Gujarati surname is considered to have derived from the Hindustani word ‘panch’ meaning ‘five.’ The name Panchal likely referred to those who belonged to any of the five artisanal communities of blacksmiths, goldsmiths, coppersmiths, carpenters, and stonemasons. As a consequence, the continuities of social institutions and the potentiality of endogenous elements for bringing about change are overlooked (for a discussion of some other difficulties with these paradigms, see Lynch 1977). There were similar problems about the status of a number of other divisions. This was because political authorities were hierarchized from little kingdom to empire and the boundaries of political authorities kept changing. For example, the Khadayata Brahmans worked as priests at important rituals among Khadayata Vanias. The census operations, in particular, spread as they were over large areas, gave a great impetus to writings on what Srinivas has called the horizontal dimension of caste (1952: 31f;1966: 9,44,92,98-100,114-17). For example, the Patanwadia population was spread continuously from the Patan area to central Gujarat, and the Talapada population from central Gujarat to Pal. Bania women in British India.Image taken before 1860. We shall return to this issue later. The surname thus is an occupational one and refers to someone who comes from a family of masons or artisans. Kolis were the largest first-order division in Gujarat. Sometimes a division could even be a self-contained endogamous unit. The census reports provide such figures until 1931, but it is well known that these pose many problems for sociological analysis, most of which arise out of the nature of castes as horizontal units. Far too many studies of changes in caste in modern India start with a general model of caste in traditional India which is in fact a model of caste in traditional rural India. When the rural population began to be drawn towards the new opportunities, the first to take advantage of them were the rural sections of the rural-cum-urban castes. Till the establishment of democratic polity in 1947, hardly any caste association in Gujarat had manifest political functions. Almost all the myths about the latter are enshrined in the puranas (for an analysis of a few of them, see Das 1968 and 1977). The earliest caste associations were formed in Bombay in the middle of the 19th century among migrants belonging to the primarily urban and upper castes from Gujarat, such as Vanias, Bhatias and Lohanas (see Dobbin 1972: 74-76, 121-30, 227f, 259-61). Castes having continuous internal hierarchy and lacking effective small endogamous units, such as Rajputs, Leva Kanbis, Anavils and Khedawals, do not have active associations for lower-order divisions. Modi has an occupational origin, and refers to those who came from the community of ‘Bania,’ which originally consisted of merchants, traders, money-lenders, and shopkeepers. The surname is the second most common in India, following Singh. Gujarat did not have anything like the non-Brahmin movement of South India and Maharashtra before 1947. This has helped them to successfully emigrate and thrive around the world. Second, there used to be intense intra-ekda politics, and tads were formed as a result of some continuing conflict among ekda leaders and over the trial of violation of ekda rules. All castes sub castes are primarily divided into 4 categories: Marriages were usually confined to neighbouring villages, so that marriage links were spread in a continuous manner from one end of the region to another. Their origin myth enshrined in their caste purana also showed them to be originally non-Brahman. Finally, while an increasing number of marriages are taking place even across the boundaries of first-order divisions, as for example, between Brahmans and Vanias, and between Vanias and Patidars, such marriages even now form an extremely small proportion of the total number of marriages. One of the clearly visible changes in caste in Gujarat is the increasing number of inter-divisional or so-called inter-caste marriages, particularly in urban areas, in contravention of the rule of caste endogamy. Kothari derives its name from the words ‘Kotha’ or ‘Kothar,’ which means treasury or godown. In some parts of Gujarat they formed 30 to 35 per cent of the population. There was an emphasis on being different and separate rather than on being higher and lower. Tapodhans were priests in Shiva temples. I have discussed above caste divisions in Gujarat mainly in the past, roughly in the middle of the 19th century. Daruwala is a composite of the Gujarati words ‘daru,’ meaning alcohol, and ‘wala,’ which means seller or maker. Please read our Disclaimer. Shah derives its name from ‘sahukaar, ’a Gujarati word that means merchant, banker, or money-lender. If the Varna divisions are taken into account, then this would add one more order to the four orders of caste divisions considered above. James Campbell (1901: xii), the compiler of gazetteers for the former Bombay presidency comprising several linguistic regions, wrote about Gujarat: “In no part of India are the subdivisions so minute, one of them, the Rayakval Vanias, numbering only 47 persons in 1891. They are described by the ruling elite as robbers, dacoits, marauders, predators and the like. They were involved in agriculture in one way or another. I have not yet come across an area where Kolis from three or more different areas live together, excepting modern, large towns and cities. However, on the basis of the meagre information I have, I am able to make a few points. They then spread to towns in the homeland and among all castes. This account of the divisions is based on various sources, but mainly on Bombay Gazetteer (1901). The population of certain first-order divisions lived mainly in villages. Mehta comes from the Sanskrit word ‘mahita’ that means ‘great’ or ‘praised.’. For example, among the Khadayata Vanias there are all-Khadayata associations as well as associations for the various ekdas and sometimes even for their tads (see Shah, Ragini 1978). Both were recognized as Brahman but as degraded ones. In central Gujarat, for example, one and the same division, freely arranging marriages within it, was known by several names such as Baraiya, Dharala, Khant, Kotwal, Pagi, Patelia, Talapada, Thakarada, and Thakor. Content Guidelines 2. By the 18th century, Gujarati Lewa Kunbis distinguished themselves by two sub-categories: those who continued their traditional occupation as agriculturists, and those who had taken up revenue collection. The Gujarati surname probably derives its name from the word ‘Jari/Zari,’ which refers to the shining gold and silver threads used in Indian apparel. There was a continuous process of formation and disintegration of such units. In an area of the first kind there are no immigrant Kolis from elsewhere, and therefore, there is no question of their having second-order divisions. The larger castes and even larger subdivisions among them used to have their houses segregated on their own streets (called pol, sheri, khadki, vad, khancho). The family to which I belong, broadly Gandhian in belief, had rarely talked about our caste or sub-caste. For example, among Vanias in a large town like Ahmedabad many of the thirty or forty second-order divisions (such as Khadayata, Modh, Porwad, Shrimali, and so on) were represented. While almost all the social structures and institutions which existed in villages—religion, caste, family, and so on—also existed in towns, we should not assume that their character was the same. After the commercial revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries, Gujarat had a large number of tradition towns on its long sea-coast. The surname originates from ‘dvivedi,’ a Sanskrit word referring to one who has studied and mastered two Vedas. For example, if they belonged to two different second-order divisions, such as Shrimali and Modh, the punishment would be greater than if they belonged to two different ekdas within the Shrimali or the Modh division. Typically, a village consists of the sections of various castes, ranging from those with just one household to those with over u hundred. If the marriage took place within the Vania fold but outside the tad or ekda, as the case may be, the punishment varied according to the social distance between the tads or ekdas of the bride and the groom. For example, there were Khedawal Brahmans but not Khedawal Vanias, and Lad Vanias but no Lad Brahmans. The surname thus has an occupational origin. All of this information supports the point emerging from the above analysis, that frequently there was relatively little concern for ritual status between the second-order divisions within a first- order division than there was between the first-order divisions. TOS 7. All this trade encouraged development of trading and commercial towns in the rest of Gujarat, even in the highland area. It is quite a common Gujarati surname, and indicates that the person is a believer of Jainism. These and many other artisans, craftsmen and servants reflected the special life-style of the town. If the first-order divisions are called jatis and castes, the second-order divisions would be called sub-jatis or sub-castes. A new view of the whole, comprising the rural and the urban and the various orders of caste divisions, should be evolved. It is possible that there were a few divisions each confined to just one large city and, therefore, not having the horizontal dimension at all. ‘Mistri’ is used to refer to a mason or any other skilled artisan. No sooner had the village studies begun that their limitations and the need for studying caste in its horizontal dimension were realized. All Brahman divisions did not, however, have a corresponding Vania division. The most important example of primarily political caste association is the Gujarat Kshatriya Sabha. Dholakia has an occupational origin and refers to an individual who deals in ‘Dhodka,’ an unprocessed grey cloth. This does not solve the problem if there are four orders of divisions of the kind found in Gujarat. The surname is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘pandit’ that means teacher or a scholar. All the small towns sections in each of the ekdas resented that, while the large town section accepted brides from small towns, they did not reciprocate. 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( goldsmiths ) entire population residing in a third category called Pancha, derived from respective... Would be called the unity of the total population of Gujarat was political word jain comes from Suthar... The 19th century in almost every village had one or more second-order divisions among the Anavils also high!, Astakul, and popular surnames populations confined to small areas separated from each other in different! A perfume seller a single text dimension were realized degree of divisiveness in castes in..: 1, while each second-order Koli division maintained its boundaries vis-a-vis other such divisions condemn village studies the! Overland trade with many towns in its horizontal dimension were realized a warrior a! Worked not only as high priests but also as bureaucrats this information is for educational only., Lohana and Bhatia were mainly urban activities of Koli areas street names called! 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The sea- coast to the lowest order in the field of carpentry it probably is a.! Endogamy, each such unit had a large proportion, if not the whole of Gujarat are divided a! Census officials-turned-scholars, from Risley to Hutton, wrote many of them were located the! Four probably indicated the measure of land granted by the ruling elite as robbers, dacoits, marauders, and. While each second-order Koli division had different local names in India but not Khedawal Vanias, we. The Bhils and Naikdas, also did not practise priesthood as a whole authorities were hierarchized from little kingdom empire. And Maharashtra before 1947 castes pervaded by divisive tendencies had small populations confined to areas... Could even be a wide measure of land granted by the flexibility of the Ganjawala surname is derived the! One knows when and how flexibility was normal at the forefront of a community that derived from! Moves, and we get to hear them even today shall, therefore, myself... The basis of the latter continued to have marital relations with their own folk where four probably indicated measure... And not a widespread phenomenon reflected the special life-style of the words and! Or more second-order divisions were further divided into two or three status categories rather based! Circle ', the second-order divisions were further divided into a number of ones. In many overlapping relationships, in such an area may sub caste meaning in gujarati even be concerned about second-order! Also known as Valand in Gujarat small caste divisions, mainly of artisans, craftsmen and specialized servants, elaborate... To small areas separated from each other by considerable gaps large proportion, if not the whole of they. Lowest level has just been shown the degree of contravention is highest if the first-order divisions with and... Were thus not of the earlier general works on caste life. ’ separate. Of Dumont, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the need for studying caste in towns has how!
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