Bhanushali

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Bhanushali
Languages Gujarati, Kutchhi, Marathi, Hindi, Sindhi
Populated states Gujarat, Maharashtra
Subdivisions Khaniya, Gori, Gajra, Bhadra, Joisar, Gajra, Mange, Shethia, Katarmal, Kataria, Chunda, Hurbada, Vador, Samasuya, Dabbha, Nakhua, Mengar, Harvara [ citation needed ]

Bhanushali is a Hindu community. The majority reside in Kutch district of the Indian state of Gujarat. Some are also found in the Saurashtra region and other parts of Gujarat. [1] Some have also moved to Thane and Mumbai region of Maharashtra. They speak Kutchi language.

Contents

Origins

Bhanushalis are believed to be originated from a mythical king named Bhanusal, meaning Bhanu (Sun) and Sali (worshipers) i.e. worshipers of the sun god. The community was also known as Vegusor/Vagar after the place of Vegukot or Vegugad in Rann of Kutch. [2]

Bhanushalis are mainly divided in to two sections, i.e Kutchi Bhanushalis and Sindhi Bhanushalis. The later are non-vegetarian, thats why inter marriages are avoided. Bhanusalis have 96 exogamous sub divisions, some of them are: Mangay, Vadore, Gazara, Gor, Bhadra, Nanda, Harbala etc. [2]

History

The Bhanushalis are of Kshatriya descent and were warriors and served previous kings of the western region of India. When the rule of the british empire came to an end, most Bhanushalis began to enter the field of trade. They were known for their expertise in maritime trade and were involved in seafaring activities, particularly in coastal regions. They traded goods and commodities along the coasts of Gujarat and Maharashtra, contributing significantly to the region's economy.

Historically, the Bhanushalis had a strong presence in coastal trade and were known for their navigation skills. They were involved in transporting goods, spices, and other merchandise through sea routes, which contributed to the cultural exchange and economic prosperity of the regions they operated in. [3] Jyotindra Jain theorized that the Bhanushalis migrated to Gujarat from, based on their worship of Hinglaj Mata. He also believed that the Lohanas and Bhanushalis shared their early home in Sindh before their migration to Gujarat.

Communities

Bhanushalis are at present divided in to two subgroups, according to where they live. The Kutchhi Bhanushali Community (have ancestry in Kutch region) and Halari Bhanushali Community (have ancestry in Halari (Jamnagar) region). [4]

Occupation

Bhanushalis are mainly involved in agriculture and farming and others who migrated are mainly involved in big businesses. [3]

Religion

Bhanushalis worship different kuldevis as per their clan names / surnames. [5] They follow Hindu customs and beliefs. [6] They also worship Veer Dada Jashraj and claim, like Lohanas, that he belonged to their community. Bhanushalis chiefly worship Hinglaj, whose main temple, Hinglaj Mata mandir is in Baluchistan, their ancestral home. [3] They workship Karan from Mahabharta as Karan Dada.

Lohanas

Bhanushalis shared their early home in Sindh with Lohanas and seem to share history. [3] Like Lohanas, Bhanushalis are involved in trading and gained visibility in business. Like Lohanas they worship Dada Jashraj as their kuladevata and Harkor, as Kuldevi. Many Bhanushalis surnames are also found among Lohana community.[ citation needed ]

Notable people

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kutch district</span> District in Gujarat, India

Kutch district, officially spelled Kachchh, is a district of Gujarat state in western India, with its headquarters (capital) at Bhuj. Covering an area of 45,674 km2, it is the largest district of India. The area of Kutch is larger than the entire area of other Indian states like Haryana (44,212 km2) and Kerala (38,863 km2), as well as the country of Estonia (45,335 km2). The population of Kutch is about 2,092,371. It has 10 talukas, 939 villages and 6 municipalities. The Kutch district is home to the Kutchi people who speak the Kutchi language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kutchi language</span> Indo-Aryan language spoken in India and Pakistan

Kutchi or Kachhi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Kutch region of Gujarat, and some parts of Rajasthan, India and Sindh region of Pakistan.

Bhatia is a group of people and a caste found in Punjab, Sindh and Gujarat. Traditionally, they have been a trading and merchant community. The Bhatias primarily live in Northwestern India and Pakistan. The Bhatias, Lohanas and Khatris were similar communities and were known to intermarry. The Bhatias recruit Saraswat Brahmins as priests.

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A kuladevata or kuladevi, also known as a kuladaivaṃ, is an ancestral tutelary deity in Hinduism and Jainism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinglaj Mata Temple</span> Hindu temple in Balochistan, Pakistan

Hinglaj Mata, also known as Hinglaj Devi, Hingula Devi and Nani Mandir, is a Hindu temple in Hinglaj, a town on the Makran coast in the Lasbela district of Balochistan, and is the middle of the Hingol National Park. It is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas in Shaktism denomination of Hinduism. It is one of the two Shakti Peethas in Pakistan, the other one being Sharada Peeth. It is a form of Durga or Devi in a mountain cavern on the banks of the Hingol River. Over the last three decades the place has gained increasing popularity and became a unifying point of reference for Pakistan's many Hindu communities. Hinglaj Yatra is the largest Hindu pilgrimage in Pakistan. More than 250,000 people take part in the Hinglaj Yathra during the spring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinglaj</span> Hindu temple in Balochistan, Pakistan

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harsidhhi</span> Regional Hindu goddess

Harsidhhi, one of the aspects of Durga, is a regional Hindu goddess, popular in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, adjoining Maharashtra states of India.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cutch State</span> Monarchy in India (1147–1947)

Cutch State, also spelled Kutch or Kachchh and also historically known as the Kingdom of Kutch, was a kingdom in the Kutch region from 1147 to 1819 and a princely state under British rule from 1819 to 1947. Its territories covered the present day Kutch region of Gujarat north of the Gulf of Kutch. Bordered by Sindh in the north, Cutch State was one of the few princely states with a coastline.

References

  1. ↑ Gillow, John (2008). Indian Textiles. Thames & Hudson. p. 221.
  2. 1 2 Lal, R. B. (2003). Gujarat. Popular Prakashan. p. 185. ISBN   978-81-7991-104-4.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Jain, Jyotindra (1980). Folk art and culture of Gujarat: guide to the collection of the Shreyas Folk Museum of Gujarat. University of Michigan. OCLC   499443714.
  4. ↑ Bhanushalis Samaj (2018). "About Bhanushalis Community Archived 2019-08-09 at the Wayback Machine ".
  5. ↑ Berger, Peter (2010). The anthropology of values: essays in honour of Georg Pfeffer. Longman. p. 366. ISBN   9788131728208. OCLC   695854817.
  6. ↑ Urmi Chanda-Vaz (January 20, 2018). "Indian millennials are embracing religious and spiritual tattoos, as indigenous cultures reject them".
  7. ↑ "Dhvani Bhanushali Official YouTube Channel". YouTube .
  8. ↑ "Jay Bhanushali IMDb Page". IMDb .
  9. ↑ "Kishore Bhanushali IMDb Page". IMDb .
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