Mewasi

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The Mewasi, or Mevasi, [1] Mehwasi [2] is a title of Koli caste found in Indian state of Gujarat. The Koli chieftains who ruled over villages populated by turbulent Kolis were titled as Mewasi because of their rebellious activities against Maratha and Mughal rulers. [3]

Contents

Mewasi Koli
મેવાસી કોલી
Title of the Koli caste
A Coolie Chieftain.jpg
A portrait of Koli chieftain by James Forbes in 1813
Ethnicity Koli
Location Gujarat
Varna Warrior
Parent tribe
  • Chunvalia Koli
  • Talpada Koli
  • Ghedia Koli
Language
  • Gujarati
  • Koli languages:
  • Hindi
  • English
Religion Hinduism

In those days, Mewasi word was used to describe the unruly, turbulent and violent Kolis but during British Raj, Mewasi was used for Koli chieftains in rebellions against British rule as a hero. [4]

Koli Mewasis liked the independent rule of self so they always fought against their Rajas, Maharajas and other rulers. Koli Mewasis often plundered the villages to collect the revenue. [5]

In the fifteenth century , the early Sultans of Ahmedabad attempted to subjugate the Koli Mehwasis; but they were met with such a sturdy resistance from those chiefs, who were naturally helped by the wild nature of their Koli chiefs. [6]

Firozkhan II ruled at Palanpur from 1707-1719, during which period he attacked and took Tharad which was ruled by Koli chieftain, subdued the Koli Mewasis of Sur Bhakhri, Kidotar and Dabhela and extended his territory. [7]

The Rewakantha settlements were made during the regime of Sayajirao. these areas were constantly disturbed by the depredations of the Koli Mehwasis, and the maintenance of law and order in these areas became a challenge for Baroda government. [8]

Clans

Prominent clans of Koli Mewasis include:

Mewasi villages

The villages which were ruled or controlled by rebellious Koli chieftains and inhabited by turbulent Kolis were called Mewasi Villages by Mughal rulers. [10]

The Barmuvada, Chhapra, Khumarwad were most notable Mewasi villages and their Koli chieftains were receiving Giras dues from Radhvanaj rulers. [11]

The British government always faced the trouble in Mehwasi areas and used the troops to collect the annual revenue. [12]

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References

  1. ↑ Bhatnagar, Rashmi Dube; Dube, Renu; Dube, Reena (1 February 2012). Female Infanticide in India: A Feminist Cultural History. New Delhi, India, Asia: State University of New York Press. p. 266. ISBN   978-0-7914-8385-5.
  2. ↑ Krishan, Shri (7 April 2005). Political Mobilization and Identity in Western India, 1934-47. New Delhi, India: SAGE Publishing India. ISBN   978-93-5280-307-1.
  3. ↑ Kohli, Atul (14 July 2014). India's Democracy: An Analysis of Changing State-Society Relations. New Delhi, India, Asia: Princeton University Press. p. 267. ISBN   978-1-4008-5951-1.
  4. ↑ Lobo, Lancy (1995). The Thakors of North Gujarat: A Caste in the Village and the Region. New Delhi, India: Hindustan Publishing Corporation. p. 200. ISBN   978-81-7075-035-2.
  5. ↑ Dominance and State Power in Modern India: Decline of a Social Order (2nd ed.). New Delhi, India, Asia: Oxford University Press. 1989. p. 66. ISBN   978-0-19-562098-6.
  6. ↑ Patel, Govindlal Dalsukhbhai (1954). The Indian Land Problem and Legislation. New Delhi, India: N. M. Tripathi. p. 78.
  7. ↑ The Palanpur Agency Directory (2nd ed.). Mumbai, Bombay Presidency, British India. 1919. p. 20.
  8. ↑ Kamerkar, Mani (1980). British Paramountcy: British-Baroda Relations, 1818-1848. New Delhi, India: Popular Prakashan. p. 33. ISBN   978-0-940500-75-4.
  9. ↑ Patel, Govindlal Dalsukhbhai (1950). Agrarian Reforms in Bombay: The Legal and Economic Consequences of the Abolition of Land Tenures. New Delhi, India: the Author. p. 50.
  10. ↑ Shah, A. M. (2002). Exploring India's Rural Past: A Gujarat Village in the Early Nineteenth Century. New Delhi, India: Oxford University Press. p. 28. ISBN   978-0-19-565732-6.
  11. ↑ Shah 2002, p. 39.
  12. ↑ Gidwani, Vinay Krishin (1996). Fluid Dynamics: An Essay on Canal Irrigation and the Processses of Agrarian Change in Matar Taluka (Gujarat). India. New Delhi, India: University of California, Berkeley. pp. 165–167.
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