Pawra

The Pawara bhil tribe lives in the Satpura hills of Maharashtra, India, and has been there for generations. They are found in the Dhadgaon, Shahada, Taloda, and Akkalkuwa Tahasils of Nandurbar district, and in the Jalgaon district. The Pawara tribe has different customs, social structure, and language than other tribes, and their economic activities are dependent on the Satpura mountains. The social administration of the tribe is controlled by the head of the village society The Pawaras or Pavaras are a subtribe of the Bhils found in satpuda pradesh also called Pávra Bhils, Pávra Náiks and Pávra Kolis. ^[1] They hold three main festivals: Indiraja, Girhon mata and Shimga or Holi. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

References

1. Reginald Edward Enthoven The Tribes and Castes of Bombay Volume 1 - Page 175 republished 1990 "PAVRAS are chiefly found in Akráni(Dhadgoan) and parts of Taloda and Shahada in Nandurbar district in khandesh region. They are called Pávra Bhils, Pávra Náiks and Pávra Kolis indifferently, but they are more like Konkan sea Kolis than Bhils . They deny that they are Bhils and ..."
2. A. K. Prasad The Bhils of Khandesh: Under the British East India Company 1991 · p 84 "Pavras had three chief festivals — Indraja, Divali, Navay, Babdev (Ganvdev) and Holi. Indraja was held in honour of Indra . ... Divali, sometimes called ' Nagdivali ', was a yearly festival celebrated in the month of Paush ( January ) on different dates "
3. Robin D. Tribhuwan, Karen Sherry Health, Medicine, and Nutrition of the Tribals 2004 p26 "This section focuses on the health beliefs and practices of the Bhils and Pawras of Lakkadkot . Lakkadkot is geographically situated towards the northeast of Shahade Tahsil, Taloda ITDP .
4. V. Raghaviah Tribal Revolts 1971 p 189 "West Khandesh has a thousand Bhil villages, situated northwest of Tapti river with a population of more than five lakhs . They are divided into two sub - divisions, ( 1 ) Konkani Bhils and ( 2 ) Pawra Bhils . While the latter stay in the Satpura ..."
5. Amrita Basu Two Faces of Protest: Contrasting Modes of Women's Activism · 1994 p 197 "There are two adivasi communities in the village : the Bhils, who constitute 83 percent of the population; and the slightly higher status, wealthier Pawras, who comprise 17 percent of the population majority powara population lived in Nandurbar district and Shirpur block of Dhule. ."