Ravived

Ravived is a caste that is mainly found among Hindus in Mauritius. ^[1] The origin of this caste lay in an Indian caste named Chamar. ^[2] This same caste is referred to as Ravidassia outside Mauritius, and this terminology is very seldom used in Mauritius. ^[3]

During the 19th century (1834 onward), many Dalits, including Chamars (leather-working caste), migrated to Mauritius as indentured laborers under British rule. Those who were followers of Guru Ravidas began identifying collectively as Ravived to affirm a dignified identity. With time the term 'Ravived' became the preferred name in Mauritius to distance from the derogatory label of 'Chamar.' ^{[4] [5]}

In the ship records on which Indian laborers migrated to Mauritius, around ten percent of the boarded people mentioned their caste as Chamar. After the establishment of caste hierarchies in Mauritius, the Chamar community families turned to the religious songs of Kabir and Ravidass for their own religious outlet. Slowly, they started adopting religious-sounding names from these devotional songs. ^[6]

Arya Ravived Pracharni Sabha

During the initial stage of migration in Mauritius, significant numbers of Chamar people joined the Arya Samaj in the hope that it would help them to be free from the curse of casteism, as it was claimed by the leaders of the Arya Samaj. ^[7] But later, Upper Caste Arya Samajis started building separate halls for themselves and chamars for prayer within the same shrine to avoid Arya Samaj being labelled as a Chamar religion, which led to the establishment of Arya Ravived Pracharini Sabha in 1935. The origin of 'Arya Ravived Pracharini Sabha' lies in three different words. Arya comes from the reformist ideas of the Arya Samaj, which emphasized Vedic teachings and social upliftment, and Ravived comes from Guru Ravidas (Bhakti Saint from Chamar caste), and Pracharini Sabha means 'organisation for spreading awareness.' ^{[8] [9]}

Notable People

• Dharam Gokhool - President of Mauritius. ^[10]
• Rabindrah Ghurburrun - Former Mauritian diplomat and Former Vice President of Mauritius. ^[11]
• Atma Doolooa - Mauritian Politician, Former Director of State Trading Corporation Director of Development Works Corporation, Mauritius and Former Advisor at Ministry of Commerce and Cooperatives, Mauritius. ^[12]
• Satya Faugoo - Mauritian Magistrate and former Minister of Agro Industry and Food Security, Mauritius. ^[13]
• Beergoonath Ghurburrun Mauritian medicinist, politician and philanthropnist ^[14]
• Kaviraj Sukon - Minister of Tertiary Education, Science and Research, Mauritius and president of Mauritius Arya Ravived Prtacharini Sabha (MARVPS). ^[15]

See also

• Chamar
• Jatav
• Guru Ravidas
• Ravidassia
• Ramdasia

References

1. "Understanding the caste system in Mauritius". 6 April 2021. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
2. "Journal of Indian research" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-09-27.
3. Claveyrolas, Mathieu (2015). "The 'Land of the Vaish'? Caste Structure and Ideology in Mauritius". South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal. doi: 10.4000/samaj.3886 .
4. Rāmaśaraṇa, Prahlāda (2001). Glimpses of the Arya Samaj in Mauritius. Sarvadeshik Prakashan Limited. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
5. Colonial Research Studies. H.M. Stationery Office. 1960. p. 137. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
6. Younger, Paul (30 November 2009). New Homelands: Hindu Communities in Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad, South Africa, Fiji, and East Africa. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-974192-2 . Retrieved 30 August 2024.
7. The Legacy of Indian Indenture: Historical and Contemporary Aspects of Migration and Diaspora. Routledge. 10 November 2016. ISBN   9781351986830.
8. New Homelands: Hindu Communities in Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad, South Africa, Fiji, and East Africa. Oxford University Press, USA. 2010. ISBN   978-0-19-539164-0.
9. Chazan-Gillig, Suzanne; Ramhota, Pavitranand (12 August 2022). Mauritian Hinduism and Globalisation: Transformation and Reinvention. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   978-1-000-60232-6 . Retrieved 14 September 2025.
10. "Gokhool President? But Gurib-Fakim challenges reports". World Future. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
11. "Gokhool President? But Gurib-Fakim challenges reports". World Future. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
12. "PORTRAIT: Atma Doolooa, un chamar fier de l'être". Le Mauricien (in French). 8 July 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
13. "REUNION ISLAND/MAURITIUS • Bearing Teeth at New Fishing Company - 21/07/2001 - The Indian Ocean Newsletter". Africa Intelligence. 20 July 2001. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
14. "Mauritius: Can Labour have a new leader?". World Future. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
15. "President of MARVPS – Dr. K.S. Sukon". Mauritius Arya Ravived Pracharini Sabha. Retrieved 14 September 2025.