Sarola Brahmin

Sarola\Saryul\Serul
Classification	Brahmin
Religions	Hinduism
Languages	Garhwali, Hindi [1]
Populated states	Uttarakhand, India
Related groups	Garhwali people

Sarola Brahmin, also called Saryul and Serul are the oldest Garhwali Brahmins from Uttarakhand, India. ^[2] The 12 families of the Sarola Brahmins were the earliest authenticated and ritually most prestigious Brahmin baronial houses in the Garhwal Kingdom 1400 years ago and among the highest ranking and oldest noble lineages from across North India. These families were founded in the 6th and 7th centuries by scions of multiple Brahmin magnate clans to rule as the sacerdotal aristocracy of the Himalayan Kingdoms.

The capital of this kingdom was Chandpur Garhi and the twelve castes of Brahmins settled in twelve fiefs surrounding the capital. Their twelve ancestral lands were collectively known as "Bara Than" meaning "Barah Sthan", and the Brahmins who owned these estates were known as "Sarola" Brahmins. Over time, the High Brahmins (Sarolas of Garhwal and Satkulis of Kumaon) spread their holdings and came to hold vast swathes of the Himalayan Kingdoms as the major landowning class. ^[3]

History

The Sarolas originally were 12 ancient houses: Nautiyals, Maitwanas, Khanduras, Raturis, Thapliyals, Chamolis, Semwals, Lakheras, Semaltis, Gairolas, Kothiyals and Dimris ^[4] with the last of the Sarola Houses arriving in 1060 CE. ^[5] The Brahmin families including those of non-Sarola heritage formed a class of ancient baronial houses and served as the ruling class of Zamindars and Jagirdars alongside their Rajput feudal vassals in the Himalayan Kingdoms: Garhwal, Nepal, Kashmir and Kumaon. ^[6] However the oldest families, often exclusively Sarola and with the most illustrious lineages, such as the Kanyakubja Joshis (the oldest of the leading Satkuli or 7 Brahmin lineages of Kumaon where they served as hereditary prime ministers since the Sixth Century) or the Rajpurohit Gaur Nautiyals (hereditary prime ministers in Garhwal) or the Maithil Uniyals (in Garhwal) held a higher ducal status as Taluqdars or Thakurs and were themselves descendants of royal and leading Brahmin ducal houses from the pre-medieval kingdoms of their origins such as the Nautiyals of Malwa, Joshis of the Carnatic or Uniyals of Magadha. ^{[7] [8]}

The purity of their lineage afforded them such high office in the Himalayan Kingdoms as the ruling and landholding aristocracy - the ducal houses held the custodianship of the great temples (Uniyals & Semwals & Dimris & Nambudris & Dobhals) and hereditary ministerial positions (Nautiyals & Joshis & Bahugunas & Thapliyals & Pandes) in Kumaon and Garhwal though the highest ducal families often held temples and ministerial positions both. ^[9] Each of these Brahmin clans had their own family patron god - Kuladevata or Kuladevi. The great families hold ancient Himalayan deities such as Lord Narasimha, Lord Bhairav and Lord Nageshwar as their Kuladevata and often an avatar of the Mother Goddess as their Kuladevi and bear ancestral sigils in honour of these patron gods. ^[10]

The Uniyals, Bahugunas, Dobhals, and Dangwals were the oldest Gangari Brahmins founded in the 8th century after the first Sarola families, but due to their ancient lineage from classical dynasties of the Gangetic Plains of Bihar, Bengal and Ayodhya, they were afforded the same high status as the Sarola Houses and formed the class of Chauthoki aristocrats. The Chauthoki houses were pre-eminent nobility in Tehri Garhwal as counterpart to the Sarolas being the high lords in Pauri Garhwal and Chamoli Garhwal. ^[11]

These Brahmin houses maintained vast interests in landholding, finance and hereditary ministerial positions along with custodianship of the great temples of North India as hereditary 'Ravals' (high priests or archbishops) such as Yamunotri under the Uniyals, Gangotri under the Semwals, Kedarnath under the Dimris, Joshimath under the Joshis, Nanda Devi under the Nautiyals, and the highest Hindu ecclesiastical authority in the north: the temple of Badrinath under the Nambudris who bore the dynastic title of 'Shankaracharya' (pontiff) due to their direct descent from Adisankara of the eighth century who established all these great temples in North India. ^[12] The greatest ecclesiastical seats of Hinduism are the 4 Pontifical Thrones of the Char Dham (Badrinath, Puri, Rameswaram, Dwarka) and the 4 High Sees of the Chota Char Dham (Badrinath - Joshimath, Kedarnath - Nanda Devi, Yamunotri, Gangotri) as well as the 12 Jyotrlingas of which Kedarnath is the highest and most sacred due to its proximity to the divine abode of Lord Shiva at Kailasa. ^{[13] [14]}

The Sarolas and Chauthokis settled as Rajpurohits (grand viziers), Royal Astrologers, High Priests, Ritual Cooks, Royal Gurus, and as Royal Advisors and Ministers. Along with this they were also designated the task of cooking ritual temple offerings on auspicious occasions and also on royal occasions by the King of Garhwal, thus named "Sarola" (Garhwali for cooking offerings) due to the ritual purity of the Sarola Brahmins which meant only their hand could prepare the oblations. ^[15]

Their prestige in the Himalayan Kingdoms was paramount due to their legendary status as descendants of the leading Brahmin lineages of the Seven Great Saints from across India. ^[16]

See also

• Gangari Brahmin

References

1. "6 Languages of Uttarakhand to Know About - Holidify". www.holidify.com.
2. Ram, Pati (1916). Garhwal: Ancient and Modern. Army Press. pp. 82–83 – via Google Books.
3. Duane, Gerald (1972). Hindus of the Himalayas Ethnography and Change. University of California Press. p. 183.
4. Dobhal, Girdhari Lal (1986). Development of the Hill Areas (1st ed.). New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company. p. 56. ISBN   81-8069-223-X.
5. Lakhera, Harischandra. "History of Garhwali Brahmins". Himalayilog.
6. Sati, Vishwambhar Prasad (9 August 2023). Natural and Cultural Diversity in the Himalaya. Springer Nature. ISBN   978-3-031-39363-1.
7. Basak, Sudeshna (1991). Socio-cultural Study of a Minority Linguistic Group: Bengalees in Bihar, 1858-1912. B.R. Publishing Corporation. ISBN   978-81-7018-627-4.
8. Singh, Prahalad (1978). Rajpurohit Jati ki Itihas[A History of the Rajpurohit Houses]. Jodhpur: Rajasthani Granthagar. ISBN   978-93-90179-06-0.
9. Kumar, Dinesh (1991). The Sacred Complex of Badrinath: A Study of Himalayan Pilgrimage. Kisohr [i.e. Kishor] Vidya Niketan.
10. "The Tradition and Culture of Devi-Devta Worship in Himachal Pradesh". Sahapedia. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
11. Saklani, Atul (1987). The History of a Himalayan Princely State: Change, Conflicts, and Awakening : an Interpretative History of Princely State of Tehri Garhwal, U.P., A.D. 1815 to 1949 A.D. Durga Publications.
12. Kumar, Dinesh (1991). The Sacred Complex of Badrinath: A Study of Himalayan Pilgrimage. Kisohr [i.e. Kishor] Vidya Niketan.
13. [e-mail], Travel To India-. "Kedarnath Dham Yatra- Temple & Travel Information". Travel To India. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
14. Government of Uttarakhand. "Shri Kedarnath Dham". Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee.
15. General, India (Republic) Office of the Registrar (1961). Census of India 1961. Manager of Publications.
16. Thapliyal, Uma Prasad (2005). Uttaranchal: Historical and Cusltural Perspectives. B.R. Publishing Corporation. ISBN   978-81-7646-463-5.