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]],

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 which is alike Gujarati.

Contents

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. .. [2] 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 a 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 Halai Bhanushali Community (have ancestry in Halar (Jamnagar) region). [3]

Occupation

Bhanushalis are mainly involved in agriculture and farming and others who migrated are mainly involved in big businesses. [2]

Religion

Bhanushalis worship different kuldevis as per their clan names / surnames. [4] They follow Hindu customs and beliefs. [5] 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. [2]

Lohanas

Bhanushalis shared their early home in Sindh with Lohanas and seem to share history. [2] 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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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). 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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandvi</span> Town in Gujarat, India

Mandvi is a beach town with municipality in the Kachchh district (Kutch) in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was once a major port of the region and summer retreat for Maharao (king) of the Cutch State. The old city was enclosed in the fort wall and remains of the fort wall can still be seen. The city has a four-hundred-year-old ship building industry which is still functional and dhows, a type of wooden ship, are still made. Mandvi Municipality's 36 Seat Of 9 Ward.

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Rana Jashraj was elevated to the name Veer Dada Jashraj and he was worshiped as kuladevata by the Lohana caste. In memory of Jashraj, Vasant Panchami is celebrated as a balidaani diwas of Veer Dada Jashraj.

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References

  1. ↑ Gillow, John (2008). Indian Textiles. Thames & Hudson. p. 221.
  2. 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.
  3. ↑ Bhanushalis Samaj (2018). "About Bhanushalis Community Archived 2019-08-09 at the Wayback Machine ".
  4. ↑ Berger, Peter (2010). The anthropology of values: essays in honour of Georg Pfeffer. Longman. p. 366. ISBN   9788131728208. OCLC   695854817.
  5. ↑ Urmi Chanda-Vaz (January 20, 2018). "Indian millennials are embracing religious and spiritual tattoos, as indigenous cultures reject them".
  6. ↑ "Dhvani Bhanushali Official YouTube Channel". YouTube .
  7. ↑ "Jay Bhanushali IMDb Page". IMDb .
  8. ↑ "Kishore Bhanushali IMDb Page". IMDb .
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