Mahyavanshi
Encyclopedia
Mahyavanshi are a scheduled caste of India, who were originally identified as Dhedh
s, Vankar
s, Mahar
s and Holiya
s but started a successful movement in the early 20th Century to establish their identity as a branch of Mayavat Rajputs. The community members are mainly located in regions of Gujarat, Maharashta, Daman
and Rajasthan
.
The new nomenclature of Mahyavanshi was given to them via a Government of India circular in the year 1939, due largely to the efforts of K. M. Munshi
, then Home Minister of Bombay
and Dr. Purshottam Solanki, representative of Depressed Classes of Gujarat, who stressed that Mahyavanshis are descendats of Rajputs. Later on in year 1968, vied a Government of India circular, the Dhedh
s of Daman
, were also given the status of Mahyavanshi after the liberation of Daman from Portuguese.
status.
In the 1930s-40s many Dalit
communities were active in changing their caste name and social status to Rajput: Rohits from Khalpa to Rohit, others like Dhedh
s to Mahyavanshis, Garua to Guru and Bhangi
to Rishi. Of these, only the Mahyavanshis were successful in getting official recognition from British Government of India to get a change of name from Dhedh and Vankar, and gain Kshatriya status officially. The Mashyavanshis were able to mobilize public opinion and procured support for their cause from both from British and Indian leaders.
all written in Gujarati
by Makanji Kuber Makwana (1849–1924), in which he tried to establish that Dheds or Vankars were originally Mayavat Rajputs and should be recognised as Mahyavanshis. These books also helped them get the Rajput status.
Dr. Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi, in a 1931 lecture stressed that the Mahyavanshi were the descendents of the Hattiavanshi
king Arjuna
, arguing that because of the slaughter of Parsuram
they were relegated to a lower caste.
, Parmar, Rathod, Wadekar, Makwana, Solanki
and Vaghela.
They have following customs in their caste, which point towards that they are of Rajput origin:-
Dhedh
Dhedhs or Dheds or Dhedhas are one of the scheduled caste of India. They were one of the out-caste and deprived class of Hindu society of India....
s, Vankar
Vankar
The Vankar are a Hindu caste found in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India." Vankar " means weaver and treders of clothes.Vankar community is famous for making silk clothes...
s, Mahar
Mahar
Mahar is an important social group within the Indian state of Maharashtra and surrounding states. A grouping of related endogamous castes, the Mahar are the largest scheduled caste group in Maharashtra, in which they comprise ten percent of the population .On...
s and Holiya
Holiya (caste)
Holiya are a scheduled caste of India, mainly belonging to present day Karnataka State, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamilnadu and also Madhya PradeshOriginally, they were one of the out-caste, commonly an agricultural labor. The term Hola means an agricultural field and term Holiya is derived from Hola.In...
s but started a successful movement in the early 20th Century to establish their identity as a branch of Mayavat Rajputs. The community members are mainly located in regions of Gujarat, Maharashta, Daman
Daman
Daman may refer to:Places:*Daman, Daman and Diu, a city in India*Daman District, India*Daman and Diu, a former Portuguese colony in India*Daman District, Afghanistan*Daman, Afghanistan, a village*Daman, Nepal, a villagePeople:...
and Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
.
The new nomenclature of Mahyavanshi was given to them via a Government of India circular in the year 1939, due largely to the efforts of K. M. Munshi
K. M. Munshi
Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi was an Indian independence movement activist, politician, writer and educationist from Gujarat state. A lawyer by profession, he later turned to literature and politics. He was a well known name in Gujarati literature...
, then Home Minister of Bombay
Bombay State
The Bombay State was a state of India, dissolved with the formation of Maharashtra and Gujarat states on May 1, 1960.-History:During British rule, portions of the western coast of India under direct British rule were part of the Bombay Presidency...
and Dr. Purshottam Solanki, representative of Depressed Classes of Gujarat, who stressed that Mahyavanshis are descendats of Rajputs. Later on in year 1968, vied a Government of India circular, the Dhedh
Dhedh
Dhedhs or Dheds or Dhedhas are one of the scheduled caste of India. They were one of the out-caste and deprived class of Hindu society of India....
s of Daman
Daman
Daman may refer to:Places:*Daman, Daman and Diu, a city in India*Daman District, India*Daman and Diu, a former Portuguese colony in India*Daman District, Afghanistan*Daman, Afghanistan, a village*Daman, Nepal, a villagePeople:...
, were also given the status of Mahyavanshi after the liberation of Daman from Portuguese.
Historical revision
A prominent figure in re-writing the new history of Mahyavanshis was Makanji Kuber Makwana, who wrote several works on the ancient history of Mahyavnashi and linking them with the Mayavat Rajputs (a branch of Parmara clan), and started a new social movement to "regain" their Rajput and KshatriyaKshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
status.
In the 1930s-40s many Dalit
Dalit
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
communities were active in changing their caste name and social status to Rajput: Rohits from Khalpa to Rohit, others like Dhedh
Dhedh
Dhedhs or Dheds or Dhedhas are one of the scheduled caste of India. They were one of the out-caste and deprived class of Hindu society of India....
s to Mahyavanshis, Garua to Guru and Bhangi
Bhangi
Bhangi is an Indian caste or jāti traditionally treated as untouchable, and was historically restricted to three occupations: cleaning latrines, sweeping, and scavenging . They prefer to be known as Balmiki...
to Rishi. Of these, only the Mahyavanshis were successful in getting official recognition from British Government of India to get a change of name from Dhedh and Vankar, and gain Kshatriya status officially. The Mashyavanshis were able to mobilize public opinion and procured support for their cause from both from British and Indian leaders.
Published works
The historical research books published like:- Mayavat Rajput Prakash (1908) ( A light on Mayavat Rajputs )
- Mahyavanshi no Itihas (1910) ( History of Mahyavanshi)
- Mayavat Rajputoday (1911) ( The rise of Mayavat Rajput )
- Mahyavanshi Atle Shu? (1911) ( Who is a Mahyavanshi? )
all written in Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
by Makanji Kuber Makwana (1849–1924), in which he tried to establish that Dheds or Vankars were originally Mayavat Rajputs and should be recognised as Mahyavanshis. These books also helped them get the Rajput status.
Dr. Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi, in a 1931 lecture stressed that the Mahyavanshi were the descendents of the Hattiavanshi
Heheya Kingdom
Heheya kingdom was one of the many kingdoms ruled by Chandravanshi Kshatriya kings in the central and western India. It was the strongest of the kingdoms and had the powerful ruler Kartavirya Arjuna who even defeated Rakshasa Ravana. Its capital was Mahishmati on the banks of river Narmada in...
king Arjuna
Kartavirya Arjuna
Kartavirya Arjuna , was a legendary king of an ancient kingdom during the Ramayana period with capital at Mahishamati which is on the banks of Narmada River in the current state of Madhya Pradesh. Kartavirya was son of Kritavirya, king of the Haihayas. This is his patronymic, by which he is best...
, arguing that because of the slaughter of Parsuram
Parashurama
Parashurama , is the sixth avatar of Vishnu and belongs to the treta yuga, and is the son of a Brahmin father Jamadagni and mother Renuka. He is considered one of the seven immortal human. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of...
they were relegated to a lower caste.
Subdivisions
The Mahyavanshis are primarily divided in to exogenous clan: Pardinar, Danania, Katharia, Barodia, Chaseia or Surti, GohelGohil
Gohils are Suryavanshi Rajputs who have descended from the Guhilots of Mewar. As per the Sikarwar Khyat, Prince Shiladitya was born on Jesth Sudhi Chaturdashi of V.S 543 . He was the son of Emperor Aditya Sen and Queen Subhaga Devi. Though born at Chitor he was educated at Vallabhi...
, Parmar, Rathod, Wadekar, Makwana, Solanki
Solanki
The Solanki was a royal Hindu Indian dynasty that ruled parts of western and central India between the 10th to 13th centuries. A number of scholars including V. A. Smith assign them Gurjar origin....
and Vaghela.
Customs
Many Mahyavanshi customs are Rajput in origin:They have following customs in their caste, which point towards that they are of Rajput origin:-
- They worship Mata or Devi and always have a 'Kuldevi'.
- They used to sacrifice a goat in times of calamity (This has now been replaced by offering food).
- Sacrificing a lamb during marriage (This has now been replaced by making a tiny cut in the lambs ear, sprinkling the blood and then setting it free).
- Under the head of the dead body, they keep a knife.
- When a married person dies his wife wears her best clothes and performs aartiAartiAarti , also spelled arathi, aarthi is a Hindu religious ritual of worship, a form of puja, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee or camphor is offered to one or more deities...
of her dead husband