Charan

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Chāraṇ (plural Charans; Hindi:चारण; Gujarati:ચારણ) is the term for a caste living in the Gujarat and Rajasthan states of India. Members of this caste are highly revered for their unflinching readiness for martyrdom, bravery in war, high literary sense and deep loyalty to patrons^[1]. The caste is also identified with the surnames Gadhavi (also spelled Gadhvi) and Barot (or Barath). Members of this caste are considered to be divine by a large section of society^[2]. Women of the caste are adored as mother goddesses by other major communities of this region^[2][3] The goddesses Karani, Bahuchra, Hinglaj (whose main temple is now in Baluchistan), Khodiyar and Sonal are well-known examples of it. This is one of the reasons that Charan men are often addressed as Deviputra, which literally means "son of goddess". In the medieval era, it was considered a matter of prestige and pride for a king to have a Charan in his court^[4]. While they are considered to be great warriors and extremely loyal citizens, they were equally revered by kings for their taste in literature and love for poetry. Because of their ability to compose poems instantaneously, another popular way of addressing members of the Charan caste is "Kaviraj", which literally means "king among poets".

In between social order of the Rajputs and the status of the Brahmans there is a caste of Charans which exercises a great respectability and influence in Rajasthan. The speciality of the caste is that it combines in its characteristics of Rajputs and Brahmans in an adequate manner
G. N. Sharma in Social life in mediaval Rajasthan[5]

Contents 1 Social Structure 2 Values and Belief 2.1 Self-Immolation 2.2 Food and Drink 3 Charani Literature 4 Relationship with other communities 5 History of Charans 5.1 Prehistoric period 5.2 Ancient Period (1000BC-1000 AD) 5.3 Medieval Period (1000 AD - 1800 AD) 6 References

[edit] Social Structure

The Charans' caste system is based on written genealogy. A Charan will accept all the other Charans as equals even if they do not know each other and have radically different economic or geographic status.^[6] They are divided into four distinct sections, mainly based on their geographic locations. Each section has several sub-sections and subsections have several stocks. Males and females of the same stock are considered brothers and sisters, and thus marriage within a stock is strictly forbidden no matter how distantly related the male and female are biologically. Similarly, marriages outside the Charan commnuty are not allowed. A list of sections and sub-sections follows, with the number of stocks in each sub-section given.^[3] (This list is not exhaustive and there could be more sections, subsections or stocks than listed here.)

• Tumer

The Tumer are believed to originate from Sindh. The clans of Tumers are:

1. Mudhuda
2. Seda
3. Sindhiya
4. Gelwa
5. Bhan

• Kachhelas

Also called Parajias, from the Kachchh district of Gujarat, the Kachhelas have three clans:

1. Chanwas (72)
2. Choradas (52)
3. Naras (66)

• Maru

The Marus are from Marwar in Rajasthan. They have 20 clans and more than 300 stocks:

1. Adha (Arha)
2. Barhat
3. Badhva (19)
4. Baratrohdia (12)
5. Bati (13)
6. Budhda (4)
7. Dhadhania (11)
8. Dadhvadia (19)
9. Gelva (6)
10. Hada (10)
11. Jula (31)
12. Khadia (36)
13. Kharol (2)
14. Mada (2)
15. Maharia (11)
16. Nadhu (29)
17. Ratnu (1)
18. Samor
19. Sandhayach (16)
20. Sandu (8)
21. Siyal (0)
22. Soda (33)
23. Vija (1)
24. Ashiya
25. Bitu
26. Deval
27. Kharal
28. Mahiya

• Gujjars

Gujjars are apparently a remnant of the great tribe that gave Gujarat its name.

[edit] Values and Belief

Charans respect bravery, loyalty and truth more than they do life. Much of the respect and admiration they receive is because of their unflinching readiness to sacrifice their own life in order to honor these values. Their attitude is typical of warriors. Their war cry is "Jay Mataji" ("Hail the mother goddess"), which is also a phrase used by male members of the Charan community to greet each other. Since female Charans are actually regarded as Mataji (mother goddesses), they use blessings to greet each other, so as to avoid hailing themselves.

[edit] Self-Immolation

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The Charans are highly feared by other communities for their readiness to self-immolate. This readiness is because it was believed that anyone who shed the blood of a Charan would meet with ruin. Self-immolation, known as tragu^[3], was practiced by Charans whose demands had not been met. Tragu consisted of shedding one's own blood or the blood of some member of one's family and calling down the vengeance of heaven upon the offender whose obstinacy necessitated the sacrifice. Sometimes the Charans performed tragu by putting fire on themselves. Tragu or self-immolations were performed only when the offending party was not considered to be an enemy. When the offendinng party was an enemy, the Charans would always choose to go to war.

Self immolations were performed for a variety of reasons, although usually over matters of honor. One Gadhavi woman practised self-immolation to save a wild hare. Her name was Punai Mata. There is a temple of her near a small village named Zarpara in the Kachchh district of Gujarat. While she was collecting fodder for her livestock, a wild hare came running from a huntsman and leaped into her lap. The huntsman demanded that she give it back. Punai Mata refused, telling him that the hare was seeking refuge and that she now provided it and would honor that responsibility until death. The huntsman overpowered her, and so she performed self-immolation.

This type of sacrifice was greatly respected. The mother goddess Bahuchara Ma (one the three most important mother goddesses worshipped in Gujarat) was a Charan woman who cut off one of her breasts when attacked by members of the Koli caste. Readiness to sacrifice themselves allowed Charans to perform several important functions, one of which was to stand as surety. Rajputs valued a surety composed of Charans more than they did in any other type of sureties, because they knew that the Charans would make other parties honor an agreement even if it cost the Charans their own lives. Charans also offered themselves as surety for the good behavior of kings, feudatories, zamindars and village headmen. The British accepted Charans as surety in some of their early treaties with the chiefs of Saurashtra.^[7]

Charans acted as surety and also as guides for travelers and goods. A Charan would commit tragu if anyone tried to rob him or his party. Near the entrance of almost every village in western Gujarat stand guardian stones (known as paliyas), which were set up to perpetuate the memory of Charan men and women who performed tragu to prevent robbers from carrying off the cattle of the village.^[8] Hence, even robbers came under the religious sanctions of Charans. The British government in India put a ban on performing tragu from 1808 onward; nevertheless, incidents of it kept occurring during a large part of the later period^[when?].^[3] However, in post-independent India, one encounters almost no instances of tragu.

Many times Mahatma Gandhi announced that he would fast until death in order to change the opinions of those who opposed him. This closely resembles the practice of tragu; however, tragu performed by Charans used to be much more violent, and the reasons for it were not as broad and far reaching as those of Mahatma Gandhi. It is worth noting, however, that Mahatma Gandhi was born and brought up in the part of India where the Charan population is dominant.^[9].

[edit] Food and Drink

Their food and drink habits resemble those of a warrior community. Most of the Charans used to enjoy eating opium and drinking liquor. Opium and liquor are also widely used substances in other warrior communities (such as that of the Rajputs) of this region. This may be because opium worked as an analgesic in hand-to-hand combat^{[citation needed]}. Charans do not eat the flesh of cows and hold those who do in utter disregard. Cows are respected like mothers. A husband and wife will not drink milk from the same cow, or milk soiled by their counterpart. Drinking milk from one mother (cow) symbolizes that those who do so should be considered as siblings. Before Indian independence in 1947, a sacrifice of a male buffalo constituted a major part of the celebration of Navratri^[10]. Such celebrations quite often used to be presided over by Charan woman, to whom the first cup of raw blood would be offered in order to please the goddess.^[11] Animal sacrifice is illegal now in India, and modern day Charans no longer perform animal sacrifices as part of religious rituals, nor do they encourage drinking of opium or liquor as a social value. On the contrary, vegetarianism has become a highly valued lifestule. The social movement of the mid nineteen-sixties led by aai (mother goddess) Sonal Ma, the poet Dula Bhaya Kag, Pinglshin Bapu and others focused on stopping animal sacrifice, discouraging drinking of liquor and opium, and encouraging modern education. This movement had great success for socio-economic reform of this community^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Charani Literature

Literature and poems are an integral part of the identity of Charans. A whole genre of literature is known as Charani literature^[12]. The Dingal literature and Dingal language exist largely due to this caste^[5][13]. It is generally agreed that modern Rajasthani literature began with the works of Suryamal Misan, who was of the Charan caste^[14]. Zaverchand Meghani divides Charani sahitya (literature) into thirteen sub genres^[12]:

1. Songs in praise of gods and goddesses (stavan)
2. Songs in praise of heroes, saints and patrons (birdavalo)
3. Descriptions of war (varanno)
4. Rebukes of wavering great kings and men who use their power for evil (upalambho)
5. Mockery of a standing treachery of heroism (thekadi)
6. Love stories
7. Laments for dead warriors, patrons and friends (marasiya or vilap kavya)
8. Praise of natural beauty, seasonal beauty and festivals
9. Descriptions of weapons
10. Songs in praise of lions, horses, camels, and buffalo
11. Sayings about didactic and practical cleverness
12. Ancient epics
13. Songs describing the anguish of people in times of famine and adversity

Other classifications of Charani sahitya are Khyatas (chronicles), Vartas and Vatas (stories), Raso (martial epics), Veli - Veli Krishan Rukman ri, Doha-Chhand (verses)^[5][13]. Dursa Adha, Keshavdas, Karanidan, Virbhan, Chand Bardai, Ishwar Dan, etc. hold dignified positions in the literary field of mediaeval India. Prithviraj Raso, by Chand Bardai, is a work of prose highly revered for its historical and literary significance^[who?]. Rajrupak by Virbhan, Surajprakash by Karanidan, and Hariras by Ishwar Dan are examples of verses. Another form of Charani literature is thecharaj, or song of mother's worship. Other minor forms are aaraniyu and zilaniyu, which are also songs for worship.

[edit] Relationship with other communities

Charan enjoyed very cordial relationship with most of the other communities. Charans had great influence with the Rajputs (a community of warriors). The historian Qanungo describes the special relationship between Rajput and Charan: "The Charan was the esteemed and faithful companion of the Rajput, sharing his opium and half his loaf in adversity and receiving his extravagant bounty in prosperity. He followed his client chief on horseback to the thickest of fight, where poetic fire of his deed of old gave a Rajput the strength of ten on the field of carnage".

Charans are also known to speak truth to the kings of the Rajputs, something which others would not do because they feared to arouse the anger of the kings. James Tod^[15] remarks that "There^[sic?] chroniclers (Charans) dare utter truths, sometimes most unpalatable to their masters. Many resolutions has^[sic?] sunk under the lash of their satire." In spite of their amnesty as a divine community, speaking the truth cost many Charans their life and led to mass persecution.

The other community with whom Charans have very close relationship is the Ahir community. Ahirs are considered to be descendent of the god Krishna. Presently most of them are farmers and herdsmen. Charans refer to Ahirs using the word "mama" which means "brother of one's mother". This is to commemorate help given by an Ahir to protect a Charan woman in adversity^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] History of Charans

[edit] Prehistoric period

According to Shrimada Bhagwata Skand (3.a.10 Slok 728) Charans were created along with other divine forms such as Yaksha, Gandharvas, Kinnara ,Sidhdhas, Apsara, etc. and lived with them in Heaven ^[16]. According to Padma Purana, King Prithu brought the Charans from Himalaya to India and gave to them Telang Kingdom ^[16].

[edit] Ancient Period (1000BC-1000 AD)

King Nahapana honored the Charans with large amount of land grants around 119 AD to 128 AD^[16]

[edit] Medieval Period (1000 AD - 1800 AD)

Dursha Adha, known as Dursaji, was a poet in the court of the Mugal emperor Akbar in the 14th century. He hailed from Pesua village in the Sirohi district of Rajasthan. His son Opa Adha was also a famous poet. Dursa Adha is believed to have been a maternal uncle of the goddess Karni. Despite Dursha Adha's status as a court poet of Akbar, historians remember him for singing the praises of Maharana Pratap(an archenemy of Akbar) before this^[17]. A golden statue of Dursaji stands in Achalgadh, Mount Abu. Dursaji's niece the mother-goddess Karani (between 1387 and 1537) is revered as the major deity of Rathod and other communities of this region. She is supposed to have helped Rao Bika (a ruler of Rajasthan) to occupy the territory of Bikaner. Her shrine is at Deshnok near Bikaner.

A saintly Charan woman, mother of Baru Charan, helped Rana Hamir, using her own funds to supply him with 500 horses to use in the recovery of Chittor.^[5]

Charan Khemraj saved the life of Prince Jagat Singh by killing Naruka Rajput, who attempted to murder the prince.^[5]

Naruji, worshipped by both Hindus and Muslims^{[citation needed]}, achieved martyrdom at the gate of a Jagdish temple when Taj Khan and Ruhullah Khan came to destroy it on the order of Muslim emperor Aurangzeb. Two shrines for him were built; one, tended by Hindus, is where his body fell; the other, a few yards away and tended by Muslims, is where his head fell.^[10]

Following are the quotations about Charans taken from book of Dr. G. N. Sharma.^[5]

• In the Battle of Haldighati, which took place in 1576 between Rana Pratap Singh of Mewar and Raja Man Singh of Amber, general of the Mughal emperor Akbar,charan warrior Rama Sandu displayed unprecedented valor and laid down his life in the service of the Mewar.
• In the year 1615 AD, Narhar Charan fell fighting in the action of Sur Singh against Kishan Singh of Kishangarh.
• In the famous field of Dharmat in 1658 AD., Jagmal Khadiya made his end as a valiant warrior.
• In the battle of Delhi when Durgadas planned the rescue of Ajit Singh, Charan Sandu and Mishan Ratan distinguished themselves as martyrs for the cause of their land.
• Charan Jogidas, Mishan Bharmal, Sarau, Asal Dhanu and Vithu Kanau were among the chosen brave warriors who escorted prince Akbar through his way to Shambhaji's court.
• Dhanraj Charan (1801 AD) and Ghan Rama (1822 AD) have been recorded as well-known traders in records of that period.

[edit] References