Mahar

Mahar
	"A Mahar woman", a watercolour by M. V. Dhurandhar, 1928
Total population
	30 million
Regions with significant populations
	Major: Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh; ; Minor: Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat
Languages
	Marathi, Varhadi dialect, Konkani, Hindi
Religion
	Buddhism, Hinduism

Mahar (also known as Maha and Mara)[1] is an Indian community found largely in the state of Maharashtra and neighbouring areas.[2] Most of the Mahar community followed B. R. Ambedkar in converting to Buddhism in the middle of the 20th century.[3][4] As of 2017, the Mahar caste was designated as a Scheduled Caste in 16 Indian states.

History

A Mahar man winding thread.

The origin of the name Mahar is uncertain. These diverse origins suggest that the Mahars are the indigenous inhabitants of Maharashtra, India.[5]

The Mahar caste were considered an Untouchable community by the Hindu castes. However, they were socio-economically well above most other untouchable groups because their traditional role had been important in the village administrative system, had necessitated that they had at least a rudimentary education and frequently brought them into contact with upper-caste Hindus.[6] They lived on the outskirts of villages and their duties included those of village watchman and trackers of thieves, messenger, wall mender, adjudicator of boundary disputes, street sweeper, supplying coarse cloth to the village and removers and processors of carcasses. In return for these services, the village granted them a watan, or rights to small piece of land, to do their own cultivation. The watan also included share of village produce.[7] They also worked at times as agricultural labourers.[8][9]

Pre-colonial period

In 14th century, Mahar Bhakti saint Chokhamela, and many of his family members such as Karmamela, Banka, Nirmala, and Soyarabai became popular for their religious poetry called abhang.[10][11][12]

The Mahar were subjected to degradation during the rule of the Chitpavan Brahmin Peshwas, who treated them as untouchables.[13]

British India

A Mahar Man winding thread from The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India (1916)

Under British rule, the Mahars became aware of the scope for social and political advancement. Their traditional role had been low-status but important in the village system.[6]

In the mid-20th century, the Mahar gave up their traditional jobs to a large extent in rural Maharashtra, and took employment in the urban mills, docks, construction sites and railways.[14] They created a receptive body of urban workers who were ready to join a political movement for higher status and equality.[15]

Mahatma Jyotirao Phule

In 1873, Jyotirao Phule, the founder of Satyashodhak Samaj—which aimed to abolish religious slavery from the influence of Brahaminical scriptures—organised Mahars. Mahars were not allowed to enter Hindu temples and were considered unclean. Even their entry into the shrines of Hindu gods was restricted.[16] Their first conference was held in Mumbai in 1903.[17][18]

Shahu Maharaj

Shahu, the ruler of the princely state of Kolhapur, abolished Mahar watan in 1918 and freed the Mahars in his territory from the slavery imposed by the caste Hindu society of the day. He also gave them all the human rights and equality that others enjoy.[19][20]

Military role

Shivaji Maharaj

The Mahar served in various armies over several centuries. The Maratha king Shivaji recruited a number of them into his army in the 17th century.[21] They served as guards in hill forts and as soldiers.[22]

British Rule

During the colonial period, large numbers of Mahars were recruited for military duties by the East India Company and the British Raj. The Battle of Koregaon (1 January 1818) is commemorated by an obelisk known as the Koregaon pillar—which was erected at the site of the battle—and by a medal issued in 1851. The pillar featured on the Mahar Regiment crest until the Independence of India; it is inscribed with the names of 22 Mahars killed at the battle.[23]

The Mahar were initially heavily recruited into the East India company military units, but this process slowed after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Their recruitment was halted under Lord Kitchener in the early 1890s. Before the rebellion, Mahar regiments made up one-sixth of the Bombay units of the East India Company but thereafter they were pensioned off and gradually removed from military service.[24][25] Mahar recruitment reached its nadir in the early 1890s (sources differ as to exact year) when Kitchener halted the recruitment of Untouchables in Maharashtra in favour of "martial races," such as the Marathas and other north-western communities.[4][26] The Mahar community attempted to confront this block with a petition circulated among the Mahar, Chamar, and Mang former soldiers—all Marathi-speaking Untouchables—but the movement was unable to organise and submit their petition.[4] The attempt at a challenge had been spearheaded by Gopal Baba Walangkar, himself a Mahar and former soldier, but he found that Mahar military pensioners were unwilling to sign because they feared that they might lose their pensions.[27]

A Mahar regiment was created during World War I but only for a few years and because of British desperation for additional troops. In 1941, the Mahar Regiment proper was created.[28][29]

Demographics

In 1969, the Mahars constituted about 70% of the total Scheduled Caste population and also represented about 9% of population of the state of Maharashtra.[30]

As of 2017, the Mahar community was designated as a Scheduled Caste (SC) in 16 Indian states, being: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh Assam, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana and West Bengal.[1]

Religion

Mahar is numerically the largest Scheduled Caste in Maharashtra, according to the 2001 Census of India.[31]

Christianity

In the late 19th century, Otto Weishaupt's attempts to evangelise in the Sangamner area of Ahmadnagar district met with little success with communities such as the Brahmins, Muslims and Bhils but his efforts to promote Christianity did appeal to the Mahars there.[32] There were also some Mahar converts to Christianity in other areas of Ahmednagar district around the early 20th century.[33]

Buddhism

The Christian conversion movement became overshadowed by the emergence of B. R. Ambedkar's Buddhist equivalent.[34] When he converted to Buddhism at Nagpur in 1956, many Mahars were among those of his followers who chose to do the same.[35] As Buddhists, they gave up their traditional Hindu occupations and sought to redefine their social status. Ambedkar died about two months after this mass conversion.[36] At the same spot, after his cremation, more Mahars were converted to Buddhism.[37] Now, this community is the third most populous in Mumbai.[2]

Some Buddhist leaders among the population prefer that the term Mahar no longer be applied to these converts.[38] Buddhism appealed to the sense of equality for the Mahars;[39] an intellectual of Mahar origin said, "I have accepted Buddhist doctrine. I am Buddhist now. I am not Mahar now, not untouchable nor even Hindu. I have become a human being".[40]

Contributions to culture and arts

According to Eleanor Zelliot, Dalit literature originated in Marathi-speaking areas of Maharashtra. She credits Ambedkar, a Mahar himself, for inspiring many Dalit writers. Baburao Bagul (1930–2008), Shankarrao Kharat, and Bandhu Madhav were early Marathi writers from the Mahar community.[41] The Mahar writer Namdeo Dhasal (who founded Dalit Panther) was significant in the Dalit movement.[42] Other notable Mahar authors writing in Marathi include Shantabai Kamble, Raja Dhale, Daya Pawar, and Narendra Jadhav.[43]

gollark: I accidentally wiped my fonts folder yesterday. Clearly the effect spread.

gollark: Admittedly it doesn't work too well right now since I think nobody is on.

gollark: You can see their locations with my monitoring whatsit.

gollark: .

gollark: I should really work on my terminal-redirection-to-chat thing more

References

"State wise list of Scheduled Castes updated up to 26-10-2017". MSJE, Government of India. 26 October 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
Fred Clothey (2007). Religion in India: A Historical Introduction. Psychology Press. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-415-94023-8.
Jaffrelot, Christophe (2005). "The 'Solution' of Conversion". Dr Ambedkar and Untouchability: Analysing and Fighting Caste. Orient Blackswan Publisher. pp. 119–131. ISBN 8178241560.
Zelliot, Eleanor (1978). "Religion and Legitimation in the Mahar Movement". In Smith, Bardwell L. (ed.). Religion and the Legitimation of Power in South Asia. Leiden: Brill. pp. 88–90. ISBN 9004056742.
Zelliott, Eleanor. "Mahar". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
Gupta, Dipankar (May 1979). "Understanding the Marathwada Riots: A Repudiation of Eclectic Marxism". Social Scientist. 7 (10): 3–22. JSTOR 3516774.
Kulkarni, A. R. (2000). "The Mahar Watan: A Historical Perspective". In Kosambi, Meera (ed.). Intersections: Socio-Cultural Trends in Maharashtra. London: Sangam. pp. 121–140. ISBN 978-0863118241. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
Mendelsohn, Oliver; Vicziany, Marika (1998). The untouchables : subordination, poverty and the state in modern India. Cambridge [u.a.]: Cambridge University Press. p. 91. ISBN 0521553628.
Zelliott, Eleanor (2015). "Ambedkar's Life and his Navayana Buddhism". In Jacobsen, Knut A. (ed.). Routledge Handbook of Contemporary India. Routledge. pp. 362–363. ISBN 978-0415738651. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
King, Anna S.; Brockington, J. L. (2005). The Intimate Other: Love Divine in Indic Religions. Orient Blackswan. pp. 5–. ISBN 978-81-250-2801-7.
Stewart-Wallace, editorial advisers Swami Ghananda, Sir John (1979). Women saints, east & west. Hollywood, Calif.: Vedanta. p. 61. ISBN 0874810361.
Aktor, Mikael; Deliège, Robert, eds. (2008). From Stigma to Assertion : Untouchability, Identity & Politics in Early & Modern India. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press. p. 86. ISBN 8763507757.
Joshi, Barbara R., ed. (1986). "Roots of Revolt". Untouchable! Voices of the Dalit Liberation Movement. London: The Minority Rights Group. pp. 15–17. ISBN 0862324602. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
Gandhi, Raj S. (Spring–Summer 1980). "From Caste to Class in Indian Society". Humboldt Journal of Social Relations. 7 (2): 1–14. JSTOR 23261720.
Zelliot, Eleanor (1978). "Religion and Legitimation in the Mahar Movement". In Smith, Bardwell L. (ed.). Religion and the Legitimation of Power in South Asia. Leiden: Brill. pp. 90–92. ISBN 9004056742.
Galanter, Marc (1966). Smith, D. E. (ed.). South Asian politics and religion (PDF). Princeton University Press. p. 283. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015.
Aktor, Mikael; Deliège, Robert (2008). From Stigma to Assertion : Untouchability, Identity & Politics in Early & Modern India. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press. p. 103. ISBN 8763507757.
Keer, Dhananjay (1997). Mahatma Jotirao Phooley : father of the Indian social revolution (New ed.). Bombay: Popular Prakashan. pp. 126–127. ISBN 817154066X.
Kosambi, Meera (2000). Intersections: Socio-cultural Trends in Maharashtra. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 9788125018780.
Kulkarni, A. R. (2000). "The Mahar Watan: A Historical Perspective". In Kosambi, Meera (ed.). Intersections: Socio-Cultural Trends in Maharashtra. London: Sangam. pp. 121–140. ISBN 978-0863118241. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
White, Richard B. (1994). "The Mahar Movement's Military Component" (PDF). SAGAR: South Asia Graduate Research Journal. 1 (1): 39–60.
Shinoda, Takashi, ed. (2002). The other Gujarat. Mumbai: Popular Prakashan. p. 4. ISBN 8171548741.
Kumbhojkar, Shraddha (2012). "Contesting Power, Contesting Memories - The History of the Koregaon Memorial". The Economic and Political Weekly. EPW. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
Jaffrelot, Christophe (2005). "Ambedkar: Son of Mahar Soldier". Dr. Ambedkar and untouchability : fighting the Indian caste system. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231136021.
Rao, Anupama (2009). The Caste Question: Dalits and the Politics of Modern India. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. ISBN 0520257618.
Kamble, N. D. (1983). Deprived castes and their struggle for equality. Ashish Publisher House. pp. 129–132.
Teltumbde, Anand (2016). Dalits: Past, present and future. Routledge. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-31552-643-0.
Mahars Turn Sixty. Mod.nic.in (1 October 1941). Retrieved on 2012-03-28.
Basham, Ardythe (2008). Untouchable Soldiers: The Maharas and the Mazhbis. Gautam Book Center. p. 12. ISBN 978-81-87733-43-0.
Junghare, Indira Y. (1988). "Dr. Ambedkar: The Hero of the Mahars, Ex-Untouchables of India". Asian Folklore Studies. 47 (1): 93–121. JSTOR 178254.
"Wayback Machine" (PDF). 14 November 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2012.
Shelke, Christopher (2008). God the Creator : universality of inculturality. Roma: Pontificia università gregoriana. pp. 166–167. ISBN 887839128X.
Rege, Sharmila (2006). Writing caste, writing gender: reading Dalit women's testimonios. New Delhi: Zubaan. p. 139. ISBN 8189013017.
Stackhouse, Max L.; Pachuau, Lalsangkima, eds. (2007). News of boundless riches : interrogating, comparing, and reconstructing mission in a global era. Delhi: ISPCK. pp. 230–232. ISBN 8184580134.
Pritchett, Frances. "In the 1950s" (PHP). Retrieved 2 August 2006.
Gautam, C. "Life of Babasaheb Ambedkar". Ambedkar Memorial Trust, London. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
Kantowsky, Detlef (2003). Buddhists in India today:descriptions, pictures, and documents. Manohar Publishers & Distributors.
"Maya under fire from Dalit leaders in Maharashtra". Indian Express. 1 December 2007. Archived from the original on 3 January 2008. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
Pandey, Gyanendra (6–12 May 2006). "The Time of the Dalit Conversion". Economic and Political Weekly. 41 (18): 1779+1781–1788. JSTOR 4418177.
Jaffrelot, Christophe (2005). The ‘solution’ of conversion': Dr Ambedkar and Untouchability: Analysing and Fighting Caste. Orient Blackswan. p. 138. ISBN 978-8-17824-156-2.
Zelliot, Eleanor (2007). "Dalit Literature, Language and Identity". In Kachru, Braj B.; Kachru, Yamuna; Sridhar, S. N. (eds.). Language in South Asia, Part 9. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 450–454. ISBN 978-0-52178-141-1.
"Of art, identity, and politics". The Hindu. 23 January 2003.
Jadhav, Narendra (2005). Untouchables : my family's triumphant escape from India's caste system. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press. pp. 53–54. ISBN 978-0520252639. Retrieved 4 January 2017.