Anavil Brahmin

Anavil Brahmins are a community of Brahmins who are believed to be made Brahmin by Lord Ram [ 7th incarnation of Lord Vishnu ] when there was need of Brahmins at Anaval village [ recently region of south Gujarat ].As their origin is at Anaval place, they are called Anavil Brahmins.Then they were given the land of Parshuram -Parshubhumi[ The land between Vapi and Tapi {Surat} ]. They are dominant in the [ Parshubhumi ] Valsad, Navsari and Surat district of south Gujarat, India, where they have been significant land-owners and have an influential role in politics.[1][2]

The Anavil are among the Brahmins communities who do not perform a priestly function. They comprise two sub-groups, called the Desai and the Bhathela. The former acted as tax farmers during the era of the Maratha Empire, then as minor rulers as saw them conform more closely to the classical Brahmin practices.

History

Anavil Brahmins also known as Ayachak (One who never begs). Yachana is quite a norm among the Brahmin community. After each holy ritual, Brahmins demand something from the host, also known as Yachana.

The most popular surname among Anavil Brahmins are Desai & Naik (Nayak), among many like Vashi, Thakor, Mehta.

References
  1. Goody, Jack (1990). The Oriental, the Ancient and the Primitive: Systems of Marriage and the Family in the Pre-Industrial Societies of Eurasia. Cambridge University Press. p. 187. ISBN 978-0-52136-761-5.
  2. Streefkerk, Hein (1985). Industrial Transition in Rural India: Artisans, Traders, and Tribals in South Gujarat. Popular Prakashan. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-86132-067-7.

Further reading
  • Jan Breman (2007). The Poverty Regime in Village India: Half a Century of Work and Life at the Bottom of the Rural Economy in South Gujarat. Oxford University Press.
  • Klaas W. van der Veen (1972). I Give Thee My Daughter: A Study of Marriage and Hierarchy Among the Anavil Brahmans of South Gujarat. Van Gorcum.
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