Bhekhdhari Communities in Garhwal
British Administration in Garhwal -310
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History of British Rule/Administration over Kumaun and Garhwal (1815-1947) -330
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History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -1164
By: Bhishma Kukreti (History Student)
There were many castes in Garhwal and still persist those are called Bheshdhari Jogi. The Jogi or Bhekhdhari communities play great role in Garhwal.
There ae many castes of such communities as Nath, Kanfata, Binkanfata, Gusain, Giri, Pui , Dashnami, Aghori, Pramhans, Gurudasi, Sadhu, Brahmchari, Sanyasi, Ramanandi and many more.
Historians and administrators put them into two major classes – Gusain ( Bairagi, Udasi, sadhu etc) and Jogi (priests in Bhairon temples).
The administration collected the population as follows-
Year ----------Gusain -----------Jogi ---------Total
1872-------------1125-------------1063-----------2188
1881--------------------------------------------------2670
Gusain
Gusain had ten sub classes or Dasnami . Tirth, Ashram, and Bharti were sub divisions. Dandi was also sub class.
In past, such priests (Mahant, Gusain) of Math or temples had to be Brahmchari. Slowly, gusain started having woman keep in temples and lately started marrying too. They had a specific system for making disciples from the society.
Many families used to put their child into bag of Gusain for making the male child as Gusain. When the child reached at the age of 8, 10 or 12 years, there used to be a rituals for making child as Gusain and from that day the Child used to live with Gusain in Math or temple. The disciple from other family was called and Nad Putra and if Gusain’s own son used to become Gusain that Gusain was called Bindu Gusain.
Society had a custom for offering articles , food, grains to Gusain.
Puri
The Puris sects from Jogi were the priests of temples as Kamleshwar, Narmdeshwar (Shrinagar), Nageshwar, kalkeshwar, Naleshwar.
The Giri jogi were the priests of Bridh Kedar, Bhill-Kedar, Dattatreya and sarveshwar temples and many temples of Gurga, Mahadev, Bhawani.
Bharti were the priests of Rudranath and Narmdeshwar temples.
Udasi were related to Guru Ram Ray sects.
Nath /Dalya
The disciples of Guru Gorakhnath and Machhindar Nath are called Nath . Once, Nath priests had deep influence on Garhwal Kings. There are two types of nath –Kanfara (ear pierced) and Bin Kanfara.
There were eighteen sub sects under Nath segment-
Dharmanathi, Satyanathi, Bairagnathi, Kaflani, Daryanathi, Mastnathi, Rawal-Gudar , Khantar, Ramnathi, Aipanthi, Niranjani, Kankai, Bhushai, Mundiya, Mannathi, Paopanthi and Muskani.
Devalgarh was main centre of Satynathi sect. There is Samadhi of Satyanath priest. The chief priest of Styanath math is called Peer. Satyanathi took many beliefs from Islam. The Peer priest used to put on Tahmad. Peer was always buried. Peer was a married priest. His other family members were burnt as other Garhwalis. T.e Kings offered a few Math , the tax free land (Gunth).
Before, Garhwal King came, the Nath priests had rights on Shiva temples and that is the reasosn, in many Shiva temples, there are Adinath images on top of Shrine.
Samadhi
The Gusain, many Bairagi, nath priest, dalya, jogi were not burnt but were buried. In Jaspur, Dhangu, Pauri Garhwal), there is Nath Math where Nath Dalya are buried.
The dead body is put as in sitting position and kept some sweets etc. Then salt is put on the ditch and soil and stone are put. On top of the burial a flat and big stone or shrine type of stone is put.
Married Jogi
In old age, the chief priest of bigger and famous temples or math used to be unmarried. However, with time, the Math Mahant started marrying and having families as other citizens. Then, Mahant started making his own son as chief priest of Math or Mandir.
In Garhwal Settlement Report, Paw wrote that the ownership of math or mandir went to disciples and not to sons of Mahant. That custom was there because in past, the Priest /Mahant used to be unmarried (Brahmchari).
When Mahants started marrying, for temple/math ownership reason, Mahant started declaring his son or son in law as disciple. By end of nineteenth century, most of Mahant started marrying and transferring temple /math ownership to their sons by making them chief priest. In many cases, it was difficult to differentiate Jogi family and a Rajput family. In Almora, many such Mahant or Jogi stopped putting on saffron dresses. (Pannalal, Customary Law in Kumaun).
In many cases, Mahant or priest started making his son in law as his disciple for disowning temple property to others.
By 1919, in Kamleshwar temple Shrinagar, the custom was that Mhant would make his son as disciple. however, in case Mahant declared his disciple, the temple income used to go to disciple and son used to get ownership that offered by his father (Mahant) in his life time. In such cases, Mahant started making disciples from nephews or close relatives. Even today, Yogi Adityanath of Gorakhpur is nephew of previous Mahant.
Mahants of Kamleshwar Temple Shrinagar
It is said that Mahant custom in Kamleshwar Mandir started from 1700. Shhringeri math Shankaracharya handed over the charge of temple to his female disciple Shri Krishna Puri mai for various temple administration ( Bhairav datt Shastri, Punyaagari Shrinagar) and later on the mahant list is as follows –
Shri Krishna Puri Mai- Jagannath Puri became Mhanat after Keshav and Uttam.
Jagannath Puri- Deep was his dispel but Deep did not have disciple. Nirml Puri the disciple of Keshav Puri became Mahant of temple.
Nirmal- Prasad, Gambhir, Shivram, Samser, Balbhadra, Hanumant, Hira, Dayal, Lalitanand, Parmanand, Kamlanand
Bairagi
Garhwali Bairagi used to caal them followers of Ramanuj sect. They used to put on Janeu and had Choti, put on tulsi garland and used to paste vertical Tripund on forehead. They used to follow all Hindu rituals, believed on Vishnu incarnations and follow Vaishnava sect strictly. Many Bairagi of Nand Prayag were very rich (Patiram, Garhwal Ancient and Modern). Those rich Bairagi used to arrange food, shelters and medicinal facilities for Sadhus on pilgrim roads.
Raturi (Narendra Hindu Law) offered following castes of Bairagi-
Charandasi, Dadupanthi, Kabirpanthi, Nirala, Tulsidasi, Panapdasi, Garibdasi, Ramdasi, Sainpanthi, Khaki, Rampanthi, Madhvcharypanthi, Swaminarayani,Sampradayi, Harishchandri, Chohadpanthi, Paltudasi, Apapanthi, Satnami, Mayami, Baijampanthi,Chandrapanthi.
Mostly, they were Mahant of Vaishnava temples. It seems many were from Nath sects as followrs of saint Dadu, Panap etc
Bhalda /Bhaira
Raturi (Narendra Hindu Law) stated that Bhalda were below Gusain in status. They were not Jogi but family community. Bhalda or Bhaira did not put on saffron dress or had choti as compulsion. Many Bhalda started putting on Janueu and counted them as Brahmin. Many started calling them ‘Pujari’.
In past age, people used to call them at funeral Ghat and people used to offer them dresses and other materils of deceased with Moksha Dan materials as cow. In many cases, people also used to throw stones on them as custom (cruel). People used to offer them spotted cows too. By 1915, Bhalda or Bhaira stopped those activities.
In Tehri Garhwal, even in 1937, court used to punish Bhalda if they refused taking moksha dan materials. In British Garhwal, there was no compulsion on Bhaira for taking Moksa Dan materials.
References
1-Shiv Prasad Dabral ‘Charan’, Uttarakhand ka Itihas, Part -8 Garhwal par British -Shasan, part -2, page- .
2- Atkinson, Himalayan Districts, Vol. 3
3-Garhwal Gazetteer
4- Paw, Garhwal settlement reports
5- Census hand book 1951
6- Adams, Reports on pilgrims rout
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Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti Mumbai, India,bjkukreti@gmail.com 1/3/2018
History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -1165
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*** History of British Rule/Administration over British Garhwal (Pauri, Rudraprayag, and Chamoli1815-1947) to be continued in next chapter
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(The History of Garhwal, Kumaon, Haridwar write up is aimed for general readers)
History of British Garhwal, Education , Caste, History of Devalgarh Garhwal , ; History of Badhan Garhwal; Education , Caste History of Barasyun Garhwal; Education , Caste, History of Chandpur Garhwal; Education , Caste History of Chaundkot Garhwal; Education , Caste History of Gangasalan Garhwal; History of Mallasalan Garhwal; Education , Caste, History of Tallasalan Garhwal; Education , Caste History of Dashauli Garhwal; Education , Caste, History of Nagpur Garhwal; Society in British Garhwal. History of British Garhwal, History of Social Structure and Religious Faith in Chamoli Garhwal, History of Social Structure and Religious Faith of Pauri Garhwal , Education , Health, Social and Culture History of Rudraprayag Garhwal