Abstract

The Meghwal community has no written history as such. Everything is in the verbal form. Through this research, I have understood that the major portion of the history is lost in this process of oral history. Also there are multiple stories, which have come up over the period of time. About the origin itself, there are more than five theories. The history of caste and untouchability is linked with occupation and food of the community. The factor of “purity” and “pollution” had played an important role in creating the social order. That is the reason that “Chamar” and “Bhangi” are considered lower than Meghwal. Even the names which community had at different time period are linked with occupation and the saints, like “Vankar” is weaving, “Dhedh” is related to dragging dead animals, Meghwal is due to Megh Rishi. All the saints of the community had a humanitarian approach and had work for the emancipation of community. One of the saints- Veer Meghmaya had sacrificed his life to get basic human dignity for the community. The concept of god in the community, began from Nature worshipping and has reached to polytheism due to the various religious influences. The cultural and traditional practices are shaped by various religious influences. Thus, even till date Meghwal community are marginalized mainly due to caste.

Introduction

“Until the lion tells his side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” – African proverb

This is an African proverb where lion is considered as African people and hunter as the colonial rulers. As there was practice of slavery, which resulted into the illiteracy, poverty among the Africans. There was only single narrative which was written by the colonial rulers. Where they were portrayed themselves as the messiah. The story of the slavery and injustice was glorified by the rulers. The world assumed that the truth was written by the hunter, since the authority and power was in their hands. But that is not the truth there is other, side the side of the oppressed people and their story, which can provide a clear picture about the scenario. (Adagba, 2006)

This study is based on the ethnographical enquiry of Meghwal community residing in Saurashtra region of Gujarat and Mumbai in Maharashtra. It is about the oral history which community people has, as there is not much written. Whatever narratives that the elders of the community have is been passed from one generation to other. So, the different narratives about the origin, untouchability, stories of god and saints and culture and tradition is the focus of the study. Meghwal come under schedule caste in Gujarat and Maharashtra. In Mumbai, the community’s major occupation and livelihood is based on BMC i.e., Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, most of the people are laborers (Safai Karmachari). Some of them have reached higher positions in BMC. In the Saurashtra region the occupation is weaving, small farmer and picking up dead animals, which is now reducing. So, oral history is the part of the study.

Oral History:

“’Yes’, said Mrs. Oliver, ‘and then when they come to talk about it a long time afterwards, they’ve got the solution for it which they’ve made up themselves. That isn’t awfully helpful, is it?’ ‘It is helpful,’ said Poirot,… ‘It is important to know certain facts which have lingered in people’s memories although they may not know exactly what the fact was, why it happened or what led to it. But they might easily know something that we do not know and that we have no means of learning. So there have been memories leading to theories…” (Portelli, The Peculiarities of Oral History, 1981)

The expression of oral history is a common contraction for what we might describe, more eloquently, as the use of oral sources in history or the social sciences. Firstly, in its most basic form, the oral narratives and evidence which found oral history are but an additional tool in the historian’s display of sources, and are therefore subject to the same critical scrutiny as all other sources, in order to ascertain their reliability and their usefulness. (Portelli, A Dialogical Relationship. An Approach to Oral History, 1998) Oral history can be defined as the process of collecting, usually by means of tape recorded interview, reminiscences, accounts, and interpretations of events from the recent past which are of historical significance. History is simply one among several primary resources. It is no worse than written documents. Achieves are replete with self-serving documents, with edited and doctored dairies and memoranda written for the record.

Meghwal:

The word “Meghwal” is derived from the “Meghwar”. “Megh” in sanskrit means cloud or rain and “war” means people who pray. So, Meghwal and Meghwar are people who pray for rain. They claim to have descended from Rishi Megh, a saint who had the power to bring rain from the clouds through his prayer. The Meghwal are found in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. The good number of population of Meghwal is also found in Pakistan. During partition people who choose to be part of Hinduism came to India, others settled there. This research paper focuses on the history of the Meghwal community. They are also known as Vankar or Dhedh. in the two regions.

Geographical location:
Map 1 : Map of Sindh Province

It is said by the ancestors, that the birth of Meghwal community originally was in the Sindh region. It is said that the Sindh in the ancient time extended from present day Kashmir to Gujarat from north to south and from east to west it started from Afghanistan till Uttar Pradesh. So, the geographical origin of Meghwal community was in Sindh and after that the community started migrating towards north and south, east and west. Even today the most of the community can be seen in and around the same region. The Meghwal community today are found in Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Mumbai. Meghwal’s are also residing in the Pakistan, especially near the west and south-west region of Pakistan. The community has spread around the region over the period of time. The culture tradition of the community has been affected by the regional influence. So, there is no culture tradition that is common as a whole. Roughly, this is the region in the present time where Meghwals are found.

Map 2 : Present location of Meghwal Community

Food and Culture:

Historically people from Meghwal community are beef eaters. In the past they use to eat dead animals for various reasons. But in the recent past it has reduced as it is considered as impure by the upper caste. So, to avoid discrimination Many have given up on it. But still they eat beef which is available in the market. There is not much information about the similarities in the culture as according geographical location and religious influence they have adapted and changed their culture and tradition over the period of time. People from the community have told that there are similarities in the culture of Meghwal residing in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Mumbai and Pakistan. Like the marriage ceremony of the people, who are influence by Hinduism is same. The cremation is practiced in the similar way in this part. As this part earlier was one. In the northern India i.e., Punjab and Kashmir the culture is similar.

Social and Political History

This chapter will try to look at the various oral history and the links between the themes. The concept of oral history is to explore the various histories that are present in the community. To get a better understanding of the of the historical background of the community, it is important as it can provide a different perspective from the insider’s point of view as the mainstream historical narratives are dominated by the upper caste. It will also help us understand history away from the mainstream which will be countering to the mainstream narratives.

The institution of knowledge in the past was owned by the Brahmins and Dalit had no access to education. It was a system created by the upper caste, so that people from the lower strata of the society could not break the chains and revolt against them. It was an attempt to create a hegemonic rule of the upper caste which lead to the illiteracy amongst the Dalit’s. From food, shelter to even the entry in the village premises was controlled by the upper caste. So, one can hardly find any written history of many Dalit communities. Most of the history known to us is in the form of verbal narratives i.e., oral history. Oral history is passed by one generation onto the other. Through this process one can find multiple stories regarding the origin, cultural and traditional practices, stories of the saints (veer purus), food habits, etc. of the people of the Dalit community. As different religion began they also started influencing these narratives. The other religions also influenced many things like the cultural and food habits of the community. But there were some common links which can be seen in the stories.

Most of the history of the Dalit’s is available in the verbal form. As the knowledge and writing skills resided with the Brahmin community, the stories about the history of Dalit were passed on to the next generation by the elderly in the family. In this process, some major part of history was lost and there were multiple stories in the realm. To trace the origin of any “Shudra” and “Ati-Shudra” community one has to understand and find the link between the multiple stories.

The Meghwal community are without a written history which could trace their origin, caste, culture, tradition, god or deities and the stories of their saints. There is only very little written history about the Meghwal community and most of it is in Gujarati which has also surfaced only in the recent time. Drawing from the written history about the community it is found that, the word “Meghwal” is derived from the “Meghwar”. “Megh” in sanskrit means cloud or rain and “war” means people who pray. So, Meghwal and Meghwar are people who pray for rain. They claim to have descended from Rishi Megh, a saint who had the power to bring rain from the clouds through his prayer. The Meghwal are found in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. The good number of population of Meghwala are also found in Pakistan. During partition people who chose to be part of Hinduism came to India, whilst the others settled there.

History of the origin and relationship of different denominations in Meghwal community:

This section will look at the different oral histories which are there in the Meghwal community. In context of its origin there is no single history, people have different perspective about their existence. The caste of the community is majorly linked with the origin of the theory of Brahma that all Shudras are born from the feet. Therefore, tracing the origin through various stories will provide a better understanding about the origins of the community. Along with this, in different an era the name of the community has been altered. So, it is essential to understand the process of the history of different connotations of the name that the community had and the assertion of the name by the community in different time periods. For instance, the Meghwals are also known as Vankar and Dhedh. So, to understand the connotation of different names that they have and the history and the meaning of the name or title.

In context of Meghwal, there are two to three perspectives about the origins that were told to me by my grandmother one, where we are seen as the descendent of Megh Rishi who worshiped rain. And the second narrative perceives Meghwals as born from the feet of Brahma. This is the common narrative told by the Brahmin. Also, the community has different names in different time periods like Meghwal, Vankar, Dhedh, etc. Since, Megh Rishi there has been many names or titles given to the community. Some people believe that Meghwal comes from Megh Rishi and that Dhedh is the derogatory term used by upper castes. Vankar is the name that came from the profession. Some names were imposed, while some titles were adopted by the community there were some occupation based names too. So one most acknowledge the multiple narratives to understand the origins and connotations of the various names that the community got over a period of time.

Origin of Meghwal:

This section will try to explain the history and the origin of the Meghwal community. Tracing the origin of any community with only oral history is difficult but it can provide an understanding of the origins of the community. In Meghwals, there are multiple stories about its origin. This section looks at multiple histories and tries to find a connection between them.

Figure 1 : Origin of Meghwal –I
Meghwal Cast

Mr. Jivraj says that, “Our origin is from Brahma’s feet”. This is the common narrative of the birth of Varna system in Hinduism. As it says that Shudras were born from the feet of Brahma. This theory is generic for all the Sudras and their origins. But as, Mr. Jivraj further explains that, they i.e., Dalit’s are higher, as people touch the feet of the god and not the head. So, god has kept them higher. There is no one understanding or definition of Hinduism, butt is interesting to note that people of all caste or ‘Jati’ in only touch the feet. Though, the theory of Brahma says that Shudras are born from the feet but then why do people touch the feet of god is not explained in detail. This is a counter argument of reversing the hierarchy.

Figure 2 : Origin of Meghwal –II
From Occupation
Meghwal Cast

Mr. Solanki say that the people got their identity from their occupation. Vankar (weaver) is not a caste, it is an occupation. This is one of the major debates among the intellectuals across India that the caste has come from the occupation of the community. Further he says, Meghwal came from Megh Rishi, so we are his descendent. There was a book written on Megh Rishi and the origin of Meghwal by one of the saint Nathuram, “Megh Matang”, which is now unavailable. This book explained the origins and traced the historical significance of the Meghwals.

Figure 3 : Origin of Meghwal –III
From Veer Meghmaya
Meghwal Cast

According to Chandulal, Meghwal name came from the Veer Meghmaya. There is also story that the name Meghwal came from Veer Meghmaya. He says that, “Our caste came from the occupation, initially there were only two and half Jati’s i.e., Nar (Male) Nari (Female) and Kinar (eunuch)”. First came Dedh from our occupation than Maysharya than Meghwal than Harijan and now we are Dalit’s. In every period, the names were changing according to the occupation and the influence of saints.

Figure 4 : Origin of Meghwal –IV
From Megh Rishi
Meghwal Cast

According to Harshad bhai, in Matang Rishi’s time there was one Rishi, named Megh Rishi or also known as Mamaydev. At that time, one of Brahmins had conflict of interest with the king, so, he cursed him that there will be no rain in his kingdom for 7 years. So, king gave order that people should save water for drinking. All reservoirs were guarded by his soldier. One day a person was found taking bath in the lake. Soldiers caught him and took him in the king’s court. The king asked him, “Don’t you know there will be no rain for 7 years?” to which the person responded saying that this year there will be heavy rainfall. No one believed him. He said, I am going on the peak of Girnar mountain for austerity. After that, it rains for 7 days continuously. Entire kingdom was flooded; the king went to apologize for not believing him. The Rishi said, “I have called the clouds but I don’t have power to send them back. For that you must call “Dhedh”, and from then we came to known as Meghwal.” He got to hear this story from his grandfather

From Megh Rishi
Figure 5 : Origin of Meghwal -V

Due to Aryans Invasion

Jayram Bappu, a Buddhist monk narrates his part claiming that there was no Chamar or Meghwal castes initially. Meghwal or Vankar or whichever term name may use to identify them, are the “Mulnivasi” of this country. They were the Rajput’s of this country hence, one may find similarities between their surnames and Rajput’s surnames. After Aryans invasion, vaguely which was thousand years ago, there was a conflict between Aryans and the Mulnivashis. Some people inhabited in jungles, they were identified as, Adivasi (Bhil). Whoever accepted their rule were made Kshtriya and small kingdoms were given to them. The other who fought and lost were made Shudras. They have to stay out the village (i.e., Simaliye). All ripped off all their rights as villagers. They labeled as a despicable (Nich) jati. All the odd labour were given to them. This emerging prerogative which was unknown to me is interesting to analyse as the struggles for Mulnivashi is rising in the Indian context where Adivasi, Bahujan come together for their rights.

There are five major stories of the origin of Meghwal which I encountered. One respondent narrates that; they are born from Brahma’s feet. Second, is that there was no caste in the beginning and from the occupation caste came. Third suggested that in the beginning there were only three Jati’s Nar, Nari and Eunuch. Later that Brahmins created the division and that’s how the caste came into existence. Further narrative describes how occupation decided the caste of the community. Fourth story highlights how, Megh Rishi is the origin of Meghwal. And the fifth, is the concept of Mulnivashi that we assert existed from the beginning.

Vankar, Meghwal, Dhedh and other denomination:

In the contemporary era, there are three names which are used interchangeably. Vankar is the occupation based name and Meghwal comes from Megh Rishi or Veer Meghmaya. Dhedh is the derogatory term used by the upper caste.

Figure 6 : Denominations

Dhedh

Harshad bhai says, “When Megh Rishi diverted the clouds from the sky, we were called as Meghwal. When we started weaving, the name came Vankar came into existence. When we dragged the dead animal, the name Dhedh came into being. When we stayed in Sim i.e., outside the village, they were called as Simaliya i.e., outsiders.” All the names which were given were related to some event, act or occupation. The way upper caste has named the community in a different time period to oppress them which was the imposition. So, they will not be able to break the caste barriers created by the upper caste to maintain the hegemony over everything.

Figure 7 : Origin of Name
According to Chandulal Meghwal came from the Veer Meghmaya. From the occupation the name of the caste came into being. He says that, first they were Dhedh. Then Marshariya, then Meghwal, Harijan and now Dalit. They have change 4 to 5 jati’s in the course of time period. Mr. Dhanji says that name of the caste came from the occupation, Vankar came from weaver. The caste itself came from the occupation of the community. Mr. Solanki says that Meghwal name came from Megh Rishi. he further said that, this was the reason why they are the Meghvansaj i.e., descendant of Megh Rishi. The figure below will show the chronological order as per ……… has said about the transformation the name of Meghwal community,

Figure 8 : Transitional changes in name
Dalit

Harijan

Meghwal

Mayshariya a

Dhedh

Jayram bappu says that, Dhedh word is polluted by the Brahmins. Meghwal and Vankar are one and the same. Meghwal or Vankar, are the Mulnivashi and then the Aryan invaders have influenced and controlled everything from their name to food to everything. This narrative is similar to the Aryan and Mulnivashi concept.

Mr. Solanki narrates that before 12 th century there was Vansh like Surya Vansh, Chnadra Vansh, etc. People were divided into different blocks according to their Vansh. As time passed, the occupation became the identity and identity became the caste of the community. The name Meghwal is related to Megh Rishi. The other concept that many kings are Surya Vanshi or Chandra Vanshi, similarly, Meghwal are Megh Vanshi. The name comes from the Vansh. About ‘Dhedh’, the origin of this word is from ‘Ther’. If one introspects the history, ‘Ther’ and ‘Theri’ are the two sects of Buddhism namely, Mahayana and Hinayana. ‘Ther’ also means male follower of Buddha and ‘Their’ means female followers. From Ther it became Thed and then shifted to what we now know as, Dhedh.

Jivraj Helia says, that “Dhedh means we are the people of one word”. There are so many caste and jati’s but only they i.e., Dhedh ( ढेढ ) have one word. Vankar came from the occupation and Meghwal from Megh Rishi. Dhedh also preceded Meghwal. This was the only response which was positive about the word Dhedh.

Summary

There are many stories regarding the origin but all are somewhere linked with the occupation and food of the community. The stories are of Brahma and the Aryan invasion which are related to the Hinduism. Along with the occupation and the saints related can been linked with Brahma’s theory and Aryan invasion. Different names that the community has are the process of being and evolving. They are also connected to the origin and occupation. As the name Dhedh and Vankar are related to the occupation that community had. The name Meghwal is related to Megh Rishi and Veer Meghmaya. Dhedh is also seen as the derogatory term used by the upper caste. The word Sim means out and “Simaliya” are the outsiders. So, the word “Simaliya” came because they were living outside the village. So, the origin and the name are linked with occupation, Aryan invasion, food and the place where they lived.

History of Caste, Untouchability and the hierarchy among Bhangi, Chamar and Meghwal:

Meghwals are considered as the descender of Megh Rishi. They are worshipper of rain and cloud. In this section, the understanding of the history of caste and untouchability will be refleced upon through different stories. The process of out- casting a community has a long history, one of the narrative which my grandmother has told me suggested that we were higher up in the social structure and identified as Brahmins. After that we were out casted due to some reason which is not clear to anyone. So, understanding the different narrative will help to reflect on the context of the untouchability which is linked with the Meghwal community. Also, the formation of division within the lower caste community has led to the hierarchy within the lower caste. In this section, the concept of hierarchy within the lower caste will reflect through stories. As Meghwal are considered as higher than the Chamar and Bhangi the factor of untouchability and hierarchy within the community will be understood in this part.

Untouchability and Caste:

In context of Meghwal most of the people believe that untouchability and lower caste status came from the occupation and the food habits. There are few narratives on how beef was consumed and also how Meghwal engaged with ‘unclean’ work. This part will look at the history of caste and untouchability.

Harshad bhai, a Hindu priest narrates that, in the beginning Meghwal’s were called as Dharmachari. They were higher than Brahmins then. So, Brahmin’s went to Brahma and told him that “we are your son still these people i.e., Dharmachari are higher than us”. So, Brahma took the avatar of rishi and went with the Karmdhenu (holy cow) in their settlement. He requested them to keep this cow for few days. Along with this he also gave them Somras (alcohol). The Dharmachari’s had alcohol and consumed the milk of the cow and they started thinking that if the milk of the cow is so good, what will be the taste of the meat. So, they killed the cow and ate her meat. When Brahma came back the cow wasn’t there. After which in rage Brahma curses the community that for 4 eras (Yug) you have to serve the upper castes. That is how Meghwal came into Dalit and became untouchable after that.

In Jivraj Helia’s opinion, Meghwal are born from the feet of Brahma and so they are lower in the caste hierarchy but they are higher than Bhangi and Chamar. The untouchability came because they indulged in ‘unclean work’. Also the consumption of non-vegetarian food gave them a reason to keep us out of the village (Simaliye).

Mr. Solanki says that, Meghwal became untouchable because of the occupation and food habits. Meghwal were cleaning up the village by taking out the dead animal from the village which was perceived as unclean work. They also ate that dead animal which they used to get from villages.

Even earlier I have mentioned that Jaydev Bappu tells that, there was no Chamar, Meghwal anything in the beginning. Meghwal or Vankar or whatever you say are the Mulnivashi of this country. They were the Rajput’s of this country. After Aryans invasion, which was thousand years ago. There was a conflict between Aryans and the Mulnivashi’s. Some people ran in jungles, they became Adivasi (Bhil). Whoever bowed down to them were made Kshtriya and small kingdoms were given to them. The other who fought and lost were made Shudras. They have to stay out the village (i.e., Simaliye). All rights were taken away from them. They made them despicable (Nich) jati. All the odd works were given to us. This is the something new that I have never heard before but interesting as the struggle for Mulnivashi is rising in the Indian context where Adivasi, Bahujan come together for their rights. So, as Jaydev bappu explains that the untouchability and low caste status was the punishment for fighting against the Aryans. The Meghwal were warriors before the Aryan invasion. The Dalitness was imposed on them by the invaders.

Mr. Dhanji says that, our history is missing. If we see the Ramayan there was no mention of Dalit. The only Dalit character was one sailor which was from our community. There was mention of only one Adivasi women. Mr. Dhanji says that, “from the occupation, caste came into existence. Like if one’s occupation was to cut hair, he became a Nai.”

Mr. Dhanji further says, “there was great famine, ages ago and we had no food to survive and so we started eating the dead animals. Because of the food habits i.e., eating beef the upper kept us away and that’s how we became Shudra or Dalit.”

Figure 9 : Birth of Untouchability in Meghwal Community

From the respondents, there were majorly three stories with aspects of caste and untouchability. The history according to one was that the Aryans force them to become untouchable. The another version was that the untouchability and the lower caste title came from the occupation and the food habits which included eating dead animals. The third story was related to Brahma which was divided into two as one respondent said that untouchability and low caste status came due to Brahma’s curse. Another said that because they were born from the feet of Brahma. These are the stories that explain the concept of untouchability and lower caste status.

Hierarchy among Meghwal, Chamar and Bhangi:

There is hierarchy within all castes cutting across from Brahmins to Shudras. In this, the Meghwal/ Vankar are higher than Chamar/ Rohidasvanshi and Chamar/Rohidasvanshi are higher than Bhangi/RukhiSamaj. The below figure explains the order of the community in the society.

Figure 10 : Hierarchy within Dalit’s

To understand the caste dynamics and various forms of hierarchy within the lower caste, one has to understand the history of the hierarchy and how this hierarchical structure came into existence. Some of the narratives shed light on this subject.

Jivraj Helia say that Bhangi and Meghwal were one, but due to occupation Bhangi were lower. As he explains that Mochi was also a Meghwal before after which there was a need for shoemakers inside the village and that’s how he got entry inside the village and then he settled there. This is how they became higher in the caste hierarchy.

Jaydev bappu shares his experience of having his followers in eastern Gujarat i.e., near Ahmedabad. There, amongst the Vankar and Chamar there still prevails high levels of discrimination. They don’t eat together or have inter-caste marriages. Vankars believe that they are higher in the ladder. Which Saurashtra and Mumbai have started to witness. Further he argues that this division in the community is because of Manu and Sankaracharya. This system has been going on for long period.

According to Mr. Solanki, the occupation of the Vankar is ‘cleaner’ than that of the Chamar. Chamars work with leather and hence they are considered as lower. In the Suarashtra region there is not much hierarchy among Vankar and Chamar. You will find inter-caste marriages and people eating together (Roti and Beti ka rishta). But if one moves towards Ahmedabad i.e., to the eastern part of Gujarat, they don’t have such practices. In Kutch region, one will find Maheshwari Meghwals. They practice different system altogether. In regard with the Bhangis the hierarchy existed because of their unclean occupation.

Mr. Dhanji, explains that, “Due to the occupation caste came in existence and in the hierarchy but we were above the Bhangi and Chamar. As, our occupation was seen cleaner than theirs.” Even Mr Chandulal says that because our occupation was cleaner than Bhangi and Chamar we are higher in the caste hierarchy.

The hierarchy within the community came from the occupation as the Bhangis and Chamars were perceived as doing more ‘unclean’ jobs as compared to the Meghwal, they received the lower position in the caste hierarchy. This explains how the entire caste system is divided. The Brahmins profession was to work in the temple and to engage and create literature. The ruler’s profession is to rule the kingdom, so they became Kshatriya. Traders became Vaishyas. The labourers were called Shudras and from the ‘unclean’ work came the Shudras. So, even within the caste this hierarchy was created due to their profession.

Summary

The history of untouchability and hierarchy within the community is due to the factor of “purity” and “pollution”. That is again connected with the occupation and food of the community. The food and occupation of the community is seen as impure, which led to the discrimination. There is also a connection of Aryan invasion and theory of Brahma which led to the factor of untouchability and lower position in the social order. The hierarchy which is there between “Meghwal”, “Chamar” and “Bhangi”. It is only due to the occupation of the community. The concept of untouchability is connected to two factors occupation and food. As one comes lower in this hierarchy the factors reduce like the food habit of community is similar, so occupation becomes the deciding factor. It is important to understand that the “purity” and “impurity”, as one goes up in the higher in the social order, the factor of occupation and food is focussed on.

Religious and Cultural History

The concept of God, Saints and Religious influences on the Meghwal community:

In this section, I will try to look at the concept of god and the evolution of different gods which came into existence and how people started worshiping them. The concept of god plays an important role in understanding the history of the community. As most of the stories related to god are mythologies and don’t have factual evidence to prove it, but it is imposed on the Dalit’s as history which has really happened in the past. This story does not have any evidence and is seen as it has become a tool of the upper caste to exploit lower caste. Therefore, in relation to the stories of god one has to looked from a sceptical lens. Along with this one has to also look at the history of the saints which will provide a clear picture of god and the saints who are the followers of god. The saints from or with Meghwal, have fought this system of discrimination with the importance of the saint and their related stories and their work.

God and Idol worshiping:

The concept of god is important to understand as it helps to trace the history of the community and to find out the transformation of the community with context to god and saints which have work for the emancipation of the community.

Mr. Dhanji says that, “We are religious since the beginning. Kabir saheb is the important saint in Meghwals. He used to worship nature and so do Meghwals. Then there were divisions and some started believing in the idols. The concept of worshipping idols worship came from the Brahmins. Meghwal are the people who bow down to every god. They believe that all gods are equal.” Mr. Solanki says that, “if you check all the Meghwal before resided on the eastern side because earlier we were Sun worshiper. This you will only see in Meghwal”.

Jivraj Helia says that Palan Pir is the creator of all. He only created Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Meghwal were the people of one god i.e., Oliya. Who believe in one god or can also be identified as monotheists. After which, a division takes place where they started praying many to Gods. Jaydev bappu says that, the idol worshiping started after the Aryan invasion. The Aryans came to India and started spreading their religion before the Aryan invasion, within Meghwal community there was no idol worshipping.

According to Harshad bhai, “Goddess (Mataji) were with us from the beginning. She is the Kul Devi. Every family has different Kul Devi in the Meghwal community. Whichever temple was near to their home, they started worshipping her and she became the Kul Devi. Meghwal also worship Meladi Maa (goddess on goat) which is the goddess of “Vaghri” community. Bahuchara Maa is one of the important goddess. She is the goddess of eunuch (goddess on chicken) who is respected and worshipped by the community.

Mr. Chandulal says that, “in Meghwal we consider every human being as God”. There is no one higher or lower, everyone in equal. They believe that humans were created by the god equally and the division was created by the powerful people.

Figure 11 : Origin of God

The Meghwal reside outside the village but even there they are mostly at the eastern parts where sun rises as they were the sun worshiper. Then, they started worshiping one invisible god called Palan Pir, which even today is worshipped by most of the community and is considered as the creator of all. After that either due to Aryan invasion or due to influences of Brahmins the concept of worshiping idols came in the community. This basic understanding is derived upon from the emerging different narratives.

Religious influences:

As different religions were familiarised, the people around them were influenced by them. Some were also forced to convert into different religions to spread their religion. The most vulnerable population amongst them were the Dalit and Adivasis. The people from the lower strata did not have opportunity as the rulers of the kingdoms forced them to convert. There are stories where they were given money, higher position and were with force. It is not about any particular religion but all religions behaved in a similar manner. The ruler was important, as his religion and his perspective was important. So, the concept of god was introduced by other the religious influences. In this section, we will make an attempt at understanding about the different religious influences and the linkage with god will be examined.

Jivraj Helia says, “Rama Pir was from Meghwal community. We are not Hindu or Muslim we are the followers of Sanatan Dharm. The Varna system of the Sanatan dharma is totally different. Even Muslims worship him. The Palan Pir, is Pir of all Pir’s. Pir according to the oxford definition is, “a muslim saint or a holy man” . Palan Pir is the creator of all. Muslims know that Meghwal are higher and so they come to us. Initially we were also Oliya (people who worship one god) but later when different religions came into existence, we were influenced and so we got confused.” As Mr. Solanki has written a book on Veer Meghmaya, where he shows how many names in Meghwal community are similar to Muslim names. Under whichever rule they were or whichever region they belonged to, things around them have influenced them. Like when Islam came they got influence by it, Hinduism or Sanatan had influenced them before. From culture to food everything was influenced by the ruler. Even the geographic location has influenced them. People from lower strata are easily influenced. some of the arguments are already mentioned but is it important in this context too. So as earlier mentioned, that according to Harshad bhai, “Hindu religion is Sanatam Dharm, every religion has come out of Sanatan itself.” So, the division is made by the people. God is one. Mr. Dhanji says that we are religious since the beginning. Kabir saheb is the important saint in Meghwal. He used to worship nature, so do Meghwal. Then there were division and some started believing in the idols. The concept of worshipping idols worship came from the Brahmin’s. Meghwal are the people who bow down to every god. They believe that all gods are equal. Jaydev bappu say that, they got influenced by all religions, it starts with Aryans where the Hinduism came and they were influenced after that Islam came and the influence of that is also seen in the community. So, basically everything has influence Meghwal.

Figure 12 : Religious Influences

As Meghwal were the people who were weaker and the most vulnerable, it was easy for the ruler or for any powerful entity influenced them. One can see the glimpses of all religions in Meghwal. In this manner we can conclude that the religious influences have also affected the cultures and tradition of the community. With the invasions of different religion, the Meghwal community was deeply affected.

Saints and their stories:

Megh Rishi

Most of the responded had the similar opinion that Meghwal comes from the Megh Rishi. After him the name Meghwal came into being. So, to understand the who was the Megh Rishi the detail history has to be understood.

Figure 13 : Megh Rishi

As described earlier the popular narrative about the Megh Rishi and his conflict with the upper caste man and the series of events that transpired into the crucial role of a person who was considered from the “lower caste”, played to stop the rains and to save the village from the destructive floods.

Veer Meghmaya

Veer Meghmaya was born in Meghwal community in the 12 th century. He is called as the Veer Purush and people also worship him as he had sacrifice his life for the emancipation of the community.

Figure 14 : Veer Meghmaya

The ruler of Junagadh was at that time was Siddhiraj Solanki. He saw a beautiful woman near the lake who belonged to the Meghwal community. He asks her to marry him but as she was already married and declined the proposal. Later, she is forced into a marriage and in rage she curses the king that his kingdom and its people will die without water. There was no rain for few years and all the ponds and lakes were dried up. Distraught, Siddhiraj calls the Brahmins and Rishis to find some solution to this problem. Brahmins suggest that a sacrifice of male who had 32 qualities would be the solution for the drought. In his kingdom there were only two persons with 32 qualities, one Siddhiraj himself and other was veer Meghmaya. So he orders his soldiers to get him to his court. He was brought by the soldiers, Siddhiraj asks him if he would sacrifice his life for the wellbeing of Junagardh. Veer Meghmaya replies saying, “I will sacrifice my life only if you accept my demands”. With his exemplary bravado he demands for the Meghwal community to be allowed to reside inside the village and the broom from their back should be removed along with the spitting pot from the neck. He made 10 such similar demands for the emancipation of the people of the Meghwal community. Siddhiraj had to agree to the demands made by Veer Meghhmaya.

According to Jivraj Helia, “Veer Meghmaya was Veer Purus who gave his life for the community”. Jaydev bappa says that, “his life was taken by the brahmins because he had 32 qualities which even Brahmins did not have so, as they were jealous and they created this trap”. Mr. Chandulal Harshad bhai, Mr. Solanki and Mr. Dhanji repeated the same narrative.

Rama Pir

Rama Pir is consider as god in the Meghwal community. He was the local deity of the community but now one can find his temples across the world. Rama Pir is also known as Ramdev Pir. He is considered a saint because he was a social reformer and fought against the discrimination of the marginalised community. His temple in Runecha, Rajasthan, is one the Religious place for all.

Figure 15 : Rama Pir

The common story that most of the respondents shared was that Rama pir was a social reformer born in Rajasthan and also ruled it. He considered a Meghwal girl as a sister and fought for equality for the rest of his life. He has miraculous power and he did great things for the Meghwal community.

One the respondent narrated a story about Rama Pir or Ramdev Pir which is as follows. When pirs of Mecca heard about the popularity of Ramdev, they decided to test his powers and reached Runecha, the place where Ramdev resided. They came to Runecha and Ramdev invited them for food, but the pirs said that they had forgotten their plates at Mecca and they would not eat in any other utensil. Ramdev, used his miraculous powers and brought the plates from Mecca and served them food. The pirs were so impressed with Ramdev’s miraculous powers that they declared Muslims would also follow him and that he would be called Ramsa pir. Dominique Sila Khan has done extensive ethnographic work on this popular deity. She, argues that Ramdev belonged to lsmaili branch of Nizarpanthis, a nonconformist Muslim sect.

Harshad bhai says that Rama Pir was the Rajput from Surya vansh. Further he goes onto describe Ramdev Pir as Vishnu’s avatar. He is the considered as the saint in Meghwal community for work he did for the community. As Daliben, who was from Meghwal community was his sister ( मानी हुई बहन ). Jivraj Helia says that Rama Pir was born in Meghwal community. Mr. Solanki says that, some people from Meghwal community believe that he was born in their community but the upper caste claims that he was born in the Kshatriya community. He gives the reference that, “Dr. Kusum Meghwal from Rajasthan has written a book on Rama Pir titled, “Meghwal baba Ramdev”. There she writes how Rama Pir was not the son of a Kshatriya but was born in the Meghwal community. Daliben is her sister i.e., sister of Rama Pir. He further explains that, Ramdev was a social reformer who fought against the discrimination and for human rights. He stood by our side and fought against the discrimination. Javdev bappu sees Ramdev, as a saint and a social reformer. There are many stories about him but few clearly suggests that as he was the social reformer and fought against the discrimination of the people from the Meghwal community who now worship him.

Rohidas

Rohidas is a deity worshipped by the Meghwal community. Most people believe that, Rohidas, also known as Ravidas, was born in 15th century. He was born in a family that worked with dead animals to produce leather products, making them an untouchable from the Chamar caste. Meghwal and Chamar have very close relationships due to their occupation. So, he is worshipped by the community as a saint who worked for the community.

Figure 16 : Rohidas

Harshad bhai tells narrates story about Rohidas. “He was born in our community, which includes Chamar also”. He was a saint, worshiper of Krishna/Vishnu. One day Brahmins were going to Ganga to bathe. On the way they saw this person making shoes and mockingly asked, “Are you not coming to Ganga?”. In reply, Rohidas gave a piece of thread and told them, that if goddess Ganga takes this with her hand then only give it to her or else bring it back to me. Condescendingly they took the thread from him. When they reached Ganges one of them said that Chamar has given a thread to put in the river, let’s see if goddess ganga takes it by her hands. When they suspended the thread into the river, a hand came out of river to receive the thread. In return ganga give her bangles as a proof of having accepted the thread by her own hands. Harshadbhai further goes on to explain how caste is not important for worshipping god. This system is created by the upper caste to control the ‘lower’ caste.

Jaydev bappu says that,” Rohidas fought against the caste system, which Aryans started.” Mr. Solanki explains that because the Chamars and Meghwal are together in this region they also worship Rohidas. Mr. Chandulal Says that he was a saint and a social reformation. Mr. Dhanji believes that he was a great personality who fought against the caste system. Jivraj Helia says that, “he was saint from our community so, we worship him”. The people from the Meghwal community worship Rohidas making him an important deity among the community.

Summary

Meghwal in the beginning were the nature worshiper as the name itself it connected to Megh i.e., rain. Also, as one respondents tells that the houses of Meghwal are in the east because in the beginning, they use to worship sun. So, sun and rain means that they were nature worshiper. After that due to the other religious influences it got transformed like the Oliya (one god), people who believe in invisible god (nirakar). Earlier they use to worship one god call Palan Pir. After that the idol worshiping in polytheism came into existence. So, as they came into contact with different religions they started getting influence by that. So, influencing started from nature worshiping time and even in the contemporary period people are converting or accepting and abolishing some of the practices which are existing in the community. It has been a continuous process. The saint’s which community worships or are seen as saviour of the community. All are people who has worked for upliftment of the community. They had a humanitarian approach and saw everyone equal. According to the stories Veer Meghmaya gave his life to get the basic human right and dignity for the community. Rama Pir was a social reformer, who fought for the equality. Megh Rishi and Rohidas are also worshipped as they done things for the community. Therefore, the religious influences led them in the low caste started and the people who worked for the upliftment are worshipped and seen as heroic personality by the community.

History of Culture, Traditions and Food

To understand the history of the community, knowing and understanding its cultural and traditional practices enriches our understanding of the community. Even the food habits can explain and reflect many things about the community. The culture, tradition and food habits of the community is majorly influenced by the different religions. The culture and tradition have the glimpses of Islam, Hinduism and Buddism. This section will examine the history of culture, tradition and food habits of the community and the influence of different religions in shaping this culture and tradition. There are many stories regarding the culture and the tradition of the community which are linked with different religions. There are multiple narratives to describe this. Here, we will try to identify the linkages between the cultural and traditional practices of the community with the various religious influences.

Tradition wearing:

Before Veer Meghwaya, the Meghwal has to follow some costumes and tradition which were imposed on them by the upper caste.

Harshad bhai says that, after Brahma cursed Meghwal for Gau Hatya (killing of cow). Consuming cow was considered impure. The Brahmin imposed various regressive rules on the community which were mandatory and if broken were supplemented with dire consequences. One such rule was that they could only enter the village at noon so their shadow would not fall on anyone. Another rule stated that they had to wear three rings on both the arms so that the upper caste would identify them only to divert their own path to avoid any interaction with the people belonging to the Dalit community. They were also made to tie broom around their waist, so as to erase their footprints. A spitting pot was also tied around their neck so that they don’t pollute the surroundings. These were some of the traditions imposed by the Brahmin community on the Meghwals. Jivraj Helia says that before Veer Meghmaya, “We were forced to wear three rings on hand, the broom was tied to our back and the spiting pot on the neck. This was our traditional identity”. Jaydev bappu said that, this tradition was the part of, “a punishment that Aryans imposed on us.” Mr. Dhanji explains that, this tradition was started to identify Meghwal, as they were seen as the untouchables. Mr. Chandulal Says it was to oppress Meghwal and exploit them.

Marriage:

Marriage in the Meghwal in done according to the Hindu practice’ of marriage and not much difference is witnessed in the marriage ceremony. In Meghwal, the bride and groom take four rounds, as opposed to the 7 taken in the Hindu marriage, around the fire and take the oath of being together for rest of the life. Most people follow the same tradition and the history about this practice is not clear. Only the people who have converted into Buddhism practice it differently. I was unable to gather more information about this from the respondents.

Cremation or funeral:

Harshad bhai says that, the concept of burying the dead body came because the smoke from the dead body polluted the air. So, Brahmins did not allow them to burn the dead body but the toe of the dead body is slightly burned. even today they don’t face the dead body while burning the toe and do it ‘quietly’ instead so that Brahmins will not know about this. In Jivraj Helia’s opinion, the smoke which came out of dead body was seen as impure as, therefore they started burying the dead body. Jaydev bappu says that, “we also did not have money to buy firewood, so we started burying”. Mr. Dhanji said that, “the upper caste controlled the resources and we had no option but to bury the dead body”. According to Mr Chandulal they didn’t have money to buy firewood so, burying was the alternative which then became a part of traditio which is followed even today. Mr. Solanki also suggested that economic reason was a determinant for the genesis of this tradition.

Food habits:

Cow is at the centre of Meghwal community. They are known as the beefeaters.

According to Jivraj Helia, “Eating dead cow is our religion (Dharm) because if we don’t eat it then there will be germs making the cow unholy There are 36 crores god and goddess in cow so, consuming that is good. But only we are allowed to eat the meat of dead cow and no one else. Eating halal meat is not permissible.” He further says, “eating cow is our tradition (Parampar). It is our Dharm and part of our culture as well.” As Harshad bhai narrates that because of Brahma’s curse the community had to serve the upper caste for 4 eras (yug). As they have killed the Kamdhenu (cow), the Brahmin’s gave them work of picking up dead animal from the village, further due to scarcity of food they had no other option but to eat the same animal. That’s how the dead animal eating was started. Mr. Solanki tells that, according to Buddha eating dead animal is better as it doesn’t hurt anyone. So, that’s how it started because it is not hurting anyone. Jaydev bappu tells that, according to Budhha eating death animal is not a crime, as there is no act of killing related to that. So, they started eating dead animals. Dhanji says, “there was great famine, ages ago and we had no food to survive and so we started eating the dead animals. So, because of the food habits i.e., eating beef the upper kept us away and that’s how we became Shudra or Dalit.” That’s how the culture started of eating beef started and was continued further. Mr Chandulal explains that the upper caste controlled everything and they were poor so could not afford and started eating dead animals.

Figure 17 : Origin of Cultural Practices

Summary:

In context of food, culture and tradition all are interconnected. As because their occupation was unclean and they use to eat dead animals. In context of food, it was not by their choice but there was no other option in front of them. They were poor and didn’t could not afford to buy food. So, eating death animal was for the survival. After eating dead animal and the occupation related it came into existence. They became impure after that the identity wearing was imposed on them because of their occupation and food, so they can be recognized by the upper caste will not get polluted by them. The burying was also linked to the no resources. The community was not able to buy wood which was controlled by the upper caste. So even here they had no option but to bury. So, the culture, tradition and food are related to the act of oppression.

Conclusion

The origin is the important aspect of the existence of a community but there no evidence to support the oral histories about the origin of Meghwal. A single historical perspective can’t be proved. But in fact, there are many histories which are exist and finding the definitive history is complicated. But, the historical rhetorics explains the context of Dalit from a different perspective. Birth from Brahma’s foot is most common and the story of curse is rare. One thing which can be seen is that due to different religious influences the stories come from that particular perspective. In the identity politics the name which one adopts or name which is asserted by the upper caste plays an important role in the development and growth of the community. Meghwal is what people have adopted by themselves. Similarly, how Ambedkarite is now a days adopted by many Dalit people, Meghwal is the name which makes an attempt to move away from the caste system. Some people believe that it came from Megh Rishi but there is no proper evidence to legitimise this claim. Like, Mr. Dahnji says that Megh Rishi was one of the saint, the Meghwal came from him or not I am skeptical. There is oral history which explains what Mr. Dhanji points towards. But some people also believe that the name Meghwal also means that the community is trying to revolt. Wherever Meghwal are found, there is the picture of Veer Meghmaya who fought and sacrificed his life for the community. If one introspects the name Meghwal it not related to the occupation like Vankar or Dhedh. As most of name of dalit came from their occupation. Meghwal comes from Megh Rishi and also like other people I think that it came from the Veer Meghmaya, the king of Junagadh had promised emancipation. There is some documentation and scriptures found in the fort of Junagardh which supplements as evidence of this event. In Mumbai, I believe that the Meghwal community has adopted the Meghwal name after the Veer Meghmaya. He gave his life for the community and the community adopted his name for emancipation. It was a revolutionary act in the context of identity politics which no one noticed at that time. It is one of the earliest act of upliftment of the lower caste. Adopting the identity is important as it is seen as the revolt against the hegemony of the upper caste. So, Meghwal holds great importance in contemporary identity politics.

The popular theory about the caste system is that occupation had played a major role in deciding the caste. The untouchability persisted due to the caste of particular community. Some occupations or professions were seen as ‘unclean’ and ‘polluting’. This is the reason they i.e., people who did ‘unclean’ work were kept out of the village and were considered as the ‘untouchables’. The Meghwal community similarly became ‘untouchables’ due to the same reason. Though there are other reasons related to Aryan invasion or Brahmas related concepts and stories which don’t have much evidence. The only thing which one can understand is that caste and untouchability came with their occupation in the food habits played an important role. As eating dead animals was also seen as an ‘impure’ act. There are many thinkers who have tried to explore the history of eating beef. Jha explores this in one of his most renowned works titled “The myth of the holy cow”. In his book he refers to Dr. Ambedkar’s writings on the beef eating history. It is important to note that the animals in the ancient era were eaten after being sacrificed. There is no mention of any upper caste having ever eaten a dead animal. This practice is only seen in the Dalit communities which is why it was considered as the impure in the later period. Even within the lower community the hierarchy existed on the similar line i.e., unclean occupations. the hierarchical power which came on the basis of occupation, became the part of their life. So, Meghwal, Chamar and Bhangi all at some or other point have consumed dead animals. So, while looking at the hierarchy within the “untouchables” community the occupation became the centre. The menial labour, according to the popular perspective will be higher in the hierarchy as opposed to the community which did the most perceivably ‘unclean’ work i.e., cleaning human excreta became the lowest in the social order. It is important to understand that when it comes to division from the upper caste two factors are important i.e., food habits and occupation. But when it comes to the hierarchy within the community the only factor which is consider is occupation as food habits are the same. So, as one goes higher in the social order, the factors determining the higher position will increase accordingly. Is related to the “purity” and “pollution” according to the notion of upper caste. The more the community has the higher they are even within the Brahmin community. The social system is based on the notions ‘purity’ of the community. That will decide the position that a community will hold.

The concept of god in this case is very interesting as it started with more naturalisic practices and later transcended into idol worshipping due to the influence of various religions. The name Meghwal itself is linked with clouds and rain. They are called as people who pray for rain. Also as one of the respondent rightly mentions, all the houses of the Meghwal are at the eastern side outside the village because Meghwal use to worship the sun. these practices suggest the naturalistic character of the Meghwal community. Along with this one of the respondent’s asserts that we are people of one i.e., one god. The name Dhedh has only one syllable (Akshar). So, Meghwal were people who use to worship one god Palan Pir, which even today is one of most important deities in the community. He says that, Palan Pir is the creator of all who even created Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. He is a god without any shape (Nirankar). Therefore, the Meghwal used to worship Palan Pir (Nirakar god) as their sole entity. Further another respondent explains how the other gods or idol worshiping was introduced after the Aryan invasion. That started with introducing a Brahmanical social system creating the divide after which caste also came into existence. Meghwal never had idols before as they used to worship the nature and believed in one god who was invisible(Nirakar). This is how the concept of god came in existence in the Meghwal community. Various religions have influenced the concept of god and therefore no one religion is dominant in the Meghwal community. During the partition, people who choose Hinduism came to India and who choose Islam stayed in Pakistan. Therefore, a considerable number of Meghwals are also found in Pakistan. All of them don’t follow Hinduism in India or in Pakistan. There exist various branches like Sanatans i.e., Hinduism, Aapa panth which worships Palan Pir, Buddhist who followers of Ambedkar. Multiple religions influenced the community have also brought to them many gods. The saints who are also worship along with the gods in the Meghwal community are Megh Rishi, Veer Meghmaya, Rama Pir, Rohidas. These saints have fought against the caste system and that is one of the major reason why they are worshipped and perceived as next to god by the community. The respect for them is more relevant in the contemporary times as they fought for the equality and for the basic Human Rights during that age. They are seen as the social reformer by the community who worked for the upliftment of the community. Veer Meghmaya, a Meghwal saint, has even sacrificed his life for the community’s Emancipation. The community has always respected and regarded them with a respectable position as they wished to liberate the community from the oppression of the caste system.

In the culture, tradition and food the act of oppression can be seen, along the influence. As one of the respondent tells that they had no option so, they started consuming dead animal. It was a matter of survival. So, the food was denied to the community and that’s how it ended eating dead animals. So, due their occupation and food habits they became untouchable. So, the tradition of wearing rings on the forearms, broom behind the back and spitting pot on the neck was started. Even in the contest of cremation, they did not get the resources due economic and social condition of them. So, the tradition of burying dead body was started by the community. The marriage system was influence by the Hinduism. So, all the things are linked with each other. The cultural and tradition came into being due to unavailability of the resources, like eating dead animal and burying dead. Further due to that the tradition of wearing particular thing was imposed on them. Only custom of marriage was just influence by Hinduism. There was choice but in other there was no choice situation. So, most of the tradition and culture of the society are not by choice but by various reasons like non availability or imposition.

In the present time, the Meghwal community in Mumbai is engaged with BMC in cleaning the city. Most of people are sweeper and labourer in Mumbai. Some people have obtained the higher positions but most population is still engaged with the so called unclean work, keeping them marginalized. The religion of them is Hindu as in, when they write caste it says, Hindu Meghwal. They are not much political active as a community in Mumbai. Though few from the community have been holding positions in BMC. So, in Mumbai their everything revolves around BMC. In Gujarat also the condition not better. There is no much political participation as they have been less in number and even in that there are divisions due to various religious influence. In the village they are still found at the periphery of the village and the occupation is weaving, small farmers and picking up dead animal which now very less. So, this their contemporary situation.

References

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Portelli, A. (1981). The Peculiarities of Oral History. History Workshop Journal.

Portelli, A. (1998). A Dialogical Relationship. An Approach to Oral History. History Workshop Journal.