Banjara-Lambadi
The word Banjara is a deprecated, colloquial form of the word of Sanskrit origin. The sanskit bi-word Vana chara transliterated as "Forest wanderers", presumably because of their primitive role in the Indian society as forest wood collectors and distributors.
The Banjara are a class of usually ascribed as nomadic people from the Indian state of Rajasthan, North-West Gujarat, and Western Madhya Pradesh and Eastern Sindh province of pre-independence Pakistan. They claim to belong to the clan of AgnivanshiRajputs, and are also known as Banjari, Pindari, Bangala, Banjori, Banjuri, Brinjari, Lamani, Lamadi, Lambani, Labhani, Lambara, Lavani, Lemadi, Lumadale, Labhani Muka, Goola, Gurmarti, Gormati, Kora, Sugali, Sukali, Tanda, Vanjari, Vanzara,and WanjiTogether with the Domba, they are sometimes called the "Gypsies of India".
The Banjara (also called Lambani, Vanjara and Gormati) are a community usually described as nomadic people from the Indian state of Rajasthan, now spread out all over Indian subcontinent.
== to Burman the name Laman was popular long before the name Banjara, and Laman Banjaras originally came from Afghanistanbefore settling in Rajasthan and other parts of India. The Lamans, according to him, are originally from the independent province called Gor in Afghanistan
Banjaras were traditionally suppliers of bullock and salt merchants. The word Banjara is said to be derived from Sanskrit word vana chara (wanderers in jungle). The word Lambani or Lamani is derived from Sanskrit word lavana (salt) which was the principal good they transported across the country
The word Banjara is a deprecated, colloquial form of the word of Sanskrit origin. The sanskit bi-word Vana chara transliterated as "Forest wanderers", presumably because of their primitive role in the Indian society as forest wood collectors and distributors.
The Banjara are a class of usually ascribed as nomadic people from the Indian state of Rajasthan, North-West Gujarat, and Western Madhya Pradesh and Eastern Sindh province of pre-independence Pakistan. They claim to belong to the clan of AgnivanshiRajputs, and are also known as Banjari, Pindari, Bangala, Banjori, Banjuri, Brinjari, Lamani, Lamadi, Lambani, Labhani, Lambara, Lavani, Lemadi, Lumadale, Labhani Muka, Goola, Gurmarti, Gormati, Kora, Sugali, Sukali, Tanda, Vanjari, Vanzara,and WanjiTogether with the Domba, they are sometimes called the "Gypsies of India".
The Banjara are a class of usually ascribed as nomadic people from the Indian state of Rajasthan, North-West Gujarat, and Western Madhya Pradesh and Eastern Sindh province of pre-independence Pakistan. They claim to belong to the clan of AgnivanshiRajputs, and are also known as Banjari, Pindari, Bangala, Banjori, Banjuri, Brinjari, Lamani, Lamadi, Lambani, Labhani, Lambara, Lavani, Lemadi, Lumadale, Labhani Muka, Goola, Gurmarti, Gormati, Kora, Sugali, Sukali, Tanda, Vanjari, Vanzara,and WanjiTogether with the Domba, they are sometimes called the "Gypsies of India".
The Banjara (also called Lambani, Vanjara and Gormati) are a community usually described as nomadic people from the Indian state of Rajasthan, now spread out all over Indian subcontinent.
== to Burman the name Laman was popular long before the name Banjara, and Laman Banjaras originally came from Afghanistanbefore settling in Rajasthan and other parts of India. The Lamans, according to him, are originally from the independent province called Gor in Afghanistan
Banjaras were traditionally suppliers of bullock and salt merchants. The word Banjara is said to be derived from Sanskrit word vana chara (wanderers in jungle). The word Lambani or Lamani is derived from Sanskrit word lavana (salt) which was the principal good they transported across the country
History
“GOR: THE GAZETTE OF ROYAL RULING RACE” – HISTORY
Prologue:GOR Clan is an ancient Royal Ruling Race in the world and glorious antiquities for their Descendants but their footprints of flourished kingdom have been destroyed and banished by the inferior followers being KOR they were jealous,greedy,envy with GOR.Bengal formerly known as Gaur Desh, Panchmal Desh Kandhar,Nepal is also having Gaur city, Afghan formerly known as Ghor province,Magadha,Delhi,Avadh,Rome,Iran, King Mohammad Ghori alies Giyasuddin Ghori were Gor by race & he ruled Afgan and India as Delhi was his capital but he c characterized as he was ravening but we have to find out that whether the history written is true or not because he left India his successor Kutubuddin Aibak as ruler it shows that he was not greedy.There are also references of Behram Gor in medieval age,King Gopichand was famous for his truthness.
Sashank Gaur Bangal , Pal Empire During DevPal’s rule. The Pal empire extended from Bengal (Gaur kingdom) to Afganistan (Ghori kingdom).After the end of the Gupta Empire, Sashanka of Gaur(Gor) (end of 6th and 7th century C.E.) became the first powerful independent Bangla ruler. He was an” anti-Buddhist”, Gaur king. His rule extended over all Bangla except maybe Samatat and extended beyond. His empire fell after his son “Manav” took over internal struggles continued and around 648 AD, Shaiva Hindu king Bhaskara Varman, of Kamarupa, conquered Pundra Varddhan and Karnasuvarna creating another small empire. And as Bangla was fighting at home, HarshaVardhan of Uttarkhand started to create a large empire. He conquered Magadha defeating PurnaVarman by 641 AD. He conquers Kangoda and Kajangala by 642 AD. Shasanka stops his expansion on the East. In the south he is stopped by the Chalukyas. His empire stretched all over northern India with the exception of the Bengal region. Some historians erroneously put Bengal in his empire as in the map. Further inwards, in Banga, the first Buddhist kings emerged in the 7th century and Samatata became a large Buddhist nation with a few dynasties rising, including the Devas. Samatata was probably under the Banga region of Bengal. There were also some small semi independent Hindu kings in Bengal. Around 647 AD a little known event takes place destabilizing further the region. Buddhist Tibetan kings Srang-tsan-gampo 600-650 AD and Ki-li-pa-pu 650-679 AD conquered Magadha Bihar and Kamarupa(Assam) and became rulers of much of north India. This weakened the power of North India. After the death of Harshavardhan, rule of Magadha went to his great grandson and three of his descendants. Their rule ends around 725 AD when they are conquered by the Shaila dynasty, a new name in the history pages. The Shailas were probably from the mountains. They occupied Pundra Western Bengal. Their rule did not last long. The empire of Harsha is called the Harsha empire and is considered the last great Indian empire even though later several great empires are formed. At the time of Harsha, India was basically divided into three major empires. Harsha was in the north, Chalukyas were in the middle and Pallavas in the south.YashoVarman first conquered Magadha and Gaur Gor Province Western Bengal and conquered Banga Central Bengal 725-35. But another political power also arose at the time in Kashmir, another old part of the Gupta empire. LalitAditya of Kashmir defeated YashoVarman to expand the Kashmir empire. Then in 748/759 AD Vagadatta king Harsha, king of Kamarupa and father in law of JayaDeva, king of Licchavis conquered Gaur Odra, Kalinga and Koshala. creating another empire.
Sometime around this time the Malla dynasty was formed in South West Bengal and lasted for a thousand years until the 16th century. (Mallas ruled Kathmundu Valley 900-1700AD Rise of Bangla.In 750 AD, in the middle of volatile empires, Gopal became elected as the ruler of Bangla from Gaur(Gor province). It appears Banga had finally decided to unite to face the others. Gopal Dev was the ruler of Bvarendra North Bangla and not of high caste. However, the Pals are originally from Karnataka, South West India. He established the Pal or Pala empire 8th to 12th century. The Pal emperors cortributed to the establishment of Bangla as a great nation. Gopal ruled 750 to 775 AD consolidating Bangla. His son Dharma Pal ruled 775 to 810 AD was the Ashok of Bangla. He attempted to expand the empire. He fought with the Pratihara king Vatsa from Gujarat which lies on the west coast of India. Even though he was defeated, fortune was on his side. Rastrakuta king Dhruva ruled 781to 794 AD in the south rose and defeated both him and Vatsa. Dhurba, however, retreated leaving the north without annexing the land. This allowed DharmaPal to conquer North India. He took Bhoja King Bhoj province, Matsya, Madra, Kuru, Yadu, Yavana, Avanti, Gandhara and Kira. He defeated IndraYudha and ChakraYudha of Kanauja. It is then that he probably conquered Nepal which still bears -Pal at the end of its name. He fought over Nepal with Mu-ti-vtsan-po of Tibet. He allowed his conquered teritories a degree of independence and the teritories in return accepted his overlordship. By this he became Uttara Path Nath,the lord of the North.Then he was defeated by Nagabhata II, son of Vatsa of Gujarat. However, once again Govinda III of Rastrakuta defeated Nagabhat. DharmaPal accepted the overlordship of Govinda after this. The Rastrakuta’s empire extended from Gujarat to tanjore. The Pal empire extended from Bengal to Afganistan. In this way the Pal empire became part of the Rastrakuta empire for a while. They created a lose but large empire through this alliance.
DharmaPal’s son DevPal tenure 810 to 847 AD was also a conqueror. He defeated the Huns, Utkala, Pragjyotisha, Dravid and Gurjarat it is to find out whether Bhojadeva was grandson of Nagabhata. Like DharmaPal he did not attempt to conquer all of India, but only North India.
Towards the end of the 9th century the Pal empire underwent decline. Magadha, Anga Bengal, and Banga was conquered probably by AmoghaVarsha while Rarh was conquered by Orissa. BhojaDeva, Kalachuri, GunambodhiDeva, and Guhilot king Guhila II conquered all North India west of Magadha. Dahala king KokallaDeva I 840-890 looted wealth from Bengal. MahendraPal, son of Bhoja, extended the Pratihara kingdom well into Pundra. Narayan Pal, the Pal emperor managed to only retain Banga and Bihar but probably went back under the over lordship of the Rastrakutas.Orissa and Kamarupa become powerful next door. And in the 10th century the Pals regain the Magadha but loses it again. Apparently Bangla disintegrated into individual states. Anga, Gaur(Gor province), Bangala, Rarh etc. Or it could be that central control had just weakened. During this period many smaller kingdoms appeared in Bangla. In the north a Khamboja kingdom appears at Priyangu. In the East and South Bengal saw the rise of Harikela under the Devas from Vardhamanapur. In the Tripura region, LahayaChandra rules for a while. In the Dhaka region, the Chandras ruled. The Chandras ruled over the Devas from Chandradwip and later from Bikrampur .The Chandras too have their highs and lows. There was another Chandra dynasty in Arakan but whether they were related to the Dhaka Chandras is not known.
Finally under VigrahaPal’s son Mahi Pal I age 977 to 1027, the Pal empire is somewhat reconstituted. It now comprised of East bengal, Tripura region, Anga, and some parts of West Bengal. He suffered defeats at the hands of others but recovered part of the old empire but that ended with his death. His empire did not have the great expanse of his predecessors but maintained a dignified extent. However, his son could not maintain much of the empire. A new group of Mandalikas emerge in Western Bangla at this time as well.
It seems there is another Mandalika later in Gujarat who are forced to convert by Muslims.
East Bengal was again broken and remained outside the Pal’s control. The Sen kindgom once a tributary of the Pals become more powerful aswell. The far eastern part of Bangla sees the rise of Pattikera kingdom Tripura. In East Bengal rises the Varmans who came from Kalinga. And there are more conquerors coming to the Magadha-Bengal region. The Sens become independent and finally take Bengal from the Pals when Ballal Sen conquered Gaur(Gor province). The Last Pals rule until 1174 as rulers of Gaya. The Sens ruled 1162-1223 C.E. even though they were in existence much longer since 1095.
Both the Pal and the Chandra emperors were Buddhists and in this period Bangla became a centre for buddhism. Under the Pals Bangla reached its high water mark. At the peak, Bangla ruled all north India until Afganistan. The Sen dynasty was Hindu and brought in Brahmins from abroad and made Bangla into Hindu somewhat by force. During the Pal era, Bangla became foremost in learning and culture in the world.It should also be noted that there remained a Pal king in Kabul whose empire consisted of Kapisa on the western side of the Hindu Kush Ranges and Punjab on the Eastern side, much like Ambhi before Alexandre. In 980 AD, Raja Jay Pal Shahi faced Muslim invaders who had taken Gandhar. These kings were called the Shahi kings and ruled Punjab.
Afganistan was part of India from antiquity and was called Upa-Gana-Stan.
The king of Gazni Sabuktin conquered Kabul. He is famous in Afganistan for his fierce fighting against the Ghors and because he built mosques after destroying Hindu Temples. The main mosque in Kabul is built on the site of a Hindu temple aswell.
RajShahi is a district in Bangladesh that means Shahi King.
The several regions that rose and fell in the Bengal area in that period are Pundra, Gauda or Gaur, Dandabhukti, Karna Subarna, Varendra, Rarh, Summha Desa, Vanga, Vangala, Harikela, Chandradwipa, Subarnabithi (central Bangladesh, Navyabakashika, Lukhnauti and Samatata. This was also the period when the languages Gaurean & Bangla came into form. Bangladesh and West Bengal are the same nation and together they once formed the major part of Bangla (Banga or Gaur (Gor province)). Even though Bangladesh is a modern state, her history can be traced back to about 1000 BC. There are many theories about the origin of the name B(v)anga or B(v)angla. Some linguists believe that the name originates from the Tibetan word, “Bans” which means wet or moist and Banga (Bengal) is a wet country crisscrossed by a thousand rivers and washed by monsoons and floods from the Himalayas. Some others believe that the name originated from the Bodo (original Asamese in North Eastern India) “Bang La” which means wide plains. This theory is extremely plausible.And my thought regarding the term is might be derived from Banjaragaur.
The Indus civilization ended around 1800 BCE and there is a marked change in Bangla around this time. Were the ruins such as ChandraketuGarh (Gaur)(Gor) built upon older cities of the past.South Indians have given us several unique dance forms and Gaud(Gaur/Gor) of Bangla has also given us unique dance forms. In the very ancient times, Pundra, Gaur Gaud or Garh,Gaur/Gor Rarh Radha, Ladha, Sumha, Vajra Brahma, Tamralipti, Samatata, Banga and Anga comprised Bangla. At one time Gaur was the name used for the Bengal region but the name Banga later became popular. This might reflect the prominence of the regions in a period whose history is lost. Banga is first mentioned in the Aiterya Aranyaka, a Hindu scripture. The book mentions Banga as a non-Aryan Dravir nation. In the Aitareya Brahma, the people of Pundra tribe along with Andhra, Shavara, Mulinda and Mutiba tribes) is called dasyu, clearly non- Aryan or Dravir .Bangla is also mentioned in the Mahabharat, one of the four great epics. In the great war of Kurukshetra described in the Mahabharat, a Bangla king fought for the Kaurovas (Kaurovas are supposed to be the villains. They are most probably Aryans and so this might show the beginings of Aryan-Dravir alliance makings.). Another time, King Basudeva, of Gaur fought with Krishna in Dwarka, a port city in Gujarat on the western part of India. The Mahabharat also mentions three Bengali princes who try for the hand of princess Draupadi. In this epic, some Bengals are mentioned as untouchables. These were the coastal tribes of Bengal who were called Mlechchha.
All the tribes in Bengal were considered non-Aryan. Banga and Kalinga were Dravir even in Mahavira’s time and Aryanization only began with Ashok when part of it was under the Mauryan empire. As Aryanization penetrated into Manu classified Bengal Pundra, Shaka and Dravida as fallen Kshatryias Kshatriyas were the warior or ruling caste. This was an attempt to incorporate them into the Aryan caste system. Towards Arjun’s time, Mahabharat and the Vayu and Matsyapuranas also calls Bengal Kshatriyas. And later the Jaina Pragyapana calls Bengal Aryans signifying the begining of absorption. It was probably then that the caste system became rigid and oppressive to maintain segregation.
“The Culture of India is pre-Aryan Were they Gor? in origin. As in Greece, the conquered countries civilised the conquerors. The Aryan Indian owed his civilisation and his degeneration to the Dravidians as the Aryan Greek to the Mycaeneans.” — Hall in his “Ancient History of the Near East”
It was only during the Gupta rule around the 4th century period that Aryanization fully penetrates Bangla. The caste structure is instilled and Brahmans are mentioned. Vatsyana in his Kamasutra mentions Brahmans in Bengal. Vatsayana talks about handsome Bengals who painted their nails to attract girls.
Ancient Bengal men painted their nails to attract girls. This is the earliest mention of colouring nails. In the ancient Indus, girls used lipstick which is also another first use.Ancient Hindu Center Many think that the concepts of karma and transmigration of the soul, the practice of yoga, the worship of Shiva, Devi and Visnu, and other rituals that are not Vedic came from the Aryans. However, these are now believed to have existed in Bangla before Aryanization.
This is also supported by the fact that today at least Yoga and Shiva are associated with the Indus civilization which existed before the coming of the Aryans. The cultivation of rice and other crops such as the betel leaf, coconut, tamarind and nut, the Hindu dress of dhuti, marriage rituals with vermilion and turmeric, and many other customs come from pre-Aryan(Gaur) ancestors. Age of Glory Bengal’s history in the 1st millennium BC was that of glory and expansion. This period is connected not to North India but to South India and the eastern Asia. Its expansion was a maritime expansion. Bengal was an ancient seafaring nation, possibly a continuation of the seafaring of the Indus days. As early as 544 BC, Bengali prince, Vijay(a) Singha of Bangla established the first kingdom in Sri Lanka. The ancient name of Sri Lanka, Simhala Singhala comes from the name of Vijay Singha. The Sri Vijaya empire of Indonesia that dominated East Asia for over a millennium bears Sri Vijaya’s name, possibly meaning that it was founded by him. This empire is known to have been a strong indian centre as early as 135 AD by the Chinese, which means that Indians were there earlier in history, possibly the 6th/5th century BC, if Sri Vijaya founded the empire. From here the region of cambodia to Vietnam was dominated by the ancient Bengals.Madras was another kingdom established by the Bengals(Gaur). These show that Bengal was a well organised land even in ancient times. This period of expansion is unmatched in later history. An intersting point to note: the Madras people are Tamil were the original Bengals same as Tamils?
Early History Early India, the ancient kingdoms were called Mahajanapadas. There were several of them all over Northern India. Anga, Ashmak, Avanti, Chedi, Gandhar, Kashi, Kosala, Magadha, Matsya, Shursen and Vatsa were the major kingdoms. Some Mahajanapadas like Banga, Kamboj, Koliya, Kuru, Lichhavi, Moriya, Panchal, Shakya and Vrijji were republican states. The republican states were not ruled by kings but had assemblies of senior and responsible elders called ‘Gana-parishad’. The Magadha, Kosala, Vatsya Bihar, and Avanti Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh were the most notable kingdoms of ancient India.
Anga: Anga was an ancient kingdom. The people were originally Dravir but were absorbed early in the Aryanization process. They had become part of Magadha in the 6th century BC. Anga was part of Bengal but now mostly lies in Bihar, including her capital,Monghyr.
Ashmak:Avanti: A kingdom near Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. He warred with Magadha, Kosala, and Vatsa. Eventually Magadha emergedvictor.
Gandhar: Present day Afganistan. Afganistan was part of India until the 10th century when it was overrun by foreign invaders i.e.Gazni ,later ruled by Ghori.
Kashi: Today Kashi remains as the famous holy city Varanasi, Banarasi or Banaras.
Kosala: Of all the small kingdoms in North India, the history of Magadha and Kosala are documented well, because of Buddha and Mahavira’s presence there. There are references to Bangla, since Buddha had travelled there to preach.
Kosala was an empire roughly the size of Britain and is also the birth place of Rama, the Hindu Avatar. It existed in Central North India, with capital at Ayoddhya. Shravasti Kushavati and Saket were its other famous cities. Archeological,Gor people have claimed that they are Sindhu culture by origin, excavations have shown the remains of a great empire there, which existed sometime between the end of the Harappan civilization and the emergence of historical empires in India whose tales might be recorded in the Mahabharat and Ramayan. The legendary Tirthankaras of Jain are also from here. Kosala was ruled by Prasenajit during the time of Buddha, around the 6th century BC.
Magadha: Neighbouring Magadha (an ancient Dravir nation) started getting powerful in the 7th century BC. It started out as a sixth of the size of Kosala in the extreme south east of Bihar. Its old capital was at Rajgriha in present day Bihar. In the 6th century BC, it was definitely a major power under King Bimbisara. Part of the rise in Magadha’s power was due to its king Bimbisara’s bold new strategy. Until then in Magadha the armies were loyal to the different tribes but Bimbisara changed this making the armies loyal to himself.
Magadha is the first kingdom recorded in Indian history that attempted to create a great empire. There is evidence that Buddha himself had counseled the King Bimbisara of Magadha as how to subjugate and annex the neighbouring Lichavi republic.Later Bimbisara became the first patron of Buddhism. Buddha had highly influenced Bimbisara. The capital of Magadha also became Buddha’s homebase. There were thousands of Magadhans who had converted to buddhism by then. It must be noted that Prasenajit later converted too, leading to massive success of early Buddhism.By the time Magadha started to expand, there was probably a high degree of Aryan penetration into Magadha, as evidenced by the fact that Buddha spoke Maghdi Sanskrit, which is an Aryan language. Magadha was probably one of the first Aryo-Dravir synthesis centres. Both the Buddhist and Jain religion developed here.
Sometime around this time the Malla dynasty was formed in South West Bengal and lasted for a thousand years until the 16th century. (Mallas ruled Kathmundu Valley 900-1700AD Rise of Bangla.In 750 AD, in the middle of volatile empires, Gopal became elected as the ruler of Bangla from Gaur(Gor province). It appears Banga had finally decided to unite to face the others. Gopal Dev was the ruler of Bvarendra North Bangla and not of high caste. However, the Pals are originally from Karnataka, South West India. He established the Pal or Pala empire 8th to 12th century. The Pal emperors cortributed to the establishment of Bangla as a great nation. Gopal ruled 750 to 775 AD consolidating Bangla. His son Dharma Pal ruled 775 to 810 AD was the Ashok of Bangla. He attempted to expand the empire. He fought with the Pratihara king Vatsa from Gujarat which lies on the west coast of India. Even though he was defeated, fortune was on his side. Rastrakuta king Dhruva ruled 781to 794 AD in the south rose and defeated both him and Vatsa. Dhurba, however, retreated leaving the north without annexing the land. This allowed DharmaPal to conquer North India. He took Bhoja King Bhoj province, Matsya, Madra, Kuru, Yadu, Yavana, Avanti, Gandhara and Kira. He defeated IndraYudha and ChakraYudha of Kanauja. It is then that he probably conquered Nepal which still bears -Pal at the end of its name. He fought over Nepal with Mu-ti-vtsan-po of Tibet. He allowed his conquered teritories a degree of independence and the teritories in return accepted his overlordship. By this he became Uttara Path Nath,the lord of the North.Then he was defeated by Nagabhata II, son of Vatsa of Gujarat. However, once again Govinda III of Rastrakuta defeated Nagabhat. DharmaPal accepted the overlordship of Govinda after this. The Rastrakuta’s empire extended from Gujarat to tanjore. The Pal empire extended from Bengal to Afganistan. In this way the Pal empire became part of the Rastrakuta empire for a while. They created a lose but large empire through this alliance.
DharmaPal’s son DevPal tenure 810 to 847 AD was also a conqueror. He defeated the Huns, Utkala, Pragjyotisha, Dravid and Gurjarat it is to find out whether Bhojadeva was grandson of Nagabhata. Like DharmaPal he did not attempt to conquer all of India, but only North India.
Towards the end of the 9th century the Pal empire underwent decline. Magadha, Anga Bengal, and Banga was conquered probably by AmoghaVarsha while Rarh was conquered by Orissa. BhojaDeva, Kalachuri, GunambodhiDeva, and Guhilot king Guhila II conquered all North India west of Magadha. Dahala king KokallaDeva I 840-890 looted wealth from Bengal. MahendraPal, son of Bhoja, extended the Pratihara kingdom well into Pundra. Narayan Pal, the Pal emperor managed to only retain Banga and Bihar but probably went back under the over lordship of the Rastrakutas.Orissa and Kamarupa become powerful next door. And in the 10th century the Pals regain the Magadha but loses it again. Apparently Bangla disintegrated into individual states. Anga, Gaur(Gor province), Bangala, Rarh etc. Or it could be that central control had just weakened. During this period many smaller kingdoms appeared in Bangla. In the north a Khamboja kingdom appears at Priyangu. In the East and South Bengal saw the rise of Harikela under the Devas from Vardhamanapur. In the Tripura region, LahayaChandra rules for a while. In the Dhaka region, the Chandras ruled. The Chandras ruled over the Devas from Chandradwip and later from Bikrampur .The Chandras too have their highs and lows. There was another Chandra dynasty in Arakan but whether they were related to the Dhaka Chandras is not known.
Finally under VigrahaPal’s son Mahi Pal I age 977 to 1027, the Pal empire is somewhat reconstituted. It now comprised of East bengal, Tripura region, Anga, and some parts of West Bengal. He suffered defeats at the hands of others but recovered part of the old empire but that ended with his death. His empire did not have the great expanse of his predecessors but maintained a dignified extent. However, his son could not maintain much of the empire. A new group of Mandalikas emerge in Western Bangla at this time as well.
It seems there is another Mandalika later in Gujarat who are forced to convert by Muslims.
East Bengal was again broken and remained outside the Pal’s control. The Sen kindgom once a tributary of the Pals become more powerful aswell. The far eastern part of Bangla sees the rise of Pattikera kingdom Tripura. In East Bengal rises the Varmans who came from Kalinga. And there are more conquerors coming to the Magadha-Bengal region. The Sens become independent and finally take Bengal from the Pals when Ballal Sen conquered Gaur(Gor province). The Last Pals rule until 1174 as rulers of Gaya. The Sens ruled 1162-1223 C.E. even though they were in existence much longer since 1095.
Both the Pal and the Chandra emperors were Buddhists and in this period Bangla became a centre for buddhism. Under the Pals Bangla reached its high water mark. At the peak, Bangla ruled all north India until Afganistan. The Sen dynasty was Hindu and brought in Brahmins from abroad and made Bangla into Hindu somewhat by force. During the Pal era, Bangla became foremost in learning and culture in the world.It should also be noted that there remained a Pal king in Kabul whose empire consisted of Kapisa on the western side of the Hindu Kush Ranges and Punjab on the Eastern side, much like Ambhi before Alexandre. In 980 AD, Raja Jay Pal Shahi faced Muslim invaders who had taken Gandhar. These kings were called the Shahi kings and ruled Punjab.
Afganistan was part of India from antiquity and was called Upa-Gana-Stan.
The king of Gazni Sabuktin conquered Kabul. He is famous in Afganistan for his fierce fighting against the Ghors and because he built mosques after destroying Hindu Temples. The main mosque in Kabul is built on the site of a Hindu temple aswell.
RajShahi is a district in Bangladesh that means Shahi King.
The several regions that rose and fell in the Bengal area in that period are Pundra, Gauda or Gaur, Dandabhukti, Karna Subarna, Varendra, Rarh, Summha Desa, Vanga, Vangala, Harikela, Chandradwipa, Subarnabithi (central Bangladesh, Navyabakashika, Lukhnauti and Samatata. This was also the period when the languages Gaurean & Bangla came into form. Bangladesh and West Bengal are the same nation and together they once formed the major part of Bangla (Banga or Gaur (Gor province)). Even though Bangladesh is a modern state, her history can be traced back to about 1000 BC. There are many theories about the origin of the name B(v)anga or B(v)angla. Some linguists believe that the name originates from the Tibetan word, “Bans” which means wet or moist and Banga (Bengal) is a wet country crisscrossed by a thousand rivers and washed by monsoons and floods from the Himalayas. Some others believe that the name originated from the Bodo (original Asamese in North Eastern India) “Bang La” which means wide plains. This theory is extremely plausible.And my thought regarding the term is might be derived from Banjaragaur.
The Indus civilization ended around 1800 BCE and there is a marked change in Bangla around this time. Were the ruins such as ChandraketuGarh (Gaur)(Gor) built upon older cities of the past.South Indians have given us several unique dance forms and Gaud(Gaur/Gor) of Bangla has also given us unique dance forms. In the very ancient times, Pundra, Gaur Gaud or Garh,Gaur/Gor Rarh Radha, Ladha, Sumha, Vajra Brahma, Tamralipti, Samatata, Banga and Anga comprised Bangla. At one time Gaur was the name used for the Bengal region but the name Banga later became popular. This might reflect the prominence of the regions in a period whose history is lost. Banga is first mentioned in the Aiterya Aranyaka, a Hindu scripture. The book mentions Banga as a non-Aryan Dravir nation. In the Aitareya Brahma, the people of Pundra tribe along with Andhra, Shavara, Mulinda and Mutiba tribes) is called dasyu, clearly non- Aryan or Dravir .Bangla is also mentioned in the Mahabharat, one of the four great epics. In the great war of Kurukshetra described in the Mahabharat, a Bangla king fought for the Kaurovas (Kaurovas are supposed to be the villains. They are most probably Aryans and so this might show the beginings of Aryan-Dravir alliance makings.). Another time, King Basudeva, of Gaur fought with Krishna in Dwarka, a port city in Gujarat on the western part of India. The Mahabharat also mentions three Bengali princes who try for the hand of princess Draupadi. In this epic, some Bengals are mentioned as untouchables. These were the coastal tribes of Bengal who were called Mlechchha.
All the tribes in Bengal were considered non-Aryan. Banga and Kalinga were Dravir even in Mahavira’s time and Aryanization only began with Ashok when part of it was under the Mauryan empire. As Aryanization penetrated into Manu classified Bengal Pundra, Shaka and Dravida as fallen Kshatryias Kshatriyas were the warior or ruling caste. This was an attempt to incorporate them into the Aryan caste system. Towards Arjun’s time, Mahabharat and the Vayu and Matsyapuranas also calls Bengal Kshatriyas. And later the Jaina Pragyapana calls Bengal Aryans signifying the begining of absorption. It was probably then that the caste system became rigid and oppressive to maintain segregation.
“The Culture of India is pre-Aryan Were they Gor? in origin. As in Greece, the conquered countries civilised the conquerors. The Aryan Indian owed his civilisation and his degeneration to the Dravidians as the Aryan Greek to the Mycaeneans.” — Hall in his “Ancient History of the Near East”
It was only during the Gupta rule around the 4th century period that Aryanization fully penetrates Bangla. The caste structure is instilled and Brahmans are mentioned. Vatsyana in his Kamasutra mentions Brahmans in Bengal. Vatsayana talks about handsome Bengals who painted their nails to attract girls.
Ancient Bengal men painted their nails to attract girls. This is the earliest mention of colouring nails. In the ancient Indus, girls used lipstick which is also another first use.Ancient Hindu Center Many think that the concepts of karma and transmigration of the soul, the practice of yoga, the worship of Shiva, Devi and Visnu, and other rituals that are not Vedic came from the Aryans. However, these are now believed to have existed in Bangla before Aryanization.
This is also supported by the fact that today at least Yoga and Shiva are associated with the Indus civilization which existed before the coming of the Aryans. The cultivation of rice and other crops such as the betel leaf, coconut, tamarind and nut, the Hindu dress of dhuti, marriage rituals with vermilion and turmeric, and many other customs come from pre-Aryan(Gaur) ancestors. Age of Glory Bengal’s history in the 1st millennium BC was that of glory and expansion. This period is connected not to North India but to South India and the eastern Asia. Its expansion was a maritime expansion. Bengal was an ancient seafaring nation, possibly a continuation of the seafaring of the Indus days. As early as 544 BC, Bengali prince, Vijay(a) Singha of Bangla established the first kingdom in Sri Lanka. The ancient name of Sri Lanka, Simhala Singhala comes from the name of Vijay Singha. The Sri Vijaya empire of Indonesia that dominated East Asia for over a millennium bears Sri Vijaya’s name, possibly meaning that it was founded by him. This empire is known to have been a strong indian centre as early as 135 AD by the Chinese, which means that Indians were there earlier in history, possibly the 6th/5th century BC, if Sri Vijaya founded the empire. From here the region of cambodia to Vietnam was dominated by the ancient Bengals.Madras was another kingdom established by the Bengals(Gaur). These show that Bengal was a well organised land even in ancient times. This period of expansion is unmatched in later history. An intersting point to note: the Madras people are Tamil were the original Bengals same as Tamils?
Early History Early India, the ancient kingdoms were called Mahajanapadas. There were several of them all over Northern India. Anga, Ashmak, Avanti, Chedi, Gandhar, Kashi, Kosala, Magadha, Matsya, Shursen and Vatsa were the major kingdoms. Some Mahajanapadas like Banga, Kamboj, Koliya, Kuru, Lichhavi, Moriya, Panchal, Shakya and Vrijji were republican states. The republican states were not ruled by kings but had assemblies of senior and responsible elders called ‘Gana-parishad’. The Magadha, Kosala, Vatsya Bihar, and Avanti Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh were the most notable kingdoms of ancient India.
Anga: Anga was an ancient kingdom. The people were originally Dravir but were absorbed early in the Aryanization process. They had become part of Magadha in the 6th century BC. Anga was part of Bengal but now mostly lies in Bihar, including her capital,Monghyr.
Ashmak:Avanti: A kingdom near Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. He warred with Magadha, Kosala, and Vatsa. Eventually Magadha emergedvictor.
Gandhar: Present day Afganistan. Afganistan was part of India until the 10th century when it was overrun by foreign invaders i.e.Gazni ,later ruled by Ghori.
Kashi: Today Kashi remains as the famous holy city Varanasi, Banarasi or Banaras.
Kosala: Of all the small kingdoms in North India, the history of Magadha and Kosala are documented well, because of Buddha and Mahavira’s presence there. There are references to Bangla, since Buddha had travelled there to preach.
Kosala was an empire roughly the size of Britain and is also the birth place of Rama, the Hindu Avatar. It existed in Central North India, with capital at Ayoddhya. Shravasti Kushavati and Saket were its other famous cities. Archeological,Gor people have claimed that they are Sindhu culture by origin, excavations have shown the remains of a great empire there, which existed sometime between the end of the Harappan civilization and the emergence of historical empires in India whose tales might be recorded in the Mahabharat and Ramayan. The legendary Tirthankaras of Jain are also from here. Kosala was ruled by Prasenajit during the time of Buddha, around the 6th century BC.
Magadha: Neighbouring Magadha (an ancient Dravir nation) started getting powerful in the 7th century BC. It started out as a sixth of the size of Kosala in the extreme south east of Bihar. Its old capital was at Rajgriha in present day Bihar. In the 6th century BC, it was definitely a major power under King Bimbisara. Part of the rise in Magadha’s power was due to its king Bimbisara’s bold new strategy. Until then in Magadha the armies were loyal to the different tribes but Bimbisara changed this making the armies loyal to himself.
Magadha is the first kingdom recorded in Indian history that attempted to create a great empire. There is evidence that Buddha himself had counseled the King Bimbisara of Magadha as how to subjugate and annex the neighbouring Lichavi republic.Later Bimbisara became the first patron of Buddhism. Buddha had highly influenced Bimbisara. The capital of Magadha also became Buddha’s homebase. There were thousands of Magadhans who had converted to buddhism by then. It must be noted that Prasenajit later converted too, leading to massive success of early Buddhism.By the time Magadha started to expand, there was probably a high degree of Aryan penetration into Magadha, as evidenced by the fact that Buddha spoke Maghdi Sanskrit, which is an Aryan language. Magadha was probably one of the first Aryo-Dravir synthesis centres. Both the Buddhist and Jain religion developed here.
In its early stage it anexed the smaller kingdoms of Kashi, Madra and Anga And also lost in antiquity, Prasenjit carried out a long protracted war with Magadha. Eventually Prasenajit was deposed by his son and Kosala was overwhelmed by Magadha. Thus Magadha now stretched all across Northern India becoming the first historical empire of North India. King Ajarsatru, son of Bimbisara started the task of building the empire in 490 BC and Magadha was extended under great Nanda kings as far west as Punjab. The Nanda kings had set up an effective administrative system that was necessary to run their large empire. They huge four-fold army of two hundred thousand infantry, twenty thousand cavalry, two thousand chariots and three thousand elephants. They introduced the stem of standard weights and measures .The Nanda Kings were patrons of art and literature. By the time Alexandre conquers northern India in 326 BC, Magadha was a great empire under the Nandas and this was the seed from which the Mauryan empire germinated, retaining the great beaurocracy, army and passion for arts and litterature of theNandakings.This is how the royal race of rulers became downtrodden,Gor struggled first with Buddhists King,claiming them as Kafir,later with foreign invaders called them as Firangi and further with Eslam crusaders.
Epilogue:
The word ‘MAN’ is derived from Gor word ‘MANKYA’ and it is now proved that ancestor of MAN were Monkey the same word is also from Mankya.
Period of Arabian Nights were between 6000-1000 BCE,Story of Oedipus the Rexes by Banjara with great faith.It means that Gorboli is older than the Greek Language.
Lamani of Ashdod had their Kingdom in ancient Period.
Kautilian Arthshastra states with prior permission of Tanda Trader,Foreigner can enter in State.
Lanjatissa (Lamani tis) was king of Ceylon (Shrilanka) 119-109 BCE.
BC Ptolemy,Plinee & Strabo had given information about Ladeni (Trade)Laman Tanda in ancient period .
Commodities were supplied by the Laman Tandas all over world in the age of Satwahanas.China Traveller Huantsang informed King Sashank means Soma ruled 606-638 AC for 32 years in Bengal.He belongs to race of King Gopichand Gor,Soma is traditional name of Banjara Community.
Thus it has proved that “GOR: were Global Royal Ruling Race”
Epilogue:
The word ‘MAN’ is derived from Gor word ‘MANKYA’ and it is now proved that ancestor of MAN were Monkey the same word is also from Mankya.
Period of Arabian Nights were between 6000-1000 BCE,Story of Oedipus the Rexes by Banjara with great faith.It means that Gorboli is older than the Greek Language.
Lamani of Ashdod had their Kingdom in ancient Period.
Kautilian Arthshastra states with prior permission of Tanda Trader,Foreigner can enter in State.
Lanjatissa (Lamani tis) was king of Ceylon (Shrilanka) 119-109 BCE.
BC Ptolemy,Plinee & Strabo had given information about Ladeni (Trade)Laman Tanda in ancient period .
Commodities were supplied by the Laman Tandas all over world in the age of Satwahanas.China Traveller Huantsang informed King Sashank means Soma ruled 606-638 AC for 32 years in Bengal.He belongs to race of King Gopichand Gor,Soma is traditional name of Banjara Community.
Thus it has proved that “GOR: were Global Royal Ruling Race”
Sources:
James Hewitt : Ruling Races of India in prehistoric times
A Short History Of Bengal by Tanmoy Bhattacharya
A History of the Indian People by D. P. Singhal
James Todd :Annals and Antiquities
The voice of Gaurs
NBPA Manuals
History of Middle Asia,Bihar Govt.
James Hewitt : Ruling Races of India in prehistoric times
A Short History Of Bengal by Tanmoy Bhattacharya
A History of the Indian People by D. P. Singhal
James Todd :Annals and Antiquities
The voice of Gaurs
NBPA Manuals
History of Middle Asia,Bihar Govt.
DISTRIBUTION
The Banjara have spread to Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra,Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and other states of India. About half their number speak Lambadi, one of the Rajasthani dialects, while others are native speakers of Hindi, Telugu and other languages dominant in their respective areas of settlement. Rathore, Parmar, Pawar, Chauhan, castes belong to Vanjara community in Rajasthan and Gujarat now are in General Seats after the communal rights taken place in Rajasthan for Reservation in 2008 as they were landlords in Amarkot, Fathaykot and Sialkot before Partition of India and Pakistan. They are an ST in Andhra Pradesh (where they are listed as Sugali), Orissa, Karnataka (SC), Haryana, Punjab, and Himachal
Pradesh.
Banjaras can be found all over India but their population is concentrated in the states of Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana , and some state mention at social status. As of 2012 there are 1.1 million Banjaras in Karnataka.
In Maharashtra, where they are known as Vanjaras, the Banjaras are mainly involved in the cultivation of rice. Vanjari community in Palghar and Nashik District is economically and socially advanced and has sound standing in cultural arena. Most of population of Vanjari caste in Maharashtra is in Palghar, Beed, Parbhani, Latur, Satara, Sangali, Jalna, Aurangabad, Buldhana, Akola and Ahmednagar districts.
In India, Banjara people were transporters of goods from one place another and the goods they transported included salt, grains, firewood and cattle. During 18th Century, the British colonial authorities brought the community under the purview of Criminal Tribes Act of 1871. By enforcing this act the British Raj curbed the movement of Banjara people. The stigma attached to this continued until 1952 when the Act was abolished by the newly Independent India.
Culture in Andhra Pradesh
In Andhra Pradesh, Lambadas in the Telangana region were only recently recognised as Schduled Tribes; earlier we were recognised as Denotified Tribes. Lambadas are of North-west Indian origin, who lived primarily by Our earnings from transportation on the pack bullocks. There is evidence to show that we supplied food grains etc. to the Moghuls when we invaded the Deccan. However, there is some dispute about the nature of Our Moghul connection. Whether we accompanied the Moghuls as an ordinance corps in the conquest of the Deccan, and some of them later stayed back to continue trade, or whether we were already present as traders, having come in an earlier period, and assisted the Moghuls when the latter came South.
Women, Lambadi / Gor women (Thandri) wear a very colourful red style dress and lots of jewellery. The clothes we wear are decorated with pieces of mirror and cowl. we wear ivory bangles and ornaments, which are innumerable. The dance performed by Lambadis is more a rhythm based one. But when performed to the beat of the drums, it gains momentum.
Dance, Lambadi is a special kind of dance of Andhra Pradesh. In this form of dance, mainly the female dancers dance in tune with the male drummers to offer homage to Our Lord for a good harvest. At Anupu Village near Nagarjunakonda, Lambadi dance originated. we are actually semi-nomadic tribes who are gradually moving towards civilization and decency. This dance is mainly restricted among the females and rarely the males participate in Lambadi Dance. Lambadi is a special kind of Folk Dance which involves participation by tribal women who bedeck themselves in colorful costumes and jewelry.
The Banjara have spread to Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra,Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and other states of India. About half their number speak Lambadi, one of the Rajasthani dialects, while others are native speakers of Hindi, Telugu and other languages dominant in their respective areas of settlement. Rathore, Parmar, Pawar, Chauhan, castes belong to Vanjara community in Rajasthan and Gujarat now are in General Seats after the communal rights taken place in Rajasthan for Reservation in 2008 as they were landlords in Amarkot, Fathaykot and Sialkot before Partition of India and Pakistan. They are an ST in Andhra Pradesh (where they are listed as Sugali), Orissa, Karnataka (SC), Haryana, Punjab, and Himachal
Pradesh.
Banjaras can be found all over India but their population is concentrated in the states of Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana , and some state mention at social status. As of 2012 there are 1.1 million Banjaras in Karnataka.
In Maharashtra, where they are known as Vanjaras, the Banjaras are mainly involved in the cultivation of rice. Vanjari community in Palghar and Nashik District is economically and socially advanced and has sound standing in cultural arena. Most of population of Vanjari caste in Maharashtra is in Palghar, Beed, Parbhani, Latur, Satara, Sangali, Jalna, Aurangabad, Buldhana, Akola and Ahmednagar districts.
In India, Banjara people were transporters of goods from one place another and the goods they transported included salt, grains, firewood and cattle. During 18th Century, the British colonial authorities brought the community under the purview of Criminal Tribes Act of 1871. By enforcing this act the British Raj curbed the movement of Banjara people. The stigma attached to this continued until 1952 when the Act was abolished by the newly Independent India.
Culture in Andhra Pradesh
In Andhra Pradesh, Lambadas in the Telangana region were only recently recognised as Schduled Tribes; earlier we were recognised as Denotified Tribes. Lambadas are of North-west Indian origin, who lived primarily by Our earnings from transportation on the pack bullocks. There is evidence to show that we supplied food grains etc. to the Moghuls when we invaded the Deccan. However, there is some dispute about the nature of Our Moghul connection. Whether we accompanied the Moghuls as an ordinance corps in the conquest of the Deccan, and some of them later stayed back to continue trade, or whether we were already present as traders, having come in an earlier period, and assisted the Moghuls when the latter came South. |
Women, Lambadi / Gor women (Thandri) wear a very colourful red style dress and lots of jewellery. The clothes we wear are decorated with pieces of mirror and cowl. we wear ivory bangles and ornaments, which are innumerable. The dance performed by Lambadis is more a rhythm based one. But when performed to the beat of the drums, it gains momentum. |
Dance, Lambadi is a special kind of dance of Andhra Pradesh. In this form of dance, mainly the female dancers dance in tune with the male drummers to offer homage to Our Lord for a good harvest. At Anupu Village near Nagarjunakonda, Lambadi dance originated. we are actually semi-nomadic tribes who are gradually moving towards civilization and decency. This dance is mainly restricted among the females and rarely the males participate in Lambadi Dance. Lambadi is a special kind of Folk Dance which involves participation by tribal women who bedeck themselves in colorful costumes and jewelry. |
Food
The traditional food of Lambadis is Bati which is Roti. Daliya is a dish cooked using many cereal (wheat, jawar). Banjara people are very much fascinated about non-vegetarian food. Saloi (made from goat blood and other parts of goat) is a non-vegetarian dish made exclusively by Banjara people. They prefer eating spicy food.
The traditional food of Lambadis is Bati which is Roti. Daliya is a dish cooked using many cereal (wheat, jawar). Banjara people are very much fascinated about non-vegetarian food. Saloi (made from goat blood and other parts of goat) is a non-vegetarian dish made exclusively by Banjara people. They prefer eating spicy food.
Dress
Women are known to wear colorful and beautiful costumes like phetiya (as ghagra) and kanchalli (as top) and have tattoos on their hands. The dress is considered fancy and attractive by Western cultures. They use mirror chips and often coins to decorate it. Women put on thick bangles on their arms (patli). Their ornaments are made up of silver rings, coins, chain and hair pleats are tied together at the end by chotla.
Men wear Dhoti and Kurta (short with many folds). These clothes were designed specially for the protection from harsh climate in deserts and to distinguish them from others.
Women are known to wear colorful and beautiful costumes like phetiya (as ghagra) and kanchalli (as top) and have tattoos on their hands. The dress is considered fancy and attractive by Western cultures. They use mirror chips and often coins to decorate it. Women put on thick bangles on their arms (patli). Their ornaments are made up of silver rings, coins, chain and hair pleats are tied together at the end by chotla.
Men wear Dhoti and Kurta (short with many folds). These clothes were designed specially for the protection from harsh climate in deserts and to distinguish them from others.
Men wear Dhoti and Kurta (short with many folds). These clothes were designed specially for the protection from harsh climate in deserts and to distinguish them from others.
Arts, literature and entertainment
Their customs, language and dress indicate they originated from Rajasthan. They live in settlements called thandas. They lived in zupada (hut). Now many of them live in cities. They have a unique culture and dance form. On many occasions they gather, sing and dance.
Their traditional occupation is agriculture and trade. Banjaras are also a group of nomadic cattle herders.
The accurate history of Lambanis or Lambadis or Banjaras is not known but the general opinion among them is that they fought for Prithvi Raj against Muhammad of Ghor. The trail of the Lambadi/Banjara can be verified from their language, Lambadi borrows words from Rajasthani, Gujarati, Marathi and the local language of the area they belong to.
Banjaras originally belong to Rajasthan and they were Rajputs who migrated to southern parts of India for trade and agriculture. They settled down in the southern or central area of the country and slowly loosened contacts with Rajasthan, and their original community. Over a period of time both the communities separated and they adopted the local culture. The language spoken by Banjaras settled in Yavatmal district of Vidarbha, Maharashtra is an admixture of Hindi, Rajasthani and Marathi. The word "Banjara" must have evolved from Prakrit and Hindi and Rajasthani words "Bana/Ban or Vana/Van" meaning Forest orMoorlands and "Chara" meaning 'Movers'. The Banjara are (together with the Domba) sometimes called the "Gypsies of India".
Lambadi Dance is a special kind of dance of Andhra Pradesh. In this form of dance, mainly the female dancers dance in tune with the male drummers to offer homage to their Lord for a good harvest. At Anupu village near Nagarjunakonda, Lambadi dance originated. They are actually semi-nomadic tribes who are gradually moving towards civilization. This dance is mainly restricted among the females and rarely the males participate in Lambadi dance. Lambadi is a special kind of Folk Dance which involves participation by tribal women who bedeck themselves in colorful costumes and jewelry.
Their customs, language and dress indicate they originated from Rajasthan. They live in settlements called thandas. They lived in zupada (hut). Now many of them live in cities. They have a unique culture and dance form. On many occasions they gather, sing and dance.
Their traditional occupation is agriculture and trade. Banjaras are also a group of nomadic cattle herders.
The accurate history of Lambanis or Lambadis or Banjaras is not known but the general opinion among them is that they fought for Prithvi Raj against Muhammad of Ghor. The trail of the Lambadi/Banjara can be verified from their language, Lambadi borrows words from Rajasthani, Gujarati, Marathi and the local language of the area they belong to.
Banjaras originally belong to Rajasthan and they were Rajputs who migrated to southern parts of India for trade and agriculture. They settled down in the southern or central area of the country and slowly loosened contacts with Rajasthan, and their original community. Over a period of time both the communities separated and they adopted the local culture. The language spoken by Banjaras settled in Yavatmal district of Vidarbha, Maharashtra is an admixture of Hindi, Rajasthani and Marathi. The word "Banjara" must have evolved from Prakrit and Hindi and Rajasthani words "Bana/Ban or Vana/Van" meaning Forest orMoorlands and "Chara" meaning 'Movers'. The Banjara are (together with the Domba) sometimes called the "Gypsies of India".
Lambadi Dance is a special kind of dance of Andhra Pradesh. In this form of dance, mainly the female dancers dance in tune with the male drummers to offer homage to their Lord for a good harvest. At Anupu village near Nagarjunakonda, Lambadi dance originated. They are actually semi-nomadic tribes who are gradually moving towards civilization. This dance is mainly restricted among the females and rarely the males participate in Lambadi dance. Lambadi is a special kind of Folk Dance which involves participation by tribal women who bedeck themselves in colorful costumes and jewelry.
Their traditional occupation is agriculture and trade. Banjaras are also a group of nomadic cattle herders.
The accurate history of Lambanis or Lambadis or Banjaras is not known but the general opinion among them is that they fought for Prithvi Raj against Muhammad of Ghor. The trail of the Lambadi/Banjara can be verified from their language, Lambadi borrows words from Rajasthani, Gujarati, Marathi and the local language of the area they belong to.
Banjaras originally belong to Rajasthan and they were Rajputs who migrated to southern parts of India for trade and agriculture. They settled down in the southern or central area of the country and slowly loosened contacts with Rajasthan, and their original community. Over a period of time both the communities separated and they adopted the local culture. The language spoken by Banjaras settled in Yavatmal district of Vidarbha, Maharashtra is an admixture of Hindi, Rajasthani and Marathi. The word "Banjara" must have evolved from Prakrit and Hindi and Rajasthani words "Bana/Ban or Vana/Van" meaning Forest orMoorlands and "Chara" meaning 'Movers'. The Banjara are (together with the Domba) sometimes called the "Gypsies of India".
Lambadi Dance is a special kind of dance of Andhra Pradesh. In this form of dance, mainly the female dancers dance in tune with the male drummers to offer homage to their Lord for a good harvest. At Anupu village near Nagarjunakonda, Lambadi dance originated. They are actually semi-nomadic tribes who are gradually moving towards civilization. This dance is mainly restricted among the females and rarely the males participate in Lambadi dance. Lambadi is a special kind of Folk Dance which involves participation by tribal women who bedeck themselves in colorful costumes and jewelry.
BANJARA MARRIAGE CULTURE
The banjaras are grouped into 4 categories called gotras. The lambadi language term for gotra is Goth/Pada. The gotras are
1. Rathod/Bhukya
2.Chavan
3.Pawar
4.Vadtya.
Under each of these gotras there are several Jaaths. People falling in the same Gotra Dont marry, they are considered brother and sister. The term for this is Bhaipana meaning brotherhood. If people fall under different gothras and can marry, the term used is Laagach means can marry. People usually have their jaath name as the surname, A detailed Jaath check of which jaath can marry which jaath and whom they fall under can be done at banjarapoint website in their jaath check / gotras check page. This was traditionally done by people called dhadi bhaats who were kind of knowledge agents/Knowledge experts.
The Rahtod/Bhukya Gotra/category has been said to have split into 2 making Banoth as a separate gotra by itself. So some people say there are 5 gotras.Turi(badawat)is also said to be an additional gotra.it means there are 6 gotras can be said
The banjaras are grouped into 4 categories called gotras. The lambadi language term for gotra is Goth/Pada. The gotras are
1. Rathod/Bhukya
2.Chavan
3.Pawar
4.Vadtya.
Under each of these gotras there are several Jaaths. People falling in the same Gotra Dont marry, they are considered brother and sister. The term for this is Bhaipana meaning brotherhood. If people fall under different gothras and can marry, the term used is Laagach means can marry. People usually have their jaath name as the surname, A detailed Jaath check of which jaath can marry which jaath and whom they fall under can be done at banjarapoint website in their jaath check / gotras check page. This was traditionally done by people called dhadi bhaats who were kind of knowledge agents/Knowledge experts.
The Rahtod/Bhukya Gotra/category has been said to have split into 2 making Banoth as a separate gotra by itself. So some people say there are 5 gotras.Turi(badawat)is also said to be an additional gotra.it means there are 6 gotras can be said
1. Rathod/Bhukya
2.Chavan
3.Pawar
4.Vadtya.
Under each of these gotras there are several Jaaths. People falling in the same Gotra Dont marry, they are considered brother and sister. The term for this is Bhaipana meaning brotherhood. If people fall under different gothras and can marry, the term used is Laagach means can marry. People usually have their jaath name as the surname, A detailed Jaath check of which jaath can marry which jaath and whom they fall under can be done at banjarapoint website in their jaath check / gotras check page. This was traditionally done by people called dhadi bhaats who were kind of knowledge agents/Knowledge experts.
The Rahtod/Bhukya Gotra/category has been said to have split into 2 making Banoth as a separate gotra by itself. So some people say there are 5 gotras.Turi(badawat)is also said to be an additional gotra.it means there are 6 gotras can be said
EXAMPLES OF BANJARA MARRAIGE CULTURE
Bhaipana example Ghugloth (Vadtiya) and Aajmera (Vadtiya) cannot marry as fall under same category i.e Vadtiya and they are brother and sister.
Laagacha example Ghugloth (Vadtiya) and Bhukya (Rathore) can marry as they fall under different categories, i.e Ghugloth falls under Vadtiya and Bhukya Falls under Rathore/Rathod.
here are some of the sub-caste of gotras:
Bhaipana example Ghugloth (Vadtiya) and Aajmera (Vadtiya) cannot marry as fall under same category i.e Vadtiya and they are brother and sister.
Laagacha example Ghugloth (Vadtiya) and Bhukya (Rathore) can marry as they fall under different categories, i.e Ghugloth falls under Vadtiya and Bhukya Falls under Rathore/Rathod.
here are some of the sub-caste of gotras:
Banjara Gothr/Jath
People from one Gothra can marry another gothra
People from one Gothra can marry another gothra
Rathod/Bhukya -- (27)
Aaloth Bhaanaavath Bhilavath Degaavath Depaavath Devsoth Dungaavath Jhandavath Kaanaavath Karamtoth Khaatroth Khethaavath Khilaavath Kodaavath Kumaavath Meghaavath Meraajoth Meraavath Nenaavath Paathloth Pithaavath Raajavath Raamavath Raathla/Phulia Ranasoth Sangaavath Sotki
| Aaloth | Bhaanaavath | Bhilavath | Degaavath |
| Depaavath | Devsoth | Dungaavath | Jhandavath |
| Kaanaavath | Karamtoth | Khaatroth | Khethaavath |
| Khilaavath | Kodaavath | Kumaavath | Meghaavath |
| Meraajoth | Meraavath | Nenaavath | Paathloth |
| Pithaavath | Raajavath | Raamavath | Raathla/Phulia |
| Ranasoth | Sangaavath | Sotki | |
Pawar -- (12)
Aamgoth Aivath Pammar Baanni Chaivoth Pammar Injraavath Inloth Pammar Jharapla Lunsavath/Nunsavath Pamaadiyaa Tarabaanni Vankdoth Vislaavath
| Aamgoth | Aivath Pammar | Baanni | Chaivoth Pammar |
| Injraavath | Inloth Pammar | Jharapla | Lunsavath/Nunsavath |
| Pamaadiyaa | Tarabaanni | Vankdoth | Vislaavath |
Chavan/Chauhan -- (6)
Dumaavath/Chauradiya Kayloth Korra Mood Paalthyaa Sabavat Lavadiya
| Dumaavath/Chauradiya | Kayloth | Korra | Mood |
| Paalthyaa | Sabavat | Lavadiya | |
Vadithya/Jadhav -- (52)
Ajmera Baadaavath Barmaavath Bhagvaandas Bharoth Bodaa Dhaaraavath Dungaroth Gangaavath Goraam Gugloth Halaavath Jaadhav Jaloth Jayt Kagla Kunsoth Lokaavath Lonaavath Loolaavath Maaloth Mohandas Pipaavath Poosnamal Salaavath Sejaavath Tejaavath Tepaavath Teraavath Tuvar Undaavath VaderJhaad ...there r some more which i dont know...If u knw plz send me the other sub categories of this gotra
| Ajmera | Baadaavath | Barmaavath | Bhagvaandas |
| Bharoth | Bodaa | Dhaaraavath | Dungaroth |
| Gangaavath | Goraam | Gugloth | Halaavath |
| Jaadhav | Jaloth | Jayt | Kagla |
| Kunsoth | Lokaavath | Lonaavath | Loolaavath |
| Maaloth | Mohandas | Pipaavath | Poosnamal |
| Salaavath | Sejaavath | Tejaavath | Tepaavath |
| Teraavath | Tuvar | Undaavath | VaderJhaad |
| ...there r some more which i dont know...If u knw plz send me the other sub categories of this gotra | |||
Banoth /Aade -- (15)
Aadoth Ade Baanoth Bhojaavath Daanaavath Dharmasoth Dheeravath Jaatroth Karnaavath Kuntaavath Lavori Mudavath Paanaavath Rupavath Sabdasoth
| Aadoth | Ade | Baanoth | Bhojaavath |
| Daanaavath | Dharmasoth | Dheeravath | Jaatroth |
| Karnaavath | Kuntaavath | Lavori | Mudavath |
| Paanaavath | Rupavath | Sabdasoth | |
Language
Banjaras speak Gor Boli; also called Lambadi it belongs to the Indo-Aryan group of languages. Gor Boli is as similar as a Gujarati dialect with maximum Sanskrit words. Most Banjaras today are bilingual or multilingual adopting the predominant language of their surroundings
Festivals
Banjara people celebrate the festival of Teej during Shravana (the month of August). In this festival young unmarried Banjara girls pray for a good groom. They sow seeds in bamboo bowls and water it three times a day for nine days and if the sprouts grow "thick and high", it is considered as good omen. During Teej the seedling-baskets are kept in the middle and girls sing and dance around them.[7] Banjaras also celebrate the festival of Holi. Banjaras have a sister community of singers known as Dadhis or Gajugonia They are Muslim Banjaras who traditionally traveled from village to village singing songs to the accompaniment of sarangi.
Religion
The main deities of Banjara people are Sati and Saint Sevalal. They also worship Hindu gods like Balaji, Jagadamba Devi or Thulja Bhavani, Ganesh, Mahadev,Khandoba/Kanhoba and Hanuman. They also hold Guru Nanak in great respect.
Sevalal or Sevabhaya is the most important saint of the Banjaras. According to Banjara accounts he was born on 15 February 1739 in Sirsi, Karnataka, to Bhima Naik and Dharmini Bai, and died on 4 December 1806. A cattle merchant by profession he is said to have been a man of exemplary truthfulness, a great musician, a courageous warrior, a rationalist who fought against superstition and a devotee of Goddess Jagadamba. The colonial British administrators also quote his stories but they place him in the 19th century and identify his original name as Siva Rathode.
SOCIAL STATUS
| Present position of Banjaras and its synonyms and Sub-Castes in the list of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and OBC of the Constitution of India (Source: From Constitution of India, State Gazette Notifications- Data collected by Thanda Development Corporation Limited, Bangalore) | |||
| S.N | Name of the state | Synonyms Names of Banjaras | Present position in the Constitution |
| 1 | Andra Pradesh | Sugalis, Lambadis | SCHEDULED TRIBE |
| 2 | Arunachal Pradesh | Banjara | Nil |
| 3 | Assam | Banjara, Gor and Bajiga | OBC as per Mandal Commission Report, Vol.VI andDepressed Bcakward Classes in Annexure-I,Page 241 |
| 4 | Bihar | Banjara | SCHEDULED TRIBE |
| 5 | Delhi | Banjara, Sirkiband and Labana | SCHEDULED CASTE |
| 6 | Goa, Daman and Diu | Banjara, Lamani, Lambadi and Sugali | OBC as per Mandal Commission Report. Page 220 and pages 270 |
| 7 | Gujarath | Vanjara, Banjara, Charan Banjara, Mathura Banjara, Meru Banjara, Bagora Banjara, Kangashiya Banjara, Bamaniya Banjara, Ladonia Banjara, Gvaria or Gawalia, Rohidas Banjara | OBC as per Mandal Commission Report. Page 243 |
| 8 | Haryana | (i) By name Bajigar, Shirkiband and Nat (ii) By name as Banjara, Banjara Nats, Lobana, Vanjara Kanjar, Kanchan, Gwar, Badi (iii) By name Labana (iv) Banjara (v) Banjara of Banjara Nat | (i) SCHEDULED CASTE (ii) OBC as Mandal Commission Report.Page 182 and 244 (iii) None (iv) SCHEDULED CASTE (v) OBC as Mandal Report |
| 9 | Himachal Pradesh | Banjara | SCHEDULED CASTE |
| 10 | Jammu & Kashmir | Banjara, Gour, Badi, Labaa, Lobana, Bazigar and Sikligar | OBC as per Mandal Commission Report,Page 184 & 246 |
| 11 | Karnataka | Banjara, Lambani,Sugali | SCHEDULED CASTE |
| 12 | Kerala | Lambadi, Banjara, Subali | OBC as per Mandal Commission Report, page 249. The name ” Sugali” is wrongly printed as ” Subali” the name should be corrected as Sugali |
| 13 | Madhya Pradesh | Banjara, Goar Banjara, Lambana, Lambara, Lambhari, Charan Banjara, Labhan, Mathura Labhan, Kachiriwala Banjara, Laman Banjara, Laman, Lambani, Laban, Dhali, Dhalia, Dhadi, Dhari, Singari, Navi Banjara, Jogi Banjari, Banjari, Mathura Banjari, Bamania Banjara | OBC as per Mandal Commission Report, Page 191 and 251 |
| 14 | Maharashtra | Banjara, Banjari, Vanjara, Mathura Banjara (A), Goar Banjara, Lambadi, Lambara,Lambhani, Charan Banjaral Labhan, Mathura Labhani, Kachikiwale Banajaras,Laman Banjara, Laman, Lamani, Laban, Dhali, Dhalia, Dhadi, Dhari, Singaris, Navi Banjaras, Jogi Banjaras, Banjari, Shingde Banjara, Lambade, Phanade Banjaras, Sunar Banjara, Dhalya-Banjara, Shingadya Banjara | DENOTIFIED TRIBES (VJNT) as Per Mandal Commission Report.Page 194 and 253 all ( Educational Employment and Economic Benefits only) OBC |
| 15 | Manipur | Nil | Nil |
| 16 | Meghalaya | Nil | Nil |
| 17 | Mizoram | Nil | Nil |
| 18 | Nagaland | Nil | Nil |
| 19 | Orissa | Banjar, Banjari | OBC |
| 20 | Punjab | (i)(a) As Bazigar, Badi, Sirkiband (i)(b) Banjra | (i)(a) SCHEDULED CASTE (i)(b) SCHEDULED CASTE (ii)Lambana, Bhagtava, Ghotra, Kaknia, Khasia, Labana, Lohana, Lobana, Vanzara, Labana and Pelia are OBC |
| 21 | Rajastan | (i) Gwaria, Gvaria,Nat (ii)Banjara, Gamalia, Baladia, Sirkiwala, Labana or Labhana,Maru Banjara, Bamania Bajara, Batora, Digora Banjara | (i) SCHEDULED CASTE (ii)OBC as per Mandal Commission Report. Page 203 & 260 |
| 22 | Sikkim | Nil | Nil |
| 23 | Tamil Nadu | Lambadi, Banjara, Sugali, | OBC as per Mandal Commission Report, Page 207, 263 |
| 24 | Tripura | Banjara,Gour | OBC as per Mandal Commission Report. Page 209 |
| 25 | Uttar Pradesh | Banjara, Gwar Gor, Ladenia, Gamalia, Osaria, Mathura, Labhana, Dhankute, Banjara, Brajawasi Banjara, Nat, Nut Banjara, Sikh Sikh Banjara, Naik, Nayak, Kangim, Sirkibandh, Lathore, Rathore, Gawal | OBC as per Mandal Commission Report , Page 211 & 265 |
26Religious
| West Bengal A Brief Story of Baba Hathi Ram Ji
Baba Haathiram Ji was North-Indian by birth. He came down to South. In Tirupati, he constructed a small Math and settled. Every day he used to worship the Lord of the Seven Hills.
Sri Venkateshwara was pleased with his devotion and used to come and play dice with him. One such day he forgot his necklace there and returned to his Sanctum Sanctorum. Babaji noticed it after Swami Ji left his place. He wanted to hand it over to the Lord. He started to the temple. In the meanwhile priests of the temple observed that the necklace was missing. They complained to the authorities.
In the meanwhile Baba ji arrived and handed over the necklace to them. When questioned he answered with all innocence that the Lord had forgotten it in his Math.
They did not believe him, and wanted to embarass him. So they locked him up in a room with ten kilos of cooked rice and ten bundles of sugarcane and challenged him, "If you really are like an elephant you must eat every bit of this food by day-break". Within five minutes of being locked up Hathiram Ji Baba, having consumed the ten kilos of rice and the ten bundles of sugarcane, kicked the locked doors to pieces and stepped out trumpeting like an elephant.
Hathiram Baba's Math exists even today opposite the temple and its a Jiva-samadhi. The scenes of Hathiram's game with the lord is depicted on the doors to entrance of the temple.
| Banjara | OBC as per Mandal Commission Report, Page 213 & 266 |
Banjara Movies /Songs
