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This article was written in 1916 when conditions were different. Even in<br/>1916 its contents related only to Central India and did not claim to be true <br />of all of India. It has been archived for its historical value as well as for<br/>the insights it gives into British colonial writing about the various communities<br/>of India. Indpaedia neither agrees nor disagrees with the contents of this <br/> article. Readers who wish to add fresh information can create a Part II of this <br/> article. The general rule is that if we have nothing nice to say about <br/> communities other than our own it is best to say nothing at all. <br/>

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[[Category:India|G]]
[[Category:Communities|G]]
[[Category:Name|Alphabet]]
[[Category:Name|Alphabet]]
From '''The Tribes And Castes Of The Central Provinces Of India '''

By R. V. Russell

Of The Indian Civil Service

Superintendent Of Ethnography, Central Provinces

Assisted By
Rai Bahadur Hira Lal,
Extra Assistant Commissioner

Macmillan And Co., Limited, London, 1916.

''' NOTE 1: The 'Central Provinces' have since been renamed Madhya Pradesh. '''

NOTE 2: While reading please keep in mind that all articles in this series have been scanned from the original book. Therefore, footnotes have got inserted into the main text of the article, interrupting the flow. Readers who spot these footnotes gone astray might like to shift them to their correct place.

=Gondhali=

A caste or order of wandering beggars and musicians found in the Maratha Districts of the Central Provinces and in Berar. The name is derived from the Marathi word gondharne, to make a noise. In 191 i the Gondhalis numbered about 3000 persons in Berar and 500 in the Central Provinces, and they are also found in Bombay. The origin of the caste is obscure,
but it appears to have been recruited in recent times from the offspring of Waghyas and Murlis or male and female children devoted to temples by their parents in
fulfilment of a vow. Mr. Kitts states in the Berar Census
Report^ of 1 88 1 that the Gondhalis are there attached
either to the temple of Tukai at Tuljapur or the temple of Renuka at Mahur, and in consequence form two

1 This article is compiled from and Pyare Lai Misra, Ethnographic papers by Mr. Kesho Rao Joshi, Clerk. Headmaster, City School, Nagpur, 2 Page 67.

subcastes, the Kadamrai and Renurai, who do not inter-
marry. In the Central Provinces, however, besides these two there are a number of other subcastes, most of which bear the names of distinct castes, and obviously consist of members of that caste who became Gondhalis, or of their descendants. Thus among the names of subcastes reported are the Brahman, Maratha, Mane Kunbi, Khaire Kunbi, Teli, Mahar, Mang and Vidur Gondhalis, as well
as others like the Deshkars, or those coming from the Deccan, the Gangapare,1 or those from beyond the
Ganges, and the Hijade or eunuchs.

It is clear, therefore, that members of these castes becoming Gondhalis attempt to arrange their marriages with other converts from their own caste and to retain their relative social position. There
is little doubt that all Gondhalis are theoretically meant to
be equal, a principle which at their first foundation applies
to nearly all sects and orders, but here as elsewhere the
social feeling of caste has been too strong to permit of its retention. It may be doubted, however, whether in view of the small total numbers of the caste all these groups can be strictly endogamous.

The Kunbi Gondhalis can
take food from the ordinary Kunbis, but they rank below them, as being mendicants. The caste has also a number of exogamous groups or gotras, the names of which may be classified as titular or territorial. Instances of the former kind are Dokiphode or one who broke his head while begging, Sukt (thin, emaciated), Muke (dumb), Jabal (one with long hair like a JogI), and Panchange (one who has five limbs). Girls are
married as a rule before adolescence, and the cere- mony resembles that of the Kunbis, but a special prayer
is offered to the deity Renuka, and the boy is invested with a necklace of cowries by five married men of the
caste.

Till this has been done he is not considered to be a proper Gondhali. Celibacy is not a tenet of the order. The remarriage of widows is allowed, and the ceremony consists in the husband placing a string of small black glass beads round the woman's neck, while she holds out a pair of new shoes for him to put his feet
1 In the Maratha Districts the term Ganges sometimes signifies the Wainganga. VOL. Ill L

into. The second wife often wears a small silver or golden image of the first wife round her neck, and worships it before she eats 'by touching it with food ; she also asks its permission before going to sleep with her husband. The goddess Bhawani or Devi is especially revered by the caste, and they fast in her honour on Tuesdays and Fridays. They worship their musical instruments at Dasahra with an offer- ing of a goat, and afterwards sing and dance for the whole night, this being their principal festival.

They also observe the nine days' fasts in honour of Devi in Chait (March) and Kunwar (September) and sow the Jawaras or pots of wheat. The Gondhalis are mendicant musicians, and are engaged on the occasion of marriages among the higher castes to perform their gondhal or dance accompanied by music. Four men are needed for it, one being the dancer who is dressed in a long white robe with a necklace of cowries and bells on his ankles, while the other three stand behind him, two of them carrying drums and the third a sacred torch called dioti. The torch -bearer serves as a
butt for the witticisms of the dancer. Their instruments are the chonka, an open drum carrying an iron string which is beaten with a small wooden pin, and two sambals or double drums of iron, wood or earth, one of which emits a dull and the other a sharp sound. The dance is performed in honour of the goddess Bhawani.

They set up a wooden
stool on the stage arranged for the performance, covered
with a cloth on which wheat is spread, and over this is placed
a brass vessel containing water and a cocoanut. This repre-
sents the goddess. After the performance the Gondhalis take away and eat the cocoanut and wheat ; their regular fee for an engagement is Rs. 1-4, and the guests give them presents of a few pice (farthings). They are engaged for important ceremonies such as marriages, the Barsa or name - giving
of a boy, and the Shantik or maturity of a girl, and also
merely for entertainment ; but in this case the stool and cocoanut representing the goddess are not set up. The
following is a specimen of a Gondhali religious song
:
Where I come from and who am I, This mystery none has solved ; Father, mother, sister and brother, these are all illusions.

I call them mine and am lost in my selfish concerns.

Worldliness is the beginning of hell, man has wrapped himself in it with-
out reason. Remember your guru, go to him and touch his feet. Put on the shield of mercy and compassion and take the sword of
knowledge. God is in every human body.
The caste beg between dawn and noon, wearing a long white or red robe and a red turban folded from twisted
strings of cloth like the Marathas.

Their status is some-
what low, but they are usually simple and honest Occasion- ally a man becomes a Gondhali in fulfilment of a vow without leaving his own caste ; he will then be initiated by a member of the caste and given the necklace of cowries, and on
every Tuesday he will wear this and beg from five persons
in honour of the goddess Devi ; while except for this observ- ance he remains a member of his own caste and pursues
his ordinary business.

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-{| class="wikitable"
+ {| class="wikitable"
 |-
 |colspan="0"|<div style="font-size:100%">
-This article was written in 1916 when conditions were different. Even in<br/>1916 its contents related only to Central India and did not claim to be true <br />of all of India. It has been archived for its historical value as well as for<br/>the insights it gives into British colonial writing about the various communities<br/>of India. Indpaedia neither agrees nor disagrees with the contents of this <br/> article. Readers who wish to add fresh information can create a Part II of this <br/> article. The general rule is that if we have nothing nice to say about <br/> communities other than our own it is best to say nothing at all. <br/>
+This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content.<br/>
+Additional information may please be sent as messages to the Facebook <br/>community, [http://www.facebook.com/Indpaedia Indpaedia.com]. All information used will be gratefully <br/>acknowledged in your name.
-Readers will be able to edit existing articles and post new articles directly <br/>  on their online archival encyclopædia only after its formal launch.
+</div>
-−
-See [[examples]] and a tutorial.</div>
 |}
-−
-[[Category:India|G]]
-[[Category:Communities|G]]
-[[Category:Name|Alphabet]]
-[[Category:Name|Alphabet]]
+=As in 1916=
 From '''The Tribes And Castes Of The Central Provinces Of India '''
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 </div>
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-[[Category:India|G]]
-[[Category:Communities|G]]
 Gondhali — a class of Marathi beggars, musicians and dancers,
 to be found in all the Districts of the Marathawada, but especially
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 A few of the Gondhal is have now settled down and taken to
 agriculture.

@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 as others like the Deshkars, or those coming from the Deccan, the Gangapare,1 or those from beyond the
 Ganges, and the Hijade or eunuchs.
 It is clear, therefore, that members of these castes becoming Gondhalis attempt to arrange their marriages with other converts from their own caste and to retain their relative social position. There

Gondhali - Revision history

Pdewan at 16:42, 5 September 2023

Pdewan at 17:06, 13 December 2015

Pdewan at 17:53, 15 February 2014

Pdewan: Created page with "{| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"| This article was written in 1916 when conditions were different. Even in1916 its contents related only t..."

Pdewan: Created page with "{| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"|
This article was written in 1916 when conditions were different. Even in
1916 its contents related only t..."