Rawal (caste)

Rawal is an Indian community from Rajasthan and Gujarat. They are known as priests of devi temples and perform a form of dance known as Rammat during the worship. They were well respected and patronised by the Charans.[1][2][3]

They are also referred to as Raul or Rawaliya and found predominantly across the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Punjab. Historically, members of the community were prominent as bards. While a section of the community practices agriculture or weaving, others engage in religious mendicancy, carrying a trishula (trident) in the morning while singing devotional songs.[4]

Demographics and regional occupations

Occupational practices and social traditions within the Rawal community vary by region:[4]

  • Rajasthan: In Rajasthan, community members form 12-member performing groups (phad) that travel across villages to showcase music and dance performances.
  • Punjab: In Punjab, the Rawal population is mostly Muslim and is also referred to as Jogi. Members sing devotional songs while seeking alms, with some practicing as traditional physicians (hakim) or astrologers. The name of the city Rawalpindi is believed to be derived from the Rawal community. During Muharram, they narrate stories and miracles of the Prophet Muhammad and sing songs praising him.
  • Western Khandesh: The Rawals of Western Khandesh trace their origins to a migration from Chittorgarh and Mount Abu around the 12th century. The title "Rawal" is considered a designation for the head male of the family, and young boys are addressed as Kunwar, indicating possible historical ties to Rajput lineages. Their exogamous clan systems (gotra) resemble those of the Rajputs. Most community members in this region engage in agriculture, with some holding historically granted lands (inam).

Sub-divisions and social structure

The community consists of distinct regional sub-divisions and lineages:[4]

  • In Gujarat, the Rawal community is organized into seven sub-divisions, including Bariya, Bhaliya, and Sarkhiya. Common surnames include Parmar, Chauhan, Vaniya, Pataliya, Gadhediya, and Horanchi. Villages are organized into administrative groups of 10 to 12 villages, and endogamous marriage rules mandate that alliances be formed strictly within one's designated village group.
  • In Maharashtra, common community surnames include Chavan, Chhatrabhuj, Lake, Powar, Gaikwad, Jadhav, and Kavad. Marriages between individuals sharing the same surname are prohibited.
  • In Western Khandesh, the community is divided into a reported 96 sub-divisions, including Chavan, Chit, Dhaval, Dorik, Jadhav, Kumbhe, Parmar, and Solanki.

Religious practices

The religious traditions of the Rawal community include the veneration of various Hindu deities and regional figures:[4]

Marriage customs

Gujarat

In Gujarat, marriage negotiations begin with the bride's father visiting the groom's household. If approved, the groom's father pays a bride price of approximately 40 rupees. An astrologer calculates the auspicious time for the ceremony. Three, five, seven, or nine days prior to the wedding, an idol of Ganesha is consecrated at both households, accompanied by nightly songs sung by women. On the wedding day, the couple hold right hands, exchange garlands, circumambulate the sacred fire five times, and feed each other five morsels of sweet flour balls (ladoo). Widow remarriage is permitted. Men may divorce freely, but women require husband consent for divorce. Divorced women are permitted to remarry.[4]

Maharashtra

In Maharashtra, marriage preparations begin two to four days prior to the wedding, when turmeric paste, a green saree, and forehead ornaments (mundavalya) are sent from the groom's home to the bride. On the second day, a goat is sacrificed as part of the devak deity ritual, followed by a feast. On the wedding day, the groom rides a horse to a Maruti temple, where he receives a new turban and bag before proceeding to the bride's house. During the ceremony, an interim curtain (antarpat) is placed between the bride and groom while the priest chants auspicious stanzas (mangalashtaka). Once removed, the marriage is solemnized, followed by an evening feast.[4]

Western Khandesh

In Western Khandesh, widow remarriage is not permitted. Marriages with maternal cross-cousins (maternal uncle's daughter) are allowed, whereas marriages with paternal aunt's or maternal aunt's daughters are forbidden. Prior to the wedding, a sugar engagement ceremony (sakar puda) is held, during which the groom's family presents sugar to the bride. During the main ceremony, after the removal of the antarpat, the couple hold hands and feed each other five morsels of flour ladoos. Chit and Dorik Rawals do not wear forehead ornaments (bashing) during the wedding.[4]

Death rituals

Funeral customs depend on regional and sub-caste traditions:[4]

  • Gujarat and general traditions: The deceased are buried in a sitting posture facing south. On the twelfth day following death, a rice-flour lamp is lit in the evening, and wheat, rice, flowers, and fruits are placed on a wooden stool for an all-night vigil.
  • Maharashtra: Sacred water and cow urine are poured into the mouth of the deceased. The body is placed on a bamboo frame (kondya) and carried to the burial ground, where it is buried facing east. The chief mourner pours water into the mouth using an earthen vessel, after which salt and soil are placed over the body, and a tomb is erected. On the third day, rice and vegetables are offered at the burial site. On the eleventh day, a flower garland, copper vessel, and flour lamp are hung from a rafter, followed by a goat sacrifice. A relative is believed to be possessed by the spirit of the deceased to express final wishes; when the possessed person falls unconscious, the soul is believed to have reached heaven. Annual memorial rites (Śrāddha) are performed, often on Naga Panchami or Dussehra.
  • Western Khandesh: Both cremation and burial are practiced. Water is poured into the deceased's mouth using a banyan or sacred fig leaf. On the eleventh day, a small pit is dug at the place of death to bury a live fish. Rice is arranged in a circle around the pit, eleven lamps and eleven flatbreads (bhakri) are offered, and worship rituals are performed. Annual shraddha and mahalaya rites are observed for ancestors.

Origin

The Rawals claim to be converted from Brahmins around the 12th century.[2]

History

Rawals would wander from village to village to present night-long Rammat performances in the temples.[5][6]

Rammat of Rawal

Rawals are known for their performances called Rammat, which are devotional in nature dedicated to their patron goddess. It begins with a prayer to the goddess after which the performing arena is marked with a sword. This Rammat tradition is thought to be ‘almost extinct’ in modern times.[2]

Mahendra Bhanawat in the study of folk theatre traditions of Rajasthan, states about the origin of Ramat:[7]

“Rawals of Rajasthan who visit their distinguished clients (Charan Yajamans) for gifts (virats) would impersonate in various disguises (Swangs) and perform various acts of entertainments-called Ramats. I was told on enquiry that the Rawals, in earlier times, would impersonate the goddesses they worshipped during Navaratras and would sing devotional songs (Charjayen) to the accompaniment of mridanga, taal and rawaj etc. With the passage of time, they started playing kheras in front of Charans also and presented different impersonations(swangs). For a Khera performance, a boy would dress up like the goddess and another boy in his female garb would present various Charjas throughout the night laced with songs, dance and drums. These devotional performances came to be known as Ramats.”[7][8]

Genealogists

Rawals are one of the castes who acted as genealogists for the Charans.[2][9]

Modern occupations

Presently, Rawals are mainly engaged in cultivation and in the weaving of coarse cotton cloth and tapes.[5]

Population

According to the 1961 Census, the Rawal population in Rajasthan was approximately 4,500.[5]

Further reading

  • Samar, Devilal; Bhanavat, Mahendra (1967). Rājasthāna ke Rāvala (in Hindi). Bhāratīya Loka-Kalā Maṇḍala.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Kothiyal, Tanuja (2016-03-14). Nomadic Narratives: A History of Mobility and Identity in the Great Indian Desert. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-316-67389-8. Another client caste of the Charans were the Bhands, who sang and danced for the Charans on festive occasions. Their particular form of dance is still popular and called rammat.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Mathur, Madan Mohan (2006). Kuchamaṇi Khyal: An Endangered Folk Theatre Style of Rajasthan. Madan Mohan Mathur. Rawals are the caste genealogists of the Charans . They claim to have been converted from the Brahmins in about 1195 A.D.
  3. ↑ Qanungo, Kalika Ranjan; Kānūnago, Kālikā Rañjana (1960). Studies in Rajput History. S. Chand. There are seven categories of persons and communities, who in their turn have a hereditary claim on the Charan's bounty, and are not allowed to beg of any other community. Besides their kula-guru family of Brahmans living in Ujjain till today, and the purohit (family priest), these are: the Rao Bhat of Chandisa sept of Marwar (who are the Bhats of the Charans as of the Rathors of Marwar); the Rawal Brahmans, the Goind-pota and the Viram-pota (Bhats singing with dhol?) and the Motisar community
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Halarnkar, Tanaji, ed. (2000). Konkani Vishwakosh  [Konkani Encyclopaedia] (in Goan Konkani). Vol. 4. Goa: Goa University. pp. 268–269 – via Wikisource.
  5. 1 2 3 Rajasthan, India Superintendent of Census Operations; Mathur, U. B. (1969). Ethnographic Atlas of Rajasthan: With Reference to Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes. Manager of Publications.
  6. ↑ Vidyarthi, Lalita Prasad; Sahay, B. N. (1980). Applied Anthropology and Development in India. National. The Rawals provide entertainment particularly for the people of Charan caste by arranging night long shows.
  7. 1 2 Bhanawat, Mahendra (1979). Overview of the folk theatre of Rajasthan. Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi.
  8. ↑ Sangeet Natak. Sangeet Natak Akademi. 1979. p. 26.
  9. ↑ Jansen, Jan; Maier, Hendrik M. J. (2004). Epic Adventures: Heroic Narrative in the Oral Performance Traditions of Four Continents. LIT Verlag Münster. ISBN 978-3-8258-6758-4.
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