Wikipedia

Powar

This article is about Powar caste. For the Parmar (Pawar) clan, see Parmar (Rajput clan).

Powar (also known as Ponwar, Panwar or Pawar) is a Hindu caste primarily settled in Balaghat, Seoni, Bhandara and Gondia districts of Central Province. They claim to be decendents of Panwar Rajputs of Malwa. They have migrated from western Malwa to central province in 17th century. [1][2]

Powar
ClassificationOBC (Other Backward Class) in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.
ReligionsHinduism
Languages
Country India
Region
EthnicityIndo-Aryan
Population18 to 20 Lakhs
Subdivisions
  • Powar
  • Rahadya Powar (choti pangat)

Orgin edit

According to historians, the Powar community is originated from the Agnivansha branch of the Kshatriyas. They are believed to have born approximately 2,500 years before the Common Era (BCE). This community traces its roots back to Mount Abu in Rajasthan from where in the ancient times, sages and ascetics which have been guided by the sage Vasishtha, created a sacred fire pit (agnikund). Through their efforts, they gave rise to four Kshatriya clans which they named as Parmar, Chauhan, Parihar and Solanki.[3][4][5][6][7] Thus, the Powars claim to be decendents of this Parmar clan of Agnivanshi Rajputs.[8][9]

After the decline of the Parmar dynasty in Malwa, a group of Panwar Rajputs is said to have migrated to the central province through the Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand regions and settled in Balaghat, Seoni, Bhandara, and Gondia districts. Upon their arrival in the central province, due to the lack of Rajput women from other clans, the Panwars developed thirty-six exogamous sections to regulate marriages and only married within those specific sections. This led to the formation of the distinct caste known as 'Powar'. Thus, it can be concluded that the Powar caste originated from a group of Panwar Rajputs who, in order to regulate marriages in the absence of Rajput women from other clans, developed various exogamous sections and evolved into a caste. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]

History edit

Historians suggest that the Powar caste originated from a group of Panwar Rajputs. They migrated from western Malwa to the central province in the 17th century. It is believed that they migrated to the Balaghat, Seoni, Bhandara, and Bhandara districts of the Central province from Malwa through the regions of Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand.[20][21][22][23][24]

Historians suggest that the Powars initially established themselves in Nagardhan, an ancient town predating Nagpur, which served as the administrative center of the region. From there, they gradually expanded their presence into the districts of Balaghat, Seoni, Bhandara, and Gondia. Despite centuries among Marathi speakers, the Powars retain their own dialect, Powari, based on Bagheli or eastern Hindi. In the 18th century, some Powars served in the military under the Marathas at Nagpur, accompanying a Bhonsla general on an expedition to Cuttack. As a reward, they received grants of undeveloped land in the Wainganga river valley, where they honed their skills in construction. An inscription, attributed to a ruler of Dhar, records the third repair of temples in Winj Basini, near the statue. [25][26][27][28][29]

Customs and rituals edit

As demonstrated, the Powars have largely abandoned many distinctive Rajput customs. They don't wear the sacred thread and allow widows to remarry. Their diet includes goat, fowl, wild pig, game birds, and fish, but they refrain from alcohol except during ceremonial occasions like the worship of Narayan Deo, where it's mandatory for everyone to partake. They're comfortable drinking water from a Gond's hand and, in some areas, even eating cooked food from them, stemming from their close ties in agriculture, with Gonds often serving as farmhands for Powar cultivators. Typically, a Brahmin officiates at their ceremonies, although his presence isn't crucial, and a caste member can fulfill his duties. Each Powar, male or female, has a guru—either a Brahmin, Gosain, or Bairagi—who occasionally visits and conducts rituals. During such visits, a sacred space is prepared with lines of wheat flour, where the guru and disciple sit on wooden stools, their heads covered with new cloth, as the guru imparts wisdom to the disciple. Sweetmeats and gifts are exchanged, with the disciple presenting the guru with one to five rupees. When a Powar is ostracized, two feasts—known as Maili and Chokhi Roti (impure and pure food)—must be held upon reinstatement, with the former taking place in the morning by a tank or riverbank, attended solely by men.[30][31][32][33][34]

The Powars venerates typical Hindu deities, with Dulha Deo serving as their household god, symbolized by a nut and date wrapped in cloth and hung on a wall peg above a dedicated platform. Annually, or during significant life events like marriage or the birth of a first child, a goat is offered to Dulha Deo. After marking its forehead with red ochre and pouring water over it, the animal is sacrificed upon shivering, believed to signal acceptance by the deity. The family consumes the flesh, while the skin and bones are buried beneath the floor. Narayan Deo, Vishnu, or the Sun, represented by peacock feathers, typically resides in a Mahar's house. During worship, he is brought in a gourd to the Powar's house, where offerings of a black goat, rice, and cakes are presented. The Mahar performs rituals while the offering is made, and upon consuming the goat's flesh, is allowed to partake in the feast inside the Powar's house, with the Powars following suit. Normally, a Mahar is not permitted inside the house, and any Powar sharing a meal with them would face caste expulsion. This rite likely acknowledges the Mahars as the original inhabitants before the Powars' arrival. [35][36][37][38][39]

Sub-clans edit

Ambule, Baghel, Bhagat, Bhairam, Bhoyar, Bisen, Bopche, Chauhan, Chaudhary, Dala, Turk/Turkar, Gautam, Hanwat, Jaitwar, Katre, Kolhe, Kshirsagar, Patle, Parihar, Pardhi, Pund, Rahangdale, Rinayat, Rana , Raut, Sharnagat, Sahare, Sonwane, Thakre, Tembhre, Hirankhede, Farid, Rehmat, Randive, Rajhans, Yede.

  • The Powar caste consist of these 36 exogamous sections and they only marry within these sections.

Notables edit

References edit

  1. ^ Sherring, Matthew A. (1879). Hindu Tribes and Castes.
  2. ^ Gonds of the Central Indian Highlands Vol II.
  3. ^ Sikho Sabak Pawaron. 2010.
  4. ^ Hamare Mahapurush Dr D B Tembhare.
  5. ^ Patle, Mahen (10 July 2022). पोवार.
  6. ^ Pawari Gyandeep D B Tembhare 5 7 22. 2021.
  7. ^ Bhogol Sambandhi Varnan.
  8. ^ Patle, Mahen (10 July 2022). पोवार.
  9. ^ Patle, Prof O. C. (13 March 2023). Powaron ka itihas. Nachiket Prakashan. ISBN 978-93-5780-387-8.
  10. ^ Bhosale, Prashant (January 2023). "NOTES ON PAWARA TRIBE IN KHANDESH REGION". Ij Publication.
  11. ^ Balaghat jile ki jan boliyo ka bhashavaizyanik avam sanskritik adhyayan. hdl:10603/117684.
  12. ^ Central Province District Gazetteers Seoni. Allahabad, Printed at the Pioneer press. 1907.
  13. ^ Census of India, 1931. 1933.
  14. ^ Patle, Mahen (10 July 2022). पोवार.
  15. ^ Patle, Prof O. C. (13 March 2023). Powaron ka itihas. Nachiket Prakashan. ISBN 978-93-5780-387-8.
  16. ^ Balaghat jile ki jan boliyo ka bhashavaizyanik avam sanskritik adhyayan. hdl:10603/117684.
  17. ^ Central Province District Gazetteers Seoni. Allahabad, Printed at the Pioneer press. 1907.
  18. ^ Census of India, 1931. 1933.
  19. ^ Patle, Prof O. C. (13 March 2023). Powaron ka itihas. Nachiket Prakashan. ISBN 978-93-5780-387-8.
  20. ^ पोवार.
  21. ^ Gonds of the Central Indian Highlands Vol II.
  22. ^ Sherring, Matthew A. (1879). Hindu Tribes and Castes.
  23. ^ Cenatral Provinces District Gazetteers: Bhandara District. Allahabad, Pioneer Press. 1908.
  24. ^ Patle, Prof O. C. (13 March 2023). Powaron ka itihas. Nachiket Prakashan. ISBN 978-93-5780-387-8.
  25. ^ Patle, Prof O. C. (13 March 2023). Powaron ka itihas. Nachiket Prakashan. ISBN 978-93-5780-387-8.
  26. ^ Balaghat jile ki jan boliyo ka bhashavaizyanik avam sanskritik adhyayan. hdl:10603/117684.
  27. ^ Central Province District Gazetteers Seoni. Allahabad, Printed at the Pioneer press. 1907.
  28. ^ Census of India, 1931. 1933.
  29. ^ Patle, Mahen (10 July 2022). पोवार.
  30. ^ पोवार.
  31. ^ Gonds of the Central Indian Highlands Vol II.
  32. ^ Sherring, Matthew A. (1879). Hindu Tribes and Castes.
  33. ^ Cenatral Provinces District Gazetteers: Bhandara District. Allahabad, Pioneer Press. 1908.
  34. ^ Patle, Prof O. C. (13 March 2023). Powaron ka itihas. Nachiket Prakashan. ISBN 978-93-5780-387-8.
  35. ^ पोवार.
  36. ^ Gonds of the Central Indian Highlands Vol II.
  37. ^ Sherring, Matthew A. (1879). Hindu Tribes and Castes.
  38. ^ Cenatral Provinces District Gazetteers: Bhandara District. Allahabad, Pioneer Press. 1908.
  39. ^ Patle, Prof O. C. (13 March 2023). Powaron ka itihas. Nachiket Prakashan. ISBN 978-93-5780-387-8.
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