History of Anjana Chaudhary

History of Anjana Chaudhary

The Anjana, also known as Anjana Chaudhary,"Kalbi" is a Hindu caste found in Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh in India. They are also known as Patels, especially in Gujarat and Rajasthan, and Jagirdar, Zamindar or Chudhary in Rajasthan.[2] The Anjana Chaudhary's Caste Guru is Saint Shri Rajaramji Maharaj (avatar of Vishnu). The Big Temple and Ashram are in Rajasthan at Shikarpura(luni), near Jodhpur. Belief According to the ‘Bhat’ and "Charan" history books, the origin of Anjana Chaudhary is related to the eight sons of Sahastrarjun. When Parshuram went out to kill the kshatriyas, he came to Sahastrarjun, who was a powerful kshatriya king. In this battle, Sahastrarjun and 92 of his sons were killed. The remaining eight sons came under the shelter of goddess Arbuda on Mount Abu. The Goddess Arbuda protected them and Parshuram, would not hurt them on the condition that they give up their Shastra (weapons). Goddess Arbuda assured him that they would never again wield a weapon but instead serve Mother Earth. They turned to agriculture and are found in various parts of India to this day. It is believed that the origin of the caste’s name comes from the goddess Anjani Mata, the mother of Lord Hanuman, as they were followers of the goddess. The Goddess Arbuda at Mount Abu is the kuldevi of Anjana Chaudhary. Mahabharata Shalya Parva in Sanskrit describes Anjana in shloka 100 as under:  वृकॊदर निभाश चैव के चिथअञ्जनसंनिभाः  शवेताङ्गा लॊहितग्रीवाः पिङ्गाक्षाश च तदापरे ।।100।।  Origin The origin of the caste's name comes from the goddess Anjani Mata, the mother of Lord Hanuman, as caste members were followers of the goddess. According to their traditions the community originated from Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh, from here they spread to southern Rajasthan and then to Gujarat. The Anjana still speak the Malvi dialect of Hindi.  In Rajasthan, they are divided into two broad territorial divisions: the Malvi and Gujarati. The Malvi Anjana are further divided into a number of exogamous clans such as the Fak,Shih,Kharon, Hun, Gardiya, Eit,Judar, Kuva, Kondli, Vagada, Kag, Bhuria, Mewar, Logar, Odh, Munji, Kawa and United. Heroics There are numerous undocumented episodes on the bravery of Anjanas. Also women fought alongside men. Land of North Gujarat and Rajasthan is marked with memorial stones depicting the death of brave Anjanas. Some well known episodes are-  According to European Historian M. Crendle, the warriors who fought against Alexander The Great(Sikandar) were Anjanas. In the Limbodara village near Mansa, there is the memorial stone in the remembrance of Sati Nanbai. She fought a battle with adversaries and slaughtered 18 foes before she succumbed to her wounds. Today, people worship her shrine with faith and devotion. Vadnagar was sacked and looted by Maratha Peshwas 3 times. Very first unsuccessful attack was by Maratha commander Kanaji Kadam Bande in AD 1726. Anjanas from nearby Rajpur Vad were the first res-ponders against this invasion. Customs and Traditions of the Chaudhary Community As Hindus, Chaudharies observe important customs related to ‘Simanta’ (pregnancy), ‘Upanayana’ (thread ceremony), ‘Vivah’ (marriage) and Death. Birth-Simanta, which corresponds to the Vedic ‘Samskara’ of ‘Simantonayana’, is popularly known as ‘Kholobharvo’, and is performed at the husband’s house to celebrate the woman’s first pregnancy. On the birth of a child, the midwife cuts its naval-cord and buries it in the corner of the compound in front of the house. The naming ceremony takes place on the twelfth day. The aunt (Foi) performs the naming ceremony today and names are given according to the zodiac signs for which a Brahmin is consulted.  Marriage ceremonies by the Chaudharies are traditionally conducted in accordance with the Central Asian customs. These customs have evolved since traditional times and differ in many ways. They attach a lot of importance to weddings and the ceremonies are very colorful and can go on for several days. The following steps are involved in a marriage like engagement, ‘Ganeshpujan’, ‘Varghoda,’ marriage, reception, etc.  Marriage is considered as ‘Samskara’ in the Hindusastra through which a person enters the ‘Grahasthashrama’ (householder’s stage). The marriage proposal usually comes from the girl’s side, in which socioeconomic status and education are chiefly taken into consideration. In the Chaudhari community, the father of the girl presents a one rupee coin during the betrothal ceremony.  Caste Guru-Saint Shri Rajaram ji Maharaj Shikarpura Ashram is located at around 6 km away from Luni. Luni is a Tehsil in Jodhpur District of Rajasthan. This Ashram was established by Saint Raja Ram Ji Maharaj in the nineteenth century.  Mahants of Shikarpura Ashram are: Saint Deva Ram Ji Maharaj, Saint Kishna Ram Ji Maharaj & GURU Sujaramji Maharaj, Saint Dayaram. The ashram continues to serve the society from its establishment.  Identity The Chaudharys of Gujarat are also known as Anjana. The Anjana Chaudhary are also referred to as ‘JAGIRDAR’ or ‘ZAMINDAR’ (one who possesses land).  The Anjana Chaudhary in villages are identified by three peculiarities:  ASI (Sword) MASIH (Buffalo) KRUSHI (Agriculture) Gotras/Clans There are 232 gotras of anjana community. The gotras of Anjana Jats match with the gotras of other Jats as they have same ancestors. Some of the gotras are Atos, Aod, Akoliya, Bagla, Bhatol, Bhutadiya, Del, Dhuliya, Gol, Gudol, Jegoda, Juva, Kaid, Kuva, Kodali, Kharsan, Kathroyiya, Katariya, Karen, Korat, Loh, Mahiwal, Mor, Muji, Ratda, Tattar, Uppalana, Vansola, Valaganth etc. Some clans are:  Mahiwal Mahiwal are found in large number in the Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat.  In the 8th generation of the Mirhas there lived a king called Mahit. His descendants were called Mahi, Mahe.  In about the first century AD, Darunpur, somewhere near Sujangarh, was the capital of Mahe Kings. According to the census of 1911 their number was about 7000.  The Mahe dynasty has been mentioned in the Mahabharata. In the “Prithviraj Basa” and in the Alha-Udal stories there are references to the Mahal Kings. Dhuliya Dhuliya are found in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Dhuliyas were rulers in Kishangarh and Marwar much before the rule of Rathores. The towns Dholpur (Rajasthan), Dhule (Maharashtra), Dhauli (Orissa) were probably founded by Dhuliya clan Jats. They are Nagavanshi. They are descendants of Shveta Naga (श्वेत नाग) also called Dhaulya Naga (धौल्या नाग) locally. Dhaulya is the Rajasthani version of Shveta (श्वेत) or Dhavala (धवल) in Sanskrit. Some historians consider this gotra of Jats to be originated from province named Dhaul (धौल) of Nagavansh. The most prominent Dhuliya ruler in the memory of people was Tejaji (1074- 1103), who was born in the 21st generation of Dhuliya dynasty epi-person Mahabala. Tejaji’s father was Taharji who was chieftain of Khirnal. His rule spread from Khirnal to Rupnagar. The Dhuliya clan started after Dhawal Rao or Dhaula Rao ruler of Nagavansh. Tejaji’s ancestor Udairaj occupied Khirnal and made it his capital. There were twenty four villages in Khirnal pargana and area was quite extensive. This pargana of Khirnal was very famous during those. Mor Mor are found in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh. They are Solar race warriors or Suryavanshi Kshatriyas. Dilip Singh Ahlawat has mentioned it as one of the ruling Jat clans in Central Asia. This gotra originated from the country named Moron (मोरों). Also there was a town named Marohi (मरोही) at the sea level, the inhabitants of which were known as Mor. Bhim Singh Dahiya writes that the Mor and Nara (नारा) are mentioned as Mura and Naraka (नरक) – two powerful “ Yavana” Kings, who were ruling over the Mura and Naraka alongwith Varuna in the western countries. The Mor kings of Chittore in Rajasthan are named Maheshwar, Bhima, Bhoja and Maan Mor. In the eighth century A.D. they were ruling at Kota also. A ruler named Dhaval Maur is named in an inscription of 738 A.D. Loh Loh are found in Gujarat in Mehsana  and Banaskantha District. Clan is originated from Lava, son of Rama. Lava over a period of time changed to Loh. A legend or oral tradition holds that Lahore, known in ancient times as Lavapuri (“City of Lava” in Sanskrit), was founded by Prince Lava or Loh, the son of Rama, the Hindu deity, while Kasur was founded by his twin brother Prince Kusha. To this day, Lahore Fort has a vacant temple dedicated to Lava (also pronounced Loh, hence Loh-awar or (“‘The Fort of Loh'”). Kataria Kataria are found in Gurgaon (Haryana), Delhi, Gujarat & Jaipur district of Rajasthan. Dilip Singh Ahlawat has mentioned it as one of the ruling Jat clans in Central Asia. Kataria (कटारिया) Jat clan is said to derive its name from katar (कटार) a dagger. The Kataria clan of Jats are considered to be descendants of Kath people. Kishori Lal Faujdar writes that there was a tribe named Kath in Punjab. Brahma’s one son named vaishampayan was preacher of Yajurveda. His son was named Kath who was author of kathopanishada. He quotes some author Raja Ram who has written about the kath tribe as ruler near river Irawati. The capital of Kath people was at Sankala/sangala when Alexander attacked. These Jats oppossed Alexander very bravely. Some 17 thousand kath kshatriyas died in this war. The kath people were defeated but they impressed Greeks. The Greek authors have written about many traditions of this tribe. One of the rites mentioned is that a child was inspected after birth by these people and if not found strong and handsome he was killed. probably this tradition of kath people finds reflection in the story of Nachiketa in Kathopanishada where Nachiketa was handed over to Yama. Del Del are found in Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Delhi. They are said to be related to Dhillon. B S Dahiya writes:They are the Dahala of Indian History and literature. Their King Dahaladhisa (king of the Dahalas) is mentioned in Bilhan’s Vikramanka Deva Charita. Dallan was the name of a scholiast on Susrauta. Delhi is called the capital of Saka emperor (Sakadhipa Rajadhani). Dhal as a Maharaja has been mentioned in Udayagiri Cave Inscription of Chandragupta II (401-402 CE) along with Sanakânika and Chhagalaga. Upalana They are said to have got the name from Utpal(forest). Vana Parva, Mahabharata/Book III Chapter 85 tells us in shloka 11 that in the country of Panchala there is a Forest called Utpala (उत्पल) (III.85.11), where Vishwamitra of Kushika’s race had performed sacrifices with his son, and where beholding the relics of Viswamitra’s superhuman power, Rama, the son of Jamadagni, recited the praises of his ancestry. पाञ्चालेषु च कौरव्य कथयन्त्य उत्पलावतम विश्वा मित्रॊ ऽयजद यत्र शक्रेण सह कौशिकः यत्रानुवंशं भगवाञ जामदग्न्यस तथा जगौ (Mahabharata:III.85.11) Avantiverman (855-844 A.D.) belonged to Utpala dynasty and emerged as a powerful King. He was most sagacious king. He built temples at Avantipur after his name. Surname Anjana basically have three different surname: Chaudhary This surname is the identity of the anjana community. Most of the people use this surname. It may also be spelt differently like Chaudhari, Chowdhary, Chawdhari etc. Patel In some regions, particularly in Banaskantha and Sabarkantha, Anjana use Patel as their surname mainly due to the fact that they are agriculturists. Historically Anjana chaudhary have no relation with the patel community. Desai During the colonial era, the ruling prince of baroda, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad ruled much of the north gujarat region. He often awarded the last name ‘Desai’ to the group of people who demonstrated outstanding services to their communities. The anjana who got Desai as their last name retained it. Festivals Chaudhari people celebrate the following festivals with great fanfare – Raksha Bandhan (the bond of protection) celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. It is celebrated on the full moon day on the month of Shravana. Diwali is one of the most well-known festivals and is celebrated with great fanfare. Firecrackers and sweets accompany Diwali celebrations. Every house in the state is illuminated by electrical bulbs or candles. The festival can go on for four days. Holi is the festival of colours or love. It is celebrated to denote the arrival of spring. Furthermore, it is celebrated to mark the victory of the faith of Prahlada over the evil doings of Hiranyakashipu and Holika, who both tried to kill him. Navratri is the festival of the nine nights in honor of the Goddess ‘Ambaji’. People, irrespective of gender, caste and creed, congregate to perform their traditional dance called Garba and Dandiya Ras. Whereabouts The total population of the Anjana Chaudhary villages is about 15,00,000. It is believed that the Anjana Chaudhary in Gujarat have migrated from Rajasthan and Punjab/Haryana. Anjana Chaudhary are considered to be the merged descendants of Indo-Aryans, Indo-Scythian tribes of the region, merging to form the ethnic group people. Chaudhary mostly live in the Banaskantha and Mehsana district. In the Banaskantha District (Gujarat), Anjana Chaudhary live in Palanpur, Jagana, Takarwada, Malan, Nandotra, Vasna(Jagana), Changwada, Changa, Mamawada, Chappi, Vadgam, Varasada, Madla, Bandhavad, Ruppura, Dhelana, Jalotra, Ghodiyal, Vansol, Patosan, Kharodiya, Sedrasan, Lalawada, Ranavas, Ratanpur, Merwada, Gola, Dhanera, Deesa, Dhinoj, Panthavada, Vav, Tharad etc.  In the Mehsana District,Anjana Chaudhary live at Bamosana,Charada, Hirvani, Visnagar,etc. Anjana Chaudhary also have villages in Sabarkantha(now Aravalli District-Gujarat), such as Modasa (Sayara), Vijaynagar, Dhansura, Bayad, Radodara and Demai. There are 42 villages in this particular cluster for the Hindu Anjana Chaudhary community.  Some villages of Anjana Chaudhary can also be found in the Gandhinagar district. To name a few are Tajpur, Chhala, Vasna, Kanpur, Giyod, Dasela, Halisa, Dhanap, Madhavgadh, Mansa etc. Occupation The Anjana Chaudhary of Gujarat are primarily cultivators and hence usually land owners. The Dudh Sagar Dairy(Mehsana) and Banas Dairy(Banaskantha) are notable co-operative sector ventures founded by this community as farming and cattle rearing go hand in hand. Many villages in the Banaskantha and Mehsana districts have a sizeable Anjana Chaudhary population. Apart from agriculture,this community is actively involved in animal husbandry and diamond business.  Anjana youth have a lot of patriotism in them, and they believe in serving the country and it’s people. Hence you can find a lot of Anjana Chaudhary in police service, military service and other defence services as well as in active politics.  The growth of education also has attracted a sizeable amount of Chaudhary in government jobs, I.T companies , banks, schools etc. Qualities Anjana Chaudharies were naturally warlike and aggressive in battles, and hence possess qualities like courage, loyalty, self confidence, physical strength, orderliness, hard working, etc. Fair complexion, tall muscular build, bright eyes and kind heart are some of the characteristics inherited in the genes of all Anjanas. They are humourous and often sarcastic in nature.  Anjana women are bold, hard-working, strong, talkative and always cheerful.  The elders are given great respect in Chaudhary community. The elder always sit towards the head of the bed whereas the younger even if he is a doctor, engineer, civil or military officer sits towards the foot of the bed.  Similarly if a number of Chaudharies are sharing the same hooka, it is the duty of the youngest to hold the ‘hooka’ and pass it around in turn to the others.  Dress Code The elder people wear their traditional dress. The male wears a white kurta, dhoti and a white turban on his head. Whereas their female counterpart wears colourful sarees or red/black chaniyo. During the death of a person, you will find the Anjana women wearing black saree. On the other side, the younger generation wear whatever they like and suits them. They are very particular in their dressing and have a good dressing sense. They are more attracted towards western outfis than traditional outfits. The Anjana women have a great love for jewellery. You will see them wearing necklaces,rings, bangles, bracelets, earrings, nose ring etc. Also it is common to see the men wearing a gold chain and ring. Language The Chaudhary of north gujarat speak gujarati language with that north gujarati ‘lehko’ (lexis). The gujarati language spoken in north gujarat is unique on its own. It may sound like a different language but it is actually gujarati with a different pronounciation of words. For eg. they pronounce ‘Pani'(Water) as ‘Poni’ , ‘Kaam'(Work) as ‘Kom’ etc. The Chaudhary living at tharad, dhanera have a little rajasthani lexis in their dialect. You will also find highly educated chaudharies speaking hindi as well as english.  Food Food and Chaudhary have a very romantic love story which will never end. In villages, the Anjana people eat ‘Rotlo’, ‘Kadi’ (curry), ‘Sabji’, ‘Rice’ etc. The ‘Rotlo’ they make equals five times the rotli people make in the city. In just one ‘Rotlo’ you will fill your belly. People over there eat a lot of them. The Anjana people have a very large appetite. The Anjana people drink a lot of milk. You will find them drinking milk many times in a day. Especially at night they eat ‘Khichdi’ and milk which is very tasty. Also they drink a lot of butter-milk (Chaas). Use of ghee in meals in large proportion is very common in chaudhary community. They usually cook ‘Shiro'( a sweet food made of wheat flour, ghee and sugar ) for guests.  Marriage This community is divided into sub-groups for matrimonial purpose. There are approximately 50 groups. These groups have name like ‘Bar’, ‘Bavisi’, ‘Vadhiyar’, ‘Koliyaro’, ‘Hindvani’, ‘Dator’, ‘Gadhvada’, ‘Jetoda’, ‘Dhandhar’, ‘Idar Betalisi’, ‘Modasiya’, ‘Navgam’, ‘Kamrej’ etc.  Marriage among same gotras is prohibited,since people with the same gotras are considered siblings. Also marriage is prohibited if there is any direct blood relationship upto 6th generation on father’s side and 5th generation on mother’s side. Marriage ceremonies by Chaudharies are traditionally conducted in accordance with Central Asian customs. These customs have evolved since traditional times and differ in many ways. These people attach a lot of importance to weddings and the ceremonies are very colorful and continue for several days. The various ceremonies involved in a wedding are ‘Sagai'(ring ceremony),’Dandiya raas’, ‘Ganeshpujan’, ‘Varghoda’, ‘Marriage’, ‘Reception’, etc.  There is a saying that the sound of wedding songs sung by Anjana ladies is so loud that it can be heard from a mile. When engagement takes place, the proposal usually comes from the girl’s side, in which social prestige, economic condition and education are chiefly taken into consideration. In Chaudhary community, the father of the girl presents one rupee coin at the time. The marriage generally takes place at the bride’s house. The groom leaves for the wedding venue riding a decorated horse. This is a very colorful and grand ceremony. The groom is dressed in a ‘Suit’ and has a ‘Sword’ in one hand. On his head he wears, a ‘safa’ (turban). Before he departs, all his relatives apply the ceremonial ’tilak’ on his forehead. The ‘barat’ is headed by dancing of the relatives and finally reaches the place of the wedding. The wedding procession is a grand affair as the groom (Var raja) receives all the attention as if he was a king for that time. The groom is welcomed at the entrance by ‘ponkhvun’ ceremony. When the procession reaches the bride’s place, the bride’s mother waves four times a ‘thaali’ consisting of chokha(rice), kanku, juvar and a churning stick, over the head of the groom. She keeps at the groom’s feet seven’ thikadas'(broken pieces of earthern ware) tied together with a string so that their edges touch each other. The groom then breaks it into pieces with his legs, and enters the marriage booth specially decorated for the occasion. The marriage rites and ceremonies to be performed at the wedding are generally the same like other Hindus. Then the priest ties the end of the groom’s dupatta, with that of the bride’s ‘sari’, the knot signifying the sacred wedlock. After it the ‘Phera-Ceremony’ is performed during marriage when the couple takes an oath in front of ‘Agni devata’ and ‘Satphera’ (Seven rounds around fire) in which the groom and the bride then circle the holy fire seven times, making seven promises to be fulfilled in the married life, after which they are considered to be ‘married’ to each other. This ritual is called ‘Phera’. The marriage ceremony at the bride’s place ends with ‘kanya viday’ (a send off), which is considered to be the most emotional ritual, when the bride leaves her parents’ home and makes her way to her husband’s. Family and friends, give her a tearful farewell. Orthodox Traditions Some of the orthodox customs still prevailing in the chaudhary community are: In Chaudhary community, on every occasion be it a marriage or mourning a dead, they demand for ‘Kashumba’, a drink made from opium pods. Every palm holds the opium spiced water proudly and it is treated as a sort of ‘Prasad’ signifying the blessing of god. This drink is made by crushing the opium pods and mixing it with water. It is served at all social gatherings. The addiction to opium eating has really affected the health and wealth of the community. Another dark side of the community is ‘Sata-system’, an age-old tradition. ‘Sata-system’ means the groom has to offer his sister to his brother in law. According to this custom, a boy is forced to remain single if he does not have a sister to be given away in marriage. The locals call it “a girl in exchange for a girl”. Let me make it more clear with an example: If a family has two boys and one girl, only one of the sons will be able to marry a girl from the same community. The other boy will have to marry someone outside his caste or be ready to shell out a huge amount as male dowry. In some cases, girls have to marry with some older or uneducated boys even though she is a teacher or an engineer. The same thing happens in the case of some boys, as they have to marry with uneducated or very younger girl. Child marriage was another major custom that prevailed before. The family of both the boy and girl out of their insecurity used to engage them at a very young age mainly because of the fear of not getting a good boy or girl in future. However this tradition has gradually decreased now, restricting it to only a few places. Source: http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anjana_Chaudhari http://www.jatland.com http://www.chaudhari-lalji.blogspot.com http://www.netlibrary.net/articles/anjana_chaudhari