Chapter Iv the Religious Landscape
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CHAPTER IV THE RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE CHAPTER - IV THE RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE 1) INTRODUCTION; One concern of the geography of religions is how the land provides a record of religious systems, their associated institutions, and the patterns of religiously conditioned behaviour. A fairly full inventory has been made of the more conspicuous landscape features associated with historic and contemporary religious systems, but there have been few attempts 1 to assess the intensity of religious impress on the land . The form and the density of sacred structure, use of the land in cemeteries and spatial assemblage of plants, trees and animals for religious purpose are among effects on the land of the 2 formally prescriptive traditional aspects of religious systems . Data about religious fidelity are mostly qualitative and 3 impressionistic, often providing only superficial indices . 2) RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE; Some examples of the religious transformation of landscape will be discussed here focussing on the differences among religious systems. The qualitative and quantitative data can be use^to estimate the patterns of religious adherance in Maharashtra State. On the basis of this, one can consider two adherent religious landscapes in the study area. -63- (A) Tribal Religious landscape and (B) Quasi-Universalizing Religious Landscape. A) TRIBAL RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE: As per the census of India 1971/ the tribal population was 2,954,249 souls which contributed 5.9 per cent of the total population of Maharashtra. Out of this total 63.12 per cent was found only in 26 tahsils of the State (Refer Fig. No. 4,1). These tahsils are characterised by hilly terrain, forest and lack of communication facilities. Twelve tahsils contained over fifty percent tribal population each. Remaining 1,089,481 tribal population, which contributed only 36.87 per cent to total tribal population of the State, was scattered in remaining 173 tahsils of the State. No scheduled tribes were notified in the Buldhana, Akola, Wardha, Nagpur and Bhandara districts from Nagpur division. Bhil, Koli-Mahadeo, Gond, Varli, Kokna, Thakur, Kathodi, Gamit, Koli-Malhar, Korku are the principal tribal communities in the study area. The tribal population is concentrated mainly in three areas : Northern part of Sahyadris, Satpuda mountains and hilly area of Chandrapur region. The Sahyadris are oriented in north-south direction running v. more or less parallel to the Arabian sea coast in the west. Koli Mahadeo, Varli, Kokna, Thakur and Katkari the tribal communities occur in this region. More than fifty per cent tribal population to total tahsil population was found in the tahsils of -64- Surgana, Peint, Mokhada, Jawhar, Talsari, Nawapur and Dahanu in this region. The Satpudas form a chain of mountains in the extreme north of Maharashtra. Main tribes of this region are that of Bhil, Kokna, Gamit, Dubla, Dhanka and Korku. Akrani, Akkalkuwa, Height and Taloda are the tahsils where more than fifty per cent tribal population to total tahsil population is found. Gonds, Korku, Kolam, Pardhan are found in hilly and forested areas of Vidarbha particularly in Sironcha tahsil (over fifty per cent tribal population to total tahsil population) of Chandrapur district in the east. Though the tribals are Hinduised their religious practices are related to the nature of their physical environment that are different, as well as, older than that of Hindu religion. There fore, the tribal religion has been indicated as 'animism'. Details regarding origin of some aboriginal tribes and their religion are interesting, as noted below. Racially, the tribal religious population is of Dravidian origin. The Andhas are greatly influenced by Telugu people who come from adjacent area of Andhra Pradesh. They appear to be a non-Aryan tribe of Andhra Pradesh from which they derive their names. The customs of Andhas point to an aboriginal origin but they are being rapidly Hinduised. Their concentration is mainly found in Kalaranuri and Kinwat, the tahsils of the Parbhani and -65- Nanded districts respectively . The Bhils believe in totemism. They have their own dialect known as Bhili or Bhilori, which contains a number of non-Aryan words and are much influenced by Marathi, Gujarathi and Marwari dialects. The great majority of them have retained their aboriginal dialect. They are nature worshippers. They worship Waghdeo i.e. tiger god, and Moon. The bulk of this tribal population is concentrated in the tahsils of Akrani, Akkalkuwa, Taloda and Nawapur in Dhule district and Surgana and Peint in Nasik district. The Gond tribe has been regarded as the principal tribe of the Dravidian family. The Gonds speak a Dravidian language of the same family as Tamili, Canarese and Telugu and therefore, it is likely that they might have migrated from the south to Maharashtra. In the study of spatial distribution of Gond population one finds that this tribe is concentrated in the tahsils of Sironcha and Gadhchiroli in Chandrapur district and Rajura in Yeotrnal district. According to legend, the Halbas migrated from Baster and Chhattisgarh areas to the West and lived under the protection of h Gond king. They mainly occur in Gadchiroli and Sironcha tahsils of Chandrapur district. Halbas were once animist but because of the influence of local communities they started worshipping Hindu gods and goddesses, side by side with their tribal deities. -66- Prom the apperance of Katkaris and Koknas, their customs and their religion, it is observed that these tribes are aboriginal but much influenced by Hinduism. The tahsils of Mokhada, Jawhar, Talsari and Dahanu of Thane district have recorded highest percentage of Katkari and Kokna population to total population. A considerable number of these communities are also found in Karjat, Khalapur and Pen tahsils of Raigad (KcAohed district. Proximity to Bombay-Kalyan-Nasik industrial areas is the most important factor responsible for modernising the tribal communities of Bhils, Katkaris, Warlis and Koknas. Many of them are employed in factories, government services and in domestic jobs and that is how modern urban life and Hinduism have become part of their life. This is also true about the Bhil population of Satpudas to some extent as they come in active contact of city people at Dhule, Nandurbar and Jalgaon etc. Gonds of eastern Maharashtra have also been substantially modified, during recent times. 1) TRIBAL RELIGIOUS SACRED STRUCTURES: It is found that the form of tribal gods, goddesses and worships are related to nature. The rounded stone is generally a big pebble from a river or a product of exfoliation in basalt country. The other products used to represent gods and goddesses are animal tails, feathers of birds, carved pieces of wood, -67- trees, animals etc. are of forest origin. They show the bearing of natural environment on the form of gods, goddesses and objects of worship of simple ethnic religious groups. Tribal communities in Maharashtra worship tribal and some times also Hindu gods and goddesses. The village dieties are found near the village boundary or in the fields or in the forest under a tree or open. The deity of tiger-god is generally set up in the forest or on the boundary of the village. Chief object of worship is the tiger-god, who is supposed to look with peculiar favour upon them and very seldom harms them; and they are disinclined to shoot him. Then some sort of religious structures are built and some deities are installed on the margin of agricultural fields in memory of departed owner of the land or his relatives. The forest people are worshippers of such natural agencies as fire, rain and trees; animals like tiger, cow and snake. The trees and plants are such that they are of medicinal importance as 3aniyan tree, peepal, Umber and Tulsi etc. The temples of tribal community are small and simple due to their occurence in hilly and forested areas characterised by poor economic conditions (Refer Fig. No. 4.2). Hirva, the family deity of Katkari, Kokna, Koli-Dhor, Koli- Malhar and Thakar etc., is represented by a bunch of peacock feathers in which is inserted a silver 'tak'. Katkari, Bhils, Dhanka, Gamits, Kokna, Kolam, Koli-Dhor Koli-Malhar and Thakar are the tiger-god worshipping communities in Maharashtra. This -68- god is in the form of tiger carved on a piece of wood or stone. Kortad is the harvest god of Kokna and Thakur. Gaodevi is the Village deity of Kokna and Koli-Malhar, Mari-aai and Vetal are family deities of Kokna. Khatri is the ancestral god of Dhodia. Govaldev is the god of cattle of Garnit. Gond's Badadeo, Himai of Koli-Dhor, Supli and Vir (Refer Fig. No. 4.3 and 4.4), Jaitur and Bhivsen of Kolam and Mauli Kawar are other tribal gods and goddesses that are generally in the form of rounded stones, besmeared with sindoor. Tribals have also other gods and goddesses which are in the different forms. Koli-Malhar's Narayendeo is represented by an image of a man carved on a brass plate. Brahma, the household deity of Dhodia is represented by three or four earthen horses fixed on a basket of clay. Pandhari, the goddess of Bhil and Garnit, is in the form of a dome made of clay in field. The Nagdeo is an image of a serpent carved on a stone and worshipped by Garnit. Rajavadu and Shiopatli of Garnit are in the form of wooden log or a wooden plank smeared with sindoor and on which are carved the images of the Sun and the moon. The Dulhadeo and the Pahadpat of Kawar are represented by an iron trident. Pardhan's Badadev is represented by the tail hairs of Nilgai set in a bamboo tube, covered with a red cloth and put inside an unused earthen pot.