Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Vol-2, Issue-10, 2016 ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in History of Panika Tribe In Madhya Pradesh Dr. AditiPitaniya Translator, Centre For Excellence, IGN Tribal University, AMARKANTAK (M.P.) Abstract: PANIKA or PANKA as they are gazette publication in December 1971 derecognised popularly called are the Dravidian people of the tribal status of Panika tribe in the entire Central India, spread over the states of Madhya Chhattisgarh region (then the state was part of Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh). In eight districts of Madhya Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Ironically, they Pradesh, Panika tribal community is recognized as had been granted different caste status ranging ST while in other districts, it is categorized as from tribe to OBC in each of these states which has Other Backward Class (OBC). been proven non-beneficial to their advantage. This When Chhattisgarh came into being in is however officially proposed that the Panika be November 2001, the state government continued recognized as a Scheduled with the practice of its parent state. The Panika Tribe of Chhattisgarhand the proposal is under tribal community in Chhattisgarh got the process by the central government.Panika tribal recognition of OBC. Though officially the people community is recognized as ST in the eight districts of Panika community had two separate divisions, of Madhya Pradesh while in other districts, it is the culturalal relation however kept both the ends categorized as Other Backward Class (OBC). united. The community has been struggling to rectify the error as the people of Panika tribe in 1. Introduction both the states had similar lifestyle, traditions and culture. Many Panika organizations had been Panika is an important and unique tribe of fighting for the cause since 1971, but neither the India. Madhaya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have Government of India nor the Chhattisgarh their largest concentrations. Dense population of government bothered to note down their this tribe heavily resides in the areas of in (i) grievances. Chhatarpur, Panna, Rewa, Satna, Shahdol, Umaria, Although Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Sidhi and Tikamgarhdistricts, and (ii) Sevda and Raman Singh had assured the members that he Datia tehsils of Datia district in Madhya Pradesh. would look into the matter and explore the Some branches of Panika also lives in the districts possibilities of granting ST status to the community of Mandla, Jabalpur, Dindori,Anuppur and in the state. But no action had been taken on his Singrauli, the forests of Vindhya and Satpura announcement till now. ranges right from Amarkantak-the origin place of Due to the different linguistic, cultural and the River Narmada to Chhattisgarh especially in geographical environment, and its peculiar Bastar, Kanker, Dantewara, Dhamtari, Bilaspur, complications, the diverse tribal world of Panika Korba, Sarguja, Koria, Durg, Kawardha etc. till tribe has been largely cut off from the mainstream. some parts in eastern Madhya Pradesh. In addition There are so many reasons as to why they were not to Madhya Pradesh, the Panika also live in given the status of an indigenous tribe in the entire Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand state by the government when they truly deserve it. and Uttar Pradesh (especially in Sonbhadra and We shall discuss the similarities between their Mirzapur districts). According to the census of culture and traditions and other tribes of Madhya 2011, Panika have populations in the range of Pradesh so that any individual can have an insight 47,806 to 81,335 in Madhya Pradesh. into their world which reflects all the essential components of a tribal society. 2.Background The caste recognition of the Panika community is India is a fascinating country where exceptional when it comes to Madhya Pradesh and people of many different communities and Chhattisgarh. The community had been granted the religions live together in unity. Indian Population is status of Scheduled Tribe in 1949 by the polygenetic and is an amazing amalgamation of Government of India. The Madhya Pradesh various races and cultures. government maintained this status when it came It is impossible to find out the exact origin into being in 1956.A Madhya Pradesh government of Indian People. The species known as Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Page 311 Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Vol-2, Issue-10, 2016 ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in Ramapithecus was found in the Siwalik foothills of mainstream population of the plains has extensive north western Himalayas. The species believed to food taboos, more rigid cultural practices and be the first in the line of hominids (Human Family) considerable caste-based occupational who lived some 14 million years ago. There are specialization. In the Hindu caste system, the many diverse ethnic groups among the people of Adivasis have no place. These indigenous people India. The 6 main ethnic groups are as follows; have their autonomous existence outside the 1. Negrito mainstream. This led to the preservation of their 2. Proto - Australoids or Austrics socio-religious and cultural practices, most of them 3. Mongoloids retaining also their distinctive languages. Common 4. Mediterranean or Dravidian social practices like widow burning, enslavement, 5. Western Brachycephals occupational differentiation, hierarchical social 6. Nordic Aryans ordering etc. are generally not found in this tribe. Though there were trade between the Tribe and the 2.1Dravidians mainstream society, any form of social intercourse was discouraged. Caste India did not consciously According to Thompson, “The earliest attempt to draw them into the orbit of caste society. known inhabitants of India are the Dravidians. There is no satisfactory evidence to show how and 3.History when they came into this country.” Dravidians knew farming and The diversity in the tribes across the state domesticated animals. They were the earliest comes from differences in heredity, lifestyle, people to build dams across rivers for irrigation. cultural traditions, social structure, economic They constructed houses and fortifications. There is structure, religious beliefs, language and speech. a possibility of village republic system, mainly It‟s a known fact that due to the different linguistic, governed by primitive petty chiefs as still found in cultural and geographical environments; the diverse tribal people. It was probably a matriarchial tribal world of Madhya Pradesh has been largely society. Under the Dravidian tradition, Mother with cut off from the mainstream of development. their children formed the nucleus of a settled and In ancient times a large area was called developed society. The caste system had not Gondwana. The prevailing myths or folklore developed till then. The male members often went mentions various Gond forts and kings. On the away from their huts either for hunting or fishing basis of archaeology an opinion is formed, that and mother kept children and thus occupied an there was a time when Gond community ruled a important social status. A sort of tribalism was considerable area. Opinions differ on origin of the present in the Dravidian people and people grouped Gonds. Some scholars have opinion that they had under small group each possessing its own come from south whereas others believe that their totemism. Animals, trees and birds etc. occupied origin place is Amarkantak or Narmada region. On an important place in totemism which grew as a the basis of Gondi dialect their arrival from the religion of the ancient Dravidian and Chalcolithic south is confirmed. people. It is a common belief that the Panika tribe These people were chiefly concentrated always co-existed with the Gonds. Although their around South India. They have been believed to earliest history is scarce, as per the common come before the Aryans. They have different sub- folklore the original place of Panika is Panika-dih groups like the Paleo-Mediterranean, the true in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh. There existed the Mediterranean, and the Oriental Mediterranean. famous predecessor of Panika called They appear to be people of the same stock as the Jagtu/JagduPanika who was believed to have peoples of Asia Minor and Crete and pre- Hellenic indigenous knowledge like that possessed by Aegean's of Greece. They are reputed to have built Baigas. He used to mark his territory by means of up the city civilization of the Indus valley, whose indigenous mantras. Scholars believe that Gonds remains have been found at Mohenjo- daro and settled in Gondwana, now known as eastern Harappa and other Indus cities. Madhya Pradesh, between the 13th and 19th The Dravidians or Tribes have centuries A.D. Muslim writers described the rise of distinguished physical characters like long heads, Gond state after the 14th century. Gonds ruled in broad noses and dark complexions. They are four kingdoms (Garha-Mandla, Deogarh, Chanda, usually of short stature. They were not completely and Kherla) in central India between the 16th and uncivilized or barbarous in nature. 18th centuries. They built number of forts, palaces, The Tribes have few food taboos, rather temples, tanks and lakes during the rule of the fluid cultural practices and minimal occupational Gonds dynasty. The Gondwana kingdom survived specialization; while on the other hand, the till late 16th century. They also gained control over Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary