Samipya 1992 Vol 09 Ank 01 02

Author(s): Pravinchandra C Parikh, Bhartiben Shelat
Publisher: Bholabhai Jeshingbhai Adhyayan Sanshodhan Vidyabhavan

Page 66

Cultural heritage :
Culture is a way of life of a people and consists of conventional patterns of thought and behaviour, including values, beliefs, rules of conducting economic activites, etc. which survive from one generation to the next by learning and not by biological inheritance. It provides a set of principles for explaining and understanding human behaviour.
Culturally Vagharis are non-Aryan inhabitants of India and they were moving in groups for hunting all over the country during the neolithic age. In the course of time, they were taken to a settled tribal life but their function was hunting and prote. cting the rural and urban civilization from the attack of the wild animals coming from the forest area and also to drive out the evil spirit coming from forest area and thereby protect and save the rural people. On the other hand they being nonAryan they were considered as Sudras.
They were not authorised to worship the Gods and Goddesses mentioned in the Vedic Shāstras. At the same time, they were not incorporated with the other Sudras. Thus they were not authorised to worship the Gods and Goddesses mentioned in Puranas. They were allowed to worship their traditional Gods and Goddesses. Their worship consists of animal sacrifice, invocation of spirit through constant beating of the drums, performance of group dances, drinking of liquor and feasting of meat which indicate the signs of ancient religion of Pre-Aryan habitants of India.
Vagaris have always tended to retain their beliefs which did not change during last 300 years. The animal sacrifice is widely spread and practised. Houses
Vagharis are never found residing in the midst of the village or in the vicinity of higher division class. They have maintained their traditional identity by residing separately on the out-skirt of villages since ages. Of course they prefer to stay near the colonies of cattle rearing communities viz. Bharwads, and Rabaries. Reasons for which are obvious. All these communities are worshippers of Goddesses belonging to the Jogani's group.
They dwell in simple thatched huts, circular in shape in Kutch district whereas in the rest of the rural area of Saurashtra and Gujarat, their houses are usually 'Kachcha'. Their design is that of the local type. Their colony is never found without a small temple of their goddess. Dress
Vagharis are used to follow the local existing dress style. No traditional dress style is preserved except by old women folk of patani community. Their dress rese. mbles to the dress of local cattle breeder's women folk and also the women folk of Kolies of Chorvad of Saurashtra. Surprisingly no traditional ornaments are found preserved whereas Bharawad and Charanas have preserved. Reasons are not
Vagharis of Gujarat : An Ancient Tribe ]
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