The
migratory aspects of the Sourashtra remain still a perplexing problem to
scholars and historians. So far, not much is known in the form of direct and specific historical
references-i. e,, in the form of either
epigraphy or literature and this is the major hurdle in under taking research
on this aspect. But, in my opinion ( as a professor of History ) one can
successfully under take research on this specific aspect ( topic) viz., origin
and the stages of migration of these people, if one collects all the direct and
indirect evidences or references on these people focusing all the attention to
certain features like ;
(a) The History of the
development or evolution of their language.
(b) The craft they practice viz., weaving, dying
and the mercantile activities.
(c) Their
traditional activities and administrative systems as a guild of silk weavers
and
(d)
Their cultural traits especially related to their socio-religious
practices
The current level of knowledge as to their
migratory aspect is mainly in the form of the traditions and observation
recorded in the district manuals, Gazetteers and the census reports. Besides these sources, certain in formations
are also available in the form of writings by certain intellectuals and
individuals, writers hailing from this community. Certain individuals without sufficient
knowledge of history have put forth their views merely on the basis of certain
assumptions or beliefs they have.
First
let us review the versions available in Government records such as District Manuals,
Gazetteers and the Census reports. According to them:
“The pattu-nul-karans, are a caste of Surat
silk weavers whose ancestors were induced to settle in Madurai by one of the
earliest Nayak kings”
“They say “they were originally
BRAHMINS, living in a town of Surat called DEVAGIRI.“
“They
are a caste of foreign weavers… who speak PATNULI or Khatri, a dialect of GUZERAT
and came originally from GUJARAT ...
They are referred to in the inscription of Kumara Gupta (AD 437) by the name of ‘Pattavaya’( Pattavayakas )…
on the destruction of Mandasor by mussalamn, the pattavayakas seem to have
traveled south to Devagiri … and thence… to Vijayanagar… to Madurai “
The inscription refers to a guild of silk
weavers migrating from LATA to Dasapura in Malwa.
Now coming to the accounts given by the
elites and intellectuals of this community ,we have one such version , published
in 1891 (A History of the Sourashtras in southern India) where in we find the
following :
“
… When the power of the Guptas,- the then Emperors of India- was slowly
decaying, an enterprising military commander Senapathi Bhattaraka asserted his
independence in Gujarat and became the
founder of the Vallabhi dynasty of Sourashtra .
During a period of anarchy the people were compelled to abandon their
happy abodes owing to frequent invasions of the Mohamedans… “
In 1897, the president of the Third Sourashtra
Brahmana conference at Salem in his appeal dated 10.06.1897 to His Excellency
The Governor –in- Council , Madras states and appeals in the following words “
…The ( the sourashtras) are one of the Panche- Gaude and were the original settlers
of Sourashtra …. They emigrated to VIJAYANAGAR in 1024, during the siege
of Somnath by Mahomed of Gazni… At the invitation of Thirumal Naick, they came
to Madura… the name “ weavers”
applied to Sourashtra community is a MISNORMER … the community should be
given the name of SOURASHTRA – the
place where they have hailed and the language they speak …”
In 1901 when there arose a CASTE QUESTION when
the Census enumerators preferred to
enter the names of these people under the classification “ NON BRAHMIN”, a
delegation of these people met the Superintendent of Census operation, Madras and
produced the text of the cadjan sasanam issued by Queen Mangammal where in we find “ Our country is Sourashtra. We are the
Brahmins of that country. We have 64 gotrams. Our profession is WEAVING, (buying)
and selling clothes. This much we know …. “
Thus we can observe one
significant point here that no one or no where we come across any reference of
Somanathapuram being there in place of abode on the way of their exodus (say
in 1024 AD). What all is said that these
people had to leave their happy abodes due to the Muslim menace. The notorious and significant menace caused
by Mohamed of Ghazni when he attacked India 17 times and the famous
somnath temple in 1024 A.D.,
This being the case, one can’t understand how one writer from this community
in his work “ Tamil naattil Saurashta : mulzhu Varalaru “ ( Claiming it to be
an exhaustive History of Sourashtra in Tamilnadu which is actually neither an historical
account nor exhaustive) tries in a very confusing manner to fix Somnath as the
place of their abode of these people in 1025 A.D., and their exodus took place
due to Mohamed Gazhni’s famous attack on somnath temple. (Vide pp 19 – 41 and
pages 9, 17,18,20,27, 32 and 37) . An intelligent reader will have to raise the
following points of clarification after going through his account.
(i)
Whether Sourashtras of all the four Varna
or only the weaving Brahmins migrated to the far south ?
(ii)
If Saurashtra priestly /(weaving) Brahmins alone migrated, what was their
prime occupation-weaving or priestly work ?
(iii) It is a well known fact that they
were encouraged to immigrate to the various foreign places in the south &
far south. Why? Whether it was for their
extraordinary skill in the art of silk weaving or for other reasons?
(iv) How is that no recorded account
makes mention of such a theory ?
(v)
Is the Mandasor inscription is related to these people or not ?
Logical thinking will lead to the following answers to questions (i) to
( v) :-
(i) The ‘catur varna theory’
can’t be and will not be accepted ,as all the Saurashtras have only the Brahmana
Gotras. As all the Puranas point out,
these people lost their original profession assigned to a Brahmin very long
ago, say as early as the pre Christian era.
(ii) & (iii They were Brahmins in
the very ancient age; took to the avocation of ‘weaving’ and got expertise at
least by the time of The Preiplus (early Christian centuries) .
(iv) There is no recorded account to
this effect, as the true place of their abode was somewhere in Saurashtra or
Gujarat, but not actually in Somanath.
Of course, the land of Sourashtra in later days came to be known as Gujarat.
(v)
Since all the scholars and historians find some sort of connection
between these people and the ‘Pattavaya’ guild of silk weavers mentioned in the
Mandasor inscription ‘LATA’ in South Gujarat should be their immediate previous
home for centuries together ,before their migration to Malwa and Devagiri.
Hence, we are inclined to reject the theory of
Somnath origin with reference of their exodus (in 1024 A.D.?) , though it can’t
be refuted hat these people lived in Saurashtra in the distant past .
No comments:
Post a Comment