Dharala Koli
The Dharala,[1] or Dhurala is a title used by Koli caste of Gujarat, Dadar and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu who were professional soldiers and were experts in sword fighting.[2] during the British Raj in India, the 80% of the total population of of Kolis in Kheda district were Dharala.[2] the Koli Dharalas plundered the British trading ships because they were turbulent and considered as bad tribe.[3] the Koli Dharalas also served in British Indian Army as trackers and village guard and were occasionally used as soldiers in wartime by British government in return of sum.[4]
| Koli Dharala | |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Word/Name | Gujarat |
| Derivation | Sword |
| Meaning | Swordman |
| Place of origin | Saurashtra |
| Other names | |
| Alternative spelling | Koli Dhurala |
| Variant form(s) | Koli Dharalo |
| Related names | Koli Sibandi |
The most of the Koli Dharalas were from Patanvadia,[5] Talapada subcaste of Kolis who were prosperous and respected in society and ruled over petty Princely States during British regime.[6]
Dharala Vero
[change | change source]The Dharala Vero was a type of tax collected by Kolis of Gujarat to allowed the other caste people to live in their villages.[7] in 1920, the Mahatma Gandhi tried to reform the Koli Dharalas to get ride of Anti social activities such as gang Robberies and tax collection from other caste people.[8]
Origin or meaning
[change | change source]The title of Dharala is taken from the Dhar (Sharpness) of a sword's edge. Dharala means experts of sword fighting.[9]
Clans
[change | change source]The most of the Koli Dharalas were belong to the Baria clan of Kolis.[10]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Yājñika, Acyuta; Sheth, Suchitra (2005). The Shaping of Modern Gujarat: Plurality, Hindutva, and Beyond. New Delhi, India: Penguin Books India. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-14-400038-8.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chaturvedi, Vinayak (2007). Peasant Pasts: History and Memory in Western India. New Delhi, India: University of California Press. pp. 30–35. ISBN 978-0-520-25076-5.
- ↑ Drew, John (2021-12-06). "The Christmas the Kolis took to cricket". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
- ↑ Jain, Jyotindra; Gujarat, Shreyas Folk Museum of (1980). Folk Art and Culture of Gujarat: Guide to the Collection of the Shreyas Folk Museum of Gujarat. New Delhi, India: Shreyas Prakashan. p. 133.
- ↑ Tambs-Lyche, Harald (1996-12-31). Power, Profit, and Poetry: Traditional Society in Kathiawar, Western India. New Delhi, India: Manohar Publishers & Distributors. pp. 130: a significant number of Patanvadia Kolis were Dharala in kaira district. ISBN 978-81-7304-176-1.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ↑ Saṅghavī, Nagīnadāsa Purushottamadāsa (1995). Gujarat: A Political Analysis. New Delhi, India: Centre for Social Studies. pp. 71:Dharala Koli who were of Talapada subcaste of Koli caste - s are the most prosperous group amongst the community and enjoy the highest status within the community because a few of them were petty princes during the British regime . A group of castes ( 25 % ) of Hindus.
- ↑ Clark, Alice Whitcomb (1979). Central Gujarat in the Nineteenth Century: The Integration of an Agrarian System. New Delhi, India: University of Wisconsin--Madison. p. 72.
- ↑ Hardiman, David (1981). Peasant Nationalists of Gujarat: Kheda District, 1917-1934. New Delhi, India: Oxford University Press. p. 174. ISBN 978-0-19-561255-4.
- ↑ Chaturvedi 2007, p. 30.
- ↑ Clark 1979, p. 138.