Global InformationCharan information
| Charan | |
|---|---|
 A Charan in Bikaner kingdom, 1725 CE- (Metropolitan Museum of Art) | |
| Religions | Hinduism • Islam |
| Languages | Rajasthani • Marwari • Mewari • Gujarati • Sindhi • Marathi |
| Country | India • Pakistan |
| Region | Rajasthan • Haryana • Gujarat • Madhya Pradesh • Maharashtra • Sindh[1] • Balochistan[2] |
Charan (IAST: Cāraṇ; Sanskrit: चारण; Gujarati: ચારણ; Sindhi: چارڻ; IPA: cɑːrəɳə) is a caste in South Asia natively residing in the Rajasthan and Gujarat states of India, as well as the Sindh and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan. Historically, Charans have been engaged in diverse occupations like bards, poets, historians, pastoralists, agriculturalists and also administrators, jagirdars and warriors and some even as traders.[3]
- ^ Commissioner, Pakistan Office of the Census (1962). Population Census of Pakistan, 1961: West Pakistan: 1.Karachi. 2.Lahore. 3.Gujranwala. 4.Rawalpindi. 5.Lyallpur. 6.Multan. 7.Quetta. 8.Peshawar. 9.Hyderabad. 10.Sukkur. 11.Bahawalpur. 12.Hazara. 13.Sialkot. 14.Sargodha. 15.Mianwali. 16.Jhang. 17.Loralai. 18.Sibi. 19.Jacobabad. 20.Campbellpur. 21.Gujrat. 22.Bannu. 23.Jhelum. 24.Tharparker. 25.Larkana. 26.Thatta. 27.Mekran.
There are other castes of Hindus i.e., Brahmans, Lohanas, Khatries, Sutars, Charans, Sonaras, Kalals etc.
- ^ Kothiyal, Tanuja (14 March 2016). Nomadic Narratives: A History of Mobility and Identity in the Great Indian Desert. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-316-67389-8.
Charan migratory history traces their movements between Baluchistan, Jaisalmer, Marwar, Gujarat and Kutch.
- ^ * Palriwala, Rajni (1993). "Economics and Patriliny: Consumption and Authority within the Household". Social Scientist. 21 (9/11): 47–73. doi:10.2307/3520426. ISSN 0970-0293. JSTOR 3520426.
In Rajasthan, they were bards and 'literateurs', but also warriors and jagirdars, holders of land and power over men; the dependents of Rajputs, their equals and their teachers. On my initial visit and subsequently, I was assured of this fact vis-a-vis Panchwas and introduced to the thakurs, who in life-style, the practice of female seclusion, and various reference points they alluded to appeared as Rajputs. While other villagers insisted that Rajputs and Charans were all the same to them, the Charans, were not trying to pass themselves off as Rajputs, but indicating that they were as good as Rajputs if not ritually superior....most of the ex-landlord households, the Charans and one Pathan, remained in the middle and upper ranks of village society
- Kapadia, Aparna (2022). "Imagining Region in Late Colonial India: Jhaverchand Meghani and the Construction of Saurashtra (1921–47)". The Journal of Asian Studies. 81 (3): 541–560. doi:10.1017/S0021911822000080. ISSN 0021-9118. S2CID 248169878.
Movement was also integral to the work of the Charans, who emerged as the preservers of Rajput culture and served various administrative and diplomatic functions...Historically, violence was fundamental to Charans' preservation of their sacred and ethical authority. From about the thirteenth century, Charans had served various bureaucratic functions for their patrons, including as security for private or government transactions.
- Paul, Kim (1 January 1993). "Negotiating sacred space: The Mandirand the Oran as contested sites". South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies. 16 (sup001): 49–60. doi:10.1080/00856409308723191. ISSN 0085-6401.
In the past some Charans were agriculturalists, engaged in farming lands which were divided equally between male descendants of the lineage. Others were cowherds and caravan escorts....
- Marcus, George E. (1983). Elites, Ethnographic Issues. University of New Mexico Press. p. 219. ISBN 978-0-8263-0658-6.
Charans were court poets and historians, "bards"...Prominent Charan (caste of bards) dewans or senior court servants included Kaviraj (court poet) Shyamaldas at Udaipur and Kaviraj Murardan at Jodhpur.
- Shah, P. R. (1982). Raj Marwar During British Paramountcy: A Study in Problems and Policies Up to 1923. Sharda Publishing House. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-7855-1985-0.
The Charans constituted a body of faithful companions of the Rajputs. They composed poems in praise of the heroic deeds of the Rajputs, and thus inspired them with courage and fortitude. They also guarded the mansions of their patrons, gave protection to their women and children during emergency and also acted as tutors for the young ones. In return land gifts and honours were conferred upon them. The Charans, who could not devote themselves to intellectual pursuits, took to trade. They also protected merchants and travellers passing through desolate regions and forests.
- Gupta, Saurabh (1 October 2015). Politics of Water Conservation: Delivering Development in Rural Rajasthan, India. Springer. p. 42. ISBN 978-3-319-21392-7.
"Sharma (ibid) argues that the ex-Zamindars (or landlords) who own big landholdings even today are influential but those who do not retain it are not only less influential but have also slid down the scale of status hierarchy. The families most affected by this belong to the Rajputs, Jats, Charans and Brahmins (all traditionally powerful caste groups)
- Matheson, Sylvia A. (1984). Rajasthan, Land of Kings. Vendome Press. ISBN 978-0-86565-046-6.
- Hastings, James M. (2002). Poets, Sants, and Warriors: The Dadu Panth, Religious Change and Identity Formation in Jaipur State Circa 1562-1860 Ce. University of Wisconsin--Madison. p. 23.
In Rajasthan, the Charans are a highly esteemed caste seen as occupying a social position slightly lower than that of Brahmins but above that of Rajputs, with whom they maintain a symbiotic relationship...Like Rajputs, with whom they often shared company, Charans would eat meat, drink liquor and engage in martial activities...Although, in a way, poetic composition and recitation was for them a "pastime" subordinate to the primary income producing occupations of military service, agriculture, and horse and cattle trading...
- Jain, Pratibha; Śarmā, Saṅgītā (2004). Honour, Status & Polity. Rawat Publications. ISBN 978-81-7033-859-8.
The Charans have also received applause and appreciation for their contribution as historians of medieval Rajasthan.
- Vinay, Srivastava (2004). Methodology and Fieldwork. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-566727-1.
They were the Rajputs' geneologists, historians, and teachers; sometimes they were leading state servants, sometimes guides and protectors of trade. Killing a Charan, like killing a brahmin, was a mortal sin. It was the duty of powerful Rajput patrons to support and honour...
- Kapadia, Aparna (2022). "Imagining Region in Late Colonial India: Jhaverchand Meghani and the Construction of Saurashtra (1921–47)". The Journal of Asian Studies. 81 (3): 541–560. doi:10.1017/S0021911822000080. ISSN 0021-9118. S2CID 248169878.