Dangi in India

Dangi in India & Nepal

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The origin and meaning of the word DANGI cannot be asserted with exactness. There are many different interpretations of the word. It is associated with the geographical nature of the county where the Dangis might have lived.

Dang in Sanskrit refers to a high upland region. As such Dangis may be the inhabitants of the Dang region. That is sonth of the Tapti to the Southern Rajasthan. Even the Dangis are called by their genetic name by virtue of their occupation of high land region which is imprically established.

On the basis of the data regarding the distribution of Dangis in Rajputana provided by the Rajputana Census of 1931 in Rajasthan. It could be said that they are distributed in the high land areas. It thus appears that the word Dangis might have its origin in the geographical characteristic of their habitant.

The exact origin of the word Dangi can be examined from another point of view also, viz on the linguistic basis. According to Sir George Abraham Grierson, linguistic survey of India, Vol, IX Part III, the word Dangi refers to certain dialects spoken in the hilly region known as the Dangis as well as Northern parts of the former state of Jaipur including the Karauli area where Dangi is spoken as sub-dialect of Braj-Bhasha.

It is difficult to state with any degree of certainty about the origin of Dangis. Though by profession the Dangis can be classed under the Vaishyas, one among the four principal Castes, it fails to throw any light on their origin. The M.A. Sherring (Hindu Tribes and Castes, Vol II, PP.105-106) makes only a passing reference to the Dangi being a tribe of good cultivation in the Saugar District. According to a Kalu Ram Bhat of Village Shobhagpura (Rajasthan) the Dangis are "Yaduvanshi" or "Chandravanshi", i.e. of the lunar race. According to him the Dangis originally belong to the region of Mathura from where they migrated towards south to Gujarat via Malva from where they moved either westward from Malva or north ward from Gujarat.

The movement of Krishna from Mathura to Dwarka as related in the Mahabharata the great Indian epic) may have some bearing on the movement of the various Yadava Tribes including the Dangis from the Gangetic plain to the south in the Gujarat.

According to several local Dangis families, it was learnt that among the places of pilgrimage in the preferential order, the first place is given to place called Salada near Jaisamand lake in Udaipur district followed by pilgrimage to Dwarka and also to Ganga for holy dip recent to Northward movement.

Locally, in Rajasthan and Gujarat the Dangis are also referred as Patels, a term commonly.

Dangis have well built physique and are always found alert. The Dangi ladies are more fair skinned and are very active. Dangis go for good quality of land, economically, socially and psychologically. Dangis are prosperous, reputed and sagacious people. They are hard working people and all the time remain clinging to their agricultural pursuit. The Dangies are more inclined towards the religion. Being an agriculturist a Dangi family remains busy for whole of the year and thus may be considered as the most hard working caste of the society.

Although with the change in the society the Dangi class too is changing fast with the opening of schools in its own village, town and also in city for higher education. The Dangi has become aware of his hard work and with the sucking policy of Mahajan and thus started direct dealing with the nearby mandis and market to get reasonable and sufficient cash reward of his hard work.

LIVING PLACE IN INDIA:

Dangi caste live in Bihar -Gaya, Nawada, Aurangabad, Jahanabad, Patna, Nalanda, Munger, Bhagalpur, Dumka, Palamu, Vaishali, Chhopra, Hazaribagh and Ranchi

Madhaya Pradesh -Vidisha, Datia, Gwalior, Bhopal, Sohar, Rajgarh, Guna, Ujain, Dhar, Devar, Niwar, Indore, Nagsinghpur, Shajapur, Shivpuri, Jabalpur, Satna, Madla, Ratlam, Baitul, Raigarh, Muraina, Damoh, Tikamgarh and Sagar Rajasthan -Jhalvada, Udaipur, Jaipur, Tonk, Chitorgarh and Kota

Gujarat -Surat and Barodara

Uttar Pradesh -Jhansi, Jaalawn, Varanashi, Agra, Vanda and Lalitpur

Punjab, Haryana, Maharastra, Uttranchal, Jharkhand and Nagpur. LIVING PLACE IN NEPAL:

REFERENCE FROM WEBSITE: Website - www.dangi.co.inYahoo Group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DangiCommunityWorldWide/