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Showing posts with label Komaram Bheem Asifabad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Komaram Bheem Asifabad. Show all posts

Telangana Navodaya Schools

Telangana Navodaya Schools are part of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti  an Autonomous Body Under Ministry of Education, Government Of India with head quarters at B-15, Institutional Area, Sector 62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201307. 

The JNV system was founded in 1986 by then Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi and brain child of the then Human Resources Minister, P. V. Narasimha Rao. The system provides free residential education for grades six to twelve to rural populations and affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

Vision : To provide good quality modern education-including a strong component of culture, inculcation of values, awareness of the environment, adventure activities and physical education- to the talented children predominantly from the rural areas without regard to their family's socio-economic conditions

As per the policy of the Government, one Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya is to be established in each district.

The first Navodaya Vidyalayas were established in 1985-86 in Amravati (Maharashtra) and Jajjar (Haryana).
 
List of Schools in Telangana
  1. JNV Nalgonda established in 22nd December, 1986 at Chalakurthy, District Nalgonda, Telangana State PIN -508202, Phone: 08680-275430 Email : jnvnalgonda@gmail.com
  2. JNV Karimnagar inaugurated on the 31st of December 1986 at Choppadandi, District Karimnagar, Telangana PIN -505415. Phone : 0878-2281476, Email: nvknr@gmail.com. 
  3. JNV Kamareddy Nizamabad established in 1986 at Nizamsagr Mandal, Nizamabad Dist.,Telangana - 503 302
  4. JNV Khammam established in 1987 at Palair Village, Kusumanchi Mandal, Khammam District, Telangana - 507157, Phone : 9246469246, Email : jnvkhammam1@gmail.com
  5. JNV Kumaram Bheem Asifabad established 1987 - 88 at Trishul Pahad, Sirpur Kagaznagar, Dist.Kumuram Bheem Asifabad, Telangana, India PINCODE-504296. Phone : 9441264035, Email : jnvkumurambheem1987@gmail.com
  6. JNV Rangareddy established 1987 - 88 at Gachibowli, HCU Campus, Near Gopanpalli Village, Serilingampalli, Ranga Reddy - 500046, Telangana, India, Email : jnvrangareddy@gmail.com, Phone : 040-29700558, 040-29700559
  7. JNV Siddipet established in 1987 at Wargal Village and Mandal, Pamulaparthy post, District Siddipet, Telangana state, INDIA PIN - 502279, Email : jnvmedak@gmail.com
  8. JNV Warangal established in 1992 at Mamnoor, District Warangal, Telangana, INDIA PIN – 506166, Phone :+91-0870-2556373 , Email : jnvmwarangal@gmail.com
  9. JNV Nagarkurnool established in 1994 at Vattem, District Nagarkurnool, Telangana PIN -509 203, Email: jnvnagarkurnool@gmail.com
  10. JNV Jagtial
  11. JNV Nizamabad
  12. JNV Bhadradri-Kothagudem
  13. JNV Medchal-Malkajgiri
  14. JNV Mahbubnagar
  15. JNV Sangareddy
  16. JNV Suryapet 
Dec 7, 2024 : Telangana secures 7 new Navodaya Vidyalayas in Jagtial, Nizamabad, Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Mahbubnagar, Sangareddy, and Suryapet districts.

Enrollment Policy
Admission in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya is made on the basis of a Selection Test, designed and conducted by the CBSE for all 6th, 9th and 11th class students.

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test (JNVST) conducted in Telangana in Hindi, English, Telugu, Kannada, Marati, Urdu languages

It is of non-verbal nature, class-neutral and designed so as to ensure that talented children from rural areas are able to compete without facing any disadvantage. Special care is taken to ensure that children from far flung areas get admission forms free of cost, without any difficulty. 

Every JNV offers around 80 seats for the students to get admission in
 
Eligibility Conditions
  1. Only the bonafide resident candidates from the district concerned where the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya has been located are eligible to apply for admission.
  2. No candidate is eligible to appear in the selection test for the second time, under any circumstances
  3. At least 75% of the seats in a district will be filled by candidates provisionally selected from rural areas of the district. The remaining seats are open which will be filled on merit from both Urban and Rural Area candidates of the district as per reservation criteria.
  4. A candidate who has studied in a school located in an urban area even for a single day of session in Class-III, IV and V will be considered as an urban candidate.
  5. Minimum One third of the total seats are filled by girls. In order to ensure 1/3rd selection of girls, girls may be preferred than boys as per NVS selection criteria, wherever necessary.
  6. SC/ST Reservation of seats is provided in proportion to their population in the district concerned provided that in no district, such reservation will be less than the national average (15% for SC and 7.5% for ST) but subject to maximum of 50% for both the categories (SC & ST) taken together.
  7. OBC reservation is 27% as per central list over and above reservation of SCs and STs. 
  8. There is a provision for reservation for Divyang children (i.e. Orthopedically Handicapped, Hearing Impaired and Visually Handicapped) as per GOI norms.
  1. Class VI
    1. A candidate seeking admission for Class VI must be within the age group of 10 to 12 years 
    2. The candidate who has not been promoted and admitted to class V before 31st July of the session in which he/she is applying for selection test is not eligible to apply. 
    3. The candidate who has already passed/studied class V in all previous academic sessions is not eligible to appear in the selection test.
    4. A candidate seeking admission to class VI must have studied and passed classes III, IV and V from a Govt. /Govt. aided/ recognized school spending one full academic session in each class.
  2. Class IX
    1. A candidate seeking admission must be between the age group 13-15 years on 1st May of the year of admission for which the Selection Test is conducted.
  3. Class XI
    1. For 2024 Date of Birth of the candidate is to be between 1st June 2006 to 31st July 2008 (both days inclusive).
Objectives of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti 
To establish, endow, maintain, control, and manage schools (hereinafter called the 'Navodaya Vidyalaya') and to do all acts and things necessary for or conducive to the promotion of such schools which will have the following objectives:
  1. To provide good quality modern education-including a strong component of culture inculcation of values, awareness of the environment, adventure activities and physical education- to the talented children predominantly from the rural areas without regard to their family's socio-economic condition.
  2. To provide facilities, at a suitable stage, for instruction through a common medium, viz., Hindi and English, all over the country.
  3. Offer a common core-curriculum to ensure comparability in standards and to facilitate and understand the common and composite heritage of our people.
  4. To progressive bring students from one part of the country to another in each school to promote national integration and enrich the social content.
  5. To serve as a focal point for improvement in quality of school education through training of teachers in live situations and sharing of experiences and facilities.
  6. To establish, develop, maintain and manage hostels for the residence of students of Navodaya Vidyalayas.
  7. To aid, establish and conduct other institutions as may be required for the furtherance of the Society's objects in any part of India.
  8. To do all such things as may be considered necessary, incidental or conducive to the attainment of all or any of the objects of the society.


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Komaram Bheem Asifabad District History

Kumuram Bheem Asifabad District is carved out of erstwhile Adilabad District. It is surrounded by Adilabad, Mancherial, Nirmal districts and the boarders of Maharashtra state. Kumuram Bheem Asifabad District comprises 15 mandals and has two revenue divisions – Asifabad and Kaghaznagar.

Known as Jangam or Jungam in the early years of the last century, Asifabad town was the headquarters of the district by the same name before it became part of Adilabad district with Adilabad town as its headquarters in 1905.

Sirpur-Tandur was originally a district in Maratwada region. Later it was merged with Adilabad district of Telangana. In 2016, Komaram Bheem district was carved out of Adilabad district, and consequently, Sirpur now is in Komaram Bheem district.

1199 AD : Kakatiya king Ganapatideva granted land to a certain Brahmin named Manchibhattopadhyaya for establishing Sirpur taluk in Adilabad district by Chennur Allumprola Raja.

The Gonds of Chanda originated from Sirpur in what is now northern Telangana and were said to have overthrown the previous rulers of the country, called the Mana dynasty

According to Gond legends, a Gond chief, Bhim Ballal Singh, organized the Gonds and established his rule in Sirpur in 870 AD. The legend also names 19 Gond rulers.

1310 AD : Ananir (or Ananur)
The same day Malik Kafur reached Bavagarh, he led a cavalry unit to besiege Sabar, a fort located within the Kakatiya frontier region. Historian Kishori Saran Lal identifies Sabar with modern Sirpur. Khusrau's account suggests that this was a surprise attack for the defenders: faced with a certain defeat, some of them committed suicide with their wives and children in a jauhar fire. Some others, probably including the fort's commander, were killed after Kafur's soldiers entered the fort. The surviving defenders were ready to fight to death, but then a truce was negotiated because of intervention by Khwaja Haji. Ananir (or Ananur), a brother of the fort's commander, was found hiding in a field. He surrendered to the invaders, and was appointed as the fort's new governor by Malik Kafur. Some of the refugees from Sabar fled to Warangal

c. 1330 AD - 1751 A.D: Sirpur-Chanda Gond Dynasty of Gondwana Kingdom
Founder : Kol Bhill or Kol Bheel or Kolkhil
Capitals : Sirpur (modern Komaram Bheem Asifabad district, Telangana), Ballarsha, Chanda (Chandrapur district, Maharashtra)
Languages : Gondi language is known as ‘Koyator’ among Gonds. Southern Gondi, Adilabad Gondi, Northern Gondi, Aheri Gondi are variants of the language.
Religion : Brahmanical Hinduism or Cult of the Persa Pen (clan deities); ancestor spirit worship
Royal Emblem : Lion and Elephant
Family Name: Singh, Shah

Bhim Ballal Singh
Contemporary of Kakatiya Ganapatideva Bhim Ballal Singh actually started the Sirpur-Chanda Gond Kingdom. His capital was at Sirpur, on the right bank of the Wardha river, and his chief stronghold was the fortress of Manikgarh, in the hills behind Sirpur. For the first eight generations these Gond kings reigned at Sirpur, in the modern State of Telangana.

The Gond King, Bhim Ballal Sing built Sirpur Fort

Kharja Bhallal Singh 
Son of Bhim Ballal Singh

Hira or Heera Singh

Andia Bhallal Singh

Talwar Singh

Kesar Singh

Dinkar or Dinakar Singh

Ram Singh

1405 AD - 1437 AD - Surja Ballal Singh alis Ser Shah

1472 AD - 1497 AD : Khandkia or Khandkya Ballal Shah
Changed Capital from Sirpur to first Ballarsha and later to Chanda.

1497 AD - 1522 AD: Heer Shah
Hira or Heera Singh Conspicuous amongst these rulers was Hir Singh the grandson of Bhim Ballal Singh. Brave in war and wise in administration he was the first to persuade his wild fellow-countrymen to cultivate the land. To him is attributed some- thing like a rudimentary land-revenue system. First to levy tax on occupied lands.

1522 AD - 1542 AD : Bhuma and Lokba

1542 AD - 1572 AD : Kam Shah

1572 AD - 1597 AD : Babaji Ballal Shah
Babji Ballal Shah, the Ain-i-Akbari records the kingdom as being fully independent, and it even conquered some territory from nearby sultanates. 
Seldom is any mention made of these jungle kingdoms in the annals of the Imperial Court at Delhi but so prosperous and important had Southern Gondwana become at this period that in the Ain-i-Akbari or Chronicles of Akbar it is recorded of Babaji Ballal Shah Kam Shah's son that he paid no tribute to Delhi and possessed an army of 10,000 cavaliy and 40,000 infantry." In his reign the city of Wairagarh— the capital of their hereditary foes was added to the kingdom of Chanda.

However, during Akbar's rule, Babji Shah began paying tribute after the Mughals incorporated territory to their south into the Berar Subah

1597 AD - 1622 AD : Dhundia Ram Shah
it was during his reign that the city - walls surrounding Chanda were completed and , as such , inaugurated by him with due ceremonies , which included , among other things .

1611 AD : Govind Rao
1611 AD: During the reign of emperor Jahangir grants to Govind Rao sardeshmukh of the domain of Raja Birshah and Raja Ballashah zamindari and jagir rights that is the rights of revenue collection and local administration in the five villages of Sirpur, Pangri, Kanchapalli, Jainur and Chorpalli.

1622 AD - 1640 AD : Krishna Shah 
Son. Extended territory to Nagpur.
The custom of sacrificing cows to the gond god pharsa pen was abolished by him and it was substituted with goat.
1637 A.D - In January of 1637, Deogarh was invaded by Khan-i-Dauran joined by Krishna Shah of Chanda, who had an enmity with the Deogarh kings since the reign of Jatba. Kok Shah was defeated in the siege of the Nagpur fort and submitted to Khan-i-Dauran on 16 January 1637.

1640 AD - 1691 AD : Bir ShahBir Shah discontinues tribute to the Moghuls following the house arrest of Shah Jahan, but Aurangzeb sends an army under the command of Diler Khan to attack the Gonds, forcing them to sue for peace.

1691 AD - 1735 A.D - Ram Shah
Famous for wisdom and uprightness was Ram Shah, one of the last kings of Chanda, that it is reported of him that when Raghuji Bhonsla, the Maratha leader, visited Chanda, with a view to seeking a pretext for a quarrel, he ended his visit by almost worshipping him as a god. " Well would it have been, so Canon Wood writes in his article on Chanda, 'if the fast failing thread of the Gond rule had been severed at Ram Shah's death."

Mubariz Khan

1724 AD : Nizam-e-Mulk
In 1724 AD, Nizam-e-Mulk defeated Mubariz Khan and took possession of the Deccan and began to rule.

1735 AD - 1751 A.D - Neelkanth Shah
For Ram Shah's son and successor, Nilkanth Shah, was an evil and cruel ruler, who dismissed his father's most trustworthy councillors, ground down his subjects, and interfered foolishly and needlessly in the political disputes of Deogarh. And all the time the Maratha foe was but waiting for his opportunity, and when he again approached the gates of the royal city of Chanda, it was not by force of arms, but by the treachery of a discontented people, that he triumphed.

1751 AD : The last Gond Raja Nilkanth Shah was defeated and imprisoned by Raghoji Bhonsla of Nagpur in 1751 AD and merged into Nagpur.

1751 AD - Bhonsale dynasty
1751 AD - 14 Feb, 1755 AD : Raghoji I Bhonsle (1739 – 14 Feb 1755)

14 Feb, 1755 AD - 21 May 1772 AD : Janoji Bhonsle

21 May 1772 AD - 19 May 1788 AD : Mudhoji Bhonsle
1773 AD Entered into an agreement with Nizam Ali Khan, Nizam of Hyderabad by which he agreed to cede Manikgarh (Rajura of Chandrapur) with surrounding territories south of Penganga to the Nizam, in return for the forts of Gavilgarh and Narnala of Amaravati district - Berar.

19 May 1788 AD - 1803 AD : Raghoji II Bhonsle (19 May 1788 AD - 22 Mar 1816 AD)
1795 AD : Jukut Rao
In 1795 the nizams of Hyderabad were at war with Marathas, who’s power reached Zenith in 18th C.AD Gond chief, Jukut Rao, held the district a djoining the maratha territory a s Jagir from the Bhonsles ( Marathas). 

1803 AD : Marathas occupied Adilabad district till Nirmal from Nizam. In 1803 AD as a result of war between the British and Raghoji Bhonsle II, under the treaty of Deogaon, the latter ceded the territory of Berar to the British who in turn passed it on to their ally, the Nizam under treaty obligations for his co-operation in the war. Consequently, Sirpur, the ancient seat of the Gond rulers, passed into the hands of the Asaf Jahi rulers till the state of Hyderabad joined the Indian Union


c. 1840 AD - 9th April 1860 AD : Ramji Gond
Ramji Gond ruled Asifabad wich comprised some parts of Nirmal and Adilabad areas. At that time the area was known as Jangam.

Gonds under Ramji Gond's leadership revolted against the British, which was suppressed by the then administrators at Nirmal.

1864 AD : When from 1864 onwards the ryotwari system was implemented in Hyderabad state by its prime minister Salarjung I (1853-1883), the Gond Rajas and chiefs all lost their jagirs (land grants) and watan (revenue collectiion) rights.

Only the Raja of Sirpur was honoured with a jagirdari right and Raja of Utnur with maqta (estate) right over five villages

1867 AD : Yadav Shah
1869 AD The tutelary Rajas (zamindars) who hitherto had symbolic rights of land were given proprietary rights to their estates in a settlement in 1869. In this way 20 zamindaris were created in the Chanda of which 17 were Gonds, two were Hindus and one muslim.

1872 AD : Under Asaf jahis a sub district by name Sirpur-tandur was created in 1872 with three talukas namely Edulapuram (Adilabad), Rajura and Sirpur.

1905 AD : Ram Shah
By 1905 full-fledged district was created by name Adilabad, with Adilabad town as its head quarters by including Nirmal, Nasspur talukas from Nizamabad (Indur) and C hennur, Luxetipet talukas from Elagandla ( Karimnagar) districts. By bifurcating Nasspur taluka a new Kinwat taluka was created and remaining villages of the Nasspur taluka were added to Nirmal taluka. 

1907 AD : In 1906 Janagaon taluka was created. 1907 it was renamed as Asifabad, in this few villages of Sirpur and Luxetipet talukas w ere a dded. Thus A dilabad district was formed with eight talukas ( Rajura, 
Sirpur, Asifabad, Adilabad, Luxetipet, Chinoor, Nirmal, and Kinwat)

1905 AD - 1906 AD : Deo Shah uncle of Ram Shah

1906 AD : Govind Shah brother of Ram Shah
1907 AD : In 1906 Jangam taluka was created. 1907 it was renamed as Asifabad, in this few villages of Sirpur and Luxetipet talukas were added. Thus Adilabad district was formed with eight talukas ( Rajura,
Sirpur, Asifabad, Adilabad, Luxetipet, Chinoor, Nirmal, and Kinwat)

1906 AD - 1918 AD : Dinker Shah son of Govind Shah
In 1913-14 AD headquarter was shifted to Asifabad from Adilabad and was once again shifted back 
to Adilabad by 1940-41

1918 AD - 1947 AD : Yadav Shah

As late as the 1940 the Raja Akbar Shah of Chanda, who was of Atram clan, occupied the highest position within the traditional feudal system

Atram Rajas of Sirpur
Rajas of Atram clan whose descendants possess still the original sanad- documents granted by the Emperor Aurangzeb in 1611 AD.

The Atram Rajas of Sirpur in Utnur taluk were related and subordinate to Atram Rajas of Chanda.

Raja Atram Jangu Bapu
Atram Jangu Bapu, the raja of Kanchanpalli who set up the village Kanchanpalli dug up the well for the villagers. 

Narsing Rao
Recognized as Deshmukh. Lived in Mamidpalli at the end of his life and not in Sirpur.

Sitagondi rajas ruled also over part of the present Asifabad taluk and gave to the ancestor of the Maravi rajas the village of Borda (Borjam) near Dorli between Asifabad and Tilani.

Govind Rao
In the year 1914 , two important changes were made in the Adilabad District ; first one was the transfer of headquarters of the District from Adilabad to Asifabad

Rajesh Rao
Accepted the offer of Bhim Rao of Kanchanpalli to help him in the administration of Sirpur Patti.

1942 AD : Bheemrao Senior
It was in 1942 that Ethnographer Haimendorf and his wife Elizabeth had first come to Kanchanpalli, situated in Sirpur (U) mandal about 12 km from Jainoor mandal headquarters village, seeking help from Bheem Rao senior for their research work.

Ethnographer is a person who studies and describes the culture of a particular society or group

Bhagwant Rao 
As late as the 1950s the Gonds of Sirpur occasionally approached the Zamindar of Ahiri for the settlement of disputes , and he fulfilled certain functions of a tribal head 

Atram Bheemrao

Atram Bheemrao, of the present 6th generation of the family, told Decan Chronicle that Raja Jangu Bapu belonged to the family’s first generation.

Atram Bheem Rao, inheritor of the Gond Raja of Kanchanpalli title, remembers Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf and his contributions to improving the lives of the Raj Gond and other Adivasi tribes of the Adilabad region. When he does, he visits a 250-metre high hill near his village, atop which is a small platform made of stones, to pay his respects to the memory of the legendary Austrian ethnographer.

Sitagondi Branch
Israi Jangu Babu 



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumuram_Bheem_Tribal_Museum

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Dandari-Ghusadi Festival

The Dandari-Ghusadi or Gussadi festival of Telangana is celebrated by the tribal communities of the Raj Gond and Kolam tribes. The Dandari-Ghusadi season is all about a robust dance festival that is celebrated for about 10 days during Deepavli.  The festival ends on Diwali day with the Ghusadi tado taking off their attire ritualistically.

The celebrations usually begin with the tribals visiting the Padmalpuri Khako shrine at Gudirevu village of Dandepalli mandal in Mancherial district, on the banks of the Godavari river. On the occasion, the Adivasis present offerings to the river. They also end the festival at the Padmalpuri Khako as the shrine is of great importance for the people belonging to ethnic groups

It starts on the day we see a crescent moon and end on the dark moon day. We start the festival by performing the Sakshe Akadi and end it on the Devadi day. Once the Sakshe Akadi is performed, the tribals would attain the festive spirits and the entire week would witness the fervour of the fest.

The tribals’ love for music also becomes so evident during the festival time that one, if they visit to one of these villages, can find several instruments — like thudum, pepera, kalikom, dappu, ghumela, dhol, vetti and karra — that are not easily findable in our markets.

During the festive season, the Dandari and Gussadi dance troupes tour the tribal villages, stay there overnight, and perform traditional rituals. 

Adivasis celebrate Gussadi-Dandari dance festival with drums and rituals. They worship Yethmasarpe or god of soul. 

During the 10 days preceding Diwali, every Adivasi village across the four northern most districts of Telangana gets transformed into a festive arena where the Raj Gond and Kolam aboriginal tribes celebrate the exuberant Dandari-Ghusadi dance festival.  

The Dandari-Ghusadi dance festival, is an opportunity for the eligible bachelors to find their life partners and some 100 marriages are finalised in this manner in the Agency villages of Adilabad, Kumram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial and Nirmal districts, which were part of the undivided Adilabad.

The ethnic dance is an exhilarating visual display of tribal culture through which these ethnic tribes also look to foster marital alliances; it also provides a platform to promote awareness on key contemporary issues faced by the Adivasis.

The first day, we reached the village of Mallapur, where the Bhogi pooja was scheduled to start in the morning. As soon as we reached, the masks, dance sticks, peacock crowns and musical instruments, collectively known as Dandari-pen (pen meaning God in Gondi), were brought in front of the village head’s home and ceremoniously worshiped. After the rituals were complete all the men of the village came together to offer prayers and seek blessings.

Soon after, the women too gathered around the Dandari-pen and performed rituals of lighting lamps, incense sticks and breaking coconuts.

The Ghusadi-thado or Ghusarks, are a personification of the God of Creation and, as per Raj Gond mythology, are said to protect the marriage procession of Yetma, the daughter of the God of Creation. When she marries a Raj Gond, the procession travels through dense forests and hence the Ghusarks accompany her. The Dandar-Ghusadi is a re-enactment of this marriage procession in every Raj Gond/Kolam village in Northern Telangana.

Pittabongaram is another village a little over 5 km away from Mallapur. We were told that the Dandari-Ghusadi troupe from a village called Kannapur were visiting, and were guided to the scene of action. In front of the Dandari-pen, about 8 Ghusadi-thados were having their meal from the same plate. As soon as they were done, the hosts offered prayers to the Dandari-pen, and a Ghusarks donned their peacock crowns. A bugle made of the horns of an Indian bison was sounded, indicating start of the proceedings.

Ghusadi Dance
As the resounding beats of traditional percussion instruments coupled with tunes flowing out of the pepre (a smaller shehnai like wind instrument) waft around, the Ghusarks enter the arena in a line taking simple steps. With live music playing at a fairly even tempo, the dance sequences were characterised by simple repetitive steps with equally simple formations. And an energy had pervaded around leaving the entire audience eagerly waiting the next routine.

Needless to say, the performance was extremely engrossing, with the gentle swaying of the peacock crowns following the footsteps of the dancers, as well as the shadows they made on the ground beneath, all adding up to the audio-visual spectacle.

Later that evening, we revisited Mallapur, where the Ghusadi–thados were getting ready with help from para-poriks. Para-poriks are young adolescent boys who are also part of Dandari-Ghusadi troupe, but dressed in women’s clothing, as they are said to represent Yetma. Madavi Babu Rao, a Ghusark , was busy getting into his elaborate costume. His legs, hands and torso are smeared with ash and designs are also made. At times, Ghusarks also wear false moustaches and beards, but Babu Rao wasn’t going to sport them. Large strings of beads are placed around his neck and bells are tied around his waist as well as feet.

In addition to hundreds of peacock feathers, his extraordinary headgear also had a pair of ram horns, a small mirror and was decorated with colourful shiny flecks all around.

Throwing light on his role during the Dandari-Ghusadi festival, his mother explains, “This ritual is like a deeksha. He leaves home today and will probably return only after five days (at least). He will travel to the designated villages and during this period he must sit or sleep only on the deer-skin and will not even take a bath.”

“The Ghusarks are an embodiment of God and because God is pure and omnipotent, what is the need for a bath” Pusam Anand Rao, an elder reasons out why Ghusarks are not expected to sleep or wash themselves.

The entire village assembled around Durva Shambhu Patel’s home as they reverently wished the Ghusarks and the Dandari troupe the best for their onward journey. As the mood of celebration spread around, a few dances were performed first by the Ghusarks, and later by the women of the village.

The next morning, we headed to Pittabongaram once again, this time the arena shifted as another Ghusadi troupe from the village of Marutiguda was visiting.

The dance moves of the Ghusarks are but an imitation of the movement of the wild animals and cattle, more specifically the deer, peacock, rabbit, nilgai and bison. Having dwelt in the forests and sharing the habitat with wild life as well as domestic animals, these have also become an integral part of their rituals.

After the Ghusadi dance, the stage was cleared, and Mesram Raju and a group walked in to perform a skit. It revolved around a conversation between an elderly Adivasi couple and some officials from the revenue department, peppered with doses of humour that had the audience in splits.

The play was about the impact of the Purification of Land Records, an ongoing programme undertaken by the Telangana government for making necessary correction in records pertaining to agricultural lands. The performers tried to drive home the point that the correction of the land records will reveal the Adivasis as the true owners of the lands which had been encroached upon by non-tribals.

“We hope to get justice through the land record purification. The exercise should reveal the extent to which the lands of our gullible ethnic people is under encroachment,” Raju sounded optimistic. 

Dandari Dance
It was now the turn of Dandaris to take centre stage, as they stand in a large circle with sticks in their hand. The lilting music is dotted intermittently with the dancers tapping each other’s sticks.

The Ghusarks make an inner circle while the Dandaris dance in the outer periphery. When a routine is soon to change, the leader hums “Cha-choi Cha-choi” and the rest of dancers respond by humming “chaah-ve”, in acknowledgement.

It is noteworthy that both the Dandari-Ghusadi troupes (host and visiting) dance together effortlessly as if they had rehearsed sufficiently. No dancer in either troupe misses a step or a beat nor does he move out of a formation.

The Dandari dance offers the eligible bachelors of the visiting troupe an opportunity to impress and draw the attention of the parents of unmarried girls with their dancing skills. A girl watching the courtship dance, which runs for a night and a day, can inform their parents if a boy catches her fancy. After the conclusion of the festival, the families of the girls and boys follow up on the nuptials mutually.

For about ten days before Diwali, the Dandari-Ghusadi troupes in every tribal village make it a point visit as well as host troupes from other villages. The villages they visit are where their sisters or daughters have been given in marriage. All these visits are decided before hand and the troupes from other villages are welcome with great fanfare. The Dandari-Ghusadi festival is a fine example of how the tribal men keep in touch with the women from their family even after she leaves after marriage. These rituals of the forest dwellers help them stay interconnected and also underscores the importance they attached to fostering marital ties and maintaining kinship.



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Raj Gonds – Reflections in a Peacock Crown



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Sirpur Fort

Sirpur Tandur or Sarbar or Sirbar, formerly known as Suryapuram, is a town and a mandal in Komaram Bheem district of the Indian state of Telangana.

In very early days, a great Hindu city Bhadravati, dedicated to Bhadra (a name for the god Shiva), the capital of the Vakataka kings.

Hiuen Tsang a Chinese Buddhist pilgrim thought fit to give of it when writing in A.D. 639. One hundred monasteries are here and ten thousand Buddhist priests are among its inhabitants and in due course Kosala, and its Buddhist rulers, faded away, to be replaced by the Manas or Nagvansi (snake worshippers) kings of Wairagarh.

1199 AD : Kakatiya king Ganapatideva granted land to a certain Brahmin named Manchibhattopadhyaya for establishing Sirpur taluk in Adilabad district by Chennur Allumprola Raja.

The Gonds of Chanda originated from Sirpur in what is now northern Telangana and were said to have overthrown the previous rulers of the country, called the Mana dynasty

According to Gond legends, a Gond chief, Bhim Ballal Singh, organized the Gonds and established his rule in Sirpur in 870 AD. The legend also names 19 Gond rulers.

1310 AD : Ananir (or Ananur)
The same day Malik Kafur reached Bavagarh, he led a cavalry unit to besiege Sabar, a fort located within the Kakatiya frontier region. Historian Kishori Saran Lal identifies Sabar with modern Sirpur. Khusrau's account suggests that this was a surprise attack for the defenders: faced with a certain defeat, some of them committed suicide with their wives and children in a jauhar fire. Some others, probably including the fort's commander, were killed after Kafur's soldiers entered the fort. The surviving defenders were ready to fight to death, but then a truce was negotiated because of intervention by Khwaja Haji. Ananir (or Ananur), a brother of the fort's commander, was found hiding in a field. He surrendered to the invaders, and was appointed as the fort's new governor by Malik Kafur. Some of the refugees from Sabar fled to Warangal

c. 1330 AD - 1751 A.D: Sirpur-Chanda Gond Dynasty of Gondwana Kingdom
Founder : Kol Bhill or Kol Bheel or Kolkhil
Capitals : Sirpur (modern Komaram Bheem Asifabad district, Telangana), Ballarsha, Chanda (Chandrapur district, Maharashtra)
Languages : Gondi language is known as ‘Koyator’ among Gonds. Southern Gondi, Adilabad Gondi, Northern Gondi, Aheri Gondi are variants of the language.
Religion : Brahmanical Hinduism or Cult of the Persa Pen (clan deities); ancestor spirit worship
Royal Emblem : Lion and Elephant
Family Name: Singh, Shah

Bhim Ballal Singh
Contemporary of Kakatiya Ganapatideva Bhim Ballal Singh actually started the Sirpur-Chanda Gond Kingdom. His capital was at Sirpur, on the right bank of the Wardha river, and his chief stronghold was the fortress of Manikgarh, in the hills behind Sirpur. For the first eight generations these Gond kings reigned at Sirpur, in the modern State of Telangana.

The Gond King, Bhim Ballal Sing built Sirpur Fort

Kharja Bhallal Singh
Son of Bhim Ballal Singh

Hira or Heera Singh

Andia Bhallal Singh

Talwar Singh

Kesar Singh

Dinkar or Dinakar Singh

Ram Singh

1405 AD - 1437 AD - Surja Ballal Singh alis Ser Shah

1472 AD - 1497 AD : Khandkia or Khandkya Ballal Shah
Changed Capital from Sirpur to first Ballarsha and later to Chanda.

1497 AD - 1522 AD: Heer Shah
Hira or Heera Singh Conspicuous amongst these rulers was Hir Singh the grandson of Bhim Ballal Singh. Brave in war and wise in administration he was the first to persuade his wild fellow-countrymen to cultivate the land. To him is attributed some- thing like a rudimentary land-revenue system. First to levy tax on occupied lands.

1522 AD - 1542 AD : Bhuma and Lokba

1542 AD - 1572 AD : Kam Shah

1572 AD - 1597 AD : Babaji Ballal Shah
Babji Ballal Shah, the Ain-i-Akbari records the kingdom as being fully independent, and it even conquered some territory from nearby sultanates. 
Seldom is any mention made of these jungle kingdoms in the annals of the Imperial Court at Delhi but so prosperous and important had Southern Gondwana become at this period that in the Ain-i-Akbari or Chronicles of Akbar it is recorded of Babaji Ballal Shah Kam Shah's son that he paid no tribute to Delhi and possessed an army of 10,000 cavaliy and 40,000 infantry." In his reign the city of Wairagarh— the capital of their hereditary foes was added to the kingdom of Chanda.

However, during Akbar's rule, Babji Shah began paying tribute after the Mughals incorporated territory to their south into the Berar Subah

1597 AD - 1622 AD : Dhundia Ram Shah
it was during his reign that the city - walls surrounding Chanda were completed and , as such , inaugurated by him with due ceremonies , which included , among other things .

1611 AD : Govind Rao
1611 AD: During the reign of emperor Jahangir grants to Govind Rao sardeshmukh of the domain of Raja Birshah and Raja Ballashah zamindari and jagir rights that is the rights of revenue collection and local administration in the five villages of Sirpur, Pangri, Kanchapalli, Jainur and Chorpalli.

1622 AD - 1640 AD : Krishna Shah
Son. Extended territory to Nagpur.
The custom of sacrificing cows to the gond god pharsa pen was abolished by him and it was substituted with goat.
1637 A.D - In January of 1637, Deogarh was invaded by Khan-i-Dauran joined by Krishna Shah of Chanda, who had an enmity with the Deogarh kings since the reign of Jatba. Kok Shah was defeated in the siege of the Nagpur fort and submitted to Khan-i-Dauran on 16 January 1637.

1640 AD - 1691 AD : Bir ShahBir Shah discontinues tribute to the Moghuls following the house arrest of Shah Jahan, but Aurangzeb sends an army under the command of Diler Khan to attack the Gonds, forcing them to sue for peace.

1691 AD - 1735 A.D - Ram Shah
Famous for wisdom and uprightness was Ram Shah, one of the last kings of Chanda, that it is reported of him that when Raghuji Bhonsla, the Maratha leader, visited Chanda, with a view to seeking a pretext for a quarrel, he ended his visit by almost worshipping him as a god. " Well would it have been, so Canon Wood writes in his article on Chanda, 'if the fast failing thread of the Gond rule had been severed at Ram Shah's death."

Mubariz Khan

1724 AD : Nizam-e-Mulk
In 1724 AD, Nizam-e-Mulk defeated Mubariz Khan and took possession of the Deccan and began to rule.

1735 AD - 1751 A.D - Neelkanth Shah
For Ram Shah's son and successor, Nilkanth Shah, was an evil and cruel ruler, who dismissed his father's most trustworthy councillors, ground down his subjects, and interfered foolishly and needlessly in the political disputes of Deogarh. And all the time the Maratha foe was but waiting for his opportunity, and when he again approached the gates of the royal city of Chanda, it was not by force of arms, but by the treachery of a discontented people, that he triumphed.

1751 AD : The last Gond Raja Nilkanth Shah was defeated and imprisoned by Raghoji Bhonsla of Nagpur in 1751 AD and merged into Nagpur.

1751 AD - Bhonsale dynasty
1751 AD - 14 Feb, 1755 AD : Raghoji I Bhonsle (1739 – 14 Feb 1755)

14 Feb, 1755 AD - 21 May 1772 AD : Janoji Bhonsle

21 May 1772 AD - 19 May 1788 AD : Mudhoji Bhonsle
1773 AD Entered into an agreement with Nizam Ali Khan, Nizam of Hyderabad by which he agreed to cede Manikgarh (Rajura of Chandrapur) with surrounding territories south of Penganga to the Nizam, in return for the forts of Gavilgarh and Narnala of Amaravati district - Berar.

19 May 1788 AD - 1803 AD : Raghoji II Bhonsle (19 May 1788 AD - 22 Mar 1816 AD)
1795 AD : Jukut Rao
In 1795 the nizams of Hyderabad were at war with Marathas, who’s power reached Zenith in 18th C.AD Gond chief, Jukut Rao, held the district a djoining the maratha territory a s Jagir from the Bhonsles ( Marathas).

1803 AD : Marathas occupied Adilabad district till Nirmal from Nizam. In 1803 AD as a result of war between the British and Raghoji Bhonsle II, under the treaty of Deogaon, the latter ceded the territory of Berar to the British who in turn passed it on to their ally, the Nizam under treaty obligations for his co-operation in the war. Consequently, Sirpur, the ancient seat of the Gond rulers, passed into the hands of the Asaf Jahi rulers till the state of Hyderabad joined the Indian Union


9th April 1860 AD : Ramji Gond

1864 AD : When from 1864 onwards the ryotwari system was implemented in Hyderabad state by its prime minister Salarjung I (1853-1883), the Gond Rajas and chiefs all lost their jagirs (land grants) and watan (revenue collectiion) rights.

Only the Raja of Sirpur was honoured with a jagirdari right and Raja of Utnur with maqta (estate) right over five villages

1867 AD : Yadav Shah
1869 AD The tutelary Rajas (zamindars) who hitherto had symbolic rights of land were given proprietary rights to their estates in a settlement in 1869. In this way 20 zamindaris were created in the Chanda of which 17 were Gonds, two were Hindus and one muslim.

1872 AD : Under Asaf jahis a sub district by name Sirpur-tandur was created in 1872 with three talukas namely Edulapuram (Adilabad), Rajura and Sirpur.

1905 AD : Ram Shah
By 1905 full-fledged district was created by name Adilabad, with Adilabad town as its head quarters by including Nirmal, Nasspur talukas from Nizamabad (Indur) and C hennur, Luxetipet talukas from Elagandla ( Karimnagar) districts. By bifurcating Nasspur taluka a new Kinwat taluka was created and remaining villages of the Nasspur taluka were added to Nirmal taluka. 

1907 AD : In 1906 Janagaon taluka was created. 1907 it was renamed as Asifabad, in this few villages of Sirpur and Luxetipet talukas w ere a dded. Thus A dilabad district was formed with eight talukas ( Rajura, 
Sirpur, Asifabad, Adilabad, Luxetipet, Chinoor, Nirmal, and Kinwat)

1905 AD - 1906 AD : Deo Shah uncle of Ram Shah

1906 AD : Govind Shah brother of Ram Shah

1906 AD - 1918 AD : Dinker Shah son of Govind Shah
In 1913-14 AD headquarter was shifted to Asifabad from Adilabad and was once again shifted back
to Adilabad by 1940-41

1918 AD - 1947 AD : Yadav Shah

As late as the 1940 the Raja Akbar Shah of Chanda, who was of Atram clan, occupied the highest position within the traditional feudal system

Atram Rajas of Sirpur
Rajas of Atram clan whose descendants possess still the original sanad- documents granted by the Emperor Aurangzeb in 1611 AD.

The Atram Rajas of Sirpur in Utnur taluk were related and subordinate to Atram Rajas of Chanda.

Raja Atram Jangu Bapu
Atram Jangu Bapu, the raja of Kanchanpalli who set up the village Kanchanpalli dug up the well for the villagers. 

Narsing Rao
Recognized as Deshmukh. Lived in Mamidpalli at the end of his life and not in Sirpur.

Sitagondi rajas ruled also over part of the present Asifabad taluk and gave to the ancestor of the Maravi rajas the village of Borda (Borjam) near Dorli between Asifabad and Tilani.

Govind Rao

Rajesh Rao
Accepted the offer of Bhim Rao of Kanchanpalli to help him in the administration of Sirpur Patti.

1942 AD : Bheemrao Senior
It was in 1942 that Ethnographer Haimendorf and his wife Elizabeth had first come to Kanchanpalli, situated in Sirpur (U) mandal about 12 km from Jainoor mandal headquarters village, seeking help from Bheem Rao senior for their research work.

Ethnographer is a person who studies and describes the culture of a particular society or group

Bhagwant Rao 
As late as the 1950s the Gonds of Sirpur occasionally approached the Zamindar of Ahiri for the settlement of disputes , and he fulfilled certain functions of a tribal head

Atram Bheemrao

Atram Bheemrao, of the present 6th generation of the family, told Decan Chronicle that Raja Jangu Bapu belonged to the family’s first generation.

Atram Bheem Rao, inheritor of the Gond Raja of Kanchanpalli title, remembers Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf and his contributions to improving the lives of the Raj Gond and other Adivasi tribes of the Adilabad region. When he does, he visits a 250-metre high hill near his village, atop which is a small platform made of stones, to pay his respects to the memory of the legendary Austrian ethnographer.

Sitagondi Branch
Israi Jangu Babu




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Ramji Gond

Name: Ramji Gond
Born: Present Asifabad District, Telangana State, India (erstwhile Hyderabad Princely State)
Died: 9 April 1860

Ramji Gond, who hailed from current Nirmal and combined Adilabad district of Telangana, was among the most prominent leaders of the First War of Independence in the erstwhile Hyderabad Princely State, who ruled the tribal areas in present-day Adilabad, Nirmal and Asifabad districts of Telangana. The areas under his rule included Nirmal, Utnoor, Chennuru, and Asifabad. 

Ramji Gond and the Rohillas leader called Miya Saheb Khurd jointly fought a guerrilla campaign against the British, for which he was caught and hanged on 9 April 1860.

1857: Hyderabad Sepoy Revolt - First war of Independence
Many regions in Nizam’s domains were aflame with anti-British sentiments when the mass insurrections broke out in 1857. Among these was the Adilabad district, where the resident Gond tribal community who were unhappy with the state’s oppression and exploitation of the peasantry, and its support of the activities of the British colonial state. The Gonds were joined in their endeavour by the Rohillas, who proclaimed Nana Saheb as their leader and pledged to plunder the territory of the Nizam for allying with the British. Under the leadership of Ramji Gond, the Gonds and the Rohillas kept up the joint insurrection for almost two years. The British assigned a massive armed force to suppress this uprising but to no avail. 

It was only in 1860 that the rebellion was quelled after several armed clashes, in which several people, from both sides, died. However, Ramji Gond managed to escape the colonial pursuit and remained free. Though the British archival documents do not speak of Ramji’s arrest, according to the legends preserved by the Gonds, he was arrested later, tried, and hanged. The tree from which he was hung is venerated even today as “Gondumarri" or Ramji Chettu.

Legends say that about a thousand Gond revolutionaries were hanged to the trunks of a banyan tree on the outskirts of Nirmal, which came to be known as Banyan of Nooses (Veyyi Urula Marri) fell down a decade ago.
 
The hanging of 1000 Gonds of Telangana was a more brutal and earlier event than the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. At the time this mass hanging of Gonds did not get widespread attention.

Ramji Gond’s legendary contributions to the anti-imperialist struggle in 1857 remain inspirational for us even to this day.

Nov 14, 2007: Stupa, built by Telangana Sangarshana Samithi, unveiled on November 14, 2007, by balladeer Gaddar and Bellal Naik, at the height of the separate Telangana movement, marks the spot where it once stood. The macabre incident inspired many of the freedom fighters who challenged British rule.

Nov 15: 2021 : As part of its commitment towards development of tribal community, the state government with help from the Centre will set up a Ramji Gond memorial museum in Telangana, a press note from Telangana tribal welfare ministry stated.
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Sirpur-Chanda Gond Dynasty

c.1310 AD - 1750 A.D: Sirpur-Chanda Gond Dynasty of Gondwana Kingdom
Founder : Kol Bhill or Kol Bheel or Kolkhil 
Capitals : Sirpur (modern Komaram Bheem Asifabad district, Telangana), Ballarsha, Chanda (Chandrapur district, Maharashtra)
Languages : Gondi language is known as ‘Koyator’ among Gonds. Southern Gondi, Adilabad Gondi, Northern Gondi, Aheri Gondi are variants of the language.
Religion : Brahmanical Hinduism or Cult of the Persa Pen (clan deities); ancestor spirit worship
Royal Emblem : Lion and Elephant
Family Name: Singh, Shah
Sirpur-Chanda Gond Kingdom flourished along with Kakatiyas, Mususnuru, Recharla Padmanayakas, Bahmani, Golkonda, Moghul and Asaf-Jahi dynasties.

The term ‘Gond’ is derived from Telugu ‘Konda’ which refers to a hill. Tribal communities living in hills of central India are called Gonds. They also call themselves Koitur / Koya, or “the ones who come from the green mountains”. They may be found in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Odisha. They are one of the largest tribal communities in India with a population of over three million as per 2011 census records. Their presence is widely divided across central India. They were classified as Raj-gonds, Khatola gonds, Madia gonds, Dhur gonds, Dadve gonds, Mokasi gonds, Gaita Gonds, Koyas, etc. Raj Gonds belong to the ruling class among them.
Adilabad in Telangana speak Gondi influenced by Telugu language. So, one may understand that ‘Gondi’ today refers to those who speak Gondi language. Gondi language is known as ‘Koyator’ among Gonds.

In Telangana the Raj Gonds are mostly confined to Adilabad district, though a few groups can be seen in adjoining Karimnagar district. They have spread up to borders of Maharashtra state.
The Rajgonds finally established their four kingdoms through their distinct dynasties Mundla-Gurrah, Kherla, Sirpur-Chanda and Deogarh the fifth dynasty was established at Warangal.

Adilabad based kingdom spread across Adilabad district of Telangana, Chandrapur and Bhandara districts in Maharashtra state. The rulers were known to have developed systematic irrigation channels & refined revenue system.

Between the 14th and the 18th centuries, three main Gond kingdoms existed; Garha-Mandla occupied the upper Narmada Valley, Deogarh-Nagpur occupied the Kanhan River and upper Wainganga River valleys, and Chanda-Sirpur occupied present-day Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, and eastern Adilabad districts.

 Kol Bhill or Kol Bheel or Kolkhil
According to the local Gond traditions, a hero known as Kol Bhill or Kol Bheel rose among them whose name is a curious combination of the names of two other aboriginal races (Kols and Bhils), that the Southern Gonds or Sirpur-Chanda Gonds owe the beginnings of their rule. A man of great strength and wisdom, he first welded the Gond tribes together, and taught them the elements of civilisation. He gathered the scattered Gond tribes and formed them into a sort of nation, teaching them the extraction of iron from iron ore and other elements of civilization.

He led the Gonds against the Naga tribals of Mana Dynasty of Wairagarh of present-day Maharashtra, who had dominated the region for about 200 years. After years of warfare the Manas fell to the Gonds, who replaced them.

According to Gond legends, a Gond chief, Bhim Ballal Singh, organized the Gonds and established his rule in Sirpur in 870 AD. The legend also names 19 Gond rulers.

Bhim Ballal Singh
His capital was at Sirpur, on the right bank of the Wardha river, and his chief stronghold was the fortress of Manikgarh, in the hills behind Sirpur. For the first eight generations these Gond kings reigned at Sirpur, in the modern State of Telangana. 

But the Manas fort of Manikgarh in the high ranges of the hills remained

Kharja Bhallal Singh 
Son of Bhim Ballal Singh

Hira or Heera Singh 
Conspicuous amongst these rulers was Hir Singh the grandson of Bhim Ballal Singh. Brave in war and wise in administration he was the first to persuade his wild fellow-countrymen to cultivate the land. To him is attributed some- thing like a rudimentary land-revenue system. First to levy tax on occupied lands.

Andia Bhallal Singh
Andea son of Heera Singh came to rule after his father and harassed people by increasing taxes. People revolted against him and died very early. 

Talwar Singh
Andea's son Talwar Singh succeeded his father. He was a good ruler, gave relief and freedom to people who were harassed under his father. His minister and chief of forts misued his confidence in them and harassed people and increased taxes again. They created their own army and got ready to declare indolence. Talwar singh could not control them and made his son Kesar Singh ruler of the kingdom and retired.

Kesar Singh
As Kesar Singh was courageous, he fought battles with the chiefs of forts who turned against his father and suppressed them. He reduced taxes and focussed on agriculture sector and provided irrigation facilities like ponds and dug drinking water wells. He also introduced administrative reforms again and gained the respect of the people.

Dinkar or Dinakar Singh
Dinakar Singh son of Kesar Singh, succeeded him. He was a patron of literature and arts and patronized several musicians and Marathi scholars of Maharashtra. His period was called as the golden era of Gondwana Kingdom. The culture of the Gond court improved. Though a self-indulgent character he was in some respects more enlightened than his predecessors. Gond bards flocked to his capital at Sirpur and pundits acquainted with Marathi, were encouraged to settle there.

Ram Singh
On his death his son Ram Singh succeeded him. Of him it is writte " Just and truthful in his intercourse with his subjects and daring and successful as a soldier. Ram Singh governed the kingdom righteously and enlarged its bounds. 

To increase its security he erected several hill-forts on the south-west, and maintained a chosen band of warriors called ' Tarvels' or Tarvekas or Tadavel. These men had eaten the * taru ' (a rare orchid) with certain ceremonial obser- vances, and were supposed. to be invulnerable. To each of his Tarvels the King made grants of land."

Ahmed Shah of the Bahamani empire attacks his kingdom and invests Fort Mahur, capturing Kalamb. This results in the massacre of many Hindus.

1405 AD - 1437 AD - Surja Ballal Singh alis Ser Shah
Ram Singh was succeeded by his son Surja Ballal Singh, who is one of the most romantic figures of old Gondwana. Handsome in person, and a lover of adventure he began his princely career by some years of wandering. After visiting Benares, the holy city of Hinduism, he journeyed to Lucknow, where he devoted himself to the study of war and song. His troubadour- like existence in Oudh, however, was cut short in a rather unpleasant manner. The looting pro- pensities of his Gond escort having reached the ears of the Emperor at Delhi, orders went out for the Gond prince's arrest. This was no easy matter, as his brave Tarvels were ever watchful of their master, and on several occasions proved more than a match for the imperial troops, who were sent from Delhi to arrest him. One day, however, when wandering near Lucknow, without his escort, BaUal Singh was captured, and carried off to Delhi, where he was kept in close confine- ment. Horrified at^ the capture of their brave prince, his escort of Tarvels hastened back to Gondwana to break the evil tidings at the Gond capital of Sirpur. Then it was that the " tocsin " resounded throughout the forest lands of Chanda, and the Tarvels were siunmoned by Jarba, the regent, to come speedily to the rescue of Ballal Singh. Meanwhile things had taken a turn for the better with Surja Ballal Singh. As he wiled away the weary hours of his captivity in song, it fell out one day that the Emperor's lovely daughter passing by that part of the palace where he was confined, heard him singing. Desirous of seeing the prince who could sing so well, she persuaded the Emperor to send for him. The result of this interview was just what Ballal Singh must have desired. Struck by his princely bearing the Emperor enquired whether Ballal Singh could fight as well as sing. On the Gond prince replying that he only longed for an opportunity of showing his skill in battle the Emperor allotted to him the difficult task of subduing the fortress of Mohan Singh which his own generals had failed to take. This Rajput prince had incurred the Emperor's displeasure by refusing to give his beautiful daughter to the imperial harem. Hardly had Ballal Singh accepted this honour- able tads^ and before he had time to start for Gondwana where he was about to raise an army of Gonds^there appeared before the gates of Delhi the Gond regent Jarba and an army of Tarvels and other Gonds, bent on the rescue of their prince. On learning the changed condition of affairs and that their prince was now a commander in the Muslim armies Jarba gladly agreed to accompany the expedition. Ten thousand picked soldiers from the imperial troops were added to the force, and Ballal Singh was soon on his way to the rebelious State. The campaign was a brief and successful one. The Tarvels, under the leadership of their prince, performed miracles of valour, stormed the fortress, slew the Rajah, and captured his widow and daughter.

Then follows the romance of the story. The beautiful widow implored the chivahous Surja Ballal Singh to save her and her daughter from the imperial harem and he overcome by her charms rashly undertook to do so. His task was by no means an easy one but Surja Ballal Singh eventually devised a plan by which he succeeded in deceiving the Emperor and acquiring the ladies for himself. A rumour was started by his orders among his troops, that his eldest son — a beautiful boy — had just arrived in camp. Disguising the beautiful young Rajputni princess in boy's dress, he placed her on the state elephant on which he himself rode triumphantly into Delhi. Proceeding to the imperial palace he announced his arrival and craved the audience of the Emperor. The Emperor seated on his throne in the Diwan-i-Khass welcomed the victorious prince, and taking the beautiful child on his knee addressed him as his dear child. Then turning to Ballal Singh he asked of him : " Where, O Prince, is the fruit of thy victory ? " " Your Majesty holds her in your lap," replied the Gond prince, " and as you have called her ' Your dear child ' she can be nothing else to you.*' What the Emperor really felt about this trick which Surja Ballal Singh had played on him we are not told. His honour, however, was now involved, and he at once renounced all claim to the Rajput ladies, who later on accompanied the Gond prince to his capital at Sirpur. It speaks well for an autocrat like the Emperor of Delhi that in spite of this act of deception he was ready to confer on Surja Ballal Singh a dress of honour as a reward for his bravery. The title of Sher Shah was also conferred on him, so that after his return from Delhi he was no longer known as Surja Ballal Singh, but as Sher Shah Ballal Shah. Readers of Gond records cannot fail to be struck by the fact that while the earlier rulers of the Northern and Southern Gond dynasties are styled " Singh " (the Rajput title for a ruler), the later rulers are styled " Shah," an abbreviated form of Padishah, the Muslim term for a ruler. Doubtless the change of title merely marked the decline of early Rajput influence, and the ascendency of the Moghul power.

1472 AD - 1497 AD : Khandkia or Khandkya Ballal Shah
Changed Capital from Sirpur to first Ballarsha and later to Chanda.
On the death of the Surja his son Khandkia Ballal Shah came to the throne. Suffering constantly from ill-healthy it seemed hardly possible that his reign would add any lustre to the southern house of Gond kings. And yet, strange though it may seem, it was this very ill-health of their ruler which was destined to bring about a change, which did so much to strengthen the position of the Southern Gond kingdom. Khandkia's queen was a woman of more than ordinary discernment and decision of character. In her anxiety for his health she urged him to abandon the home of his ancestors at Sirpur, and to seek a healthier and more secure capital on the opposite side of the Wardha river. Acting on her advice, the Gond king moved his capital to a site on the high banks of the left bank of the Wardha river which still bears his name. There he built the picturesque fortress of Ballarshah — now partly in ruins — which commands a splendid view of the river and a wide sweep of Deccan country. Still suffering from his disease, he spent much of his time in the saddle, exploring the surrounding country, and hunting its game. It was while engaged on one of his hunting expeditions that the event occurred which led to the founding of the city of Chanda. Riding one day some ten miles from Ballarshah he became extremely thirsty, and while walking his horse up the dry bed of a small river, to his great joy discovered a small pool of water in its rocky bed. Dis- mounting he greedily drank the cool water, and bathed his face and hands in the pool. That night on his return, to Ballarshah, he slept as he had not slept for years. In the morning when he awoke his queen noticed that the swellings and tumours which had disfigured his handsome face and body for some years had almost vanished. In her delight she questioned him closely about the pool in which he had bathed, and being convinced that there was more in it than ordinary water, she implored Ballal Shah to take her over to it that very morning. On reaching the spot orders were at once given to have all the grass and jungle removed from around the pool, when, to the wonder and delight of the king and queen, as well as to the assembled court, five deep footprints of the sacred cow were seen in the solid rock, each filled with an unfailing supply of water. Further enquiry made it dear that this spot was none other than the resting- place of the great god Achaleshwar "The Immovable One.'' Further bathing in its sacred waters soon re- stored the king to complete healthy and removed all his bodily disfigurements. Not long afterwards to confirm this great discovery^ the god Achaleshwar appeared in a night vision to the happy king. Possessed of a genius for taking hints from either gods or men, she made it quite dear to the king that the god Achaleshwar expected him to build a temple over the sacred pools in his honour. Plans of the temple were speedily prepared, stone was quarried, the foundations were laid with due ceremony, and before many months the temple of Achaleshwar was rising from the ground, a temple which still stands, after 500 years, in memory of Khandkia Ballal Shah's restoration to health and happiness. While this temple was in process of construe^ tion, another event occurred which was to lead to the founding of the city of Chanda. It was the king's custom to ride over from Ballarshah from time to time to see how the work at the temple progressed. On his rides he was invariably accompanied by a faVourite dog. One day when riding back to Ballarshah, and while dose to the temple, a hare darted out of a bush, and strange to rdate began to chase his dog. The dog fled in wild terror with the hare in close pursuit. Astonished at the sight, the king followed the chase as closely as he could. At times, with a view of shaking of his pursuer, the dog ran in wide circles, while the hare took a shorter and more grag course. And so the race continued until both the animals were nearly exhausted. Then when they were approaching the place Where the race had begun, after a circular chase of nearly seven miles, the dog in wild desperation turned on the hare, and after a sharp struggle killed it. Approaching the dead hare, the Gond Rajah observed for the first time that on its forehead was a strange white mark or " tika." Full of his strange adventure he rode back to Ballarshah to tell the story to his sympathetic queen. Again her genius penetrated into the inner meaning of this mysterious occurrence. It was clearly an omen sent by the gods that Khandkia Ballal Shah was again to change his capital, and build a fortified city around the temple of Achaleshwar. The chase was but the gods own method of town- planning. The walls of the city must be built over the tracks of the sacred hare — strong bastions must be built at the places where the dog had made his circular detour — and special fortifications would be needed where the hare had closed with the dog, and also where the dog had slain the hare; for these would always be danger zones in the new city. Thus was begun the city of Chanda, or Chandrapur, which, according to some, derives its name from the moon, and according to others from the white spot on the hare's forehead,

1497 AD - 1522 AD: Heer Shah
Khandkia Ballal Shah was succeeded by his son Heer Shah, in whose reign the country prospered. Like his remote ancestor, Hir Singh of Sirpur, his mind was bent on the improvement of agriculture in South Gondwana. Calling the trusty Tarvels to a banquet, he urged on them the duty of clearing and cultivating the lands which his grandfather had bestowed on them. To every one who cleared his lands of forest and jungle, was offered the rights of ownership, whereas those who through laziness and apathy refused to do so, were duly warned that their lands would be confiscated. Nor was Hir Shah content with merely issuing orders on these subjects. From time to time it was his custom to tour throughout his wild State, for the purpose of seeing for himself how his orders had been obeyed. Boundaries were then marked out^ and ** sanads,' or rights of tenure, were formally bestowed on worthy land- holders. Special rewards also were given to those who had constructed tanks on their prqperty — and those who had made irrigation channels or canals were often given all the land which their waters reached. In this way much of the wild country was brought under cultivation, and numbers of the migratory Gonds were drawn into the quiet life of the agriculturist. It is to Hir Shah in particular that the Chanda district owes so many of its splendid tanks. Once a year all landowners appeared before the Rajah at Chanda to pay their rents and exhibit their ploughs and other field implements. By this means a rough calculation of the value of their property was made. In Hir Shah's reign the massive gates of Chanda, with their quaint emblem of Gond sovereignty —the elephant helpless in the grasp of a gigantic tiger/' which resembled the mastodon of pre- historic days, were completed. To him also belongs the honour of building the citadel and the palace, parts of which still remain, though degraded to the less noble uses of a jail and police station I of Hir Shah it is specially recorded that he paid tribute to no foreign king, so that any over-lordship on the part of the Bahmani kings of the Deccan.

1522 AD - 1542 AD : Bhuma and Lokba
As Hir Sah had no sons his widow Hirabai adopted Bhuma and Lokba as his successors from the Gond family at Movad .
On his death his two sons Bhuma and Lokba jointly ruled the kingdom, according to a scheme laid down by their father. Fortunately no jealousy or rival ambitions were felt by either of them. Those were merry days in Chanda, like the days of Good Queen Bess in England. In the summer season the various Gond chieftains and headmen waited on their princes, with bodies painted in divers colours, and adorned with various ornaments, such as peacocks' feathers, beetles' wings, tiger and panther sldns, and the horns of the young bison. Each headman brougt with him specimens of the various products found on his estate, both animal and vegetable and the festivities concluded with a great banquet at the royal palace. There was a pleasing diversity among these old Gond rulers of Chanda. Some were stem warriors full of ambition to extend their territories ; while others were more peacefully inclined, who won their triumphs in the devdopment of the resources of their forests and jungles.

1542 AD - 1572 AD : Kam Shah
Kam Shah, the grandson of Hir Shah, belonged, however, to another and less conunon type of ruler. Thoughtful and religious, he was from the first strongly attracted to the Hindu religion. A lover of its sacred books, Brahmans and Pandits soon flocked to his kingdom, and were rewarded with fields and villages free of rent. Lingas of Mahadeo were set up in many places, new temples built and old temples restored. Justice, too, was administered as never before. Before his days no king in South Gondwana ever dreamt of interfering in the disputes of his subjects, and every ntian was his own judge and high-executioner. If anyone had appealed to the king for justice when their relations had been murdered, the king had but one reply, ''Slay your enemy." In Kam Shah's days those state of things was no longer tolerated. Justice was evenly administered, and habitual offenders were banished from the State. Falsehood and perjury woe punished with the utmost severity, and men dwelt securely under the shadow of their vines and fig-trees.

1572 AD - 1597 AD : Babaji Ballal Shah
Seldom is any mention made of these jungle kingdoms in the annals of the Imperial Court at Delhi but so prosperous and important had Southern Gondwana become at this period that in the Ain-i-Akbari or Chronicles of Akbar it is recorded of Babaji Ballal Shah Kam Shah's son that he paid no tribute to Delhi and possessed an army of 10,000 cavaliy and 40,000 infantry." In his reign the city of Wairagarh— the capital of their hereditary foes was added to the kingdom of Chanda.

1597 AD - 1622 AD : Dhundia Ram Shah
On his death , he was succeeded by his son , Dhundia Ram Shah ; it was during his reign that the city - walls surrounding Chanda were completed and , as such , inaugurated by him with due ceremonies , which included , among other things .

1622 AD - 1640 AD : Krishna Shah
Son. Extended territory to Nagpur.
The custom of sacrificing cows to the gond god pharsa pen was abolished by him and it was substituted with goat.
1637 A.D - In January of 1637, Deogarh was invaded by Khan-i-Dauran joined by Krishna Shah of Chanda, who had an enmity with the Deogarh kings since the reign of Jatba. Kok Shah was defeated in the siege of the Nagpur fort and submitted to Khan-i-Dauran on 16 January 1637.

1640 AD - 1691 AD : Bir ShahBir Shah discontinues tribute to the Moghuls following the house arrest of Shah Jahan, but Aurangzeb sends an army under the command of Diler Khan to attack the Gonds, forcing them to sue for peace.

Bir Shah, one of the most distinguished princes of Chanda, had given his daughter to Durgpal, a prince of the royal house of Deogarh. Durgpal, who most probably had never seen the princess till the day of his marriage, seems to have taken a violent dislike to his bride, and to have insulted her in some inexcusable way. Bir Shah in wild anger vowed that he would never rest till he had placed the head of the ntiiscreant Durgpal on the top of the shrine of the great goddess Kali at Chanda. A bloody battle ensued, and in its earlier stages everything went well with the Moslem Gond king of Deogarh. Bir Shah was on the point of being captured, when drawing the sacred sword jof his house, and with a loud voice invoking the aid of Maha Kali, he rushed on Durgpal, and with one blow deprived his son-in-law of his head. After the death of their prince the army of Deogarh lost heart and fled, and Bir Shah returned with his triumphant army to Chanda. And to-day, high up on the roof of the lofty temple of Maha Kali, which lies outside the city walls of Chanda on its southern side, one may see a head carved in stone gazing away northwards to Deogarh, which recalls the story of the unfortunate Durgpal.

Bir Shah's own end was even more tragic than that of his son-in-law. It came to him on the day of his second marriage. There is an old Indian custom that part of the bridegroom's duty on the marriage day is to fetch the bride from her father's house to his own. For some years there had been at Bir Shah's court a Rajput named Hiraman, renowned for his skill at arms and believed to be the possessor of a magic sword. More than once Bir Shah had asked this rather mysterious person to reveal to him the secret of his sword but to no purpose. And for the last time on this happy day, before the royal procession set out to the bride's house, he again asked him, half in banter, to explain to him the secret. Hitherto silent and sullen, Hiraman suddenly burst forth into a fierce passion, and before the courtiers could intervene, killed the king, and then killed himself. So perished Bir Shah, one of the bravest and best of the Gond kings of Chanda. And to mark the deep sense of loss at his tragic death, the noblest of all the tombs in Chanda was raised over his grave, close to the temple of Achaleshwar.

1691 AD - 1735 A.D - Ram Shah
Famous for wisdom and uprightness was Ram Shah, one of the last kings of Chanda, that it is reported of him that when Raghuji Bhonsla, the Maratha leader, visited Chanda, with a view to seeking a pretext for a quarrel, he ended his visit by almost worshipping him as a god. " Well would it have been, so Canon Wood writes in his article on Chanda, 'if the fast failing thread of the Gond rule had been severed at Ram Shah's death."

1735 AD - 1751 A.D - Neelkanth Shah
For Ram Shah's son and successor, Nilkanth Shah, was an evil and cruel ruler, who dismissed his father's most trustworthy councillors, ground down his subjects, and interfered foolishly and needlessly in the political disputes of Deogarh. And all the time the Maratha foe was but waiting for his opportunity, and when he again approached the gates of the royal city of Chanda, it was not by force of arms, but by the treachery of a discontented people, that he triumphed.

1751: Nilkanth Shah tries to throw off the power held by Raghuji Bhosale over the Gonds, but is defeated. The Gonds are forced to accepted the overlordship of Raghuji Bhosale, Maratha ruler of Nagpur, and are reduced to holding just Ballarshah, while Chandrapur is annexed by Raghuji Bhosale. Nilkanth Shah makes an attempt at rebellion but is imprisoned, ending the Gond dynasty of Chandrapur. Chandrapur becomes fully part of the Berar dominion of the Maratha Bhosales.

Certainly the achievements of the southern house of Gondwana were quite remarkable. "Originally but petty chiefs of a savage tribe, they spread their kingdom over a wide stretch of country, reclaiming much of the forest land, peopling them with a prosperous people and keeping their country free from the foreign invader. And when at length they passed away, they left a well-governed kingdom, prosperous to a point which has not since been reached.

Gonds built 21 forts at Chennur, Asifabad, Laksettipet, Bodh, Adilabad, Utnoor, Sirpur, Tandur, Manikghar, Ballaharsha, Chandrapur, Yatmaz, Nirmal, Jakut and Khanapur. The ruins of these forts can be seen today at many places.

At least 20 garhis or minor forts dot the expansive tribal heartland of Adilabad,Komaram Bheem Asifabad,Mancherial and Nirmal (all constituting old Adilabad).

Among the must-visit garhis are the one at Sirpur (T) where only the main gate of the fort stands today and some of its innards.


https://archive.org/stream/storygondwana00tempgoog/storygondwana00tempgoog_djvu.txt


https://www.boloji.com/articles/51513/raj-gonds-of-adilabad-a-study
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Gundala Waterfalls

Gundala Waterfalls is located near Gundala Village in Tiryani Mandal, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Telangana, India. The scenic and lesser known nature wonder snuggles in the dense forests of remote Gundala village in Tiryani Mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district.

The spot is located around 300 kilometers from Hyderabad.

A few hardcore nature lovers would tend to visit the spot by trekking treacherous rocky path for over 10 kilometers and wading flooding streams. 

There are two routes to go, from Mancherial district. The route via Dandepally will lead you directly to a kilometer nearby to the waterfall. People who don't have much time and yet wanted to watch over the beauty of the waterfall has to choose this route. But the people who love to walk amidst of forest and cherish the beautiful green sceneries have to take the route to the waterfall via Thiryani. By this route, one has to stop their vehicles at rompapally village and has to walk ahead through the forest. It's an on-foot journey of around 7-8kms to reach the waterfall by climbing over two hills and crossing two valleys of flowing water. The path isn't much steep and is filled with huge rocks, that lets you cherish the greenery in the forest, inch by inch. The sounds of various birds singing in rhythm to the water flowing through the curves of the valley will absolutely boost your energy levels. In between the walk, you'll encounter local tribal people whose 'thriving without technology' lifestyle will truly inspire you. (At least in some aspects of life, Their lives are the perfect example of a minimalistic lifestyle). The whole journey may burn a lot of calories in your body but you'll find that the beauty of this journey will definitely recharge your soul. 

Apart from all this narration, this is a journey of a walk, climb, get tired, get boosted by nature, get down the hill, and forget the whole journey looking at the amazing waterfall, Gundala. It's worth a visit and the joy cherished isn't comparable!

You need to hire local guides for this trekking.

https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/General-Discussion/Gundala-waterfall/td-p/2852365
https://telanganatoday.com/telangana-gundala-waterfall-comes-alive-goes-viral-on-social-media-platforms
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Savatula Gundam Waterfalls

Savatula Gundam or Samthula Gundam or Samthulagundam Waterfalls is located around 3 kms from Venkatapur and Balhanpur Villages, Asifabad Mandal, Komaram Bheem Asifabad District, Telangana, India.

You need to hire local guides for this trekking.


Directions from Asifabad






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Jodheghat Valley / Museum

Komaram Bheem memorial, Smriti Vanam and a Museum is located in Jodeghat, Kerameri Mandal, Komaram Bheem Asifabad District, Telangana, India. Bears witness to the culture of the indigenous people that live there. Legend has it that it was the same hillock where Kumram Bheem and his associates died fighting with the Nizam’s forces.
This Kumram Bheem Memorial is a modern architectural structure inaugurated in October 2016. The museum exhibits photographs and paintings that show the day-to-day life of tribes.

The tribal museum, part of the ₹ 25 crore complex mainly has exhibits, photographs and paintings depicting the day-to-day life of the different ethnic denominations in old Adilabad district.

One can reach the museum on Kerameri highlands in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district by road through Kamareddy and Nizamabad. Along the drive that will stretch over seven and a half hours, you will find scenic valleys full of lush green trees.

Apart from the museum, old waterfalls in the depths of forests and apple farms are other attractions. The Babezhari waterfall there comes down from a 70 feet hillock that makes it look magnificent, especially between June and December.

With beautiful surroundings that will take you closer to nature, it is a perfect weekend getaway that will also help you understand the rich heritage of tribes in our region.

For the Adivasis, the memorial with its large statue of Kumram Bheem, is a pilgrimage. For others, it is an ideal place for selfies.



https://telanganatoday.com/watch-the-rich-heritage-of-jodeghat-the-home-of-tribal-warrior-kumram-bheem
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/kumram-bheem-memorial-sees-more-footfalls/article24195828.ece
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Bheemalpen Festival

Festival season for Adivasis has begun with ‘Bheemalpen’ festival which is popular as Bheemanna pujalu and they take ‘Devul’ (wooden deities) for bathing at sacred place ‘Demmala rajul’ near Dhammannapet in Utnoor mandal.

Adivasis celebrate Bheemalpen festival in the month of ‘Margashira’ every year. Adivasis are busy in celebrating their traditional festivals these days in the district.

Adivasis of Asifabad take their Devul to ‘Khariyar’ and Kerameri to ‘Patteda’, Tiryani to Danthanpalli ganga, Narnoor to Gundala ganga, Indravelli to ‘Pulikakchar’ and Adivasis of Neredigonda bathe their wooden deities in the Kuntala waterfalls. Most of the Adivasi jataras will follow their festivals in the Adilabad district.

Adivasis do their cooking with the new crops or beans like ‘chikkudu’, ‘Anapa’, pulses like redgram, rice only after performing special puja called Satti to the Bheemalpen.

Adivasis festivals continue with Jangubai to be held from January 11- February8 in the dense forests near Parandholi in Keremeri mandal on the borders of Maharashtra.

Mesram Mothirao of Gangapur village in Utnoor mandal who led a group of Adivasis to the Demmalrajul, said they have started their journey by walk and they returned to their village three days later after performing pujas to Bheemalpen. Bheemalpen festival is the first one in their festival season and they perform puja with devotion’, he said.

The wooden deities called ‘Devul’ (gods) are bathed (Gangasnan) and taken to their village and to be installed in the sacred place as usual. The Kolam and Gond Adivasis will perform special puja to the Bhemalpen in this season.

These rituals reflect the Adivasis’ sacred bond with the nature and crops they cultivate and sacredness attached to the food grains they consume.

Gondi Dharma Pracharak Sedmaki Seetharam said ‘Bheemaldev festival has much importance in the festival calendar of the Adivasis and they cannot avoid the Bheemalpen festival’.

He said Adivasis will be busy in their festivals Jangubai and Jallidevara (Persapen) which are important for the Adivasis and the popular Adivasi jataras will follow their festivals.

The popular Adivasis jataras are
Jagadamba jatara in Lingapur in Sirpur( U),
Kamdev in Narnoor
Keslapur in Indravelli
Budumdev in Shyampur in Utnoor
Mahadev in Sirpur (U)
Balaji in Kerameri
Bhadi jatara in Bela mandals


Source
http://srinivasjournalism.blogspot.com/2016/01/adivasis-welcome-season-of-festivals.html

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Dokra or Dhokra Metal Craft

Dokra Metal craft is quite popular in the tribal regions of Telangana. Dhokra or Dokra also known as bell metal craft is a tribal metal craft widely seen in Jainoor Mandal, Adilabad District of Telangana.

Dhokra is an ancient bell metal craft practiced by the Ojha metal-smiths of Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Telangana – the style and workmanship of the artisan community being different in different states.

In Telangana, the Ojha artisans are also known as Wojaris or Ojjis who create brass metal art objects using the tedious but perfect lost wax technique while casting the metal.

The Dokra artifacts are made in brass and are unique in that the pieces do not have any joints. The method is by combining metallurgical skills with wax techniques employing the lost wax technique, a unique form where mould is used only once and broken, making this art the only one-of-its-kind in the world. 

The 100 Ojha families, a sub tribe of the Raj Gond Adivasis found in Keslaguda, Ushegaon and Jamgaon of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district and Tamsi mandal of Adilabad district, manufacture brass metal items using the lost wax technique since centuries. The artisans traditionally manufacture only items like lamps and bells of different sizes used by the Raj Gonds and Kolam tribe in agriculture and religious activity. 

A minor resurgence of Adivasi culture witnessed in the old undivided Adilabad district has provided scope for the traditional Ojha artisans to indulge in creativity. Due to the phenomenon ensuring good sales during the Dandari-Ghusadi festival gone by and also holding out the promise of the trend to continue in the religious season ahead, the Dhokra brass metal artisans are making artifacts which they had discontinued to produce since about three decades.

The artisans make bronze and brass objects using the casting technique called dhokra,where a clay model is the core,over which,wax threads are wrapped around to form a layer.This is again covered with yet another layer of clay which has an opening. Molten bronze or brass is poured into this opening, which melts the wax completely, replacing it with brass or bronze. The cast object needs the outer mould to be broken each time.

In Adilabad district, places like Ushegaon and Chittalbori are the main contributors of this art. What catches your eye in this beautiful craft is that each piece is different from the other.

The craft produces objects like figurines, tribal gods, etc.

This work has good demand both in the domestic and international market due to its aesthetic look and primitive simplicity. The work consists of folk motifs, peacocks, elephants, horses, measuring bowl, lamp caskets and other simple art forms and traditional designs.

There are many families in Adilabad district dedicated to this ancestral craft, which is a labor-intensive work.

Very often, the artisans take up only order based work with an advance. The purchase of raw materials would require an initial expenditure beyond their means, more so if the end products do not sell. Dhokra is a very labour intensive as making of a simple piece could consume 4-5 days while more complicated designs could take upto 2-3 weeks. The designs are usually traditional, though they are known to make contemporary designs on demand. The characteristic pieces include slender and elongated metal figurines, folk motifs, elephants, peacocks, horses and household articles like measuring bowls and lamps The unique feature of a dhokra artefact is that the pieces do not have any joints. The entire object is handcrafted with the final product that has a distinct texture depending on the wax strips used in its design.

Things have recently started looking up for the Ojhas of Adilabad as they have tapped into their local markets comprising of the Gond tribal homes and their seasonal jatras or fairs. The idols of local deities – Jangubai, Bheemalpen and Persapen are most popular as are other items used in worship. The study of their return to local markets is unique in the lives of all artisan communities.

Typically dhokra objects cost between Rs.300 -500.

Contact:
Bhujang Rao Ojha: +91 94-92-428293 [Keslaguda, Kerameri mandal]
Indrajeet Ojha: +91 9652950224 [Belsari Rampur village in Tamsi mandal]


Sources
http://www.telanganatourism.gov.in/partials/about/arts-crafts/dokra-metal-crafts.html
https://floatstheboat.wordpress.com/2016/05/18/adilabad-dhokra/


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