The Unknown History of Bhavsar Kshatriya

This blog is to share the knowledge that I know with you about one of the ancient Kshatriya clan of India-the Bhavsar Kshatriya.

Who are Bhavsar Kshatriya:

It is a unknown fact that Bhavsar Kshatriya is the Asia's ancient warrior clan whose descendants are present even today across India.

Legend has it that the Bhavasar first appeared in Saurashtra.  According to the epic tales, the legendary Parshuram, who was thought to be an avatar of Vishnu, swore revenge on the kshatriyas (the warrior class) and wiped them off almost entirely. Two young princes from Saurashtra named Bhavsingh and Sarsingh were concerned about this scenario since they had predicted the demise of their dynasty. The princes had been instructed to make an appeal to the Hindu goddess Hinglaj at the sacred shrine located on the banks of the Hingol River in Makran, Baluchistan in modern-day Pakistan. The Hindu goddess assured protection of their dynasty by compelling Parshuram to leave them alone, provided that no one from their community would confront them.

Bhavsingh and Sarsingh are the names of the two rulers who gave rise to the Bhavsar neighborhood. The Bhavsar group has negotiated a passageway for frequent pilgrimages to Hinglaj with the Pakistani government. When Mughal invaders threatened to convert them to Islam by force in the Sindh region near Hinglaj, the group fled and eventually migrated in Gujarat and Maharashtra. The Maharashtrian Bhavsars relocated further south in India, all the way to Tamil Nadu, making stops in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh along the route. A second branch expanded to Madhya Pradesh and Vidharbha in the east.

Culture of Bhavsars:

Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh are the states where Bhavsars are most prevalent. All have, in varied degrees, adapted to their native cultures and traditions. Gujarat and Maharashtra, however, are the main areas from where the most recent migrations have taken place. While some Gujarati Bhavsars practice Jainism, the majority practice Vaishnavism. From the reign of Shivaji, the Bhavsars began to migrate to South India, where they had resided for many centuries. To this day, they have kept their cultural links to Gujarat alive.

The Rajasthani language of Bagri is spoken by the Bhavasar community there. Many Bhavsars live further south, and their native tongue is either Gujarati or Marathi. Other than Gujarat or Maharashtra, migrants always maintain their native mother tongue despite being bilingual with the regional vernacular. People who migrate from Maharashtra to the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, for instance, speak Telugu, Kannada, and Tamil, respectively, in addition to the local language or languages.

This is my attempt to let you all know about the history I know because I am one among the descendants of this ancient warrior clan. Our history is so rich and diverse but as time passed we forgot our glorious past. This is our history our culture and it is worth knowing it.

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                                                                                                      ADARSH MAHENDERKAR