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