Gardis are a sub-caste of the Bhil community of the Deccan Plateau in India.
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The Gardi (or Bhil) essentially were a hunting tribe. Gardis originally were members of the Bhil community who worked for the local tribal chiefs as personal guards in their private army or as men that were employed to carry out activities (e.g. raid on an enemy's territory or possessions like grain or wealth for looting purpose).
Due to abundance of wildlife present in the hilly tract of Indian subcontinent as well uncertain climatic conditions and availability of little arable land for ever increasing population it became difficult for gardi to farm. Hunting, looting a farmer's standing crop, or performing a highway dacoity-robbery on a passing trading caravan which was an easier option than to live a settled agrarian life.
The enmity between local chieftains also helped the Gardi community to live such nomadic life in the wild Indian subcontinent. The hunting prowess as well as the ability to perform swift raids on well defended small towns made them experts in horse/camel riding, manufacturing and handling weaponry, and collecting information for future motives. The Gardi were always one step ahead of the contemporary armies of India otherwise they had to face certain death because of the existing conditions. Gardis who had become expert archers were the first to get trained to become musketeers, as they were first to get exposed to guns or muskets which were brought to India by European traders like the Portuguese, Dutch, English, and French.
During the period around 1600 AD concept of using muskets or guns by local powers was acknowledged to keep the numerically powerful enemy at bay such as Adilshahi of Bijapur, Kutubshahi of Golconda, and Nizamshahi of Ahmednagar who with their trading activities with the Portuguese, Dutch, and English secured a few guns and muskets.
Using guns or muskets was considered below dignity by most of so called warrior communities like Rajputs and Pashtuns from north India whereas the Jats, Rohillas, Bundelas, Sikhs, Durranis, Turranis, and Iranis settled in northern plains of the Indian subcontinent were not exposed to such technology.
For Rajputs and Pashtuns, the concept of valour or bravery was linked together. To become an expert swordsmen, which require considerable physical strength than to become archer or spearsmen, one must have a sharp mind and agile body movements. Rajputs and Pashtuns, due to their food habits, climatic conditions, and genetic factors, were heavily built and those above 20–25 years old tended to be bulky. Rajputs and Pashtuns considered musketeers and archers job as low caste job reserved for Bhils or Gardis. Circumstance forced the Gardi people to become good musketeers or marksmen for various Shahi rulers in the Deccan plateau region leaving their nomadic lifestyle of the past.
After 1600, the use of guns and muskets had started but its use was isolated since ammunition was not easily available and had to be imported from Europe. Adilshahi and Kutubshahi were the only rulers having guns, although they had less than 100 guns.
Chatrapati Shivaji and his sons Sambhaji, Rajaram, and his daughter-in-law used forefathers of Gardi community to carry out espionage for raids on Surat, Burhanpur, Jalna, Ujjain, Pune. Notable among them were Bahirji Naik who carried out espionage for Shivaji and commanded a force of 3,000 Gardi men like Ramoshis, Dhangars, Bhils, Lamans, Vanzara, Pardhi, Mahadeo Koli, and Masan Jogis. Santaji Ghorpade commanded a force of 25,000 cavalry men in which Gardi community members took active part. Gardis also helped during Aurangzeb's Deccan campaign when he came as Prince-Subhedar (governor) of the Deccan plateau in 1656 and again in 1681 as Emperor to capture the Deccan Shahis' when fighting the Mughal army.
Aurangzeb took over Adilshahi, Kutubshahi, and captured forts in the Maratha Empire, Gardis joined with the Mughal army in small numbers only to desert it at the first instances of fighting. The Gardis lifestyle was not making them compatible to the rigid Manasabdari military structure of the Mughal army where most of the officer ranks were held by Pashtuns and Rajputs. The Mughal army's war philosophy was to lay siege on the enemy town or fort then starve the occupants to force them to surrender or bribe the officer in charge to surrender. Gardis could not fit into this war mechanism and found that they were becoming obsolete or redundant in the Mughal army. Gardis who had earlier developed good rapport with fellow Maratha generals found Maratha war strategy of daring commando raids and then looting and plundering Mughal-held territories to be much more compatible to their abilities. Moreover, centuries of coexistence and intermarriages had created a special bondage between Marathas and Gardis.
During Aurangzeb's long Deccan campaign, stretching about 30 years, the Mughal army came directly in conflict with Marathas. Gardis, by this time, had become soldiers of fortune and experts in horseriding, archery, pikemen, and musketeers. They used this expertise to harass and loot Mughal-held cities and military camps. Marathas gave Gardis a bigger opportunity for looting & plundering not only peninsular India but also rich Mughal-held territories like Malwa, Gujrat, Machalipatanam (in coastal Andhra), and the trading post in the Krishna and Cavery river basins. With Mughals surrendering the Deccan plateau to the Marathas, this all had to stop. Between 1720 and 1760, trading activity increased a lot especially with the French & English. Procuring guns and muskets from Europe became top priority.
Gardis who until now had been loosely associated with multiple Maratha communities got themselves trained in using guns and muskets. Continuous exposure to wars helped some Gardis to acquire expertise to become musketeers whereas others took up various activities such as administration, accountancy, trading, and farming, but those who continued became musketeers.
Exposure to Islamic traditions as well firm belief in age hold Hindu rituals converted them into unique community. Gardi community members serving as officers in Maratha or Nizam armies took the titles as Khan or Singh. The khan or singh affiliated to name soon became permanent feature in family names. One should not make the mistake of tracing a Gardi lineage to Pashtun or Rajput origin. Gardis became acceptable in the Hindu complex caste structure. Gardis who embraced Islam also performed sacrifices in front of local goddesses. Sumersingh Gardi and Ibrahim Khan Gardi were well known members from the Gardi community having Hindu as well as Muslim names.
Around 1750 it became obvious for Gardi children to take their fathers' occupation of becoming musketeers, the reason being that guns and muskets were easily available in Gardi households, so Gardi children mastered the art of using guns and muskets at an early age.
Gardis between 1715 to 1725 became personal guards of Peshwas who were appointed as Prime Minister of the Maratha Empire by the fourth Chhatrapati Shahu. Peshwas employed them in big number in their private army to threaten or settle internal scores with other Maratha generals or ministers. Gardi loyalty to the Marathas, especially Peshwas, and courage, made them a dependable force in the Maratha army.
Some of the Gardi sub-caste who could not adjust to settled agrarian life returned back to their nomadic way of life to carryout daring raid on trading caravans like Pindaris, Pardhis, Ramoshis until they were individually caught and hunted down. The East India Company, having selfish motives of increasing its trading activity in India, branded the Gardi as criminal tribes but many settled down around Pune, Satara, Kolhapur, Solapur, Bijapur, Hyderabad, Bidar, and Belgaon.
Some Gardis who went along with the deposed Peshwa to settle in Kanpur and Bithoor in Uttar Pradesh in North India. Gardis along with other Maratha sub-caste members had also served in personal army of Arthur Wellesley later on Duke of Wellington during his wars with Tipu Sultan, Battle of Akkey against armies of Scindia and Bhosale, First Anglo-Afghan War, and Anglo-Sikh wars.
Over time, the Gardis were assimilated into Marathi culture. Now most have accepted the Marathi way of life, and have accepted their name of village as their surname with Patil as prefix, or the name of the trade they are practicing. One Sumersingh Gardi and other fellow Gardi men were employed by Raghunathrao to murder Narayanrao, his nephew, in 1773, to usurp the title of Peshwa. For that reason the Gardi surname became much maligned in Pune. Rarely does one come across a person with Gardi as a last name, although some still can be located in Rasta Peth in Pune, in the motor transport business. Gardi as surname has mostly been dropped, or was changed to Garde.