Sachora Brahmin

The Sachora Brahmin are a Hindu caste found in the state of Gujarat in India. They are a sub-group of the Brahmin community.[1]

Contents

History and origin

The community get their name from the town of Sanchore in Jalore district of Rajasthan. They are said to have left Rajasthan in the 15th Century fleeing a Muslim invasion. Their initial settlement was Palasava in Kutch District, from where they dispersed to neighbouring Saurashtra. In Kutch, they were temple priests at the temple of Achleshwar Mahadeo. They are now found in the districts of Rajkot, Junagadh, Kutch, Ahmedabad and Mehsana. The community speak the Kathiawari dialect of Gujarati.[2]

Present circumstances

The Sachora Brahmin are pure vegetarians, with wheat, maize and millet being their main food source. They have four subdivisions, the Rigvedio Ashwalyami, Shuklayajurvedni Madhyandhini and Siddharkdeoni Shankhayan. They have further eighteen exogamous gotras, the Kaudiniya, Kashyap, Kaushik, Bharadwaj, Parashar, Mudgal, alembayan, Shatatap, Krishnatreyi Herit, Jyesta Shandiya, Kamishth Shandilya, Gautam, Katayan, Vatsa, Garg and Jyesta Bhargav. All these gotras are equal in status and named after Hindu saints. Common surnames of the community include Shastri, Dave, Joshi, Raman, Bhatt, Vyas, Thakur, Pujarai, Mehta and Trivedi.[3]

The community is split between those who are small scale farmers and those who maintain their traditional occupation of temple priest. They are the priests at the Dwarakadhish temple in Dwarka.

See also

References

  1. ^ People of India Gujarat Volume XXI Part Three edited by R.B. Lal, P.B.S.V Padmanabham, G Krishnan & M Azeez Mohideen pages 1211-1215
  2. ^ People of India Gujarat Volume XXI Part Three edited by R.B. Lal, P.B.S.V Padmanabham, G Krishnan & M Azeez Mohideen pages 1211-1215
  3. ^ People of India Gujarat Volume XXI Part Three edited by R.B. Lal, P.B.S.V Padmanabham, G Krishnan & M Azeez Mohideen pages 1211-1215