Jesthi
Subhendu Bikash Maji (also known as SBM or Apu) is a community mainly found in western areas of India, such as Kolkata and Rajasthan.
History
Lord Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh created Brahmins, who were masters in the Vedas. They can turn Dharmaranya in a center of Veda Sanshkriti. The lords asked Vishwakarma to build houses, forts, and temples for the Brahmins. Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh created six thousand Brahmins each. They also gave them gotras and gotrasdevi. Modh's are divided in four by caste: (1) Modh Brahmin (2) Modh Vanik (3) Modh Patel (4) Modh Modi. Modh Brahmins were further divided into six by caste as chaturvedies, Traividh, Dhanuja, Tandalja, Agiyasana and Jyesthimall.
An account of the history of the community, along with a discussion of the science of exercises is found in the Malla Puranam text that may be dated to 13th century using a linguistic analysis using Jain texts for comparison.[1] However it is argued that it may belong to the 15th century since Vaishnavism became common in Gujarat as a result of the rise of Pushtimarga in the 15th century.[2] Malla Puranam can be regarded to be a Caste Purana.[3]
Jyesthi Malls were originally Agnihotri Chaturvedi Modh Brahmins. Many of them were Vajramusthi wrestlers, usually taking a lead in the army. There is a story in the creation of Mallas in chapter 40-43 of Brahmand Puran. According to the story, the first mall's name was Devmall. Brahma created him to kill a devil by the name of Vajradant. On the other side, Vajradant worshiped Lord Shiva. Shiva gave him a boon that no god or weapon can kill him. On virtue of this boon, he started harassing people to no limit. Devmall tried to kill him but he did not succeed.
Narad suggested that he visit the forest of Neem where Goddess Limja resided, and pray to her. When the Goddess was pleased, Devmall asked for the strength and power to fight the devil and kill him. He was blessed with a power that could kill Vajradant and his followers by his fist only. Devmall had ten sons, and he sent all of them to different parts of India to make people aware of the powers of Goddess Limja. The sons used to worship the goddess and told people how she helped in killing Vajradant. She became the Kuldevi of Jyesthi Malls.
Malls constructed her temple in Delmal on the western side of Modhera. Every year, on the seventh day of chaitra Punam, they hold a procession. As the goddess was born in the forest of Neem, the wrestlers always plant a tree of Neem in their Akhada (school of wrestlers).
Origin and Varna status
| Gautra | Shakha | Apbransh |
|---|---|---|
| Kashyap | Udichi | Ankdat |
| Shandilya | Kharanga | Navranga |
| Gautam | Thakar | Thakariya |
| Bhardwaj | Vyas | Gagriya |
| Kaushik | Maheta | Meta |
| Garg | Badota | Badota |
| Vashista | Shukla | Bamniya |
| Pipyalayan | Dhupa | Dhupa |
| Bhargav | Kelat | Cherat |
| Vishwamitra | Maru | Maru |
Divided with Modh Brahmin
Agnihotries, ancestors of Jyesthi Mall, collected tolls from those who used to take a holy deep in Vadsagar. When Rama came to Dharmaranya to make amends from killing Ravana, he gave a pearl to Brahmins. This pearl gave Brahmins sava val of GOLD every day. This resulted in a fight among the Brahmins. They broke the pearl to share, but it was in vain as the power of the pearl to give gold vanished. When it was broken, their guru was very annoyed as they broke the pearl and cursed them that they will fight among themselves and earn their bread.
Delmal
Krishna together with his elder brother Balram was returning to Dwarka from his conquest and had stopped at this place known still as Delmal.The jethi is small community of wrestlers or pugilists. They are known as Jyestika, Jaiti, Jetty, and Malla. It is believed that the wrestlers were known as Mallas and the best among them were called Jyestikas. Those Jyestikas later became known as Jethi or Jetty. Anantha Krishna Iyer opines that the term Jetty appears to a corruption of the Sanskrit term Jayesi (one who is desirous of victory). Another interpretation of the term Jethi is that it originated from Jyeshtika, i.e. the eldest. [Jetty, 1974] and the Jyesti Mals were Agnihotri Brahmins at the time of invasion of Modhera by Allauddin Khilji in 1299 AD who fought bravely against the enemy.
After the fall of Modhera, they settled at Delmal and other places in Gujarat and some of them migrated to south India seeking royal patronage. According to one story Lord Krishna visited Delmal on his way from Dwaraka to Mathura, and his brother Baldevji did mallayudda with Someswara, an Agnihotri Brahmin and was defeated. Then those Agnihotri Brahmins of Delmal came to known as Jyestimalla. The Jethis like to identify themselves as Modh Brahmins. Jetty [1974] has reported that the Modh community has built a beautiful temple at Modhera. Because the image of a goddess with six hands and standing on a peacock is traced in undiganalu village in Mysore state unidentified so far with any known deity in south India and that the image of Sri Mataji is missing from Modhera, it may safely be concluded that the image in question is now available in Undiganalu village.
They claim that the Jethimal came to Kutch in 1510 where they were employed as bodyguards of the ruler. They were wrestlers. The estate used to bear their living expenses. It is said that Gangaram Jethi saved the life of Lord swami narayan. Trikamji Jethi has constructed a statue of Khengarji-III of five metals in the Jethi Gnati at Bhuj in the late nineteenth century.
The Jethis are distributed in Delmal Village of Mehasana district and at Bhuj in Kutch District. A sizeable population of Jethi consisting of about 200 families had migrated to Mysore State prior to 1131 AD. They speak in Gujarati and use the Gujarati script. Those who live in Kutch also speak Kachchi. The Jethi are vegetarian. The Jethi claim to be an offshoot of Modh Brahmin but they are not included within the broader framework of Modh Brahmins. They are endogamous.
The community has ten gotras, viz. Kashyap, Sandilya, Gautam, Bharadwaj, Bhargav, Kaushik, Gara, Vashisht, Pikhlayan and Vishwamitra. They avoid 3-4 generations in fathers and mothers sides for marital alliances. The Jethi place themselves in the middle stratum of local social hierarchy after Brahmans but along with other communities like Vania, Soni, Rajput. Other groups of people also recognize their better social status since they had relations and associations with rulers. The Jethis place themselves in the Brahman order of the varna system, although the Brahmans do not accept their claim.
Kuldevi SHRI LIMBJA
The Kuladevi is called Nimbaja or Limja. Neem trees are found in all the gymnasiums. They are vaishnav and have faith in Swaminarayan and worship him on the eleventh day of bright fortnight and amavasya of all the months. They worship Ram, Krishna and other gods and goddesses of the wider Hindu pantheon. They pay high regards to their clan deities. In the month of chaitra, they take up a padayatra to delmal and reach there on the seventh day of the bright half of the month of Chaitra. Only males participate in this while the women go by bus to welcome padayatris.
On the day of Dussehra, they arrange wrestling games in the gymnasiums. One day prior to rakhi festival, they go to the temple of Nimbaja Devi and wear yellow thread (known as Mataji no doroon) their wrists. Other festivals celebrated by the jethis are holi, Dhuleti, Shivratri and Gokul Ashtami. Other festivals celebrated by the jethis are holi, Dhuleti,Shivaratri, and gokul ashtami. They visit the sacred centres Koteswar, Mahadeo Mata Narayan Sarovar and pay homage to the ancestors on occasion.
Jyesthi Mall In Kachchh
Jyesthi Mall came to Kachchh around 1510, as they were wrestlers, the king appointed them to train the princes in the art of wrestling. The relation between the Malls and the royal family was very strong. The ladies of the Mall community were appointed as Aaya for the prince and princess. Their job was to breast feed the prince. She cared for the prince until he reached the age of six. After going through medical tests, she was the only the lady appointed as a breast feeder. Her children were treated as brothers of the prince and held important posts in the council. Breast feeders were given a monthly salary, in addition to lands and gifts bestowed by the royal family during celebrations.
It is said that the first followers of Swaminarayan in Kachchh were Jyesthi Malls. Shree Sahajanand Swami came to Bhuj in 1804 and for about eight years he undertook social work in Bhuj. In his memory the first TEMPLE of swaminarayan was built by Jyesthi Malls during the tenure of King Dwshalji second. Jyesti Mall Gangaram and others also helped in the building of the TEMPLE.
Customs and practices
They believe in the goddess Limbja.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ Mallapuranam, Ed. B.J. Sandesra, Director of the Oriental Institute, and R.N. Mehta, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1964, p. 6
- ↑ Mallapuranam, Ed. B.J. Sandesra, Director of the Oriental Institute, and R.N. Mehta, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1964, p. 7
- ↑ A Sociological Approach to the Caste Puranas : A Case Study, Veena Das, Sociological Bulletin, Vol. 17, No. 2 (September 1968), pp. 141-164
- ↑ http://www.modh-samaj.com
- ↑ Brahamand Puran Chapter 40-43