Mount Abu "Garasias" Our Tribal People

The Full Flower Moon. Abu’s hill sides are in full bloom. Out here in India it’s called “Buddha Purnima”. The full moon this year has fallen on May 2, 2007; it commemorates the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. It’s an auspicious day and folks in India throng to Religious sites to pray, and seek the blessings of the gods, what really interest me is the invasion of my home town by thousands of ‘‘Garasias”.

These Garasias throng to Abu by the hundreds and that to on foot, they hoof it all the way up from Villages all over Rajasthan. They come in huge groups singing and dancing in their local dialect till they amass around the famous Nakki Lake at Abu, their final destination.

For the Garasias this “Buddha Purmina” is a day of special significance, because on this day, marriages are either premeditated or spontaneous. After the elopement, a bride “price” is paid to the bride’s father. Should this agreement not work out the girl returns home with her father who receives some money for the inconvenience caused.

The Garasias, legend has it are descendants of the Rajput tribe of the Chauhans. Apparently the Chauhans after being defeated in a battle eons ago fled and mingled with the local Bhil tribal to form a distinctive group. The tribal population of Garasias is concentrated around the hills of Abu and the Kotra region of Udaipur.

It is not surprising that the Garasias have a semblance of Bhil culture where bows and arrows attribute significantly, towards hunting and personal protection. I Still fail to understand how they have a higher status than the native Bhils, perhaps there is some truth in the legend of the Garasias origin (the fallen Rajputs)

I spent some time amongst these happy go lucky folks, I was carried away with their gaiety, and their colourful attire, their zest for life sure left an impression on me. I’m posting a few snaps taken of these fun loving folks, happy viewing.

 Sickle Cell Anemia in Garasia Tribals of Rajasthan

http://medind.nic.in/ibv/t09/i3/ibvt09i3p239.pdf

Rajasthan Tribal Tour

Rajasthan Tribal Tour
From the beginning of man's presence in the area that is now called Rajasthan, till around 1400 BC, the Bhil and Mina tribes roamed and ruledrajasthan tribal the land.The Aran invasion, representedby horse-drawn chariots and superior bows and arrows,seems to have tyrannised tribal migrations to the south and the east.Pushed into the natural hideouts-forests and the ancient and craggy Aravalli ranges, the Bhil and Mina tribes survived more easily.The northern, nomadicethnic instrusions continued into Rajasthan.They were represented by the Sakas, Kusanas, Abhiras, Hunas and more.Quite a large number of these invaders are now covered by the blanket term Rajput whose royal lineage stood upon the ruins of the Gurjara-Pratihara empire.All too naturally, the warrior-invaders fitted the Aryan martial caste of Kshatriyas which in time came to be divided into 36 Rajput clans.

Bhils-the bowmen of Rajasthan
The generic term which describes their tribe apparently derives its name from bil, meaning bow, which describes their original talent and strength. History corroborates the legends which tell of the Bhil superiority in archery.From the Mahabharatha emerges Eklavya,a Bhil who surpassed the skill of Arjuna only to be repressed by the comand of his guru.The Ramayana tells of Valia, the Bhil bandit who reformed with the blesings of saraswati, the goddess of learning, to become valmiki, the renowned poet-sage.

Minas-the militant defenders
The Minas are not just Rajasthan's largest tribal group-they are also the most widely spread. In the north, they inhabit the Jaipur-Sikar belt of Shekawati, continuing into Alwar district. The Mina tribesusually have at all, athletic build with sharp features, large eyes, thick lips and a light brown complexion.

Gaduliya Lohars-the nomadic blacksmiths
The Gaduliya Lohars derive their beautiful bullock carts, or gadis that have taken them wandering from their original land, Mewar, to different parts of India.Legend has it that they were committed to fight on behalf of Rana Prathap who battled bravely against the Mugul Emperor, Akbar when Maharana Prathap was ousted from Chittaur and he fought the historic battle of Haldighati, the Gaduliya Lohars were a clean of warring Rajputs who swore to enter the Merwar stronghold of Chittaur only after the victory of their Maharana.

Garasias-the 'fallen' Rajputs
According to the legend,the Garasia tribals are descended from the chauhan Rajputs of Jalore in south-west Rajasthan.Some six centuries ago, after defeat in a battle, they fled to the hills,where they mingled their blood,their myths and rituals with the local Bhil tribals, to become a distinct group. The Garasias have an interesting custom of marriage through elopement which usually takes place on the occasion of the annual gaur fair held during the full moon of March-April.

The Garasis celebrate 'nyat', a feast of honour, for their dead which is performed only on Mondays and a stone memorial called 'sura' is erected after the cremation.

Sahariyas-the jungle dwellers
The Sahariyas possibly derive their name from 'sher' or juncle in Persian. Although they are belived to be an offshoot of the Bhils,they supposedlyearned this name from the Muslim ruler of Shahbad, since they had chosen to make their ho0me in the juncle hideouts of the Shahbad district of Kota, and in the neibhouring regions of Jhalawar, Sawai, Madhopur, Durgarpur and Udaipur.
rajasthan tribal
Damors-the migrated tribe
The small l community of Damours seems to have moved northwards from their original home in Gujarat to settle inDungarpur and Udaipur districts.

Trekking In Mount abu Adventure Tourism!

MOUNTABU.COM WELCOMES YOU HERE IN MOUNT ABU


Enjoy The Adventure Of Being Alive.....


Mount Abu with its beautiful landscapes, lakes, waterfalls, sunset & sunrise points and lush green forests provides an excellent opportunity for nature lovers to appreciate mother nature in close.

Mount Abu has more then 17 Nature Trails and pathways suitable for adventurous activities approved by the department of forest passing through the jungle. Some trails can also be used for horse safari if you prefer not to trek on foot.

While trekking in, one can enjoy rock climbing, rappelling , wildlife & bird watching and study flora of Mount Abu with tribal and lok Rajput culture as well. Mount Abu is traversed with many wildlife observing paths/view points such as Trevor’s Tank, Salgaon Watch Tower, Cragis point, Devangan Valley, Tiger Path, Kodra Dam, Gaumukh, Kulagrah Valley, Gabir Nalla and Sayabera, Achalgarh, etc . to name a few popular ones.

Mount Abu's beauty is hidden inside Jungles and Mountains not known by general tourist and not covered in any sight-seeing tour, you can enjoy a once in a lifetime experience by visiting these places in your Adventure tourism trip.

Mount Abu has tremendous scope for nature camps in the wild, however only few places are allowed for camping by the the WildLife department namely:

1. Bhrigu Ashram
2. Utraj Oriya
3. Vasthanji
4. Rishikesh Temple
5. Agneshwar Ashram
6. Jawai village
7. Salgaon Watch Tower
8. Arna Watch Tower
9. Trevor’s Tank
10. Chhipa Beri

If you are coming to Mount Abu you must opt for adventurous activities for a lifetime experience, the excursions are safe and should be done with help of a qualified and experienced government approved guide/instructor, sevral packages are available from short trek, half-day, full day to custom tracks with night hold and camping facilities.

SOME IMPORTANT TRAILS OF MOUNT ABU:-

1. Bridal Path - 6km
2. Mini Nakki Lake - 6 km
3. Tiger Path - 8km
4. Craigs Path - 2km
5. Beyley’s Walk - 1km
6. Trevor’s Tank - 6km
7. Guru Shikar – Utraj Oriya - 6km
8. Arna –Chhipabri - 5km
9. Achalgarh- Bhrigu Ashram - 2km
10. Utraj-Vasthanji - 16km

Here are few well-known adventurous activities organizers:

Rajasthan Adventure & Nature Academy (RANA),
Mr. Manish Alika,
Phone : 09414201763