Marathi people

TheMarathi people(/məˈrɑːti/;Marathi:मराठी लोक,Marāṭhī lōk) orMarathis(Marathi: मराठी,Marāṭhī) are anIndo-Aryanethnolinguistic groupwho are native toMaharashtrainwestern India. They natively speakMarathi, anIndo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a Marathi-speaking state ofIndiaon 1 May 1960, as part of a nationwide linguistic reorganisation of theIndian states. The term "Maratha" is generally used by historians to refer to all Marathi-speaking peoples, irrespective of theircaste;However, it may refer to a Maharashtrian caste known as theMarathawhich also includes farmer sub castes like theKunbis.
The Marathi community came into political prominence in the 17th century, when theMaratha confederacywas established byShivajiin 1674.
According toR. G. Bhandarkar, the term Maratha is derived from Rattas, a tribe which held political supremacy in theDeccanfrom the remotest time. The Rattas called themselvesMaha Rattasor Great Rattas, and thus the country in which they lived came to be calledMaharashtra, the Sanskrit of which is Maha-rashtra.In theHarivamsa, theYadava kingdomcalledAnarattais described as mostly inhabited by theAbhiras(Abhira-praya-manusyam). TheAnartta countryand its inhabitants were calledSurastraand theSaurastras, probably after the Rattas (Rastras) akin to the Rastrikas of Asoka's rock Edicts, now known asMaharashtraand the Marathas.
During the ancient period, around 230 BC,Maharashtracame under the rule of theSatavahana dynasty, which ruled the region for 400 years.TheVakataka dynastythen ruled Maharashtra from the 3rd century to the 5th century AD,and theChalukya dynastyfrom the 6th century to the 8th century. The two prominent rulers werePulakeshin II, who defeated the Kannauj EmperorHarsh, andVikramaditya II, who defeated Arab invaders (Umayyad Caliphate) in the 8th century. TheRashtrakuta dynastyruled Maharashtra from the 8th to the 10th century.The Persian merchant and traveller,Sulaiman al-Tajir, who wrote of his many voyages to India and China in themid-9th centuryCE, called the ruler of the Rashtrakuta dynasty,Amoghavarsha, "one of the four great kings of the world".
From the early 11th century to the 12th century, theDeccan Plateauwas dominated by theWestern Chalukya Empireand theChola dynasty.
TheYadava dynastyofDeogiri, ruled Maharashtra from the 13th century to the 14th century.The Yadavas were defeated by the Khaljis in 1321. After the defeat of Yadavas, the area was ruled for the next 300 years by a succession of Muslim rulers including (in chronological order): theKhaljis, theTughlaqs, and theBahmani Sultanateand its successor states called theDeccan sultanates, such asAdilshahi,Nizamshahi, and theMughal Empire.
The early period of Islamic rule saw the imposition of aJaziyatax on non-Muslims, temple destruction and forcible conversions.However, the mainly Hindu population and their Islamic rulers came to an accommodation over time. For most of this periodBrahminswere in charge of accounts, whereas revenue collection was in the hands ofMarathaswho heldwatans(hereditary rights) ofPatilki(revenue collection at village level), andDeshmukhi(revenue collection over a larger area). A number of families such asBhosale,Shirke, Ghorpade,Jadhav,More,Mahadik,Ghatge, Gharge andNimbalkarloyally served different sultans at different periods of time. Allwatandarconsidered their watan a source of economic power and pride and were reluctant to part with it. The watandars were the first to oppose Shivaji because it hurt their economic interests.Since most of the population was Hindu and spoke Marathi, even the sultans such asIbrahim Adil Shah Iadopted Marathi as the court language for administration and record-keeping.
Islamic rule also led to Persian vocabulary entering the Marathi language. Per Kulkarni, for the elites of the era using Persian words was a status symbol. Surnames derived from service during that period such as Fadnis,Chitnis, Mirasdar, etc. are still in use today.
Most of the MarathiBhaktipoet saints, who worshippedVitthal, belonged to the period between late Yadava and the late Islamic era. These includeDnyaneshwar,Namdev,Eknath,BahinabaiandTukaram.Other important religious figures of this era wereNarsimha Saraswati, andMahanubhavasect founderChakradhar Swami.Shaivitesaints likeManmath swami, Gajanan Maharaj, Sant Narhari Sonar. All of them used theMarathi languagerather thanSanskritfor their devotional and philosophical compositions.
The decline of Islamic rule in Deccan started whenShivaji(1630–1680) founded theMaratha Kingdomby annexing a portion of theBijapur Sultanate. Shivaji later led rebellions against Mughal rule, thus becoming a symbol of Hindu resistance and self-rule. The Marathas contributed greatly to weakening imperial Mughal rule and went on to rule over a large realm stretching fromGwaliortoCuttack.
In the mid-17th century,Shivajifounded theMaratha Kingdomby conquering theDeshand theKonkanregions from Bijapur kingdom, and establishedHindavi Swaraj("self-rule of Hindu people").The Marathas are credited to a large extent with weakening Mughal rule in India.After Shivaji's death, theMughalsinvaded the Deccan in 1681. Shivaji's sonSambhaji, also his successor asChhatrapati, led the Marathas against the much stronger Mughal opponent, but in 1689, after being betrayed, Sambhaji was captured, tortured and killed by the Mughal emperorAurangzeb.The war against the Mughals was then led by Sambhaji's younger brother and successorRajaram I. Upon Rajaram's death in 1700, his widowTarabaibecame the regent of her infant son and took command of Maratha forces . In 1707, upon the death of Aurangzeb, the Deccan wars came to an end after Shahu, son of Sambhaji who had grown up under Mughal captivity was released, and quickly reclaimed the Maratha throne. Shahu and Tarabai briefly fought a succession battle with Shahu eventually prevailing. Shahu formally recognised Mughal suzerainty in return for tax collection rights over six Deccan provinces, and the release of his mother from Mughal captivity.
Shahu I, the grandson of Shivaji, with the help of capable Maratha administrators and generals such as thePeshwaBalaji Vishwanathand his descendants, saw the greatest expansion of the Maratha power. After Shahu's death in 1749, thePeshwaNanasaheb and his successors became the virtual rulers of the Maratha Confederacy. The Maratha Confederacy was expanded by many Marathi chieftains including PeshwaBajirao Ballal Iand his descendants, theShindes,Gaekwad,Pawar,Bhonsaleof Nagpur, and theHolkars. The Confederacy at its peak stretched from northern Karnataka in the south toPeshawar(modern-dayKhyber Pakhtunkhwa) briefly during the Maratha–Afghan Warin the north, and to Orissa in the east.However, after theThird Battle of Panipatin 1761, in which the Marathas were defeated by the Afghans underAhmed Shah Abdali, the Maratha power was greatly diminished. Due to the efforts ofMahadji Shinde, it remained a confederacy until theBritish East India Companydefeated PeshwaBajirao II. Nevertheless, several Maratha states remained asvassalsof the British until 1947 when they acceded to theDominion of India.
The Marathas also developed a potent coastal navy around the 1660s. At its peak under MarathaKoliAdmiralKanhoji Angre, the naval force dominated the territorial waters of the western coast of India fromMumbaitoSawantwadi.It would engage in attackingBritish,Portuguese,Dutch, andSiddinaval ships and kept a check on their naval ambitions. TheMaratha Navydominated until around the 1730s, but was in a state of decline by the 1770s, and ceased to exist entirely by 1818.
Before British rule, the Maharashtra region was divided into many revenue divisions. The medieval equivalent of a county or district was thepargana. The chief of the pargana was calledDeshmukhand record keepers were calledDeshpande.The lowest administrative unit was the village. Village society in Marathi areas included the Patil or the head of the village, collector of revenue, andKulkarni, the village record-keeper. These were hereditary positions. The Patil usually came from the Maratha caste. The Kulkarni were usually from the Marathi Brahmin orCKPcaste.The village also used to have twelve hereditary servants called theBalutedar. The Balutedar system was supportive of the agriculture sector. Servants under this system provided services to the farmers and the economic system of the village. The base of this system was caste. The servants were responsible for tasks specific to their castes. There were twelve kinds of servants under Bara Balutedar: Joshi (village priest and astrologer from Brahmin caste),Sonar(goldsmith from Daiwadnya caste), Sutar (carpenter),Gurav(priest ofShivatemple), Nhawi (barber), Parit (washerman),Teli(oil pressers), Kumbhar (potter), Chambhar (cobbler), Dhor, Koli (fisherman or water carrier), Chougula (assistant to Patil), Mang (rope maker), and Mahar (village security).In this list of Balutedar: Dhor, Mang, Mahar, and Chambhar belonged to the untouchable group of castes.
In exchange for their services, thebalutedarswere granted complex sets of hereditary rights (watan) to a share in the village harvest.
The British rule of more than a century in the present-day Maharashtra region saw huge changes for the Marathi people in every aspect of their lives. Areas that correspond to present-day Maharashtra were under direct or indirect British rule, first under theEast India Trading Companyand then under theBritish Raj, from 1858. During this era Marathi people resided in theBombay presidency,Berar,Central provinces,Hyderabad stateand in variousprincely statesthat are currently part of present-day Maharashtra. The 1951 census of India had 4.5 million people in the erstwhile Hyderabad state who stated Marathi as their mother tongue.Significant Marathi populations also resided in Maratha princely states far from Maharashtra such asBaroda,Gwalior,Indore, andTanjore.
TheBritish colonial periodsaw standardisation of Marathi grammar through the efforts of the Christian missionaryWilliam Carey. Carey also published the first dictionary of Marathi inDevanagariscript. The most comprehensive Marathi-English dictionary was compiled by CaptainJames Thomas Molesworthand MajorThomas Candyin 1831. The book is still in print nearly two centuries after its publication.Molesworth also worked on standardising Marathi. He used Brahmins of Pune for this task and adopted the Sanskrit-dominated dialect spoken by this caste in the city as the standard dialect for Marathi.The introduction of printing, standardisation of Marathi, and establishment of modern schools and colleges during the early colonial era led to the spread of literacy and knowledge to many different sections of society such as women, the dalits and the cultivator classes.
The Marathi community played an important part in the social and religious reform movements, as well as the Indian nationalist movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Notablecivil societybodies founded by Marathi leaders during the 19th century include thePoona Sarvajanik Sabha, thePrarthana Samaj, the Arya Mahila Samaj, and theSatya Shodhak Samaj. The Pune Sarvajanik Sabha took an active part in relief efforts during the famine of 1875–1876. It is considered the forerunner of theIndian National Congressestablished in 1885.The most prominent personalities of Indian nationalism in the late 19th and early 20th century,Gopal Krishna GokhaleandBal Gangadhar Tilak, on opposite sides of the political spectrum, were both Marathi. Tilak was instrumental in using Shivaji and Ganesh worship in forging a collective Maharashtrian identity for the Marathi people.Marathi social reformers of the colonial era includeMahatma Jyotirao Phuleand his wifeSavitribai Phule,Justice Ranade, feministTarabai Shinde,Dhondo Keshav Karve,Vitthal Ramji Shinde, andPandita Ramabai.Jyotirao Phule was a pioneer in opening schools for girls and Marathidalitscastes.
The non-Brahmin Hindu castes started organising at the beginning of the 20th century with the blessing ofShahu, the ruler of the princely state ofKolhapur. The campaign took off in the early 1920s under the leadership ofKeshavrao Jedheand Baburao Javalkar. Both belonged to the non-Brahmin party. Capturing the Ganpati and Shivaji festivals from Brahmin domination were their early goals.They combined nationalism with anti-casteism as the party's aims.Later on in the 1930s, Jedhe merged the non-Brahmin party with the Congress party and changed that party from an upper-caste-dominated body to a more broadly based but also Maratha-dominated party.The early 20th century also saw the rise ofB. R. Ambedkar, who led the campaign for the rights of the dalits caste that included his ownMaharcaste.
The Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was founded and led by Marathis fromNagpurfor many decades.Vinayak Damodar Savarkar(1889–1966), a Marathi from Nashik district,anIndian independence activist, who advocated violence to overthrow British rule in his youth, later formulated theHindu nationalistphilosophy ofHindutva.He was a leading figure in theHindu Mahasabha.Savarkar's Hindutva philosophy remains the guiding principle for organisations that are part of the RSS-affiliated organisations.
Although the British originally regarded India as a place for the supply of raw materials for the factories of England, by the end of the 19th century a modern manufacturing industry was developing in the city of Mumbai.The main product was cotton and the bulk of the workforce in thesemillswas of Marathi originfrom Western Maharashtra, but more specifically from the coastal Konkan region.The census recorded for the city in the first half of the 20th century showed nearly half the city's population listed Marathi as their mother tongue.
During the period of 1835–1907, a large number of Indians, including Marathi people, were taken to the island ofMauritiusas indentured labourers to work onsugarcaneplantations. The Marathi people on the island form the oldest diaspora of Marathi people outside India.
After India gained independence from Britain in 1947, all princely states lying within the borders of theBombay Presidencyacceded to the Indian Union and were integrated into the newly createdBombay Statein 1950.
The small community of Marathi Jews (Bene Israel– Sons of Israel) started emigrating to the newly created country of Israel in the late 1940s and early 1950s.The number of Bene Israel remaining in India was estimated to be around 4,000–5,000 in 1988.
In 1956, theStates Reorganisation Actreorganised the Indian states along linguistic lines, and the Bombay Presidency State was enlarged by the addition of the predominantly Marathi-speaking regions ofMarathwada(Aurangabad Division) from the erstwhile Hyderabad state and theVidarbharegion from theCentral Provinces and Berar. The enlarged state also includedGujarati-speaking areas. The southernmost part of Bombay State was ceded toMysore. From 1954 to 1955, Marathi people strongly protested against the bilingualBombay State, and theSamyukta Maharashtra Samitiwas formed to agitate for a Marathi-speaking state.
At the same time, theMahagujarat Movementwas started, seeking a separate Gujarati-speaking state. A number of mainly Pune-based leaders such as Keshavrao Jedhe,S.M. Joshi,Shripad Amrit Dange, andPralhad Keshav Atreformed theSamyukta Maharashtra Movement, alongside Vidarbha-based leaders such asGopalrao Khedkar, to fight for a separate state of Maharashtra with Mumbai as its state capital. Mass protests, 105 deaths, and heavy losses in the Marathi-speaking areas by the ruling Congress Party in the 1957 election, led the government under Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehruto change its policy and agree to the protesters' demands. On 1 May 1960, the separate Marathi-speaking state was formed by dividing the earlier Bombay State into the new states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The city of Mumbai was declared the capital of the new state.The state continues to have a dispute withKarnatakaregarding the districts ofBelgaumandKarwar, both with a large population of Marathi people.
For the first time, the creation of Maharashtra brought most Marathi people under one state with the mainly rural Kunbi-Maratha community as the largest social group. This group has dominated the rural economy and politics of the state since 1960.The community accounts for 31% of the population of Maharashtra. They dominate the cooperative institutions and with the resultant economic power control politics from the village level up to the Assembly andLok Sabhaseats.Since the 1980s,this group has also been active in setting up private educational institutions.Major past political figures of Maharashtra have been from this group. The rise of the Hindu nationalistShiv Senaand theBharatiya Janata Partyin recent years have not dented Maratha caste representation in the Maharashtra Legislative assembly.
After the Maratha-Kunbi cluster, the scheduled caste (SC) Mahars are numerically the second-largest community among the Marathi people in Maharashtra. Most of them embracedBuddhismin 1956 with their leader, B. R. Ambedkar.Writers from this group in the 1950s and 1960s were pioneers ofDalit Literature.
The Portuguese-occupied enclave ofGoawas liberated in 1962. The main political party formed immediately after liberation was theMaharashtrawadi Gomantak Party. It wanted Goa to merge with Maharashtra because of the affinity between Goan Hindus and the Marathi people. However, thereferendumheld on this issue rejected the merger. Later,Konkaniwas made the official language of Goa, but Marathi is also allowed in any government correspondence.
The 1960s also saw the establishment byBal Thackerayof Shiv Sena, a populist sectarian party advocating the rights of Marathi people in the heterogeneous city of Mumbai. Early campaigns by Shiv Sena advocated for more opportunities for Marathi people in government jobs. The party also led a campaign against the city's South Indian population. By the 1980s the party had captured power in theMumbai Corporation, and in the 1990s it led the government of Maharashtra's coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). During this transition from founding to capturing power, the party toned down its rhetoric against non-Marathi people and adopted a more Hindu nationalist stance.
The Marathi people form an ethnolinguistic group that is distinct from others in terms of its language, history, cultural and religious practices, social structure, literature, and art.
The traditional caste hierarchy was headed by the Brahmin castes-theDeshasthas,Chitpavans,Karhades,Saraswats, and theChandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus.In Mumbai during British rule, this included thePathare Prabhuand the other communities.TheMarathasare 32% in WesternMaharashtraand theKunbiswere 7%, whereas theOther Backward Classpopulation (other than the Kunbi) was 27%. The other castes in the intermediate category include:Gujjars,LingayatsandRajputswho migrated centuries ago to Maharashtra from northern and southern India – and settled in Maharashtra.The population of theMangswas 8%.
Majority of Marathi Hindu belong either to the cultivator caste cluster ofMarathaandKunbi, or one of the former village servant (Bara Balutedar) castes which include ‌Shimpi(Tailor),Lohar(Iron-smith),Suthar(carpenters),Mali(florists and cultivators),Dhobhi or Parit(washer),Gurav(village priest),Kumbhar(potters), Sonar (Goldsmith),Teli(oil pressers),Lingayats,Chambhar(cobbler),Mang(rope makers),Koli(fishermen or water carriers) andNabhik(barbers).TheMaharwere one of the balutedar who adopted Buddhism in 1950s. Some of the other Marathi castes are:
As the Maratha Empire expanded across India, the Marathi population started migrating out of Maharashtra alongside their rulers. Peshwa,Holkars,Scindia, andGaekwaddynastic leaders took with them a considerable population of priests, clerks, army men, businessmen, and workers when they established new seats of power. Most of these migrants were from the literate classes such as various Brahmin sub-castes andCKP. These groups formed the backbone of administration in the new Maratha Empire states in many places such asVyara-Songadhof (Surat),Baroda(Vadodara),Indore,Gwalior,Bundelkhand, andTanjore.Many families belonging to these groups still follow Marathi traditions even though they have lived more than 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) from Maharashtra for more than 200 years.
Other people have migrated in modern times in search of jobs outside Maharashtra. These people have also settled in almost all parts of the country. They have set up community organisations calledMaharashtra Mandalsin many cities across the country. A national level central organisation, theBrihan MaharashtraMandal was formed in 1958to promote Marathi culture outside Maharashtra. Several sister organisations of the Brihan Maharashtra Mandal have also been formed outside India.
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In the mid-1800s, a large number ofIndian peoplewere taken toMauritius,Fiji,Trinidad & Tobago,South Africa, andEastern Africaasindentured labourersto work onsugarcaneplantations. The majority of these migrants were from theHindustanispeaking areas or fromSouthern India, however, a significant number of immigrants to Mauritius were Marathis.
Since the state of Israel was established in 1948, around 25,000–30,000 Indian Jews have emigrated there, of which around 20,000 were from the Marathi speakingBene Israelcommunity of Konkan.
Indians, including Marathi People, have migrated to Europe and particularly Great Britain for more than a century.The Maharashtra Mandal of London was founded in 1932.A small number of Marathi people also settled inBritish East Africaduring the colonial era.After theAfrican Great Lakescountries ofKenya,UgandaandTanganyikagained independence from Britain, most of theSouth Asianpopulation residing there, including Marathi people, migrated to the United Kingdom,or India.
Large-scale immigration of Indians into the United States started when theImmigration and Nationality Act of 1965came into effect. Most of the Marathi immigrants who came after 1965 were professionals such as doctors, engineers or scientists. The second wave of immigration took place during the I.T. boom of the 1990s and later.
Since the 1990s due to theI.T.boom and because of the general ease of travel, Marathi people are now found in greater numbers in all corners of the world including the United States, Australia,Canada,the Gulf countries, European countries, Iran, and Pakistan.
After the third battle of Panipat, Marathi people settled in Sindh and Balochisthan region (modern day Pakistan). After partition of India, many Marathi Hindus came to India. But, 500–1000 Marathi Hindus also lives in Karachi city of Sindh province.
The majority of Marathi people areHindus.Minorities by religion includeMuslims,Buddhists,Jains,Christians,ParsisandJews.
The main life ceremonies in Hindu culture include those related to birth, weddings, initiation ceremonies, as well as death rituals. Other ceremonies for different occasions in Hindu life includeVastushantiand "Satyanarayan" which is performed before a family formally establishes residence in a new house.Satyanarayana Pujais a ceremony performed before commencing any new endeavour or for no particular reason. Invoking the name of the family'sgotraand thekuladevataare important aspects of these ceremonies for many communities.
Like most other Hindu communities, the Marathi people have a household shrine called adevagharwith idols, symbols, and pictures of various deities for daily worship. Ritual reading of religious texts known aspothiis also popular in some communities.
In some traditional families, food is first offered to the preferred deity in the household shrine, asnaivedya, before being consumed by family members and guests.Meals or snacks are not taken before this religious offering. In present times, thenaivedyais offered by families only on days of special religious significance.
Many Marathi people trace their paternal ancestors to one of the seven or eight sages, thesaptarshi. They classify themselves as gotras, named after the ancestorrishi. Intra-marriage within gotras (Sagotra Vivaha) was uncommon until recently, being discouraged as it was likened to incest.
Most Marathi families have their own family patron or protective deity or thekuladevata. This deity is common to a lineage or a clan of several families who are connected to each other through a common ancestor.TheKhandobaof Jejuri is an example of akuladevataof some families; he is a commonkuladevatato several castes ranging fromBrahminsandDhangartoDalits.The practice of worshiping local or territorial deities askuladevatasbegan in the period of theYadava dynasty.Other family deities of the people of Maharashtra areBhavaniofTuljapur,MahalaxmiofKolhapur, Mahalaxmi ofAmravati,RenukaofMahur,Parashuramin Konkan,Saptashringion Saptashringa hill at Vani in Nasik district, andBalaji. Despite the system of worshipping kuladevatas, the worship ofGanesha,Vitthala, and other popularavatarsofVishnusuch asRamaorKrishnaare extremely popular across the entire community.The festivals ofGaneshotsavand annualwari pilgrimageto the Vitthal temple atPandharpurare of significant importance to all Marathis alike.
At birth, a child is initiated into the family ritually. The child's naming ceremony may happen many weeks or even months later, and it is called thebārsa. In many Indian Hindu communities, the naming is most often done by consulting the child's horoscope, which suggests various names depending on the child's lunar sign (calledrashi). However, in Marathi Hindu families, the name that the child inevitably uses in secular functions is the one decided by their parents. If a name is chosen on the basis of the horoscope, then that is kept a secret to ward off the casting of a spell on the child during their life. During the naming ceremony, the child'spaternal aunthas the honour of naming the infant. When the child is 11 months old, they get their first hair-cut.This is also an important ritual and is calledJawal (जावळ). In the Maratha community, the maternal uncle is given the honour of the first snip during the ceremony.
In Brahman, CKP, Gaud Saraswat Brahman Gurav, Daivednya, and some Maratha communities when a male child undergoes the initiation thread ceremony variously known as Munja (in reference to the Munja grass that is of official ritual specification),Vratabandha, orUpanayanam.
Marathi Hindu people are historicallyendogamouswithin their caste but exogamous with their clan.Cross-cousinalliances are allowed by most Marathi Hindu communities.Hindu marriages, more often than not, take place by negotiation. Themangalasutrais the symbol of marriage for the woman. Studies show that most Indians' traditional views on caste, religion, and family background have remained unchanged when it came to marriage,that is, people marry within their own castes,and matrimonial advertisements in newspapers are still classified by caste and sub-caste.
While arranging a marriage,gana,gotra,pravara,devakaare all kept in mind. Horoscopes are matched.The marriage ceremony is described as follows: 'The groom, along with the bride's party goes to the bride's house. A ritual namedAkshatais performed in which people around the groom and bride throwhaldi(turmeric) andkunku(vermilion) coloured rice grains on the couple. After thekanyadanaceremony, there is an exchange of garlands between the bride and the groom. Then, the groom ties the Mangalsutra around the neck of the bride. This is followed bygranthibandhanin which the end of the bride'ssādi/sāriis tied to the end of the groom's dhoti, and a feast is arranged at the groom's place.'
Elements of a traditional Marathi Hindu wedding ceremony includeseemant poojanon the wedding eve. Thedharmicwedding includes theantarpatceremony followed by the Vedic ceremony which involves the bridegroom and the bride walking around the sacred fire seven times to complete the marriage. Modern urban wedding ceremonies conclude with an evening reception. A Marathi Hindu woman becomes part of her husband's family after marriage and adopts the gotra as well as the traditions of her husband's family.
After weddings and after thread ceremonies, many Maratha, Deshastha Brahmin and Dhangar families arrange a traditional religious singing performance by a Gondhali group.
Decades ago, girls married the groom of their parents' choice by their early teens or before. Even today, girls are married off in their late teens by rural and orthodox educated people. Urban women may choose to remain unmarried until the late 20s or even early 30s.
Marathi Hindu people dispose their dead bycremation.The deceased's son carries the corpse to the cremation ground atop abier. The eldest son lights the fire for the corpse at the head for males and at the feet for females. The ashes are gathered in an earthen pitcher and immersed in a river on the third day after death. This is a 13-day ritual with thepindabeing offered to the dead soul on the 11th and aŚrāddha(Shrāddha) ceremonyfollowed by a funeral feast on the 13th. Cremation is performed according to Vedic rites, usually within a day of the individual's death. Like all other Hindus, the preference is for the ashes to be immersed in a river. Holy rivers such as theGangesriver orGodavarihave increasingly become popular for this ritual as travelling has become easier in modern times.Śrāddhabecomes an annual ritual in which all forefathers of the family who have passed on are remembered. These rituals are expected to be performed only by male descendants, preferably the eldest son of the deceased. The annualŚrāddhafor all the ancestors is usually performed during thePitru Paksha, the dark fortnight of the Hindu month of Bhadrapada.
The Marathi,KannadaandTelugu peoplefollow the DeccanShalivahanaHindu calendar, which may have subtle differences with calendars followed by other communities in India. The calendar follows the Amanta tradition where the lunar month ends on no moon day.Marathi Hindus celebrate most of the Indian Hindu festivals such asDasara,DiwaliandRaksha Bandhan. These are, however, celebrated with certain Maharashtrian regional variations. Others festivals likeGaneshotsavhave a more characteristic Marathi flavour. The festivals described below are in chronological order as they occur during a Shaka year, starting with Shaka new year festival ofGudhi Padwa.
During this Navavatri, girls and women perform 'Bhondla/Hadga' as the Sun moves to the thirteenth constellation of the zodiac called 'Hasta' (Elephant). During the nine days, Bhondla (also known as 'Bhulabai' in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra) is celebrated in the garden or on the terrace during evening hours by inviting female friends of the daughter in the house. An elephant is drawn either withRangolion the soil or with a chalk on a slate and kept in the middle. The girls go around it in a circle, holding each other's hands and singing Bhondla songs. All Bhondla songs are traditional songs passed down through the generations. The last song typically ends with the words '...khirapatila kaay ga?' ('What is the special dish today?'). This 'Khirapat' is a special dish, or dishes, often made laboriously by the mother of the host girl. The food is served only after the rest of the girls have correctly guessed what the covered dish or dishes are. There are some variations with how the Navratri festival is celebrated. For example, in many Brahmin families, celebrations include offering lunch for nine days to a specially invited a group of guests. The guests include a married Woman (Marathi:सवाष्ण ), a Brahmin and, a Virgin (Marathi:कुमारिका). In the morning and evening, the head of the family ritually worships either the goddessDurga,LakshmiorSaraswati. On the eighth day, a special rite is carried out in some families. A statue of the goddess Mahalakshmi, with the face of a rice mask, is prepared and worshiped by newly married girls. In the evening of that day, women blow into earthen or metallic pots as a form of worship to please the goddess. Everyone in the family accompanies them by chanting verses andBhajans. The nine-day festival ends with aYadnaor reading of a Hindu Holy book (Marathi:पारायण ).
The celebration lasts for three days and ends on KartikiPournimaor Tripurari Pournima.
In coastal Konkan area, the festival of Shimga is celebrated which not only incorporates Holi but also involves other rituals and celebrations which precede Holi and extends for a few days more.
On 14 October 1956 atNagpur, Maharashtra, India, B. R. Ambedkar embraced Buddhist religion publicly and gave Deeksha of Buddhist religion to his more than 380,000 followers.The day is celebrated asDharmacakraPravartan Din. The grounds in Nagpur on which the conversion ceremony took place is known asDeekshabhoomi. Every year more than a million Buddhist people, especiallyAmbedkarite, from all over the world visit Deekshabhoomi to commemorate Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din.
Festival commemorates Lord Buddha's enlightenment and birth. Buddhist community celebrates this day with great fervor and zeal across the world. Maharashtra has India's largest Buddhist population, about 5.8% of the State's total population. The State not only has rich Buddhist heritage and culture, it is also dotted with large and small Buddhist caves. Buddhists go to common Viharas to observe a rather longer-than-usual, full-length Buddhist sutra, akin to a service. The dress code is pure white. Non-vegetarian food is normally avoided. Kheer, sweet rice porridge is commonly served to recall the story of Sujata, who offered the Buddha a bowl of milk porridge.
Christmas(Marathi: नाताळ) is celebrated to mark the birthday ofJesus Christ. Like in other parts of India, Christmas is celebrated with zeal by the indigenous Marathi Catholics such as theBombay East Indians&Korlai Portuguese CreoleLuso-Indians.
The many communities in Marathi society result in a diverse cuisine. This diversity extends to the family level because each family uses its own unique combination of spices. The majority of Maharashtrians do eat meat and eggs, but the Brahmin community is mostlylacto-vegetarian. The traditional staple food on Desh (the Deccan plateau) is usuallybhakri, spiced cooked vegetables,daland rice. Bhakri is anunleavened breadmade using Indian millet (jowar),bajraorbajri.However, the North Maharashtrians and urbanites preferroti, which is a plain bread made withwheatflour.In the coastal Konkan region, rice is the traditional staple food. An aromatic variety ofambemoharrice is more popular among Marathi people than the internationally knownbasmatirice. Malvani dishes use more wet coconut and coconut milk in their preparation. In the Vidarbha region, little coconut is used in daily preparations but dry coconut, along with peanuts, is used in dishes such as spicysavjis or mutton and chicken dishes.
Thalipeethis a popular traditional breakfast flat bread that is prepared usingbhajani, a mixture of many different varieties of roasted lentils.
Marathi Hindu people observe fasting days when traditional staple food like rice and chapatis are avoided. However, milk products and non-native foods such as potatoes, peanuts andsabudanapreparations (sabudana khicdi) are allowed, which result in a carbohydrate-rich alternative fasting cuisine.
Some Maharashtrian dishes includingsev bhaji,misal pavandpatodiare distinctly regional dishes within Maharashtra.
In metropolitan areas including Mumbai and Pune, the pace of life makes fast food very popular. The most popular forms of fast food among Marathi people in these areas are:bhaji,vada pav,misal pavandpav bhaji. More traditional dishes aresabudana khichdi,pohe,upma,sheeraandpanipuri. Most Marathi fast food and snacks are purely lacto-vegetarian in nature.
In South Konkan, nearMalvan, an independent exotic cuisine has developed calledMalvani cuisine, which is predominantly non-vegetarian.Kombdi vade, fish preparations and baked preparations are more popular here.Kombdi Vade, is a recipe from the Konkan region. Deep fried flatbread made from spicy rice anduridflour served with chicken curry, more specifically with Malvani chicken curry.
Desserts are an important part of Marathi food and includepuran poli,shrikhand,basundi,kheer,gulab jamun, andmodak. Traditionally, these desserts were associated with a particular festival, for example,modaks are prepared during theGanpati Festival.
Traditionally, Marathi women commonly wore thesari, often distinctly designed according to local cultural customs.Most middle aged and young women in urban Maharashtra dress in western outfits such as skirts and trousers orsalwar kameezwith the traditionallynauvarior nine-yard sari, disappearing from the markets due to a lack of demand.Older women wear the five-yard sari. In urban areas, the five-yard sari is worn by younger women for special occasions such as weddings and religious ceremonies.Among men, western dress has greater acceptance. Men also wear traditional costumes such as thedhotiandphetaon cultural occasions. TheGandhi capalong with a long white shirt and loose pajama style trousers is the popular attire among older men in rural Maharashtra.Women wear traditional jewellery derived from Marathas and Peshwas dynasties.Kolhapuri saaj, a special type of necklace, is also worn by Marathi women.In urban areas, many women and men wear western attire.
Marathi Hindu people follow a partiallyPatronymicnaming system. For example, it is customary to associate the father's name with the given name. In the case of married women, the husband's name is associated with the given name. Therefore, the constituents of a Marathi name as given name /first name, father/husband, family name /surname. For example:
Marathi Hindus choose given names for their children from a variety of sources. They could be characters fromHindu mythologicalepics such as theRamayanaorMahabharat, names of holy rivers such asYamunaandGodavari, Hindu historical figures from Maratha or Indian history such asShivajiandAshoka, Marathi varkari saints such asTukaram,Dnyaneshwar,Janabai, popular characters from modern Marathi literature, names of fragrant flowers for girls (e.g.Bakul, Kamal/Kamla forlotus), senses such asMadhurafor sweetness, precious metals such female nameSuwarnafor gold, heavenly bodies such as the Sun and the Moon,VasantandSharadfor spring and autumn respectively, names of film stars or sportsmen, and after virtues (e.g.,Vinayfor modesty). Nicknames such as Bandu, Balu, Sonya and Pillu for males and Chhabu and Bebi for girls have been popular too.
A large number of Maharashtrian surnames are derived by adding the suffixkarto the village from which the family originally hailed.For example, Junnarkar came from town ofJunnar, Waghulkar comes from the town of Waghul. According to Bhandarkar, the tradition of using place name as the surname can be traced back to the Chalukya era in the 7th century.Names likeKumbhar,Sutar,Kulkarni,Deshpande,Deshmukh,Patil,Desai, andJoshidenote the family's ancestral trade, profession, or administrative role.
Families of the historical Maratha chiefs use their clan name as their surname. Some of these are Jadhav, Bhosale, Chavan,Shinde,Shirke,More,Nimbalkar,Pawar, Masaram, Gharge-Desai (Deshmukh) and Ghatge.Members of the numerically largest MarathaKunbicultivator class among Marathi people have also adopted some of the Maratha clan names, either to indicate allegiance to the Maratha chief they served, or as an attempt at upward mobility.
Marathi people use various suffixes and prefixes with names. Most of these are intended as honourific when addressing older people, or people with authority. The common suffixes include bai, and sometimes tai for women, rao, and saheb for men.According to Sankhelia, the first use of the word, bai was in the 13th century.In modern times, the prefixes Shree for men, and Saubhagyavati (abbreviated as Sau) for married women have become common.
It has been noted by scholars that there isDravidianinfluence in the development of the Marathi language.
Marathi, also known as Seuna at that time, was the court language during the reign of theYadava Kings. Yadava king Singhania was known for his magnanimous donations. Inscriptions recording these donations are found written in Marathi on stone slabs in the temple at Kolhapur in Maharashtra. Composition of noted works of scholars likeHemadriare also found. Hemadri was also responsible for introducing a style of architecture called Hemadpanth.Among the various stone inscriptions are those found at Akshi in the Kolaba district, which are the first known stone inscriptions in Marathi. An example found at the bottom of the statue of Gomateshwar (Bahubali) atShravanabelagolain Karnataka bears the inscription 'Chamundraye karaviyale, Gangaraye suttale karaviyale'which gives some information regarding the sculptor of the statue and the king who ordered its creation.
Marathi people have a long literary tradition which started in the ancient era.It was the 13th-century saintDnyaneshwarwho produced the first treatise in Marathi on the Geeta. The work calledDnyaneshwariis considered a masterpiece. Along with Dnyaneshwar, his contemporary,Namdevwas also responsible for propagating Marathi religiousBhaktiliterature. Namdev is also important to theSikhtradition, since several of his compositions were included in the Sikh Holy book, theGuru Granth Sahib.Eknath,Sant Tukaram,MukteshwarandSamarth Ramdaswere equally important figures in the 17th century. In the 18th century, writers likeVaman Pandit,Raghunath Pandit, Shridhar Pandit,Mahipati,andMoropantproduced some well-known works.All of the above-mentioned writers produced religious literature.
The first English book was translated into Marathi in 1817 while the first Marathi newspaper started in 1841.Many books on social reform were written by Baba Padamji (Yamuna Paryatana, 1857),Mahatma Jyotiba Phule,Lokhitawadi,Justice Ranade, andHari Narayan Apte(1864–1919).Lokmanya Tilak's newspaperKesariin Marathi was a strong voice in promoting Ganeshotsav or Chhatrapati Shivaji festival. The newspaper also offered criticism of colonial government excesses. At this time, Marathi efficiently aided by Marathi Drama. B. R. Ambedkar's newspaper,Bahishkrut Bharat,set up in 1927, provided a platform for sharing literary views.
In the mid-1950s, the 'little magazine movement' gained momentum. It published writings which were non-conformist, radical, and experimental. TheDalit literaturemovement also gained strength due to the little magazine movement. This radical movement was influenced by the philosophy of non-conformity, and challenged the literary establishment, which was largely middle class, urban, and uppercaste.The little magazine movement was responsible for many excellent writers including the well-known novelist, critic, and poetBhalchandra Nemade. Dalit writerN. D. Mahanoris well known for his work, while Dr. Sharad Rane is a well-known children's writer.
Although ethnic Marathis have taken up military roles for many centuries,their martial qualities came to prominence in 17th-century India, under the leadership ofShivaji. He founded the Maratha Empire, which at the time of the mid-18th century controlled large parts of the Indian subcontinent.It was largely an ethnic Marathi polity,with its chiefs and nobles coming from the Marathi ethnicity, such as theBhonsles(Marathacaste), theHolkars(Dhangarcaste),thePeshwas(1713 onwards;Chitpavancaste),the Angres, chief ofMaratha Navy(Marathacaste; 1698 onwards).The Maratha Empire is credited to a large extent for reducing the Mughal emperor to a mere figurehead. .Further, they were also considered by the British as the most important native power of 18th-century India.Today this ethnicity is represented in theIndian Army, with two regiments deriving their names from Marathi communities —theMaratha Light Infantryand theMahar Regiment.