Abstract
Until the twelfth-century A.D., as historical records, genealogies and folk traditions establish, the Meena tribe of Rajasthan ruled over a dozen of independent states after which they gradually lost them to the treachery of the Rajputs. Nevertheless, the Meenas continued to be in power, as Rajputs ruled with the cooperation and consent of the former; it was a ‘rule through compromise’ as stated in various chronicles and archival records. When the British arrived and princely states became their protectorates, the Meenas remained a continuous threat to them and were thus listed under the Criminal Tribes Act 1871. British records of Punjab, Rajputana and Bombay Presidency present Meenas as ‘criminals’ and ‘plunderers’. Their frequent listing in police records led to their criminalisation under the Criminal Tribes Act first applied in Rajputana in 1924 and in Jaipur state in 1930. Even after independence, they continued to be criminalised under the Rajasthan Habitual Criminals Act 1950. It was only on 31 August 1952 that they were completely denotified. This paper tries to present the historical journey of the Meenas from a glorious past to their criminalisation drawing on various sources, written as well as folklore.
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Notes
- 1.
Historically, Pachwara refers to five kingdoms or clusters ruled by five Meena rulers of five different gotra (clans), but in the present context it denotes the area of Lalsot tehsil in Dausa district of eastern Rajasthan.
- 2.
This story has been equally mentioned in manuscripts of Meena Jagas and by Col. Tod. I have recorded this story from Tulsi Ram Jaga of village Nimoda in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan in the year 2003.
- 3.
New Moon night that comes every month. Festival of Diwali falls on Amawasyas.
- 4.
Sati refers to the widow who sacrifices herself by sitting atop her deceased husband’s funeral pyre. This has been a historical practice among the Hindu warrior communities in the northern and pre-modern regions of South Asia.
- 5.
Rawat Saraswat suggests it was Mora near Dausa (Saraswat 1968: 123).
- 6.
Kachhawas are believed to be descendants of Kush, one of the twin sons of Rama and Sita. They are considered to be Suryavanshi Rajputs. Their first entry into Rajasthan from Gwalior through Dulhe Rai has been described above. They ruled over Dhundhar (Jaipur) and Shekhawati (Churu, Sikar and Jhunjhunu) region of Rajasthan.
- 7.
As already stated, Kuchhawas believe themselves to be descendants of Kush, son of Rama (or Ram). Thus, they coined the name Ramgarh of Manch to honour their great ancestor Rama.
- 8.
Earlier, the goddess was known by the name Budwai Mata and worshipped by the Meenas in the region. On one occasion, Dulhe Rai was saved by her after being badly wounded by the Meenas. Since then, she is worshipped as clan goddess of Kachhawa Rajputs. DulheRai is said to have built her temple.
- 9.
Before the region was named as Shekhawati after the name of Rao Shekha, it was inhabited by numerous chieftains of the Chauhan or Tuar tribes (Tod, 2002: 313).
- 10.
Kali-kho is considered as the original home of the Meenas extending from Ajmer to the Yamuna River. Amber, Khoh Gong, Manch and other big cities of the Meenas fall in this range (Tod, 2002: 282).
- 11.
Presently, Tatwara is a village sixty kilometres north of Ranthambore inhabited by the Gujjar community. But it is considered to be the original home of the Tatu clan of Meenas. Remains of the fort wall lie at a distance of five kilometres from Tatwara village. It was once known by the name of Aalmalharshehar and originally ruled by Dashrath who belonged to the Guhilot clan of Meenas. An incident led to a battle in which Dashrath’s arms and legs were severed and his amputated body was thrown into the well. His amputated body earned him the name Tatu, and his successors adopted this name as their gotra.
- 12.
The matrimonial alliance of Amber with the Mughal is its proof.
- 13.
Balabai-ki-Kothari is a small palace below the Amber fort which is believed to be the earliest settlement of the Kuchhawas. The fort and palace on the hill are said to have been built later.
- 14.
System to guard the city or village.
- 15.
The Meenas who were assigned duty to guard the villages or palace/fort gates were designated as Chowkidar Meena.
- 16.
This was an act made for recovery of the theft from the person appointed for security of the village or city.
- 17.
Various records of the Bombay Presidency state that the Meenas of Khairad (Bhilwara) and Shekhawati travelled as far as Deccan for thefts.
- 18.
Due to the subsidiary alliance with the British from 1818 onwards to provide aid to Jaipur state.
- 19.
Local ministers and Thakurs of Jaipur state.
- 20.
The Criminal Tribe Act (CTA) was first enacted in North India on 12 October 1871 by the Governor General of India. Later it was extended to Bengal and Madras Presidency. The colonial mind-set and misunderstanding of Indian cultural system by the British Empire led to the introduction of Criminal Tribes Act 1871. Under the act, government registered many of the ethnic groups as ‘Habitual Criminal’.
- 21.
The ‘M’ pass was mandatory for a member of a criminal tribe to carry which was issued by the Inspector General of Police. It was to be produced at intermediate police stations and allowed the member to visit the place of his relatives or business for particular duration mentioned in it. It also allowed them to use means of transportation like a horse and camel.
- 22.
Statement of Ram Singh Naurawat, Convener, Rajasthan Meena Panchayat quoted by Rameshwari Nehru in a report in The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, 9 September 1949. Rameshwari Nehru was involved in rehabilitation of Meenas. She was well connected with the members of Jaipur Rajya Meena Sudhar Samiti.
- 23.
The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, 9 September 1949, p. 1.
- 24.
Tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
- 25.
Copy of the statement of Jaipur Rajya Meena Sudhar Samiti (published on 20.07.46) found in the private papers of Rameshwari Nehru at Nehru Memorial Library, New Delhi.
- 26.
As mentioned in a note of Ministry of Home Affairs dated 07-08-1952 by C.P.S Menon, Under Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
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Meena, M. (2021). Rulers, Criminals and Denotified Tribe: A Historical Journey of the Meenas. In: Behera, M.C. (eds) Tribe-British Relations in India. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3424-6_17
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