History of Anavils

ANAVILS OF SOUTH GUJARAT by Shri AMBELAL GOPALJI DESAI

Nag and Dasyu Races In The Pauranik Era

When did the ancestors of Anavil Brahmins start residing in Deccan Gujarat?  What reasons prompted the ancestors of this community to come down to Gujarat?  Were they residing in this area from the beginning?  Without proper research, true answers to these questions cannot be found.

To what extent Pauranik references can be relied upon is a debatable point.  The progressive, modern world may not accept such Pauranik references as true.  Some scholars hold different opinions about the Purans.  However the credibility of these Purans have been increased by Pargiter.  Relying on Pargiter, many scholars have given credence to the belief that the old history of India is truly contained in the Puranas.

Some ancient facts are noted here.  When the Aryans came to India, the Nagas of the Dasyu races were residing in Gujarat of the Saurashtra regions.  The Naga race were considered as Anarya.  That race used to reside on the western coast of Gujarat of Saurashtra.  The Nagas were of wheat and gold complexion and their culture was superior to that of the Dasyu race.  The Nagas were proficient in state administration, as well as art and artistry.

Bhim was poisoned and thrown in the river by the Kauravas.  Some people are of the belief that the adverse effect of Bhim’s poison might have been neutralized by someone belonging to the Naga race.  And as a result, Bhim might have come to the Naga region on the Gujarat-Saurashtra coast, and eventually might have married a Naga bride.  It is said in Mahabharat that Bhim went to Patal-lok (bottom less pit) from there. Many battles were fought between the Aryans and the Nagas.  On some occasions, Dasyus were on the side of the Aryans, while on other occasions they were fighting for the Nagas (Anaryans). Out of sheer fear and in order to protect their culture the Nagas migrated to South India and settled there, leaving their Patal Pradesh in Gujarat.  Some of the Nagas also embraced the Aryan religion.  The Anaryan leader known as Tarakasur, residing in Tarapur near Khambhat.  also fled to the south.   Tarkasur passed the remainder of his life in a town known as Tarapur , established by him, and it is near the present day Boisar.  Another Anaryan known as Mahishasur went to the south and established the town of Mysore (Mahisur).  The Aryans of the Nagas again fought some battles, on occasion, around Mysore.  Mahishasur was killed by Chamundadevi in one of these battles.  Chamundadevi is also known as the killer of Mahishasur.  A life size statue of the demon Mahishasur has been installed on the Chamundi hill, while on the way to the Chamundadevi temple.  This fantastic looking demon has been shown standing with a chopper in one hand and a cobra in the other.  At some places in the area around Mysore one finds the idol with the cobra like images.  This leads us to believe that at sometime there must have been Naga kingdom around here.  The cobra in one of the hands of the Mahishasur’s statue may be to create an impression of Mahishasur’s dominance over the Naga race.  The Naga race was under his dominance and used to carry out his bidding.  Mahishasur is shown having held the cobra in the center very carefully, so he may not be injured.  It can therefore be presumed that from this that Mahishasur was not the enemy of the Naga race.  It is quite possible that the cobra may be taken  as the emblem of the Naga race

The impressive Rishi Ashtik, the savior of the Naga family at the Naga-Yagna of Janmajey was the nephew of the Nagas.  It is said Rishi Astik was staying in the southern coast of the river Tapti.  The temple of Ashtik Rishi is situated in a village Ghodadara, near Udhna.  Many people of the Surat District call the Rishi Astik as “ASPAR BAPJI”.  The existence of the Astik temple elsewhere in India is not known.
In those times there was neither any social nor religious embargo on Aryans marrying Aryan men or women.  It is observed that brides from lower status used to marry grooms in the higher status.By such marital alliances with original natives they used to create their superior culture in those people. It is not impossible that according to the then times, the Aryan may have absorbed a sect of the Nag community , amongst them after settling in this region.  The Aryans permanently settled in this region upon absorbing a sect of the Naga community.

References have been found that the ancestors of Anavil Brahmins had married the Nag brides.  To indicate that they used to marry the Nag brides, certain words are spoken in the Anavil community.  When an Anavil youth marries a beautiful bride, the people used to say that the bride looks like a Naga bride.  If per chance a father were to visit his daughter during a fight between the daughter and the mother-in-law, the angry mother-in-law would haughtily order him to take with him his Naga Kanya. The cluster of words such as Nag-Panchmi, Nag-Puja, Nag-Talao, Nag-Dhara, Nag-Devi, Nageshwar, Nagpur, Nagmandel proves that at one time the Nag people may  have a  considerable dominance in the Deccan Gujarat.  On the banks of the river Narmada, there used to be an administrative office of the Karkotak Nag.  Such offices of the Nag people were also seen in the Lat region (Pradesh).  The civilized traits of the Naga community are still preserved in the whole of Gujarat and is amply proved by the ritual of the cobra worship, by the Anavils.  The name of the mother of Small-pox Goddess was Ulupi and she was Nag-Kanya (maiden). That such stories of folklore are still current in Deccan Gujarat of Nagdevta, having rescued a married but a harassed bride in her in-law’s house.  The Nag community people were smart, agile, adventurous, vindictive, proud and illustrious.  That community was not of that caliber of the Aryans.  The facial shape of the Nag people was not as oval shaped as that of the Aryans.  Many  traits of these clever and bold community are found in the Anavil community today.  The Naga community used to worship the Cobra.  There used to be the images of cobras with fangs raised on the helmets of the soldiers of the Naga community. It is quite possible that the community may have been called the Naga community.

Now we get some information about the Dashyu community.  This community known as Dashyu was also residing in Deccan Gujarat when the Naga race had its suzerainty.  The Dashyu people were black in appearance .  They were short and stub-nosed.  Their faces could be called ugly.  In the Vedas, they are described as ‘Anas” -i.e., ugly faced.  Their physical structure was greatly different to that of the people of the Nag community.  The trail of loyalty was much less in this community with thick stout necks and low intellect.  Consequently the Dashyu community sometimes used to be on the side of the Anaryans and at other times would be on the side of the Aryans.  The community was adept at  usurping other people’s wealth.  The very meaning of the word Dashyu is a thief or scoundrel.  The Aryans drove away the Nag people and also captivated the Dashyu community.  Some of the Dashyu people were absorbed by the Aryans in their religion, some were left as slaves.  The remaining Dashyu community, in order to protect themselves from the tyranny of the Aryans fled into the jungles of eastern Gujarat.  There used to be a bitter enmity between the Aryan community and the Anaryan community in the forest.

It has been observed in historical annals that a victor-nation may consider and make others take them as cultured and well behaved.  At the same time they consider and acknowledge a vanquished nation as un-Aryan and uncultured.  Are we not unmindful of the vanity of the whites?  They still claim to protect the colored races of this world.  Some of the people are of the view that the Aryans have perpetrated unparalleled tyranny on the natives of this region.  However it can positively be said that the Aryans were more powerful both physically and mentally than the natives of this region.
In the list of Gods and Goddesses of the Dashyu community are included the names of Mamadevi, Khetar-pal, Shikotri goddess and Khodiyarmata.  Some of the old fashioned Anavils still worship these Dashyu Gods and Goddesses.  Some people are of the belief that the area around places near Surat, Broach, Kosad, Bharthana was known as Hedambavan during the times of Mahabharat.  It is so said that Bhim and Hedamba had met in this region and as compared to the normal height of this race Hedamba’s height was outstanding. It is also said that Hedamba was a non-Aryan lady of Dasyu race.  The nick-name of Hedamba is generally awarded to the tall ugly ladies in the Anavil community.

The Dashyu community was dirty, obstinate, lazy and possessed a highly angry temperament.  One is likely to err if one is to take for granted that today’s forest people are of the Dashyu community.  The traits of the Nag and Aryan community are also observed in some of the forest population.  In today’s times, we find the traits of the highbrows in the people whom we consider of the low class and vice-versa.
It is believed that blood of the Aryans and the Nag community flow in the veins of the ANAVIL community.  With the changing of times.  They may have mixed other blood in their flow.  Therefore it is difficult to say how much blood of which tribe may be flowing in the veins of the Anavil community.  It is impossible to claim with certainty, whether any community of today’s India was formed from the good mix of which tribes.  Many rivers have merged in the ocean of the communities of India.   None of the communities of India is pure.