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(Redirected from Bhojaka)
'ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ«' (ShakadvÄ«pÄ«, also known as 'ÅšÄkaladvÄ«pÄ«') or 'Bhojaka' is a class of Brahmin priests in Western India, Bihar and western Uttar Pradesh [1]. The term Bhojaka is popular in western India and ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ« or ÅšÄkaladvÄ«pÄ« is in vogue in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
This is the only division of brahmins whose origins are said to be outside India, although half of its gotra names are same as those found in native brahmins, which suggests some common origins. Wise men of the east (Magi) are believed to be ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ« brahmins [2].
The most detailed account of the origin of ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ«s or Bhojakas occurs in Bhavishya Purana (chapter 133)[3] . According to this story, Krishna's son SÄmba built a Sun Temple and asked Rishi Gaurmukha to become its priest. But sages did not like the profession of priesthood. Then, Sun God said that no brahmin in Jambudvipa was qualified for Sun-worship and asked SÄmba to invite four categories of peoples from ÅšÄkadvÄ«pa: 'Maga', Magas, MÄnas and Mandaga.SÄmba invited celibates of 18 kulas (extended family) who settled in SÄmbapura on the banks of ChandrabhÄgÄ river in western India. Of them, 8 kulas of Mandagas were Shudras or Śūdras and 10 kulas of Magas were brahmins. They were married to girls of Bhoja vamÅ›a. Therefore, the descendants of those 18 ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ« kulas came to be known as Bhojakas.
The 8 Mandaga kulas were married to Śaka (Saka, who were eastern Scythians, distinct from African Shaka) and their descendants were not called Mandaga, and were considered to be Śūdras. [4]
These communities have historically served as the priests of the Sun god (Surya, Mitra in Sanskrit, Mithra in Avestan). Sanskrit word 'mihir' is related to Sun and one ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ« gotra name is mihirÄsu, which points to Persian connections (Mihr in Persian).Scholar Varahamihira is believed by some to have belonged to this community.
Bhojas (or Bhojakas) are mentioned in the inscriptions of Maurya Ashoka and Kharavela. Kadamba dynasty copperplates found in Karnataka mention Bhojakas as manages of Jain institutions.
The Shakadvipi Brahmins of Bihar are considered to be closely related to the Bhojakas. The Bhojakas are historically associated with several 'Jain' temples in Gujarat and Rajasthan, where they serve as priests and attendants [5][6].
In Gujarat, many of the prominent theater personalities have belonged to the Bhojaka community [7].
There are 74 'Para' (i.e., ''alla'') among ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ«s ; endogamy within a ''para'' is forbidden [8].
There are 12 'gotras' in ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ«s:
★ KÄÅ›yapa (Kashyapa)
★ Garga
★ PÄrÄÅ›ara (Parashara)
★ Bhrigu (cf. Bhargava)
★ (Kaundinya)
★ Kausala
★ Vasu
★ Suryadatta
★ Arkadatta ( literally synonymous to Suryadatta )
★ Nala
★ Bhavya
★ MihrÄsu
'Titles' or Surnames (Padavi or Āspada):
★ MiÅ›ra (cf. Mishra)
★ (Pathak)
★ (Pandey) [9].
H. H. Risley, the census commissioner of India's 1901 census, wrote that ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ« brahmins practised endogamous marriage within a gotra (which is forbidden in other brahmins), but avoid ''para'' [10]. According to '', KÄnyakubja (KannaujiÄ) and SaryupÄriya (Sarwariye) hold that ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ« should not be appointed as priests in yajña and pÅ«jÄ (ritualistic worship) and are unfit for dÄna (donation) ; this extreme view was related to gotra-endogamy as well as to foreign origins of ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ«s [11].
But ''A History of Brahmin Clans'' states that ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ« brahmins have a love for traditional (Sanskrit) knowledge and their s (cf. Sanskara) are like Maithil BrÄhamanas, although matrimonial and other customary relations with Maithil (or other brahmins) are not in vogue [12].
About the present day practices of ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ«s, Pt DorilÄl ÅšarmÄ Åšrotiya writes : 'they wear long Yajnopavita at the age of 8 years, keep quiet while eating, like to keep beards like sages, perform agnihotra, and drink wine charmed with mantras, and were called maga because they read the Vedas in haphazard ways' [13]. These statements do not apply to modern ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ«s / Bhojakas who are highly educated.
1. cf. Brahman Nirnaya, page 491 : this book cites some other writers who say that ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ« reside around Banaras and Bihar.
2. cf. next section
3. , p. 150 quotes Bhavishya Purana while giving an account of the origin of ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ«s.
4. Besides , ''BrÄhmaṇotpatti-mÄrtaṇá¸a'' also narrates this story.
5. cf. People of India
6. cf. Jains in the World: Religious Values and Ideology in India
7. http://www.webindia123.com/GUJARAT/Arts/danmusic.htm
8. A History of Brahmin Clans, p.279, 281
9. A History of Brahmin Clans, p.281
10. A History of Brahmin Clans ,p.279, refers to this citation of H. H. Risley. The book ''A History of Brahmin Clans '' also quotes similar opinions from another book '' ItihÄsa'' by Pt MahÄrÄja (extra asst. commisioner of Ajmer), and Pt BhattÄchÄrya (Principal of Pandit College, ShÄntipur, NadiÄ). The author of ''A History of Brahmin Clans '' says that endogamous marriage within a gotra is forbidden in Hindu dharmaÅ›Ästras.
11. cf. , p.491
12. ''A History of Brahmin Clans'', p.281
13. A History of Brahmin Clans, p.280
★ by Pt. Chhote LÄl SharmÄ,1916,Aligarh.
★ A History of Brahmin Clans () in Hindi, by DorilÄl ÅšarmÄ,published by RÄÅ›triya BrÄhamana MahÄsabhÄ, Vimal Building, JamirÄbÄd, Mitranagar, MasÅ«dÄbÄd,Aligarh-1, 2nd ed-1998. (This Hindi book contains the most exhaustive list of Brahmana gotras and pravaras together their real and mythological histories).
★ by Pt. JwÄlÄ PrasÄd Misra, published by Khemaraj Shrikrishnadas,(1914).
★ '', (Sanskrit), 1871
★ People of India By Kumar Suresh Singh, N. N. Vyas, B. K. Lavania, Dipak Kumar Samanta, S. K. Mandal, published 1998, Popular Prakashan, ISBN 8171547699
★ Jains in the World: Religious Values and Ideology in India By John E. Cort, Published 2001,Oxford University Press, ISBN 0195132343
★ Brahmin communities
★ Brahmin
★ Brahmins
★ Hinduism
★ Forward Castes
★ Classification of Brahmins
★ Shakadvipi Community website. Includes quotes from Bhavishya Purana
★ The complete reference to Brahmins: Material from this site has been borrowed for this article with the permission from Dr. Vepachedu: [1]
★ A Long List of Brahmin Castes and Sub-castes
'ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ«' (ShakadvÄ«pÄ«, also known as 'ÅšÄkaladvÄ«pÄ«') or 'Bhojaka' is a class of Brahmin priests in Western India, Bihar and western Uttar Pradesh [1]. The term Bhojaka is popular in western India and ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ« or ÅšÄkaladvÄ«pÄ« is in vogue in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
This is the only division of brahmins whose origins are said to be outside India, although half of its gotra names are same as those found in native brahmins, which suggests some common origins. Wise men of the east (Magi) are believed to be ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ« brahmins [2].
| Contents |
| History |
| Organisation |
| Customs and practices |
| Notes |
| References |
| See also |
| External Links |
History
The most detailed account of the origin of ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ«s or Bhojakas occurs in Bhavishya Purana (chapter 133)[3] . According to this story, Krishna's son SÄmba built a Sun Temple and asked Rishi Gaurmukha to become its priest. But sages did not like the profession of priesthood. Then, Sun God said that no brahmin in Jambudvipa was qualified for Sun-worship and asked SÄmba to invite four categories of peoples from ÅšÄkadvÄ«pa: 'Maga', Magas, MÄnas and Mandaga.SÄmba invited celibates of 18 kulas (extended family) who settled in SÄmbapura on the banks of ChandrabhÄgÄ river in western India. Of them, 8 kulas of Mandagas were Shudras or Śūdras and 10 kulas of Magas were brahmins. They were married to girls of Bhoja vamÅ›a. Therefore, the descendants of those 18 ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ« kulas came to be known as Bhojakas.
The 8 Mandaga kulas were married to Śaka (Saka, who were eastern Scythians, distinct from African Shaka) and their descendants were not called Mandaga, and were considered to be Śūdras. [4]
These communities have historically served as the priests of the Sun god (Surya, Mitra in Sanskrit, Mithra in Avestan). Sanskrit word 'mihir' is related to Sun and one ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ« gotra name is mihirÄsu, which points to Persian connections (Mihr in Persian).Scholar Varahamihira is believed by some to have belonged to this community.
Bhojas (or Bhojakas) are mentioned in the inscriptions of Maurya Ashoka and Kharavela. Kadamba dynasty copperplates found in Karnataka mention Bhojakas as manages of Jain institutions.
The Shakadvipi Brahmins of Bihar are considered to be closely related to the Bhojakas. The Bhojakas are historically associated with several 'Jain' temples in Gujarat and Rajasthan, where they serve as priests and attendants [5][6].
In Gujarat, many of the prominent theater personalities have belonged to the Bhojaka community [7].
Organisation
There are 74 'Para' (i.e., ''alla'') among ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ«s ; endogamy within a ''para'' is forbidden [8].
There are 12 'gotras' in ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ«s:
★ KÄÅ›yapa (Kashyapa)
★ Garga
★ PÄrÄÅ›ara (Parashara)
★ Bhrigu (cf. Bhargava)
★ (Kaundinya)
★ Kausala
★ Vasu
★ Suryadatta
★ Arkadatta ( literally synonymous to Suryadatta )
★ Nala
★ Bhavya
★ MihrÄsu
'Titles' or Surnames (Padavi or Āspada):
★ MiÅ›ra (cf. Mishra)
★ (Pathak)
★ (Pandey) [9].
Customs and practices
H. H. Risley, the census commissioner of India's 1901 census, wrote that ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ« brahmins practised endogamous marriage within a gotra (which is forbidden in other brahmins), but avoid ''para'' [10]. According to '', KÄnyakubja (KannaujiÄ) and SaryupÄriya (Sarwariye) hold that ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ« should not be appointed as priests in yajña and pÅ«jÄ (ritualistic worship) and are unfit for dÄna (donation) ; this extreme view was related to gotra-endogamy as well as to foreign origins of ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ«s [11].
But ''A History of Brahmin Clans'' states that ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ« brahmins have a love for traditional (Sanskrit) knowledge and their s (cf. Sanskara) are like Maithil BrÄhamanas, although matrimonial and other customary relations with Maithil (or other brahmins) are not in vogue [12].
About the present day practices of ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ«s, Pt DorilÄl ÅšarmÄ Åšrotiya writes : 'they wear long Yajnopavita at the age of 8 years, keep quiet while eating, like to keep beards like sages, perform agnihotra, and drink wine charmed with mantras, and were called maga because they read the Vedas in haphazard ways' [13]. These statements do not apply to modern ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ«s / Bhojakas who are highly educated.
Notes
1. cf. Brahman Nirnaya, page 491 : this book cites some other writers who say that ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ« reside around Banaras and Bihar.
2. cf. next section
3. , p. 150 quotes Bhavishya Purana while giving an account of the origin of ÅšÄkadvÄ«pÄ«s.
4. Besides , ''BrÄhmaṇotpatti-mÄrtaṇá¸a'' also narrates this story.
5. cf. People of India
6. cf. Jains in the World: Religious Values and Ideology in India
7. http://www.webindia123.com/GUJARAT/Arts/danmusic.htm
8. A History of Brahmin Clans, p.279, 281
9. A History of Brahmin Clans, p.281
10. A History of Brahmin Clans ,p.279, refers to this citation of H. H. Risley. The book ''A History of Brahmin Clans '' also quotes similar opinions from another book '' ItihÄsa'' by Pt MahÄrÄja (extra asst. commisioner of Ajmer), and Pt BhattÄchÄrya (Principal of Pandit College, ShÄntipur, NadiÄ). The author of ''A History of Brahmin Clans '' says that endogamous marriage within a gotra is forbidden in Hindu dharmaÅ›Ästras.
11. cf. , p.491
12. ''A History of Brahmin Clans'', p.281
13. A History of Brahmin Clans, p.280
References
★ by Pt. Chhote LÄl SharmÄ,1916,Aligarh.
★ A History of Brahmin Clans () in Hindi, by DorilÄl ÅšarmÄ,published by RÄÅ›triya BrÄhamana MahÄsabhÄ, Vimal Building, JamirÄbÄd, Mitranagar, MasÅ«dÄbÄd,Aligarh-1, 2nd ed-1998. (This Hindi book contains the most exhaustive list of Brahmana gotras and pravaras together their real and mythological histories).
★ by Pt. JwÄlÄ PrasÄd Misra, published by Khemaraj Shrikrishnadas,(1914).
★ '', (Sanskrit), 1871
★ People of India By Kumar Suresh Singh, N. N. Vyas, B. K. Lavania, Dipak Kumar Samanta, S. K. Mandal, published 1998, Popular Prakashan, ISBN 8171547699
★ Jains in the World: Religious Values and Ideology in India By John E. Cort, Published 2001,Oxford University Press, ISBN 0195132343
See also
★ Brahmin communities
★ Brahmin
★ Brahmins
★ Hinduism
★ Forward Castes
★ Classification of Brahmins
External Links
★ Shakadvipi Community website. Includes quotes from Bhavishya Purana
★ The complete reference to Brahmins: Material from this site has been borrowed for this article with the permission from Dr. Vepachedu: [1]
★ A Long List of Brahmin Castes and Sub-castes
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