7.1 Maurya Community

7.1 Maurya Community

The Maurya community, popularly known as part of Murao or Koiri castes, is found in a scattered way across eastern Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar. Their dense population, yet very low, is found in the villages of Malladih, Andhya, Manpur, Narharpur, Beili, Bisunpura, Manjharia and Sohrauna. The villages belong to the Salempur region of Deoria, Uttar Pradesh [3]. These dense settlements are very close to Gorakhpur where the Mauryas of Pipphalivana flourished during the period of Buddha and had population strength very low compared to the Malla and Shakya tribes. Mauryas have mixed complexion and show physical attributes of Indo-Aryan, Dravidian and Mongoloid group of humans. Until mid 20th century, the community was highly endogamous with marriages happening between the Maurya titled populations only. Off late some marriages have also started with the Shakya and Kushwaha titled populations. Historically Mauryas practiced strict vegetarianism and involved in production of vegetable only. They followed the principle of ahimsa (non-hurting) to such an extent that at some places even selling milk was considered sin and going against it attracted strong sentiments from the elders of community. In the census of 1865, the community is placed in the Shudra category. It has been clubbed with the other vegetable growing communities of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and placed under the Murao and Koiri castes. The total sub-divisions or communities under Murao castes are 282 in number according to the early census reports of 1891 [4]. In the early 20th century, the scholars from Murao castes correlated all vegetable growing communities of northern India. They traced their origin from the period of King Ashoka Maurya, thus referred them as ‘Mayurvanshi’ and started their unification process under the umbrella of ‘Akhil Bharatiya Kushwaha Kshatriya Samaj’. The communities under this association include Goita (Deoria to Patna), Jaruhar (Deoria to Gopalganj), Kanaujia, Bhaktiha or Ramanandi sect (Faizabad, Barabanki and Ujjain), Sakkitaha (Jaunpur, Faizabad), Mehta, Mahto, Mandal, Chaksaini, Shaksaini, Sinha, Kachhi, Kachhavaha, Hardia, Kushwaha, Shakya and so on. Though classified under one umbrella, there remains a big challenge for the association to establish a social ties between them. It should be noted that in the association, some communities are strict vegetarian like Maurays, Kanujia, Bhaktiha etc., while some take non vegetarian diet like Kachhi, [5] Goita, Jaruhar etc [6]. It is difficult to write about the population number of Maurya titled people as the census started by the Britishers was based on ‘occupation’ and thus segregating the complex caste structure of Hindu society based on that.

Fig 7.1: Population distribution of Murao in Uttar Pradesh[7] and Koiri in Bihar [8] - dark background indicates thick settlement

Murao as a community claimed Kshatriya origin and their association also claimed Kshatriya status, but their socio-religious position was very inferior till the time of Independence. As Mauryas had substandard position in the society, no major work was done regarding their origin, population or correlation with the ancient Mauryas. Except Maurya and Shakya communities, most of the titles coming under Murao and Koiri castes had hardly any reference in ancient texts and therefore difficult for anthropologists to write about their lineage.

7.1a Some notes related to Murao and Koiri community

1. W.W. Hunter [9] in 1870s and H.H. Risley in 1890s record the legend that Koiris and Kachhis are created by Shiva and Parvati to tend the vegetable and flower gardens of Benares; a mythological reflection of the importance to their identity of both agricultural skill and Shaiva belief. Risley stresses the origin of community name from Murai or Maurao (radish). He characterizes the majority of Koiris in Bihar as Shaiva or Shakta and observes that ‘Vaishnavism has hitherto made little progress among them.’

2. Buchanan in late 1860s records that most Koiris in Bihar followed Dasnami Sanyasis*, while many in the Gorakhpur region adjacent to Ayodhya as well as in Purnia in the east had already begun to look to Ramanandis* for the spiritual guidance [9]. (*Dasnami Panth was created by Shankaracharya to fill the vacuum created after the fall of Buddhism in society. Ramanandi sect was started by Brahmin saint Ramananda opposing the caste system in society.)

3. W.W. Hunter [10] further records about the Koiri of Bihar that ‘They are also called as Murao and are the best cultivators in Bihar. They numbered in Patna 81,561 and more than 130,000 in each of the two remaining districts of south Bihar. They are identical with the Kachis of western India.

4. Edward Balfour [11] records about Koeri that – ‘The Koeri (1,204,884) also called as Murai or Murao, are the best spade husbandmen and largely engage in the poppy cultivation and the manufacture of opium with other garden produce.

5. David Masson [12] writes that ‘The Koeri and the humble Kachhi or Murao are the hereditary high priests of the poppy cult. The Koeri is by caste and the tradition of centuries a farmer and the Kachhi has ever been what he is now, a market-gardener.’

6. Pandit Jogendra Nath Bhattacharya [13] related the name Murao from the fact of their cultivating tnula or radish. He gave the population figure of Kachhis at 138,422 in the north western provinces.

7. In the early 20th century, Gangaprasad linked the roots of all Koiris, Kachhis, Muraos and Kachhvahas through linear descent from Kush, the son of Rama, and thus labeling them together as ‘Kushwaha Kshatriya’. According to him the descendants of Kush eventually found the military services in courtly ranks of Raja Jaychand, whose north Indian armies were subsequently defeated in the battle by Sultan Sahabuddin Ghauri at the close of the 12th century. From the fear of atrocities of Muslims on them, the Kushawahas flew to forests discarding their sacred thread and slowly they were known by local designations as Kacchavaha, Kachhi, Murao or Koiri [9].

8. The census of 1921 records Koiri population in Bihar and United Provinces at 1,235,436 and 445,179 respectively. The census records a population figure 612,631 for Murao castes in the United Provinces. Therefore the total population of Murao and Koiri castes was roughly around 2.3 million (23 lakh) in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

9. Gaya Prasad Maurya, Auditor, All India Hindu Backward Class League, Lucknow made a correspondence to Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India on 12th June 1939 about position of 60% of the Indian population – ‘The present day Hindu community is completely represented by the people belonging to Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaisya, Kayastha and other people who call themselves at a higher level of social strata. But in addition to these, still are a class of people who are socially, politically, educationally and economically backward and backward to an extent greater than those of the present day so called depressed classes…..To make my point more comprehensive, I might put up the case of only one section of this class of people belonging to Murao, Koeri and Kachchi castes. Murao and the allied castes, originally Maurya, was one which had seen its golden days in the reign of Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka the Great. It was the Brahmins who raised them up to that strata but in the end, it was they who brought up the deterioration of these people when Ashoka embraced the Buddha religion, to such a deplorable extent which now deserves special attention and pity and unless our gracious Government takes an interest in these people, they cannot raise up their heads and spring up to their feet.’ [14]

10. Russel and Lai [15] records about Kachhi that – ‘The castes are probably an offshoot of Kurmis. Owing to resemblance of names, they claim a connection with the Kachhawaha sept of Rajputs, but this is not at all probable. The caste is divided into a number of sub-castes, most of which take their names from special plants which they grow. Thus the Hardia grow Haldi or turmeric, the Alias cultivate the Al or Indian madder from which the well known red dye is obtained; the Phuliyas are flower gardeners, the Jirias take their name from Jira or cumin, the Murai or Murao Kachhis are called after Muli or radish, the Pirias which take their name from Piria or basket in which they carry earth; the Sanias which grow san or hemp, the Mor Kachhis are those who prepare the Maur or marriage crown for weddings and the Lilia are named after indigo plant (lil or nil). At some places, they have a sub caste called Kachhwaha who are said to have a connection with the Rajputs and had rank higher than other Kachhi castes.

11. On 25-12-1970, an integration meeting was held by the representatives of Koiri, Dangi, Shakya, Maurya, Kushwaha, Kachhi, Saini, Mali, Reddy and so on. It was decided that all the above communities will be under ‘Akhil Bharatiya Kushwaha Mahasabha’ and will be known as part of the Kushwaha Samaj. [16]

From the above notes, it is clear that the Mauryas are placed under Koiri, Murao and Kushwaha Samaj, though they may not have social ties with the other communities coming under same Samaj. The community followed a strict vegetarian diet and densely settled in the region which is near to ancient Pipphalivana. The community is an agriculturist and claimed Kshatriya status in society but deprived of that position long back probably due to patronage given to Buddhism by Ashoka Maurya.

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7. The Ancient Communities in Present Day India

7. The Ancient Communities in Present Day India

THE VRATYAS OF GANA-SANGHA AND MAGADHA