The largest tribe of India, the Bhils of Rajasthan have a lot to tell us about its culture, heritage and history. The Bhils reside mostly in the west part of the country and constitute about 39 percent of total Rajasthan population. The main language spoken by the Bhils is an indo-aryan language, Bhili. The name bhil comes from the words Bil or Vil which means bow. The Bhils were known to be great archers who were very loyal to the Rajputs, and also were regarded as fighters against the Britishers, Mughals and the Marathas. Due to their impeccable skill in archery, they are also known as ‘The Archers’ or the ‘Bowmen’. The Indian mythology also mentions the Bhils in it. It was a Bhil woman who gave fruits to lord Rama (Ramayana) and the famous archer in mythology, Eklavya was also a Bhil. (Mahabharata).
The Bhil people are mostly settled in villages where they build their houses close to their farms. The houses are made up of mud and wood. The Bhils don’t have separate wells for their houses and the water is fetched from a common well nearby. Agriculture is the primary occupation of the Bhil people, the major crops being cotton, wheat, castor, black gram, maize and legumes. Crops except black gram and legumes are kept for the household needs and are sold in the market as per need whereas the other crops are sold right after the harvest. Some people who don’t have their own farms work as laborers at others’ farms. Animal husbandry is also a source of income for some people. One remarkable feature of the Bhils is that they don’t have gender inequality. Men and women both work equally in the fields as well as in the house. Polygamy is practiced in the community. A Bhil woman is also free to marry someone else even if she’s married.
The Bhils have a rich cultural history. Their traditional dances and songs are important to them. The women perform Ghoomar on specific occasions and a dance form named Gair which is a religious dance drama is performed by the men of the community. Valar is also a dance form performed by the young people of the tribe along with their folk songs and instruments on the second day of holi. Baneshwar fair is a major festival of the Bhils. It is celebrated during the Shivratri as a dedication to lord Shiva. Another festival Halma is also celebrated in which all the people come together and help in building one’s house after which they eat and celebrate together. This festival symbolizes the unity and togetherness of the people of the Bhil tribe. The eating habits of the Bhils include Churma, Labti, millets and non-vegetarian dishes. Non-veg is compulsorily prepared during the festivals by the people. Turban and Dhoti or pajama is the traditional costume of men whereas women wear Ghagra Choli and saree along with various brass ornaments. The Bhils are very religious in nature and every Bhil village has its own deity. These people also have staunch belief in superstition.
The Bhil tribe of Rajasthan is on the verge of extinction. Due to westernization the young people of the tribe are forgetting about their rich cultural and heritage.The people of the tribe have a sense of these things and they are coming together and striving hard to preserve their culture. After all, India is an ambiguous nation which is made up of people from different creeds. Preservation of each of them is really important to preserve the culture of our nation as a whole.
