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{{Short description|Dalit caste of Mauritius}}
{{Short description|Dalit caste of Mauritius}}
'''Ravived''' is a caste that is mainly found among Hindus in Mauritius.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://medium.com/@shakunharris/understanding-the-caste-system-in-mauritius-c8fe9468c097 | title=Understanding the caste system in Mauritius | date=6 April 2021 }}</ref> The origin of this caste lay in an Indian caste named [[Chamar]]<ref>http://mujournal.mewaruniversity.org/JIR%203-4/JIR3-4.pdf</ref> This same caste is referred to as [[Ravidassia]] outside Mauritius, and this terminology is very seldom used in Mauritius.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://journals.openedition.org/samaj/3886 | doi=10.4000/samaj.3886 | title=The 'Land of the Vaish'? Caste Structure and Ideology in Mauritius | year=2015 | last1=Claveyrolas | first1=Mathieu | journal=South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal }}</ref>
'''Ravived''' is a caste that is mainly found among Hindus in Mauritius.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://medium.com/@shakunharris/understanding-the-caste-system-in-mauritius-c8fe9468c097 | title=Understanding the caste system in Mauritius | date=6 April 2021 | access-date=8 June 2023 | archive-date=8 June 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608153100/https://medium.com/@shakunharris/understanding-the-caste-system-in-mauritius-c8fe9468c097 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The origin of this caste lay in an Indian [[Dalit]] caste named [[Chamar]].<ref>{{Cite web| title=Journal of Indian research | url=http://mujournal.mewaruniversity.org/JIR%203-4/JIR3-4.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927095123/http://mujournal.mewaruniversity.org/JIR%203-4/JIR3-4.pdf | archive-date=2020-09-27}}</ref> This same caste is referred to as [[Ravidassia]] outside Mauritius, and this terminology is very seldom used in Mauritius.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://journals.openedition.org/samaj/3886 | doi=10.4000/samaj.3886 | title=The 'Land of the Vaish'? Caste Structure and Ideology in Mauritius | year=2015 | last1=Claveyrolas | first1=Mathieu | journal=South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal | doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ravidassia |url=https://newreligiousmovements.org/r/ravidassia/ |website=New Religious Movements |access-date=2 January 2026 |ref=The Ravidassia faith is also practiced in Mauritius, where it is known as Ravived. |date=8 February 2024}}</ref>
 
During the 19th century (1834 onward), many [[Dalits]], including Chamars (leather-working caste), migrated to Mauritius as [[Indian indenture system|indentured laborers]] under [[British rule]]. Those who were followers of [[Guru Ravidas]] began identifying collectively as Ravived to affirm a dignified identity. With time the term 'Ravived' became the preferred name in Mauritius to distance from the derogatory label of 'Chamar.'<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rāmaśaraṇa |first1=Prahlāda |title=Glimpses of the Arya Samaj in Mauritius |date=2001 |publisher=Sarvadeshik Prakashan Limited |url=https://www.google.com.sg/books/edition/Glimpses_of_the_Arya_Samaj_in_Mauritius/_ogRAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=chamars+ravived&dq=chamars+ravived&printsec=frontcover |access-date=14 September 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Colonial Research Studies |date=1960 |publisher=H.M. Stationery Office |page=137 |url=https://www.google.com.sg/books/edition/Colonial_Research_Studies/25sdAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=ravidas+ravived&dq=ravidas+ravived&printsec=frontcover |access-date=14 September 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
 
In the ship records on which Indian laborers migrated to [[Mauritius]], around ten percent of the boarded people mentioned their caste as Chamar. After the establishment of caste hierarchies in Mauritius, the Chamar community families turned to the religious songs of [[Kabir]] and [[Ravidass]] for their own religious outlet. Slowly, they started adopting religious-sounding names from these devotional songs.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Younger |first1=Paul |title=New Homelands: Hindu Communities in Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad, South Africa, Fiji, and East Africa |date=30 November 2009 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-974192-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F0X9eLq57ocC&dq=ravidass+mauritius&pg=PA32 |access-date=30 August 2024 |language=en}}</ref>


==Arya Ravived Pracharni Sabha==
==Arya Ravived Pracharni Sabha==
During the initial stage of migration in Mauritius, significant numbers of Chamar people joined the [[Arya Samaj in Mauritius|Arya Samaj]] in the hope that it would help them to be free from the curse of casteism, as it was claimed by the leaders of the Arya Samaj.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ERR6DQAAQBAJ&dq=arya+ravived+pracharini+sabha&pg=PT104 | isbn=9781351986830 | title=The Legacy of Indian Indenture: Historical and Contemporary Aspects of Migration and Diaspora | date=10 November 2016 | publisher=Routledge }}</ref> But later, Upper Caste Arya Samajis started building separate halls for themselves and chamars for prayer within the same shrine to avoid Arya Samaj being labelled as a Chamar religion, which led to the establishment of Arya Ravived Pracharini Sabha in 1935.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2oI8DwAAQBAJ&dq=arya+ravived+pracharini+sabha&pg=PA40 | isbn=978-0-19-539164-0 | title=New Homelands: Hindu Communities in Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad, South Africa, Fiji, and East Africa | year=2010 | publisher=Oxford University Press, USA }}</ref>
During the initial stage of migration in Mauritius, significant numbers of Chamar people joined the [[Arya Samaj in Mauritius|Arya Samaj]] in the hope that it would help them to be free from the curse of casteism, as it was claimed by the leaders of the Arya Samaj.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ERR6DQAAQBAJ&dq=arya+ravived+pracharini+sabha&pg=PT104 | isbn=9781351986830 | title=The Legacy of Indian Indenture: Historical and Contemporary Aspects of Migration and Diaspora | date=10 November 2016 | publisher=Routledge }}</ref> But later, Upper Caste Arya Samajis started building separate halls for themselves and chamars for prayer within the same shrine to avoid Arya Samaj being labelled as a Chamar religion, which led to the establishment of Arya Ravived Pracharini Sabha in 1935. The origin of '[[Arya Ravived Pracharini Sabha]]' lies in three different words. Arya comes from the reformist ideas of the Arya Samaj, which emphasized Vedic teachings and social upliftment, and Ravived comes from [[Guru Ravidas]] ([[Bhakti movement|Bhakti Saint]] from [[Chamar|Chamar caste]]), and Pracharini Sabha means 'organisation for spreading awareness.'<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2oI8DwAAQBAJ&dq=arya+ravived+pracharini+sabha&pg=PA40 | isbn=978-0-19-539164-0 | title=New Homelands: Hindu Communities in Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad, South Africa, Fiji, and East Africa | year=2010 | publisher=Oxford University Press, USA }}</ref><ref name="1935 Arya Ravived Pracharini Sabha - Exclusively the low caste Ravidas">{{cite book |last1=Chazan-Gillig |first1=Suzanne |last2=Ramhota |first2=Pavitranand |title=Mauritian Hinduism and Globalisation: Transformation and Reinvention |date=12 August 2022 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-000-60232-6 |url=https://www.google.com.sg/books/edition/Mauritian_Hinduism_and_Globalisation/fmN7EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=ravidas+ravived&pg=PT103&printsec=frontcover |access-date=14 September 2025 |ref=Table 4.1 Hindu associations founded from 1900 to 1935 |language=en}}</ref>
 
==Political significance==
In Mauritius, the Raviveds (local term for [[Ravidassias]]) historically faced [[Caste-related violence in India|caste discrimination]], which led them to organize under the Arya Ravived Pracharini Sabha. Through the Sabha, they mobilized socially and religiously, which later translated into political leverage. Ravived leaders used their Sabha network to mobilize voters, making the community a key vote bank, especially in constituencies where lower-caste Hindus were numerous. After independence in 1968, Ravived leaders gained space in the mainstream political scene, especially through alliances with the [[Labour Party (Mauritius)|Labour Party]] and later also with the [[Mauritian Militant Movement]] (MMM) and other parties.<ref>{{cite news |title=Will The Ravived Play King Makers Again? |url=https://www.worldfuturetv.com/will-the-ravived-play-king-makers-again/ |access-date=17 September 2025 |work=World Future |date=8 March 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
 
Several Ravived politicians rose to prominence as Members of Parliament, ministers, and socio-cultural representatives, using both caste identity and the Sabha as a springboard. The community’s role was further strengthened as Mauritius shifted toward ethnic bloc politics, where caste/community associations often played mediator roles between the state and grassroots voters. Several Ravived politicians rose to prominence as Members of Parliament, ministers, and socio-cultural representatives, using both caste identity and the Sabha as a springboard. The community’s role was further strengthened as Mauritius shifted toward ethnic bloc politics, where caste/community associations often played mediator roles between the state and grassroots voters. Electing [[Dharam Gokhool]] to the highest constitutional post [[President of Mauritius]] is often highlighted as proof of the political empowerment of the Ravived community in Mauritius.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gokhool President? But Gurib-Fakim challenges reports |url=https://www.worldfuturetv.com/gokhool-president/ |access-date=17 September 2025 |work=World Future |date=2 March 2018 |language=en}}</ref>
 
==Notable people==
* [[Dharam Gokhool]] - [[President of Mauritius]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Gokhool President? But Gurib-Fakim challenges reports |url=https://www.worldfuturetv.com/gokhool-president/ |website=World Future |access-date=31 August 2025 |ref=Dharam Gokhool comes from the Ravived ethnic group which forms part of the Hindu community in Mauritius. |language=en |date=2 March 2018}}</ref>
* [[Rabindrah Ghurburrun]] - Former Mauritian diplomat and Former [[Vice President of Mauritius]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Gokhool President? But Gurib-Fakim challenges reports |url=https://www.worldfuturetv.com/gokhool-president/ |access-date=31 August 2025 |work=World Future |date=2 March 2018 |ref=In the past, the only Ravived to hold the post of Vice-President was Sir Robin Ghurburrun. |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Atma Doolooa]] - Mauritian Politician, Former Director of State Trading Corporation Director of Development Works Corporation, Mauritius and Former Advisor at Ministry of Commerce and Cooperatives, Mauritius.<ref>{{cite news |title=PORTRAIT: Atma Doolooa, un chamar fier de l’être |url=https://www.lemauricien.com/actualites/societe/portrait-atma-doolooa-chamar-fier-letre/119171/ |access-date=2 August 2025 |work=Le Mauricien |date=8 July 2012 |language=fr-FR}}</ref>
* [[Satya Faugoo]] - Mauritian Magistrate and former Minister of Agro Industry and Food Security, Mauritius.<ref>{{cite news |title=REUNION ISLAND/MAURITIUS • Bearing Teeth at New Fishing Company - 21/07/2001 - The Indian Ocean Newsletter |url=https://www.africaintelligence.com/southern-africa-and-islands/2001/07/21/bearing-teeth-at-new-fishing-company,2142498-art |access-date=31 August 2025 |work=Africa Intelligence |date=20 July 2001 |ref=A labor supporter, he was in the inner circle of former employment minister Satish Faugoo (both Mauritians are Hindus of the Ravived caste) |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Beergoonath Ghurburrun]] Mauritian medicinist, politician and philanthropnist<ref>{{cite news |title=Mauritius: Can Labour have a new leader?
|url=https://www.worldfuturetv.com/if-not-navin-who-can-take-labours-leadership/ |access-date=7 September 2025 |work= World Future|date=3 March 2021 |ref=The country is still rigged by the cast system. Faugoo and Ghurburrun are from the Ravived.) |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Kaviraj Sukon]] - Minister of Tertiary Education, Science and Research, Mauritius and president of Mauritius Arya Ravived Prtacharini Sabha (MARVPS).<ref>{{cite web |title=President of MARVPS – Dr. K.S. Sukon |url=https://www.marvps.org/president-of-marvps-dr-k-s-sukon/ |publisher=Mauritius Arya Ravived Pracharini Sabha |access-date=14 September 2025}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Chamar]]
*[[Chamar]]
*[[Chambhar]]
*[[Jatav]]
*[[Jatav]]
*[[Ad-Dharmi]]
*[[Guru Ravidas]]
*[[Guru Ravidas]]
*[[Ravidassia]]
*[[Ravidassia]]
*[[Ramdasia]]
*[[Ramdasia]]
*[[Dera Sach Khand]]
*[[Arya Ravived Pracharini Sabha]]


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


[[Category:Dalit]]
[[Category:Dalit]]
[[Category:Leatherworking castes]]
[[Category:Leatherworking castes]]
[[Category:Ravidassia]]
[[Category:Ravidassia]]
[[Category:Indian diaspora]]
[[Category:Indian diaspora]]
 
[[Category:People from Bihar|Mauritian]]
[[Category:Mauritian people of Indian descent]]
[[Category:Indian diaspora in Mauritius]]


{{improve categories|date=June 2023}}
{{improve categories|date=June 2023}}

Latest revision as of 06:45, 2 January 2026


Ravived is a caste that is mainly found among Hindus in Mauritius.[1] The origin of this caste lay in an Indian Dalit caste named Chamar.[2] This same caste is referred to as Ravidassia outside Mauritius, and this terminology is very seldom used in Mauritius.[3][4]

During the 19th century (1834 onward), many Dalits, including Chamars (leather-working caste), migrated to Mauritius as indentured laborers under British rule. Those who were followers of Guru Ravidas began identifying collectively as Ravived to affirm a dignified identity. With time the term 'Ravived' became the preferred name in Mauritius to distance from the derogatory label of 'Chamar.'[5][6]

In the ship records on which Indian laborers migrated to Mauritius, around ten percent of the boarded people mentioned their caste as Chamar. After the establishment of caste hierarchies in Mauritius, the Chamar community families turned to the religious songs of Kabir and Ravidass for their own religious outlet. Slowly, they started adopting religious-sounding names from these devotional songs.[7]

Arya Ravived Pracharni Sabha[edit | edit source]

During the initial stage of migration in Mauritius, significant numbers of Chamar people joined the Arya Samaj in the hope that it would help them to be free from the curse of casteism, as it was claimed by the leaders of the Arya Samaj.[8] But later, Upper Caste Arya Samajis started building separate halls for themselves and chamars for prayer within the same shrine to avoid Arya Samaj being labelled as a Chamar religion, which led to the establishment of Arya Ravived Pracharini Sabha in 1935. The origin of 'Arya Ravived Pracharini Sabha' lies in three different words. Arya comes from the reformist ideas of the Arya Samaj, which emphasized Vedic teachings and social upliftment, and Ravived comes from Guru Ravidas (Bhakti Saint from Chamar caste), and Pracharini Sabha means 'organisation for spreading awareness.'[9][10]

Political significance[edit | edit source]

In Mauritius, the Raviveds (local term for Ravidassias) historically faced caste discrimination, which led them to organize under the Arya Ravived Pracharini Sabha. Through the Sabha, they mobilized socially and religiously, which later translated into political leverage. Ravived leaders used their Sabha network to mobilize voters, making the community a key vote bank, especially in constituencies where lower-caste Hindus were numerous. After independence in 1968, Ravived leaders gained space in the mainstream political scene, especially through alliances with the Labour Party and later also with the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) and other parties.[11]

Several Ravived politicians rose to prominence as Members of Parliament, ministers, and socio-cultural representatives, using both caste identity and the Sabha as a springboard. The community’s role was further strengthened as Mauritius shifted toward ethnic bloc politics, where caste/community associations often played mediator roles between the state and grassroots voters. Several Ravived politicians rose to prominence as Members of Parliament, ministers, and socio-cultural representatives, using both caste identity and the Sabha as a springboard. The community’s role was further strengthened as Mauritius shifted toward ethnic bloc politics, where caste/community associations often played mediator roles between the state and grassroots voters. Electing Dharam Gokhool to the highest constitutional post President of Mauritius is often highlighted as proof of the political empowerment of the Ravived community in Mauritius.[12]

Notable people[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "Understanding the caste system in Mauritius". 6 April 2021. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  2. ↑ "Journal of Indian research" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-09-27.
  3. ↑ Claveyrolas, Mathieu (2015). "The 'Land of the Vaish'? Caste Structure and Ideology in Mauritius". South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal. doi:10.4000/samaj.3886.
  4. ↑ "Ravidassia". New Religious Movements. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  5. ↑ Rāmaśaraṇa, Prahlāda (2001). Glimpses of the Arya Samaj in Mauritius. Sarvadeshik Prakashan Limited. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  6. ↑ Colonial Research Studies. H.M. Stationery Office. 1960. p. 137. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  7. ↑ Younger, Paul (30 November 2009). New Homelands: Hindu Communities in Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad, South Africa, Fiji, and East Africa. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-974192-2. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  8. ↑ The Legacy of Indian Indenture: Historical and Contemporary Aspects of Migration and Diaspora. Routledge. 10 November 2016. ISBN 9781351986830.
  9. ↑ New Homelands: Hindu Communities in Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad, South Africa, Fiji, and East Africa. Oxford University Press, USA. 2010. ISBN 978-0-19-539164-0.
  10. ↑ Chazan-Gillig, Suzanne; Ramhota, Pavitranand (12 August 2022). Mauritian Hinduism and Globalisation: Transformation and Reinvention. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-60232-6. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  11. ↑ "Will The Ravived Play King Makers Again?". World Future. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  12. ↑ "Gokhool President? But Gurib-Fakim challenges reports". World Future. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  13. ↑ "Gokhool President? But Gurib-Fakim challenges reports". World Future. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  14. ↑ "Gokhool President? But Gurib-Fakim challenges reports". World Future. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  15. ↑ "PORTRAIT: Atma Doolooa, un chamar fier de l'être". Le Mauricien (in français). 8 July 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  16. ↑ "REUNION ISLAND/MAURITIUS • Bearing Teeth at New Fishing Company - 21/07/2001 - The Indian Ocean Newsletter". Africa Intelligence. 20 July 2001. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  17. ↑ "Mauritius: Can Labour have a new leader?". World Future. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  18. ↑ "President of MARVPS – Dr. K.S. Sukon". Mauritius Arya Ravived Pracharini Sabha. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
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