Kharwa caste: Difference between revisions

The Kharwa community is distributed throughout the coastal areas of [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]] and [[Kutch district|Kutch]]. Some Kharwas from Diu also migrated to [[Indians in Mozambique|Mozambique]] and later from there to [[Indians in Portugal|Lisbon]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Roxo |first=Pedro |date=2018 |title=Hindu ''Jati'' (Castes) from Diu Island and the Reproduction of Religious Expressive Culture in the Hindu-Gujarati Diaspora in Mozambique and in Portugal: The ''Kathiyawadi Bhajan'' |journal=[[South Asian Studies]] |doi=10.1080/02666030.2018.1440061 |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=57–69}}</ref> The [[Maratha Empire]] recruited Kharwas along with [[Bhandari (caste)|Bhandaris]] and [[Koli people|Kolis]] in large numbers for their [[Maratha Navy|navy]] in the mid-1600s. Kharwas were skilled fishermen and seamen who had experience on the seas having traveled to places as far away as Aden, Zanzibar and Singapore. They were also experienced with building ships.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pendse|first=Sachin|title=The Sea in History - The Early Modern World|publisher=[[Boydell and Brewer]]|year=|isbn=9781783271603|editor-last=Buchet|editor-first=Christian|location=|pages=635–48|chapter=Maratha Sea Power|editor-last2=Le Bouëdec|editor-first2=Gérard}}</ref>

== .<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Karve|first=I.|date=1943|title=KINSHIP TERMINOLOGY AND KINSHIP USAGES IN GUJARĀT AND KATHIĀWĀD|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/42929317|journal=Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute|volume=4|issue=3|pages=208–226|issn=0045-9801}}</ref>

Kharwas are [[Hindu]] and worship various forms of [[Devi]], including [[Ambika (goddess)|Ambaji]], [[Bhadrakali]], [[Bahuchara Mata|Bahuchara]] and [[Chamunda]] in Porbandar. Other ''Mātās'' worshiped include ''Samudrī, [[Harsidhhi|Sikotarī]]'' and ''[[Hinglaj Mata mandir|Hinglāj]].'' In Kutch ''Khojī, Dilvadī, Mamai, Padmani, Poravel'' and ''Veravani'' ''Mātās'' are also worshiped. [[Jhulelal (Hinduism)|Dariyalal]] is another important deity worshipped by Kharwas and other seafaring communities. The Kharwas of [[Mandvi]] tend to be [[Vaishnavism|Vaishnavs]], while those of Somnath and Veraval are [[Shaivism|Shaivites]].{{Sfn|Varadarajan|1983|p=5-8}}

Importing and exporting goods by ship remains the traditional occupation of the community. They trade in many countries, including Europe, china, Japan, Oman, U.A.E, Somalia, and also other parts of Africa. Many Kharwa now have their own ships for exporting goods and have set up different cooperative societies.

* {{Cite journal|last=Varadarajan|first=Lotika|date=1983|title=Indian Seafaring: The Precept and Reality of Kalivarjya|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/41562422|journal=[[Australian Association for Maritime History|The Great Circle]]|volume=5|issue=1|pages=1-12|via=JSTOR}}