What is Santh Sevalal Maharaj Jayanti?

March 2, 2023

Santh Sevalal Maharaj Jayanti is being observed at the national level for the first time. This year marks the 284^th birth anniversary of Santh Sevalal Maharaj. The celebrations are being organized by the Union Ministry of Culture under the aegis of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. It is being held at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.

Who is Santh Sevalal Maharaj?

Santh Sevalal Maharaj was a spiritual leader and a social reformer of the Banjara community. He is known to have travelled afar to dispel and eradicate superstitious beliefs of the tribal community and brought about social reforms in the region. He was said to be well-versed in Ayurveda and Naturopathy.

What are the achievements of Santh Sevlal Maharaj?

Sri Sevlal fought for the rights of the Kshatriya Banjaras over the forests in the present Karnataka-Maharashtra region. He also fought for their language and identity rights. He fought against the Mysuru ruler and British rulers of the 18^th century. He was the first leader to provide security and hope to the Banjaras in those times.

Where did Santh Sevlal die?

He died in Ruhigarh and was buried in Poharagarh. The locations are now in Maharashtra. He worshipped Jagadamba and therefore, his samadhi was built near her temple. The Jagadamba temple is one of the popular destinations of Banjaras.

Flag of Banjaras

Every Banjara village in India has a saffron or white or red flag. The flag symbolizes the victory of Santh Sevlal. He won the fight to protect the rights and identity of Banjaras.

Who are Banjaras?

The Constitution of India does not include the Banjaras as the tribes. According to the survey conducted in 1968, there are 17 subgroups in the Banjara community. They are Dharia, Charan, Mathuria, etc. The culture of Banjaras is a mix of Marwadi and Brahmanical. They are mainly distributed in the states of WB, MP, TN, AP, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Karnataka, and Odisha. This means the Banjaras are almost spread all over the country except the northeast.

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