Mahyavanshi' are a scheduled caste of India, who were originally identified with Dhedhs, Chamars Mahars and Holiyas but started a successful movement in the early 20th Century to establish their identity as a branch of Mayavat Rulers.
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Historical revision
The new nomenclature of Mahyavanshi was given to them via a Government of India circular in the year 1939, due largely to the efforts of K. M. Munshi, then Home Minister of Bombay and Dr. Purshottam Solanki, representative of Depressed Classes of Gujarat, who stressed that Mahyavanshis are indeed descendants of ancient rulers and hence also alternately identified as Mayavat Rulers. Later on in year 1968, via a Government of India circular, the mahyavanshi's of Daman, were also given the status of Mahyavanshi after the Indian annexation of Daman from the Portuguese.
A prominent figure in re-writing the history of Mahyavanshis was Makanji Kuber Makwana, who wrote several works on the ancient history of Mahyavnashi and linking them with the Mayavat Rajputs (a branch of Parmara clan), and started the new social movement to "regain" their Rajput and Kshatriya status, which has been successful.
In the 1930s-40s many depressed classes and communities were active in changing their caste name and social status to Rajput, such as the Khalpa to Rohit, Dhedhs to Mahyavanshis, Garua to Guru and Bhangi to Rishi, of these, only the Mahyavanshis were successful in getting official recognition from Government of India during British Raj, to get a change of name and also gain Kshatriya status officially.
The reason behind Mahyavanshi success to gain Kshatriya status was that they were able to mobilize public opinion and procured support for their cause from both from British and Indian leaders and historical research books on their community published by Makanji Kuber Makwana, which strengthened their case.
Dr. Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi, then the Home Minister of Bombay State, in a 1931 lecture delivered in Kasavji Hall in Bombay stressed that the Mahyavanshi were the descendents of the Hattiavanshi King Arjuna, arguing that it was because of the slaughter of Parsuram they were relegated to a lower caste. Also Purshottam Solanki, representative of Depressed Classes of Gujarat in a speech given in Bombay Legislative Council, vehemently stressed that Mahars were martial races and their occupation was military too in past. He further said, thau were not drags of society but have been rulers of Gujarat and other areas of India in past and were descendants of Kshatriya or Rajput clans and should therefore be legitimized as a Kshatriya clan.
Others involved in this affirming this identity were Garibdasji Ramdasji and other Mahants of Ramanandi sect, Phakir Jeevan Mevasi, besides several of their community leaders spread across Bombay State (present day Maharashtra and Gujarat), Sindh ( Karachi and Raban ), Portuguese India ( Nani and Moti Daman ) and also from South Africa, where their population was living in cities like Johannesburg and Pretoria, who in unison impressed upon the government for revision of their social status.
Published works
The historical research books on Mahayavanshi were mainly published in first decade of 20th century; all written in Gujarati, which dwelt upon the ancient history of Mahayavanhis and tried to establish that Dheds, Mahars and Holiyas were originally Mayavat Rajputs and should be recognized as Mahyavanshis. These books helped them get the Rajput status:
Some of these works include Makanji Kuber Makwana's Mayavat Rajput Prakash (1908) (A light on Mayavat Rajputs), Mahyavanshi no Itihas (1910) (History of Mahyavanshi), Mayavat Rajputoday (1911) (The rise of Mayavat Rajput) and Mahyavanshi Atle Shu? (1911) (Who is a Mahyavanshi?), as well as Phakir Jeevan Mevashi's Mayavat Ranshingu arthat Khudarano Karta.
Subdivisions
The Mahyavanshis are primarily divided into exogamous clans like -Mathariya, Aatekar Pardinar, Danania, Kantharia, Barodia, joravia ,umravia ,kanodia , Chaseia, Surti, Kosadia, Khanvanshi,kosambia Parmar, Rana, Rathod, Gohel, Makwana,Mistry, Solanki and Vaghela., Hadiyol, Ramodadiwala
Customs
Many Mahyavanshi customs are Rajput in origin: They have following customs in their caste, which point towards that they are of Rajput origin:-
Distribution
The community members are mainly located in mainly in regions of Gujarat and Daman apart from some population found in Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
In Maharashtra the community is found in places like Dahanu, Gholvad, Bordi, Girgaon, Palghar, Udava, Uparet, Karanjgaon. Many from Gujarat / Maharashtra got settled all across in Mumbai
In Gujarat, the mainly the population is centered on districts of Ahmedabad, Navsari, Chikhali, Parcholla, Umbergam, Bharuch, Vadodara, Kamrej, Valsad, Surat, Rajkot, etc.