Maarhoo Aan Yaa Mahesar Aan: Origin of Mahesar There is a proverbial saying common Sindh, that” Maarhoo Aan Yaa Mahesar Aan”, which literally means, “Are you a man, or a Mahesar”. Friends often invoke out of surprise that idiom when any Mahesar utters or does something different, peculiar or extra-ordinary. In reality, it may have two interpretations depending on which historical traditions one relies. From the Hindu mythological perspective, it connotes both negative and positive meanings, as Maheshwari (Mahesar) Khashtrias were those that disturbed the Aryan Yagnis (worshippers) while they were meditating near the river Narbada in India. It could be taken as positive in the sense that later on, after penance, they became Yogis (Faqirs) themselves independent of worldly desires, and hence different and peculiar from the rest of people. From the viewpoint of Islamic interpretation of present Sindhi Mahesars, Mahesar have been inherently bestowed with esoteric and mystical qualities and hence closely attached to the religion of Islam and its mystic practices. They narrate a story, that a Mahesar mystics used to meditate in seclusion near the banks of river Indus. So, there was such mystic once, who used mediate there. He had to pass near the river bank where usually womenfolk used to bath, wash and fetch water. So, whenever any person would pass from there, someone amongst women, would notice it and ask each other. Look who is there, “Maarho aa, Yaa Mahesar Aaa”. Mahesar is a Muslim caste of Sindh and spread throughout India and the middle East. It has descended from the Dravidian race. It was the warrior tribe and after the invasion of Aryans were socially classified as Khashtriya or Warrior tribe. Mahesar were originally from Rajhistan. There are striking similarities between Maheswari and mahesar way of tracing their mythical ancestral origins. Mahesar trace their origins to Maesro, the impotent yet pious servant of the Prophet, that was later on, with the blessings of Prophet became potent and thus Mahesar got reproduced. Mahesar then came as warriors accompanying Muhammad Bin Qasim and got settled in Sindh and adopted Sindhi culture. According to Hindu ,mythology Raja Khadgalsen of Khandela, Rajhistan was an impotent King because he was cursed due to his killing of animals and innocent people. After worshipping Shiv-ling for several years, he was blessed with a son. One day King Sujansen went into the forest to hunt with his seventy-two soldiers as part of his routine. There they sensed an aroma, as if someone was cooking good food, and they followed this aroma and reached a place where six rishis were performing yagna for Lord Shiva. Due to extreme hunger, the king and soldiers started eating prasad, drinking water from the nearby pond that was reserved for the puja, and also started washing their stained bows and arrows in it. This broke the rishis concentration, and they cursed king and his seventy-two soldiers to turn into stones. Back in the kingdom, the queen and other 72 wives of soldiers were waiting for their husbands to return for months, and finally Queen Chandravati went to see Maharishi Jabali. The Rishi Jabali explained the situation in its entirety and suggested that she and all other 72 wives of soldiers should go to the temple near the pond and worship Lord Shiva for their husbands life. In the end, Lord Shiva brought king and other seventy-two soldiers back to life, and told king Sujansen Because you have performed sinful activities, taking away lives of Gods creatures, and have misused your power, you have suffered from this incident. From now on, since I am giving all of you a second life, you will be known after my name as Mahesh-waris. You will also stop your role ofKshatriya and play a new role of Vaishya, Vaishya Dharama, which is a role of non-violence. Sujansen to compensate for your violent tendency, from now on you will make living through donations from your other seventy-two Vaishaya brothers and you will perform the task of documenting their family trees Mahesar separated itself from Maheswari Hindus by not accepting the Aryan dominancy and kept their warrior spirit alive, yet adopted agriculture as a source of income, while practicing Jainism as a religion. Whereas, Maheshwaris succumbed to the Aryan pressure and their warrior predilections to adopt Vaishia or business and commerce field. Mahesar, however, further got divided; one sub-caste remained attached to its mystic roots taking further inspirations from later Buddhism and then Islam to finally become Sufi Muslims. Presently, Mahesar is considered as the Sammat tribe this is of Dravidian origin, and believed to be one of the original indigenous people that built and sustained for centuries the Indus Valley Civilization from Mehargarh to Harappa and Moen-jo-Daro. In Punjab, Mahesar are considered as belonging to the Jat tribe, due to their agrarian and rustic way of life and economy. As the word Mahesar is derived from Mahesh (Lord Shiva), it means Lord that serves sacred wine. Hence, it also connotes in contemporary Sindhi, which is under the influence of Islamic traditions, as meaning ‘Murshid’ or ‘Kamil’ and guiding soul.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 08:45:57 +0000
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