Close up of tarpha or pavri, a wind instrument made of dried gourd
Bhils are a scheduled tribe in the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan in western and central India. The term Bhil, probably derived from the Dravidian word Bhilla translated as bow, a characteristic weapon of the Bhil tribe. In ancient time many Bhils were employed by the ruling Rajput as shikari or hunters because of their knowledge of the terrain. Many had even become warriors in armies. They were in the Mewar army of Maharana Pratap Singh and experts in guerrilla warfare which the Mughals had trouble with so much. Bhil women are dominant when it comes to marriage. Marriages are always arranged and treated as a business agreement. Yet in this case, the negotiations are reversed. Bhil families do not pay a dowry to marry off their daughters; men outnumber women. It is the men who must pay 10 goats (about $100) for the right to marry an eligible woman! Every year during the July to August Full-Moon Day Fair, young men compete for the honor of marrying some of the young women. In religion, popular Bhil figures are Shabari, who offered Shri Rama and Shri Laxmana half-eaten 'ber' when they were searching for Sita Devi in the forest.
Size: 5098px × 3413px
Location: India
Photo credit: © Shrikrishna Paranjpe / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: aboriginal, aborigine, adivasi, caste, close, close-, closeup, composition, culture, image, indian, indigenous, instrument, lifestyle, material, minority, musical, number, pavri, people, remote, rural, scheduled, tarpa, tarpha, tribal, varli, village, warli, wind, wood
