The Chitpavans by Linda Cox

(This article by Linda Cox was originally published in the February 22, 1970 issue o the
now deunct !llustrated "ee#ly o !ndia$ %riginal article does not carry any copyright
notice$ &ence used on the web site$ The 'uthor, Linda Cox o Flos(oor, !llinois, )$*$',
was 20 years old then and a third year student o *wath(ore College, +ennsyl,ania, and
was studying -arathi at the .eccan College, +oona$ The article (ay be a part o here
thesis on the Chitpa,ans$ /
)nheard o beore 1700, the Chitpa,an 0rah(ins o -aharashtra had co(e to do(inate
the ields o social reor(, law, scholarship, go,ern(ent ser,ice and the arts by the
nineteenth century$ Their two na(es, 1on#anasth and Chitpa,an, suggest their origins$
The irst indicates the roc#y, unyielding land in the 2atnagiri district o the 1on#an,
which they ha,e traditionally ar(ed$ 'll 1on#anasths can trace their history as ar as the
1on#an$ The na(e, Chitpa,an, would see( to ha,e co(e ro( the 1on#an town o
Chitpol$
"hen you spot a -aharashtrian with blue or green eyes, ten to one he is a Chitpa,an$
'nd his air colouring suggests a oreign origin$ ' history o the 0ene !sraelis, who
settled in the 1olaba district o the 1on#an, clai(s the Chitpa,ans as ellow 3ews who
beca(e separated ro( their ship(ates$ %ther accounts ha,e guessed at a ho(eland
anywhere ro( !ran to 4ust north o *holapur$
's long as they re(ained in the 1on#an, the Chitpa,ans were si(ply an obscure
0rah(in co((unity o ar(ers and priests$ The land that they tilled aorded only a poor
li,ing to the Chitpa,ans$ 0ut (oney has rarely been their pri(ary goal$ 5,en today, ew
are #nown or their wealth$ They were neither the largest nor the purest in the 0rah(in
hierarchy the .eshasth 0rah(ins clai(ed to be that but their hard6headed outloo# and
intelligence readied the( or a cli(b o,er the 7hats to power$
The change in ortune ca(e when 0ala4i 8ishwanath 0hat too# a 4ob with the -aratha
7o,ern(ent in the early 1700s$ 0ala4i 8iswanath had a talent or (a#ing hi(sel useul 6
so useul that, within se,en years, *hi,a4i9s grandson *hahu had appointed hi( +eshwa:
"hen 0ala4i died in 1720, his son 0a4irao succeeded hi( and thus began a century o
rule by the Chitpa,an +eshwas$ Lured by the good ortune o their caste ellows, the
Chitpa,ans (igrated in large nu(bers to the .eccan, especially to +oona, the seat o the
+eshwas$ There they ;uic#ly rose in stature and inluence, getting 4obs as cler#s, (ilitary
(en and diplo(ats and clai(ing econo(ic pri,ileges as well$
The end o power and glory see(s to ha,e co(e in 1<1<, when the 0ritish swallowed up
the -aratha #ingdo($ 0ut the Chitpa,ans ha,e a re(ar#able ability to rise to the top in
any situation$ They were helped by the 0ritish decision initially to support traditional
!ndian society$ Thus, 0rah(in pri,ileges and leadership were let undisturbed or a ti(e$
The Chitpa,ans hastened to ill the sa(e #ind o clerical go,ern(ent 4obs they had held
beore, this ti(e or the 0o(bay +residency instead o the -aratha 1ingdo($
0ut, i they were willing to ser,e the 0ritish 2a4, not all were happy with the state o
things$ They re(ained loyal ser,ants o the Crown, until the (o(ent ca(e to stri#e$
"asudeo 0alwant +had#e was one (an who drea(ed o restoring the +eshwa to his
pri(e$ !n 1<79, he let his 4ob as an insigniicant 7o,ern(ent cler# to lead a (otely
group o 2a(oshis in the countryside$ &e was captured but not beore inspiring a ew
ellow Chitpa,ans and gi,ing the 0ritish a good scare$
5,en beore +had#e9s atte(pt, the 0ritish distrusted the Chitpa,ans$ -ont*tuart
5lphinston, irst 7o,ernor o the 0o(bay +residency ater the land o the -arathas was
ac;uired, described the( ,eno(ously as an =intriguing, lying, corrupt, licentious race o
people=$ +erhaps his bitterness ste((ed ro( learning o a plot reported by a 0ritish
oicer> allegedly, so(e Chitpa,ans were planning to (urder all the 5uropeans in +oona
and *atara$
"hile the 0ritish sputtered o,er this, the Chitpa,ans ;uietly ac;uired the western
education which had beco(e the #ey to success in changed -aharashtra$ *oon they were
loc#ing into the new ields o law, 4ournalis(, and western scholarship$
The eects ,aried$ *o(e were da??led and attracted by the new ideas$ *tudents o
.eccan College in +oona chose, in 1<92, as a (otto or their literary ;uarterly>
*tepping westward see(s to be,
' #ind o hea,enly destiny$
This was later changed$
'(ong social reor(ers was .$ 1$ 1ar,e, who established a ho(e and school or young
widows$ 5ncouraging widow (arriage, he practised as he preached by (arrying a widow
hi(sel$ -any, li#e -$7$ 2anade, debated and wrote in a,our o widow (arriage and
raising the age o consent$
"hether it was by de,oting their lie to ser,ice in 7$ 1$ 7o#hale9s *er,ants o !ndia
*ociety or sacriicing their lie by (urdering a 0ritish oicer, the Chitpa,ans ha,e rarely
been slow to act$ They ha,e used their pens to stir the ires o social reor( and
nationalist eeling$ Lo#a(anya Tila# and *hi,ra( -ahadeo +aran4pe both landed in 4ail
or their pains$ 8ishnushashtri Chiplun#ar wrote %ur Country9s Condition 6to attac#
0ritish rule on the one hand and -ahat(a +hule9s non60rah(in (o,e(ent on the other$
@et so(e o the strongest resistance to change has co(e ro( the ,ery sa(e co((unity$
3ealously guarding their 0rah(in stature, the orthodox a(ong the Chitpa,ans were not
eager to see the *hastras challenged, nor the conduct o the 0rah(ins beco(ing
indistinguishable ro( that o the *udras$ !n any case resistance to change is not
surprisng ro( a group that beneited so (uch ro( the status ;uo$ The Chitpa,ans were
on top, so why (o,eA
The ,anguard and the old guard clashed (any ti(es$ 2anade and other reor(ers were
orced to oer penance or brea#ing purity rules$ .$ 1$ 1ar,e was ostracised$ 5,en Tila#
(ade a ,isit to 8aranasi so that he (ay not be exco((unicated$
.i,erse as the co((unity was, it shared one thing> the (e(ory o the +eshwas$ 5,er
since 0ala4i showed up in the -aratha Court, the chitpa,an ha,e had a hand in
go,ern(ent$ This tradition was carried on by (en li#e 3ustice 2anade and 7opal 1rishna
7o#hale$ 0oth urged peaceul reor(s in 0ritish policy$ 2anade and another young
Chitpa,an intellectual, 7$ 8$ 3oshi or(ed the +oona *ar,a4ani# *abha in 1<70 as a
representati,e body to reco((end changes to the 7o,ern(ent$ 'nd (oderate li#e
7o#hale and 2anade led the Congress in its early ,entures in political reor($
0ut there was another side to the Chitpa,an9s political acti,ity> terroris($ The Chape#ar
0rothers or(ed the *ociety or the 2e(o,al o %bstacles to the &indu 2eligion$ %ne o
the obstacles, apparently, was +lague Co((issioner 2and, and on a 3une night in 1<97,
he was =re(o,ed=$
%ther conspiracies brewed, so(eti(es a(ong students o Fergusson Co)ege, which had
been established by such e(inent Chitpa,ans as Tila#, 8$ *$ 'pte and 7o#hale$ 'nother
pair o young brothers 8inaya# and 7anesh *a,ar#ar, planned with their riends ways o
o,erthrowing the 0ritish$ "hen 7anesh was con,icted o writing inla((atory ,erse, in
1909, the .istrict -agistrate o Basi# was (urdered in re,enge$ Twenty6se,en (en were
con,icted as (e(bers o the conspiracy$ -ost o the( were Chitpa,ans$
! any (an reconciled the opposing ele(ents in this di,erse co((unity, it was 0al
7angadhar Tila#$ ' re,ered public igure, he was at one and the sa(e ti(e orthodox and
re,olution$ Though not against all social change, he opposed 0ritish social legislation,
insisting that it (ust co(e ro( the people$ Tila# was a (aster in drawing the (asses
into political (o,e(ents$ &e re,i,ed the 7anapati celebration and renewed people9s
interest in *hi,a4i, (a#ing both ,ehicles o political action$
For two centuries, the Chitpa,ans stayed a step ahead, always (o,ing at enough to
retain positions o power$ 0ut, with Tila#9s death in 1920, history passed the( by$ The
Congress +arty, which Tila# had so greatly inluenced, beca(e the party o 7andhi4i$
.iscontented -aharashtrian 0rah(ins now began to lea,e the Congress and non6
0rah(ins ;uietly too# their places in the 19C0s and 19D0s$ "hen !ndependence ca(e, the
Chitpa,ans ound the Congress do(inated by non60rah(ins$ Though they were a(ong
the leaders in other parties, de(ocracy was bound to belittle (inorities$ The 0rah(ins
6one or two per cent o the population 6 could not hope to carry (uch weight politically$
Bathura( 8inaya# 7odse was probably the last o the Chitpa,an terrorist and certainly
the (ost ina(ous$ "hen the news o his assassination o 7andhi4i reached -aharashta
,iol(ce was directed against the co((unalist &indu -ahasabha and the 2ashtriya
*waya( *e,a# *angh, but, to (any obser,ers, the riots were essentially anti60rah(in$
%nce or all, the idea o a uniied society content with 0rah(in paternalis( was exposed
as a (yth$
"hen the (obs had gone ho(e, the proble( o anti60rah(in eeling re(ained$ The
Chitpa,ans were orced to see# new lie6patterns or a world that was suddenly less
riendly$ +olitically, the trend has been to stay away ro( the Congress$ %ne scholar notes
that 0rah(in ,otes go to both 9Let9 and 92ight9 candidates but not to the Congress$
!ndeed, the Chitpa,ans ha,e continued to supply political leadership on both sides o the
ence 6 to the Co((unist and *ocialist +arties as well as to the &indu -ahasabha and
3ana *angh$ Their national leaders include B$ 7$ 7oray o the +ra4a *ocialist +arty and *$
-$ 3oshi o the *a(yu#ta *ocialist +arty$ 8$ .$ *a,ar#ar was or years leader o the
re,i,alist &indu -ahasabha$
&ow to tell a Chitpa,an
' typical Chitpa,an is usually air o co(plexion, has a sharp nose and steel6grey eyes$
&e can be called handso(e$ Banasaheb +eshwa (1<th century/, ro( a portrait that is
a,ailable (ay be called best speci(en o Chitpa,an (anhood$ Banasaheb9s son 8ilasrao,
when 1<, was #illed in the Third 0attle o +anipat (17E1/$ 1ashira4 has described hi( as
the (ost handso(e a(ong the -arathasF e,en in death he loo#ed so handso(e that
'h(edshah 'bdali ordered his dead body to be brought beore hi( 6 in order to ha,e a
loo# at his handso(e person$ The Chitpa,ans cannot be classed a(ong the well6built
co((unities o -aharashtra$ Chitpa,an girls possess good physical eatures but tend to
too# pale$ ' ew historians and anthropologists are o the ,iew that the Chitpa,ans ca(e
to !ndia ro( 5gypt, while others say they ca(e ro( 7reece$ The Chitpa,ans are
generally extre(ists, hence their beha,iour is ull o contradiction$ ' Chitpa,an (ay
sacriice his lie or his country but he will not easily part with his purse$ That is why
perhaps the Chitpa,an co((unity has produced a nu(ber o iery patriots but not a
single saint$ Tidy, clean, and industrious, the a,erage Chitpa,an has a rather inlated
opinion o hi(sel$ Typical Chitpa,an surna(es are 2anade, Tila#, 7o#hale, 1et#ar,
+aran4pe, 1ar,e and Chitale$
2001 Bo,e(ber 19 G H Layout 200062001 #o#anastha$co($ 'll rights reser,ed$