Paper Details

According to the report of National Commission for De-Notified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Tribes, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India, 2017, there are 36 nomadic tribes and 14 de-notified tribes in Maharashtra. In the present research paper, out of these 36 nomadic tribes ‘Gondhali’ tribe has been introduced historically. The present research paper is primarily based on secondary information sources. Therefore, researcher has constructed a descriptive format through semantics. Also, on the basis of secondary information, it has been concluded that the ‘Gondhali’ tribe is prevalent in Maharashtra as a nomadic tribe, who make a living by worshiping the Goddess and performing the ‘Gondhal’ religious rites. The ‘Gondhali’ tribe has two main sects namely Kadmarai and Renurai. Although the Gondhali tribe is included in the list of nomadic tribes of the Government of Maharashtra, the current ‘Gondhali’ tribe's nomadic nature is not perennial but seasonal. At the same time, ‘Gondhali’ tribe is a predominantly follow Hindu religion. Therefore, the present culture of the ‘Gondhali’ tribe is a mixture of Hindu and nomadic tribes.

Gondhali tribe