What is the history of Ramoshis before Britishers ruled India?

            Today’s Ramoshi was called Boya, Berad and Vedan. In Andhra it was called Boya and in Karnataka and Tamil nadu it was called Berad and Bedar. Ramoshis of Maharashtra have come from mostly Karnataka and their surnames are same as Berad-Ramoshi of Karnataka. Their original language is southern. They first got settled in Karnataka and later migrated to Maharashtra. Word ‘Bhuyal’ in Berad’s language seems to have originated from Boya. Though it is known in Maharashtra as Ramoshi-Berad, the name ‘Ramoshi’ is not older than 100-150 years.

महाराष्ट्र

          रामोशी हा शब्द “राम वंशी ” या शब्दापासून तयार झालेला नाही. रामोशी हा शब्द १०० ते १५० वर्ष्यापासून वापरात आहे. त्याचा अगोदरच्या काळात रामोशी हे बेडर किंवा बेरड या नावाने ओळखले जायचे आणि तसा उल्लेख पेशवे काळामध्ये केलेला आहे. १८२८ मध्ये नरवीर उमाजी नाईक यांनी इंग्रजांना लिहिलेल्या पत्रामध्ये रोमोश्याचं उल्लेख “रानवाशी ” असा केला आहे. त्या काळात रामोशी डोंगर दऱ्या मध्ये राहत असत . त्यांचे मुख्य काम म्हणजे १) गावाचे रक्षण करणे, २) पिकांची राखण करणे.

Maharashtra

         Ramoshis are Berads or Boyas. Ramoshi did not originate from ‘Ram vamshi’. It is in use only for hundred to hundred and fifty years. Before that, they were called Berad or Bedar, as mentioned during rule of Peshavas. Narveer Umaji Naik, in a letter of 1828, mentions as Ranvasi addressed to Ramoshis. Those days they were staying in hills and doing the job of protection of villages and crops in fields.

तामिळनाडू

     इथे रामोशी वेदान या नावाने ओळखले जातात.

Tamil nadu

        Name in vogue is ‘Vedan’.

आंध्र प्रदेश

     हा समाज इथे बोया , दोराबिद्डू , आणि वाल्मिकी या नावाने ओळखला जातो. दोराबिद्डू म्हणजे सरदार . बोया हे सरदाराचे मुले व वाल्मिकी चे वंशज आहेत असे म्हटले जाते.

Andhra Pradesh

        Boya, Dorabiddu and Valmiki are the names in vogue. Dorabiddu means sons of sardars. Boya consider themselves as sons of sardars and descendents of Valmiki.

कर्नाटक

       इथे रामोशी बेरड , बेडर या नावाने ओळखले जातात. बेडर म्हणजे निर्भीड ,”कोणालाही न भिणारा ” असा शब्दप्रयोग मुसलमानांनी त्यांचा पुस्तकामध्ये   केलेला आढळतो. तसेच हा समाज इथे नायक, तलवार , नायवाडी,नायकर , वाल्मिकी , पाळेगार , इ. नावाने ओळखला जातो.

1. नायक आणि नायकर : आंध्र प्रदेश्यातील काकतिया आणि विजयनगर साम्राज्या मध्ये “प्रदेशायाचा मुख्य हा नायक म्हणून ओळखला जायचा तर पारंपारिक “वतनदार ” हे नायकर म्हणून ओळखले जात. पाळेगार आणि नायकर हे महाराष्ट्रातील देशमुख व देसाई यांच्या रक्त नात्यातील आहेत. खूप बेरड स्वपराक्रमाने पाळेगार झाले. तेलगु मध्ये नायक या शब्दाचा अर्थ “मालक किवा मुख्य “.
2. नायकवडी: हे किल्लेदाराचे  पद्नाव आहे. किल्लायचे तटभिंतीवरून रक्षण करणारे म्हणजे नायकवडी.
3. तलवार : हे गावातील रखवाली आणि महसूल विभागाची कामे करत.  गावाचे संरक्षण करण्यासाठी , महसूल कोशागारामध्ये नेताना ते तलवार वापरत असत. म्हणून त्यांचे नाव तलवार असे पडले.

Karnataka

        Names Berad and Bedar are in vogue.Bedar was word used by Muslims either to show the dauntless quality or may be inability to pronounce properly. Muslim books use word Bedar. The names areBerad, Bedar, Nayak, Talwar, Nayavadi, Naykar, Valmiki, Palegar etc. each having distinctive meaning.

1. Nayak and Nayakar : During Kakatiya and Vijayanagar rules in Andhra a head of a region was called Nayak, and traditional ‘vatandars’ werecalled Naykar. Akin to Deshmukh and Desais in Maharashtra, were Palegar and Naykars. Many Berads became Palegar on their own bravery. Nayak in Telgu means Owner or Head. May be this is origin of word.
2. Naykvadi was the title of Killedar : Those protecting outer walls of forts were called Nayakvadi.
3. Talwar : This was name of the one doing work of village watchman or revenue work. For villege policing, carrying the land revenue to treasury headquarters, the workers had to bear arms, so called Talwar meaning sword.

History of Berads

                There is no written history. Scanty writings are available by others. It has to be co-related with oral traditions. The original man was Guh. According to Rajguru of Shorapur princely state, Berads come from Tamilnadu migrating to Karnataka during Vijaynagar rule. Names of 14 ancestors are known to him but not whereabouts. The last was ‘goshti pid nayaka’, a contemporary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This means the history dates back to 800 years from Chhatrapati Shivaji’s known date of 1630. Epigraphs of 8th to 11th century mention ‘Bed-Beda’, are they for the community? During Vijaynagar rule, these Nayak kings were assigned duty of protecting province of Tungabhadra. After of fall of Vijaynagar, the kings of Shorpur became independant. They only came under Bijapur court for name sake but the Bijapur court was always afraid of Berad Nayak Kings. Later, during Maratha – Moghul conflict, Nayak kings played important role. After fall of Dharmveer Sambhaji and migration of Rajaram to Jinji, Moghul-Maratha conflict spread from Narmada to Tamilnadu and from east to west coast. Moghul Emperors realized they were fighting with a hurt identity in 1695. But it was not possible to turn back. During this conflict, Berad Nayaks played a delicate and important role. The families of all important Maratha sardars and their treasury was in Vagana-gera (or Wakin-kheda), the capital of these Nayak kings. Therefore, Aurangzeb had to fight his last battle of his life against Berad Nayaks of Vagana-gera during 1705 – 06.

Religious customs of Berad-Ramoshis

1. देवता आणि कुलस्वामी : रोमोशी समाजाचा कुलस्वामी खंडोबा आहे. तसेच हे लोक मरी आई , काळूबाई , जानाई,  फीरंजाई , तुकाई , भैरोबा , आणि एल्लामा देवीची पूजा करतात.  कर्नाटक मधील बेरड लोक मल्लिकार्जुना , मौती , वेंकटेश व एल्लामा या देवांची पूजा करतात. बोया समाज तिरुपती चा वेंकट स्वामी , मरिअम्मा , कानाठ्राथान ची पूजा करतात. हे सर्व शिव भक्त आहेत. ते धार्मिक कार्य /विधी  जंगम किंवा लिंगायत स्वामी करतो. 
2. देवक( तोतेम): प्रत्येक कुळाचे वेगळे देवक असते. एका देवक मध्ये ( कुळामध्ये)  आडनाव वागले असले तरी  लग्न केले जात नाही. काही देवके : १) पान-कनिश २) वसन-वेल ३) सूर्य-फुल , ४) उंबर , ५) जांभूळ.
3. जात पंचायत : महाराष्ट्रामध्ये जात पंचायतीचा मुख्य हा नायक असतो , आणि त्याला सर्वजण मानतात . नायक सर्व भांडण तंटे मिटवत असत. कर्नाटक मध्ये त्याला नायक किंवा काहीमानी तर आंध्र प्रदेश मध्ये त्याला नायडू , दोरा किंवा शिहासन बोया आहे म्हणत . जो कोणी जात पंचायतीचे नियम तोडील त्याला शिक्षा करण्याच अधिकार नायकाला असे. व त्यांचा न्याय हा अंतिम मानला जाई. शिक्षा ही गुन्ह्यावरून ठरवली जाई.
4. Wedding / Barase / Marmik — Lingayat or Jangam is required. Sometimes Brahmin does it. Remarriages and widow marriages are allowed. Groom pays to bride’s father some teej/dej/tyaj. There WAS no dowry system.
5.  Barase and pachavi — Child is named on 13th day. ‘ghugarya’ are distributed. On 5th day ‘pachava chi puja’ is performed. This time ‘satwai’ is worshiped. Child is named on twelveth or twenty first day.
6.  Funeral rites — Burial was in vogue. Somewhere they cremate. On 3rd or 7th or 12th day they do ‘mati lotne’. ‘uttar karya vidhi’ is performed that time. At the burial place, the stones are aranged, gulal is sprinkled. On 3rd day flowers and ‘naivadya’ is offered.

Injustice done by Britishers to Ramoshi and allied communities.

         In 1871 the British Government declared some tribes as “Criminal”. The established society did not oppose this, contrary they seem to have liked it. Some clauses were: 

1. 1. 1. Permission should be obtained from police while shifting from one location to other
      2. Govt. could send the group of people outside the bounds of a certain area
      3. Govt. got the right to form a ‘settlement’ and keep the groups of people there.

Struggle against the Britishers

1. 1820 -1831: Umaji Naik, Bhulaji, Pandu Naik — they rovolted in Pune, Nagar, Nasik, Satara, Solapur, Kokan. Most of participants in these rebelions were Ramoshis.
2. 1817 — Gokak, Pachapur regions in Karnataka, Nayaks organized and rebelled. They were mostly Berads.
3. Revolt of Kittur Channamma and Sangoli Rayanna in Karnataka had mostly Berads,
4. 1817 — Trimbak Dengale’s revolt in Pune by sardars in Peshaai – mostly had Ramoshi, Bhil, Koli etc.
5. 1845 -1850 : Umaji’s Sons Tukaram and Mankala revolted against British
6. 1857 – Uprising of Rango Bapuji in Satara, rebelled in name of Chatrapati of Satara. Centres established for recruitment where Ramoshi Koli and Mangs were in majority. Two Madane Brothers of Ramoshi wadi (Koregaon Satara) and Nana Ramoshi of Kundal were blown by cannon. Many Ramoshis from Tasgaon in Bijapur Taluka participated.
7. 1844-50 — Tukaram and Mahankal, two sons of Umaji Naik revolted.
8. 1857 – Berads of Village Halgali Dist. Bijapur Karnataka revolted against disarming act. 19 Berads were hanged at Mudhol.
9. 1857 — Raja Venkappa Nayak of Shurpur Dist Gulbarga rebelled. He died in struggle,
10. 1870 — 1880 Rebellion of Vasudev Balwant Phadake was participated by most of Ramoshis. Head was Daulati Naik, who died in fight against Capt. Daniel in Tisubai Hills. Hari Ramoshi was hanged at Jejuri and Berads at Mudhol.
11. 1879: Hari Makaji & Tatya Makaji : they united Ramoshi’s of Satara and revolted  against British
12. 1910 — Veer Sindhur Laxman rebelled against Sansthanik at Jat ant British, was killed by treachery.
13. Vajya – Baijya – fought against Saranjamdar at Kukudwad Dist Satara.
14. 1942 – ‘Quit India’ movement and formed ‘prati sarkar’ – parallel Government. Most Ramoshis of Satara Sangali Pune Districts participated

** Reference : www.jejuri.in  http://maharashtra.gov.in/pdf/gazeetter_reprint/Poona-II/history_british.html#.