Bijlwan Caste Settling in Garhwal

Garhwali Folk Tales, Fables, Traditional Stories, Community Narratives -98

  Compiled and Edited by: Bhishma Kukreti (Management Training Expert)

               (Narrated by Dinesh Bijlwan, Baman Gaon, Patti Kwili, Tehri Garhwal)

                    In the title ‘Garhwali Folk Story about Origin of Sajwan and Bijlwan Castes’  of  Garhwali Folk Tales, Fables, Traditional Stories, Community Narratives -98, this author narrated the folktale that  Bijlwan and Sajwan were sons of same person. However, after discussion with Garhwali language dramatist Dinesh Bijlwan this author got another folktale about first settlement of Bijlwan in Garhwal.

        It was time of King Kanakpla or so. Once, King Kanak Pal was performing a very important religious ritual Yagya (Karmakand) near or in Jakholi (Kwili Patti, region Narendra Nagar region, Tehri Garhwal) of Tehri Garhwal. Sajwan people were given the job of protecting that Ritual. At the same time, five persons (four sons and their mother) from Dhara Nagari (Malva, MP) were staying there for visiting Badrinath and other pilgrim places. They were Brahmin and Sajwan were offering them food etc.

       When the King started Yagya with the help of scholarly Pundits, a cow leg bone fell into the Yagya Hawan Kund. It was the most inauspicious aspect that cow leg bone felling into Hawan Kund. The people took out cow leg bone. Now, everybody was worried about inauspicious happenings. The King asked the scholars for the remedies but nobody could offer satisfactory solution. The guest Brahmins were silent on the subject.

  Sajwan asked these gust Brahmins about remedies of cow leg bone felling into Havan Kund.

   The eldest son of the old woman said that he had solution to get rid of sin happened in the Yagya. The Sajwan people and King requested those Brahmins and their mother to perform the remedial Karmakand.

         Each Brahmin sat on each corner of four cornered Yagya sthali and cover the Yagyasthali by a wall of cloth. Brahmins and their mother were sitting outside the cloth wall. Four Brahmin brothers started chanting Gayatri Mantra with concentrated Dhyan (focus). People were mesmerized by chanting of Gayatri Mantra and Brahmins were busy in chanting Gayatri Mantra for many days. On an auspicious day, a cow emerged from the Havan Kund. Everybody including the King and Sajwan soldiers was pleased by emerging a living cow emerging from the Havan Kund.

         Then Brahmins completed the remaining part of Yagya. The King and Sajwan people admired the Brahmins and their power. The King and Sajwan commander requested mother of Brahmins to settle there. Sajwan commanders offered land to Brahmins and that village was named ‘Bamna Gaon’. Before settling in Bamna Gaon, Kwili, Brahins and their mother visited Badrinath and Char Dham.

 Those Brahmins were called Bijlwan.

Copyright @ Bhishma Kukreti 28/9/2014 for review and interpretation

                                 References

1-Bhishma Kukreti, 1984, Garhwal Ki Lok Kathayen, Binsar Prakashan, Lodhi Colony, Delhi 110003, 

2- Bhishma Kukreti 2003, Salan Biten Garhwali Lok Kathayen, Rant Raibar, Dehradun

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Notes on History aspect related community Folktales of Caste of Garhwal, Bijlwan caste settling in Garhwal, Folktales/History  of Caste or Garhwal me Jatiy  Itihas, Bijlwan Caste Settling in Garhwal in Bamnagaon Tehri Garhwal; History of Bijlwan Caste of Baman Gaon, Tehri Garhwal; History of Bijlwan Caste in Kwili Patti, Tehri Garhwal, History of Bijlwan caste in Narendra Nagar region