Question

What made the Brahamans more influential in the Gond society?

Answer 1

Hint: Gond, a two-million-strong aboriginal population of central and south-central India. Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha are among the states where they inhabit. The majority speak different and, in some cases, mutually incomprehensible dialects of Gondi, a Dravidian family of unwritten languages.

Complete answer:
Because of the land concessions they obtained from the Gond Rajas, the Brahmans grew important in Gond culture. There is no cultural uniformity among the Gond, however the religion of the Gond peoples revolves around the cult of clan and village deities, combined with ancestor worship. The most developed are the Raj Gond, who originally possessed an extensive feudal hierarchy. Local rajas ruled over groupings of villages and were tied to the royal house by blood or marriage.

The large Gond tribe was divided into many smaller clans. Each clan had its own raja or rai. The administrative system of these kingdoms was becoming centralised. The kingdom was divided into garhs where each garhs were controlled by a gonda clan. There was no uniformity among Gonds. Brahmanas received land grants from the Gond rajas and became more influential.

Aside from the rajas' fortified seats, settlements were formerly of little permanence; cultivation, even when done with ploughs and oxen, required frequent shifting of fields and clearing of new forest land. The Raj Gond continue to exist outside of the Hindu caste system, refusing to acknowledge Brahman superiority or feel bound by Hindu rules such as the prohibition on killing cows.

Three prominent Gond tribes live in the mountains of southern Chhattisgarh's Bastar region: the Muria, Bisonhorn Maria, and Hill Maria. The last group, who live in the rocky Abujhmar Hills, is the most remote.

The Gond raja began to grant land to the Brahmanas. This made them influential.

Note: They are now mostly plough-cultivators, with agriculture that is similar to that of other farming castes in their region. Despite the fact that certain Gond groups have become landowners, increasing land pressure has resulted in a considerable number of landless labourers among the Gonds.