Mer (community)
Mer, Maher or Mehr, is considered a Kshatriya jāti from the Saurashtra region of Gujarat in India. They are based largely in the Porbandar district, comprising the low-lying, wetland Ghēḍ and highland Barḍā areas. They speak a dialect of the Gujarati language. The Mers of the Ghēḍ and Barḍā form two groups of the jāti and together they are the main cultivators in the Porbandar District. Historically, the men served the Porbandar State as a feudal militia, led by Mer leaders. In the 1881 Gazette of the Bombay Presidency, the Mers were recorded numbering at 23,850. The 1951 Indian Census recorded 50,000 Mers. As of 1980 there were estimated to be around 250,000 Mers.
Origin
Mers of other lineages consider the Kēshwaḷā as the earliest and superior lineage citing the proverb: Ādya Mēr Kēshwaḷā, jēni suraj purē chē śakh - "the sun stands testimony to the fact that Kēshwaḷās are the original Mers." An origin myth of the Kēshwaḷās descending from the neck hair of Rama was recorded by colonial authors. However, possibly the oldest reference to Kēshwaḷās indicates that the founder of this lineage may have lived over a thousand years ago, although, this relies on the genealogies of Barots which are not considered completely accurate as they are projected back in time to pseudo-history.History
Mers were once associated with the Maitraka dynasty. Historically Mers were also considered Kshatriya and were second to Brahmins. The kin of those slain in action were paid 100 rupees by the Rana during the late 1800s. Mers did not pay rent on their land, only paying a hearth tax and if they cultivated, a plough tax in addition to sukhḍi on villages assigned to them. Historically, highland Mers, also known as Bhōmiyā held more political power than lowland Mers with the latter being restricted from buying land from Bhomiās between 1884 and 1947.In the 1970s Sarman Munja Jadeja rose to prominence after killing gangsters Devu and Karsan Vagher who had been hired by Nanji Kalidas Mehta to break the strike at the Maharana Mills. As the leader of organised crime in Porbandar he ran a parallel system of justice and was hailed by many Mers as a Robin Hood-like figure. After killing 47 people, he renounced violence having been influenced by the Swadhyay Movement. In 1986 he was murdered by a rival gang resulting in Santokben Jadeja taking over her husbands gang and killing 30 people to take revenge. By the 1990s her gang was wanted in 500 cases and she in 9. Shantokben died in 2011, following which a rival ganglord, Bhima Dula Odedara became dominant in local crime and politics. Odedara took control of the profitable limestone, chalk and bauxite mines; he was given double life imprisonment by the Gujarat High Court for double murder in 2017.
Mers in politics
Mers have dominated the politics of the Kutiyana Vidhan Sabha, the Porbandar Vidhan Sabha and the Porbandar Lok Sabha seats.The first Mer to become the MLA for Kutiyana was Indian National Congress member Maldevji Odedra in 1962; who also became the Gujarat Congress President. 1980 saw Congress candidate Vijaydasji Mahant elected and he retained his seat in 1985. Mahant also became the Gujarat Congress President. In 1990 Santokben Jadeja won the Kutiyana assembly seat as a Janata Dal candidate. In 1995 her brother-in-law Bhura Munja Jadeja became the MLA for Kutiyana contesting as an independent. After the Jadejas, the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Karsan Dula Odedara held the Kutiyana seat winning in 1999, 2002 and 2007. Since 2012 it has been held by Kandhal Jadeja a Nationalist Congress Party MLA and son of Santokben, who won again in 2017.
Maldevji Odedra was elected from the Porbandar Vidhan Sabha seat in 1972 as a INC candidate. In 1985, Laxmanbhai Agath was elected. Babubhai Bokhiria held the seat in 1995 and 1998, losing to Congress candidate Arjunbhai Modhwadiya in 2002. Modhwadiya maintained his seat in 2007 and became the Gujarat Congress President, but lost to Babubhai Bokhiria, who currently is the MLA for Porbandar, in 2012 and 2017.
Maldevji Odedra held the Porbandar Lok Sabha seat in 1980 on behalf of INC. His son, Bharatbhai Odedra was elected in 1984 from Porbandar to the Lok Sabha.
Clans
The community is endogamous, that is, marriages take place within the community, but exogamous with respect to clan. That is the bride and groom belong to different clans known as Bhāyāt. Genealogies of Mer families are maintained by Barots through name recording ceremonies. Mers consist of 14 clans called Śakh which are further split into segments called Pankhī:Society and culture
Historically, Mers were wedded through arranged marriages, which were agreed between the parents of two new-borns. However, a girl married as a child would only be sent to live with her husband's family after achieving maturity. Cross-cousin marriage was common, while polygamous marriages were rare, only being permitted if a man was unable to have children with his first wife. The women of this community do not observe female seclusion norms and widow remarriage was not prohibited. Dowry operates largely in the favour of women. Differing from typical Hindu weddings, the Khaṁḍūṁ ceremony involves a sword being wed as a proxy for the groom. Grooms wear a jūmaṇuṁ made of twenty tolas of gold which has either been passed down or borrowed from relatives. Modern transport and equipment such as orchestra troupes are employed. Dates would be distributed in a custome called Lāṇ, to fellow villagers to celebrate a wedding or the birth of a son.Mers commission three types of Paliyas to venerate there ancestors. The first type is for surāpurā ; the second for surdhan for ancestors who have died an unnatural death and finally for satis. They are venerated with sindoor by Mer descendants on Diwali.
Mēr nō Rās a unique form of dandiya raas is performed. The performance includes liberal dusting of Gulal on the bodies and costumes of the dancers. Mer men used to wear umbrella shaped gold earrings called Śiṁśorīya; while Mer women wore bead shaped Vedla. Mer women also tattooed large parts of their body including the neck, arms and legs. Mer women were usually tattooed when they were about seven or eight years old. The hands and feet are marked first and then the neck and breast. It is customary for a girl to be tattooed before marriage. A Mer proverb states 'We may be deprived of all things of this world but nobody has the power to remove the tattoo marks". Mer tattoo motifs have a close relation to secular and religious subjects of devotion. Designs include holy men, feet of Rama or Lakshmi, women carrying water in pitchers on their head, Shravan
Mers are mostly vegetarian, with pearl millet , sorghum and wheat rotis being consumed with vegetables, chillis and curds. During weddings jaggery, ghee, lāpsi and khichdi is served. As of 1976, it has been reported that vices are common amongst Mers with around 30% consuming alcohol despite the prohibition in Gujarat. A 1980 study of the Mers estimated that: an average Mer household contains 6 people, 35% were literate, 95% of households owned their homes and 77% of household members were employed. 77% of those employed worked in the agricultural sector. Small scale plant-based industries are run by Mers, including bio-diesel production from the Mōgali āranḍ, herbal shampoo from Aloe and ground nut, sesame and castor oil extracting mills.
Historically Mers were considered Kshatriya and were second to Brahmins. However, in the local caste system, Vaishyas would not consume food from Mers due the their consumption of meat, alcohol and hygiene. Mers identify with other groups such as Kathis and Ahirs as part of the Kānṭio Varna or haughty groups. The Tēr Tāṁsḷī'', a group of thirteen communities that dine together but do not intermarry includes the Mers. In 1993 the Mandal Commission classified the Mers as an Other Backward Class.
Religion
Beliefs and practices
Mers are Hindus and practise a variety of religious traditions ranging from Folk Hinduism to Yogic and Bhakti practises. In addition, each lineage also has a lineage deity or Kuldevi, referred to as Āī who is worshipped by lighting a lamp in front of the murti. While Mers worship all gods of the Hindu pantheon, devotion to Ramdev Pir and Vachhara Dada is a unique hallmark of Mer religious belief. Mer men and women maintain complete freedom in choosing their belief system and no member of a family forces another to follow their denomination. Mer men are expected to have a guru to provide personal religious advice; those without one are disparagingly called nagūrū .The worship of Ramdev Pir is also formalised through a panth focusing on the worship of jyot and the secret Pāt ceremony is organised, breaking all caste and societal barriers. The Mers of Ghēḍ organise the Manḍap ceremony with Kolis and bring entire villages together in worship. Bhakti tradition is practised through the singing of bhajans about the Hindu epics; jiva; brahman; jnana; sannyasa; bhakti and moksha.Mer people#cite%20note-FOOTNOTETrivedi1961153-24|Mer people#cite%20note-FOOTNOTETrivedi1961153-24| Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shaktism are found amongst the Mers, with every village containing a temple to Shiva, Rama, and various forms of Devi. Amidst the worshippers of Devi, the presence of a small minority of secret Vamachara practitioners has also been noted; they are reputed to worship Kali with meat and alcohol. Within the Bhakti tradition the Pranami Sampraday is prevalent and devotees worship Krishna as Gopis. The Kabir panth also has a small following, functioning in open ceremonies under the guidance of a mahant. Some Mers follow Pirs based on individual experiences. Typical forms of Hindu worship such as aarti are common. Satis of the Charan jāti including Khodiyar are highly revered. When praying to Kuldevis, Satis or Vachhara Dada, the services of a bhuvā are employed. Around marriage the goddess Randal is worshipped for fertility, while Brahmins are invited to recite the Satyanarayan Katha to pray for relief from difficult times.