The Bathudi’s of Orissa

Introduction
Alternative Name(s): Bahutali, Bathuhuli, Bathdi

Population: 259,000 (as per peoples group)

The population of the Bathudi tribe in India is approximately around 259,000, and as a cluster they are
included in the Oriya group of people. The people of this tribe are found as per census evaluations only
in India. The primary language of communication for this tribe is Oriya. Hinduism is the predominant
religion followed by the folk of Bathudi, which is also the predominant religion practiced in the
subcontinent of India.

In so far as their categorisation goes the government of India, has scheduled the Bathudi as a Scheduled
Tribe (ST). Even though the government has ascribed them the scheduled tribe status, they still prefer to
be known by the caste name Kashatriya Hindu. In fact most Bathudi’s find it offensive if they are termed
as a tribe or the Hindi language equivalent Adivasi. This thought is as they are predominantly Hindu in
their culture, and make use of the Hindu temples and priests. Also the according to the Hindu caste
system they are considered a clean caste.

History of the Bathudi’s

The origin of the Bathudi can be traced back to the Similipal hills. As per the Bathudi, their ancestors
were immigrants who moved from Bakua in the Similipal hills, & trailed the Godavari rivers course.
Originally it is said the Bathudi tribe Zamindars, ruled over the mountain ranges of Similipal. They were
known to be great warriors and defeated the Jashipur great chief, who was known by the name of Dasu
Kharia. Folk lore suggests that in the Batuli fort in the mountains of Similipal, the beheaded head of the
defeated Kharia chief can be seen right at the top of the fort. However, over time their reign was
threatened by the Gonds. A bitter and long conflict followed between the two tribes, including tribal
warfare. Eventually, due to the sheer numbers, the Bathudi were defeated and they moved away from
the Similipal hills. Currently the Bathudi, co-exist alongside a lot of other groups, like the Santal, the
Munda, the Ho and even the Gond.

Location
The tribe of Bathudi’s can primarily be found in the Eastern half of India. The larger numbers of Bathudi’s
are concentrated in the north western half of Orissa. They live in the state of Orissa in the regions of
Kendujhargarh, Balasore and Mayurbhanj. Within these areas the major portion is in Panchpir ( Karanjia)
and kaptipada sub divisions of Mayurbhanj dist, Champua and keonjhar Sadar sub divisions of
Keonjhar district and Nilagiri sub division of Balasore district. Most of these settlements are found
mostly in the rural plain areas. Also given that a lot of them have quite a high standard of living, it is a
misnomer to refer to them as a hill tribe any more.
They are also found spread across different regions of Bihar’s northern sectors of Manbhum and
Singbhum. Some of the tribe can also be found, in the heartland of West Bengal.

The Castes & Sub Castes of Bathudi

The Bathudi social structure keeps a hierarchy of social classes aka castes, and there are sub groups
within them as well. The categorisation into the castes is quite similar to that of the Hindu practising
neighbours of the Bathudi. The Hindu’s consider them as a clean caste in their hierarchy.

They live peacefully with other castes and tribes. They are sometimes referred to as a lower branch of
the Bhuinya group. However, the Bathudi resent the connection and do not accept it at all. In case
anyone in their tribe marries someone from the Bhuinya or any sub caste of the same, the entire family
is considered an outcast from the tribe for eternity.

The tribe is also divided into what is referred to as gotras. These totemic clans are named behind birds,
animals, local plants, & other natural things. These names are also representative of the service
rendered i.e. military or domestic by the Bathudi ancestors. The names are along the lines of Parasara,
Nageswara, Ganeshwara, Kashyapa, Sailya, Bharadwaja, Dhanaphula etc. Again these gotras resemble
their Hindu counterparts.

Religion
The primary religion in India is Hinduism, which is also followed by the Bathudi. Their belief systems and
customs etc. are also similar to the Hindu groups whom they co-exist with. They offer prayers to Gods
and Goddesses of the Hindu religion like Shiva, Shitla and Hanuman. Their religion is a combination of
beliefs in both Hinduism as well as the ancestral spirits.

Each village has a priest called Dehari, and the village gods are worshipped as per his dictates. The village
priest also acts as a mediator between their Gods and the people of the village. The village deities they
worship which are significant are - Sundura, Hatiani, Basuli and Gouri etc. The deities images are revered
in the block shaped stones. The Dehuri worships the deities when new mango and rice is eaten, or when
rice is being re-ploughed or transplanted.

The Bathudi, set up a number of sacred spots around their village, where the Gods are established. Each
of these sacred spots are dedicated and named for a spirit, ancestor, God or Goddess. The tribe people
of Bathudi, worship the deities at these sacred spots, with flowers, sun fried rice and vermillion. They
also believe in sacrifices, and these are carried out in these sacred spots. The Dehari (village priest) will
also organise the worship of these deities, at a village level, in order to bring blessings to all the
members of the village. Each family from the village pitches in to raise money for the deities worship
ceremony. The sacrificial animals or birds and other requirements for the ceremony are then brought
from this collection.

However, they still retain their belief in spirits also called Bhut Preta, black magic and sorcery. They
believe that the But Pretas are those people’s spirits, who had an unnatural death. For e.g. if someone
died prematurely, because of sickness, murder, accident, got burnt, committed suicide or was drowned.
These spirits of the people, who died unnaturally, do not enjoy the Hindu belief of rebirth or salvation.
Hence, they are left dissatisfied in this world where they are a danger to pregnant women and children,
who are weak. As a result, adult men and women of the Bathudi tribe do not travel alone anywhere, as
the Bhut Preta can attach them. The term Ojha refers to a shaman or witch doctor that the Bathudi will
call, in order to drive away and protect them from evil spirits and curses. The Ojha does this chanting
hymns and providing sacrifices to appease the malcontent spirit. If the spirit refuses to leave through
these peaceful methods, the Ojha will then drive them out by abusing them and beating them.

From a witch craft perspective, the Bathudi believe that a woman can be possessed by her son or
partners spirit. This turns her into what they call a Dain, which means a witch. As she is possessed it
gives her powers, through which she can cause harm to the individuals she wants to destroy. Again the
Ojha is the one called on, to neutralise the effect of the spirit on the woman.

The Bathudi Governance

Though the Bathudi‘s are peaceful by nature in their relations there are some conflicts in the group.
Divorce is accepted and the causes for that are generally affairs, abuse, and negligence etc. Often the
conflict is caused due to pre-marital relations as well. Division of land, stealing of private animals and
crop destruction are a few other causes of conflict among the Bathudi. The tribe of Bathudi manages its
governance through the village Panchayat. The head of family of each household is a member of the
Panchayat. Through a voting system, they elect from the members a head called the Pradhan. The
meetings of the Panchayat are conducted under a tree, sacred spot or Akhra. All conflicts within the
village members are resolved by the Panchayat. At times they do hold inter village panchayat for solving
issues between villages. Once the decision is undertaken, it has to be abided by the conflicting parties. If
any party refuses to accept the decision the member is rejected from the village, and no relations are
kept with the rejected member.

In Keonjhar and Mahanaik in Mayurbhanj the headman is called Badanaik, while a head of multiple
villages is called the Desa Pradhan, who gets assistance from Paramanik.

They also do form part of the Modern Gram Panchayat, and vote in the local elections for the MLA etc.
There have been some criticisms of the Bathudi, selling their votes, in return for monetary and kind
benefits.

Way of Life
Traditionally the Bathudi`s are fisherman by profession. However, today they earn their living doing
either settled farming or work in jobs with wages. The land they own most of the times is not enough to
meet the basic requirements. Earlier they used to practice hunting and fishing to supplement their
income, which is not the case anymore. Hence today they depend on the money they earn by running
small businesses, such as buying goods like rice and selling them for a higher rate. The general crops the
Bathudi grow are paddy and some range of cash crops like sugar, potato, pulses and groundnut etc.
Though they do not come much in use, the Bathudi`s still possess a few weapons like Kudal, sickle, knife,
Hanti, Bhala and Khurpi. For their farming they use the plough and bullocks. Unlike many other tribes,
they buy their pots, weapons, utensils, iron goods from other castes who sell these. The earthen pots,
mats and baskets etc. are made of the produce from the local forest.

Any conflict, irrespective of the nature is settled by the Panchayat in the village. The Panchayat is the
council of village elders and is headed by a Sarpanch.

Food
Rice is the staple food of the Bathudi`s which is consumed throughout the year. The rice flour is used ot
create cakes which are eaten with as a savoury item. As a side dish, they also eat some vegetables and
leafy items, which are grown locally. Though the Bathudi`s are fond of non-vegetarian food, they are
unable to enjoy the same. This is primarily due to the inability to hunt for meat, and also because they
are financially poor. However, they do not consume meat like beef or pork. They are known to on
occasions, consume termites and red ants. Chickens are offered as sacrifices at religious ceremonies and
then later consumed. Though alcohol like Mahua and rice beer are consumed by their neighbouring
tribes, the Bathudi`s generally tend to avoid alcohol.

Language
There is a bit of contention as to whether the Bathudi`s have a native language or not. Many contend
they do, and it is a language which is unclassified and unlike any of the other tribal languages. On the
other hand, many insist that they do not have a mother tongue of their own, and speak only Oriya. In
fact they also believe, Bathudi`s do not have any knowledge if their ancestors spoke any other language.

However, as a whole they tend to speak the language of their local region with almost all of them
knowing Oriya. Some of the secondary or regional languages the Bathudi speak are Bengali, Hindi,
Santhali, Munda, Ho, Mundari, Halbi, Kuvi, Marathi and Byangsi.

Housing and Interiors

The Bathudi, are very communal people and live along with other tribes and castes. However in these
villages the Bathudi keep their separate settlements. The organisation of the village is along a single
street, called the main street with houses built in 2 rows along it. The houses are built with the use poles
made of wood, bamboo frames, tiles and mud etc. Most of these houses will have typically 2 rooms
shaped rectangular and have a roof which is gabled. The rooms generally do not have any windows. In
the outside room the poultry and goats are allowed, while the inside one is used for cooking and
sleeping. Most houses in the tribal village will be painted either white or red. They generally have walls
made with mud and have a high veranda both front and back. In the verandas, on one side they build a
cowshed, and one door opens to the backyard and the other to the courtyard. The agricultural goods,
grains and other equipment are storied on a platform made of mud and wooden planks. In terms of
furniture, they make mats & charpoys with date palm leaves and very little wooden furniture is used.
The more affluent Bathudi’s are able to build separate rooms for storage, cooking, sleeping and animals
etc. These rooms are built around a courtyard in the centre. The paddy straw is used to thatch the
houses. Water is generally stored and food is cooked in earthen or aluminium utensils. They use bell
metal plates and cutlery for consuming food. Storage is also carried out in baskets made of bamboo in
different shapes and sizes.

Marriage& Customs
The Bathudi tribe follows clan exogamy. The tribe as we discussed before is divided into 56 different
gotras and marriage within the same gotra is not allowed. In Bathudi community a boy and a girl get
married when the boy reaches the age range of 15 – 25, and the girl reaches the age range of 15 – 20
years. It is an expensive affair getting married for Bathudi’s, compared to their financial conditions. The
marriages are organised by the bridegroom’s parents who look for their son’s wife. They do so by
checking with an astrologer, if marriage to a specific woman will be good for their son or not.

Once the astrologer decides it’s a good marriage, two individuals are selected to act as a go between,
called Dandia to negotiate. Then both partners’ families visit each other to see each other. That is also
when the marriage date and the price of the bride is also fixed. This is the most popular way to arrange
marriages in the Bathudi community by fixing a bride price. This price is considered very nominal, and it
varies from anything like rice, pulses, cash or clothes or anything else in kind. The bridegroom also has to
pay for the bride’s clothes, her parents & her brothers and sisters clothes as well. In order to welcome
the Sarat party (brides welcoming party) & the Barat (groom’s welcoming party), the groom has to
arrange the necessary items. 1 -2 months before the marriage the bride’s family is paid the bride price. It
is an important rite in the Bathudi tribe, that the bride and groom should have received from the
Vaishnava Guru the Karna’s Mantras. Without this ceremony being completed they are not allowed to
marry. Once the bride price has been confirmed this news about the bride being selected, is announced
to the entire community. The marriage date is confirmed with the assistance of the Baiga, Pahan or the
priest.

The marriage is organised in the bride’s village. In past times there was dancing to celebrate, but now
there they provide a festive meal to entertain guests. On the marriage day, all family members and
friends from the bridegroom’s side as a group which is referred to as the Barat go to the girls house. The
female relatives of the groom conduct white magic, by sprinkling sakhua leaves, flowers, sun fried rice
and dub grass shoots. This white magic is done to ward off the negative effects of any bad spirits or
witches on the marriage party or the groom. Kohl is generally applied to the boy for a similar reason, and
he wears a red top with a yellow dhoti. They also carry a stole which is referred to as a Gamacha. The
bridegroom, depending on the stature of the family is taken along on a rickshaw, cycle or a palanquin,
while the rest of the Barat travel by foot.

On reaching the brides village the marriage party and the groom, are accorded a massive welcome by
the male relatives of the bride. They are welcomed by offering them garlands made from forest flowers.
After purifying themselves with after the travel they are offered fried grams, Handia and Lakatho sweets.
After this the Barat and groom are bought to the house gate of the bride, where the female relatives sing
a number of different songs. In a lot of families still, the relatives all join together to perform a dance for
the bride and groom.

When the bride goes to her husband’s house a party of people from her house go with her. This party is
made up of both females and males in huge numbers. On requisition Ghasi or Dom castes drum beaters
become a part of this party. A high status Brahmin, will conduct the marriage rites as per the Vedic rites
of the Hindu religion.

Post 2 - 3 days after the marriage the bride will cook some food. The couple will then offer this cooked
food to their dead ancestors. The couple also has to also go to the bride’s house a week later with gifts
for the family. In olden times, in the Bathudi marriage they would build a marriage cake made rice flour.
Due to the economic conditions this custom is no longer followed. Generally after the passing of 1 -2
months of their marriage the bridegroom and the bride will set up their individual house, to start a
family of their own.

The ceremony of marriage is considered an institution within the Bathudi tribe. So inter clan, or non-
tribal marriages, and widow remarriages are restricted in this tribe. However, in more recent times
widow remarriages are being reconsidered and divorces are also allowed, as long as the Panchayat
approves it. However, inter clan marriages are still a taboo, and if anyone goes against it, they are
removed from the community forever. Cousin marriages either in parallel or across families are also
taboo, cousins are considered blood relatives. Also any offspring’s of a non-tribal / inter clan marriages
are considered illegitimate / mongrel. They are also restricted access to any ancestral property, and not
recognised by the Bathudi’s and abused socially. Though predominantly an adult affair, they are not
unknown to have child marriages. Generally Bathudi marriages are considered a monogamous affair with
one man marrying one woman. Though, if the marriage is childless then bigamy is also considered.

Holidays & Festivals

The Bathudi tribal community, like the Hindus in India celebrate the festivals of Makar Sankarnti, Dasara,
Raja parab, Purnima, Kali Puja etc. They also celebrate a few other festivals localised to them, like Asari
Puja, Shitla Puja, Dhulia Puja, Bandana Puja & Shivaratri. The village priest also performs sacrifices to
pacify the deities. The sacrifices they offer on these occasions range from chicken, ducks, goats and
pigeon etc. offered by the priest. The Bahudi’s also celebrate the popular festivals of Holi, Diwali,
Ramnawami and Duga Puja as well. As they are predominantly Hindu religion followers they celebrate all
festivals, related to the Lord Shiva, Hanuman and Shitla.

Clothing Styles
The clothing style of the Bathudi tribe is quite similar to the tribal dress of their surrounding villages.
Their dress is generally by Indian standards considered scanty and yet simple. The older men will either
wear a coarse dhoti made of cotton or in the more rural areas a loin cloth of the same material, with a
gamacha. For special occasions, or meeting relatives etc., the males will add a long cotton shirt called
kamij and an inner vest called ganji. They also carry a short stole on their shoulder called gamacha. The
older women will tend to wear a sari, a Saya or a Jhula, which are generally preferred in shades of
orange. These saris’ come up to their knees unlike their Indian counterparts, which come up to the
ankles in the more rural women.

The more affluent boys of a Bathudi family will wear long dhotis, shorts and shirts and in some cases
even shoes. Though, with the growing contact with the outside world their clothing is getting more
influenced by the Western way of dressing. They will purchase western clothing from the local market
(haat) and also wear plastic slippers or shoes. Though, the older folk tend to remain bare foot most of
the time.

In terms of jewellery the Bathudi women wear bangles made of glass, rings for their nose, fingers and
toes. They also wear anklets, hair accessories (flower designs which are of cheap alloys and metals) and
necklaces as well. The richer Bathudi, who can afford will also wear jewellery made of silver and gold.
Silver jewellery has quite the preference with the female Bathudi. They are also known to wear jewellery
made of materials like steel, brass, seeds and thread as well.

In most Indian tribes tattooing is very famous amongst the women folk. Similarly one of the most
popular forms of beauty, with the Bathudi females is tattooing. This art form is called as Khada amongst
the Bathudi tribe. As per Bathudi traditions they have specific customs for tattooing before a girl gets
married. A Bathudi girl will get 1 – 2 floral designs in tattoo on her arms or forehead.

Familial Relations Within the Bathudi tribe

The Bathudi tribe follows a patriarchal structure, which involves patri-lateral lineages and family. Their
family structure is nuclear and is the smallest unit in the framework. The typical family of a Bathudi
consists of a man, wife and unwed kids. The sons marry and set up their own houses, and the women
leave their maternal homes to live with their partners. The ancestral property is only passed down to the
sons i.e. they are patriclan; hence it’s also the son’s duty to look after their old parents.

The Bathudi kinship system is built around the structure of marriage and parentage. Kinship is
established via either of these two structures. The blood lines define the relationship between the
descendants. The blood relations also define the lineage and clan a Bathudi individual belongs to.

In terms of family life between family members the children, have to assist the parents in work either in
the agriculture or in the house. Typically this division of labour is based on girls with mothers helping in
household work, and boys with father out in the fields. Both sets of children help parents in gathering
forest produce.

The second structure of the Bathudi social framework is marriage, which determines the kin. The
marriage structure binds more than just individuals, and brings together all the blood kins of the two
partners together into a bond. There are relatives like Sala & Devar (brother-in-laws), Sas & Sasur (Father
and mother-in-law) which are formed as part of this bond. In a marriage, the housework is taken care of
by the wife, with the husband helping where possible. The same way of work follows for the field work
as well, this is predominantly the husband’s domain. The wives sometimes do tend to work as casual
labourers to supplement the family income as well.
Hence a blood relation ascertains the bond between the ancestors and an individual and their
descendants and linear kin. The marriage structure institutes the bond between the groom, the bride
and their respective families.

Rites of Passage
Birth
Birth is the sign of happiness and removes the mark of barrenness from a family in the Bathudi tribe. It
also exhibits the continuance of the family linearity. Every birth is a sign of new marriage and blood
relations in generation, and thus a lineage. The Bathudi’s place the birth of either sex’s i.e. a boy or a
girl’s as valuable in their tribe. The celebrations for either are considered equally, and the rearing and
caring for either of the two is done at the same level.

The Bathudi believe that the birth of a child brings pollution in the family from 5 – 9 days. The delivery
typically takes place inside the house. Experienced women from the village, take part in the delivery.
Once the days of the pollution are over, the family holds a purification rite. In this the house is cleaned
with mud, water and cow dung. The mother and the family take a bath, and all the clothes that have
been used in these days are washed by the washer man. Once these rites are over, the new born along
with mother worship before the deity of the village and community to receive blessings. Along with
other male relatives of the family, the baby’s head is also shaved. New earthen pots are used to prepare
festive meals and the family and friends are invited to share food.

The name giving ceremony is called Ekusia is celebrated on the 21st day from the birth. A water filled pot
is brought, and 2 thread pieces which cross at right angles are put on the brim of the pots. Using a
quadrangle they drop a Til grain through it. After this, they drop rice grains one after the other through
the same, while saying different names. This process continues till one of the rice grains connects with
the grain of Til. At which point, the name associated with that rice grain is given to the new born.

Death
The Bathudi, believe that death is inevitable, and they have customs to help the dead in their next lives.
However, an unnatural death is not a good thing for the tribe. Their belief system dictates that immature
deaths are a result of an evil spirits curse. Tribe members who die of small pox or other diseases like
cholera and the dead body of child are generally buried. They hold sacrifices to appease the evil spirits
so that they can prevent untimely deaths and troubles in their village or family. Typically the Bathudi
burn their dead, though in case they cannot afford the burial wood the will bury the dead as well. Before
cremation or burial the dead body is daubed with turmeric paste and oil. In order to make their afterlife
journey cloths and rice grains are provided with the body.

As per their beliefs, a death causes pollution in the lineage and clan group of the dead person for 9 days.
All the earthen pots for cooking are removed from the dead person’s house. Post the burial all the
members of the lineage consume food freshly prepared, without the use of cooking oil. After the 9 days
the final rites of purification are carried out. The male members of the clan and lineage shave of all facial
and head hears on the tenth day. All the clothes of the dead person’s family are washed clean by a
washer man. The houses of all the members are washed clean. They only consume food which is raw i.e.
uncooked on this day. Also no non vegetarian food is consumed by these members, during the days of
this pollution.

On the 11th day the ceremony of Sradha is conducted by a Brahmin who is called to oversee the same.
Sradha is the ceremony where they proffer food to the dead person. They have to then feed the entire
community to become pure again. A shade is brought to the house where this food is cooked and placed
on a spot covered by rice flour. Once the shade is taken inside, they look analyse the flour. If the rice
flour shows any impression then they believe that the shade has come. The individuals, who have gone
to get the shade, then consume rice cakes made with the same flour. By completing these customs the
Bathudi believe that the clan and lineage purify themselves.

Economy
The Bathudi tribe has an economy which is a combination of agriculture, gathering of forest produce,
fishing, bird hunting and earning wages with contract labour.

They do involve themselves in petty businesses like selling forest produce, in the local market called
Haat. They also produce trays, brooms, and baskets etc. for home use which they sell. The tribe is also
known for making grass ropes from the forest, with which they make col, sikia and machia. Any fishing is
conducted in the local ponds and lakes, and each house will have equipment for fishing. With respect to
agriculture, the Bathudi do have some property for agricultural cultivation apart from their house
property. Generally next to their house land they would have their agricultural land called Bari. Here they
grow maize, marua, vegetables, arhar etc. during the rainy weather. Typically the cultivation in the Bari is
done of two types depending on the land type. One being Don and the other being Tanr. Mung, Kodo,
Arahar, Maize etc. are grown in Tanr type of land.

For rice cultivation the seeds are planted by June as the rains start off. Once the seedlings are ready to
be picked for transplantation (which is generally in 3 – 4 weeks) the process begins. Implements like
Khanti, Khurpi, sickles and ploughs are used along with oxen’s for completing their cultivation. In Bathudi
families, the agricultural process & labour is carried out by all family members. In some cases labour is
also exchanged with neighbours. At no point do they hire anyone for completing their agricultural work.

As a tribe most Bathudi, do not spend any money on modern health care or education. Most of the
money is spent in taking care of ceremonies and sacrifices etc. Especially in the rural Bathudi’s, most of
them tend to be in debt with the local loan shark (mahajan).

Conclusion
As modern civilisation and the Bathudi’s get more acquainted, there is a change in the outlook, clothes
and habits of their traditions and habits. Though it’s important to note that the contemporary trends
they are influenced by have been customised to their requirements quite nicely. These influences have
been visible in their outlook, dresses and other such cultural elements. However, in the very rural areas
you cans still see them with old habits where the old practices are still preserved.