THE HYPERGAMY OF THE PATIDARS (D.F.POCOCK)

The Patidars of Gujarat got the name from the Pattidari system of land revenue. Patidars, having the occupation of trade and other professions, are scattered throughout the world. The Patidars are divided into two groups- Lewa and kadwa. These two groups are separated in kinship relationships. However, the Lewa are considered to be higher in status but it is not visible in practice. Lewa Patidars are predominant in Charottar, which is considered as ‘the pleasant land of Patidars’. They generally share their village with the other caste groups of Brahmin, Bania, Baria, Patenwadia, Occupational, Servants etc. Most of these castes are influenced by hypergamic practices like that of Patidars. It is very tough to find a fundamental pattern of kinship system of Patidars. But, as Pocock writes

“We can best say that the form of any one particular joint family is a working out of the ideal of ‘jointness’  as it is held up by ancient law and extolled by religion and economic possibility of fulfilling it”

For status, one has to belong to a distinguished line or the head of the family has to start a new line to be known after his name. The head of the family has to organise a feast, where he has to arrange hospitality for the relatives of five to six generations. The depth of the generations in the kin relationship is very important factor for the status in the larger group. If for some reasons, he is not able to arrange it or the guests refuses to accept the invitation then the family is likely to be merely the residue from which a break is made, not the group which breaks away. Pocock equates it with the ‘formal expression of the caste’ towards the offenders.

PATIDAR HYPERGAMY

Pocock calls it the ‘free Kulin’ hypergamy and ‘free’ in the sense that Patidars do not pose restrictions like Bengal and Malabar. However the expression of Kulin is for the famous six villages of Charottar but the notion has been transmitted deep into the smallest village of the obscure. Patidars hypergamy is based on two principals -

•  Daughters are given as gift to  superiors and they pay dowry instead of accepting money for the        daughter,
• Differing status of the areas.

Charottar areas are of high status and they only take daughters from the neighbouring areas but do not give daughters to these areas. Also, the Baria caste conducts its own hypergamy upon a regional basis in which they take daughters form the East, West, and North and giving only in the South. When Patidar caste broke the rule then they accepts that the girl is of superior origin and also the one who gives daughter not in the consonance of the rules are severely treated, but acceptors of daughters are not so severely treated.

MARRIAGE CIRCLES

The Patidars caste is divided into marriage groups called circles within which daughters can be given or taken. Since, the natal village of the members are exogamous so the girls can be married in own group and the higher groups. The name of the circles is based on the number of villages in the circle or the number which the circle used to comprise. There is an informal hierarchical order of these circles. The acceptance of the village in a circle is based on two factors:-

•   Economic criteria, ritual purity like no widow remarriage etc,
•  Chance of raising its status by engaging in ties with higher circle.

Every lower village continuously strives to raise the status in the company of its fellow villages or separately. Since, the acceptance of inferiority which is ascribed in the hypergamic system is degrading so there is an emergence of formal bond between the villages and this formal group is called an ekada and its matrimonial affairs and interests are governed by member village representatives called panch. Now anyone cannot give his daughter to even the higher village. If one do so he might be boycotted or fined heavily. These village groups are of lower or middle hierarchy and imitate the behaviour of the higher groups. However, they will also claim Kulin in relation to lower villages. This is also an expression of caste as Dumont says that every caste accepts itself higher in status in relation to lower group and also lives in isolation to groups lower than theirs.  

The marriage of girl in the higher group is based on dowry and due to this practice of infanticides of the girls came in upper groups, and the boys of the lower groups have to go for sibling-exchange, widow marriage or lower caste women. So, the ekada fights for the more glorious things.

The two ideals Brahmanic and Western govern the movement of the Indian society today and these two ideals are frequently compatible on some points and incompatible on some other points like widow remarriage, divorce, religious observances etc.. Brahmins accepted the new western education and education is playing an important role in the marriage market. In the simple conservation of Charottar, the term ‘good man’ is used for the people with wealth and avoidance of extravaganza and ostentation. Also, he has to give feast to all his relatives and if possible then to the whole village. He is also related with the higher groups in the kinship structure. He is also related to places of public usages like Dharmsala, temple, ponds etc.

PERSISTENCE AND CHANGE  

The effects of hypergamy on the relationship with kin groups are very effective which can be visualised in the dowry practices. Since, every group want to rise in the status and dowry is a medium to improve the status among the groups. So, lower groups give very high dowry for a groom from higher groups. It is accepted as an evil by all groups and sometimes village committees have fixed limit of 301Rs but the practice of high dowry is prevalent among the peoples for rise in the status and father’s desire to marry their daughter in a higher groups. This is one of the prime reasons for persistence of dowry practices and the reform movements have been proved unsuccessful. Those, who do not have sisters or daughters, are forced by their kin who paid high dowry, to accept dowry. The variety of generation depth in large kin-groups can be viewed by this maxim: ‘A good man at ten generations is a brother and; a useless brother is a stranger’.

The persistence of these practices is eroding due to end of the old land revenue system and the wealthy commercial classes are following an adapted pattern of the European type family. Now, the hypergamy is practised in the framework of smaller kin-groups. Also, the rise of lower caste groups can lead to the formation of endogamous sub castes. In the Patidars, affinal relations are for very short durations like the relationship with maternal uncle are forgotten after the fulfilment of his obligation towards sister’s children. At present, each generation creates affinal ties binding groups.

So, hypergamy has an evident function to install belief in the caste upon more closely defined kin groups. A man who does not have daughters can neglect the cast group views but Pocock also find that even for the offence next generation is fined. So, marriage and caste group relationship are getting recognized. The acceptance of dynamics of change among the Patidars is changing some of the functions of the society and also continuing persistence of some of the functions.