Charan

Les Charan (devnagari : चारण ; gujarati : ચારણ ; ourdou : ارڈ ; IAST : Caraṇa ; IPA : cɑːrəɳə) sont une caste sud-asiatique résidant nativement dans les États du Rajasthan et du Gujarat en Inde, ainsi que dans les provinces du Sind et du Baloutchistan au Pakistan. Historiquement, les Charans étaient des poètes et des littérateurs, ainsi que des guerriers et des jagirdars (chefs féodaux)^[1]. Ils se sont spécialisés dans diverses professions en tant que littérateurs, guerriers et commerçants^[2]. Les Charans étaient ancrés dans les royaumes médiévaux Rajput en tant que ministres, médiateurs, administrateurs, conseillers et soldats. Le poste de Kaviraja (poète et historien d'État) dans les cours royales était généralement réservé aux Charans. Les poètes charan ont largement contribué à la littérature du Rajasthan, du gujarati et du sindhi.

Les Charan sont considérés comme une race ancienne et sacrée mentionnée dans les écritures et les épopées hindoues telles que Yajurveda, Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, etc. C'était considéré comme un péché de verser le sang d'un Charan ou de le faire verser^[3].

Dans les anciens textes de la littérature sanskrite, les Cāraṇas sont représentés en train de chanter des hymnes faisant l'éloge des dieux et en tant que prêtres adorant les icônes du temple^[4]^,^[5].

Historiquement perçues comme étant associées à une origine divine, la sacrilité des Cāraṇas était corollaire de leur inviolabilité ; nuire à qui était considéré comme un péché comparable à brahmahatya.^[6]^,^[7] En raison de la protection institutionnalisée et sanctionnée par la religion dont ils bénéficiaient, ils pouvaient sans crainte critiquer et réprimander les rois et leurs actions^[8]^,^[9], agir en tant que médiateurs dans les différends politiques entre les dirigeants^[7] et servir de protecteurs de l'activité commerciale dans les régions en conflit de l'ouest de l'Inde^[10]^,^[11].

Les Charans ont combattu aux côtés des Rajputs et les ont encouragés à se battre vaillamment avec honneur. Ceux qui ont survécu ont composé des poèmes à la mémoire de leurs amis et héros décédés. Les Charans recevaient des jagir (fief) par les dirigeants en échange de leurs services et étaient connus sous le nom de thakur / jagirdar (classe féodale)^[12]. Les Charans vénèrent principalement 'Shakti' sous la forme de Hinglaj et ses avatars (réincarnations) en tant que femmes Charan divines telles que Awad Mata, Tanot Rai, Karni Mata, Aai Khodiyar, Deval Mata, Bahuchara Mata, etc. connu sous le nom de 'Deviputras' (fils de la Déesse)^[13].

↑ Rajni Palriwala, « Economics and Patriliny: Consumption and Authority within the Household », Social Scientist, vol. 21, n^os 9/11,‎ 1993, p. 47–73 (ISSN 0970-0293, DOI 10.2307/3520426, JSTOR 3520426, lire en ligne)

« Charans are a caste peculiar to Gujarat and Rajasthan and their ranking is controversial. In Rajasthan, they were bards and 'literateurs', but also warriors and jagirdars, holders of land and power over men; the dependents of Rajputs, their equals and their teachers. There were no Rajputs in this village, though one of my original criteria in selecting a study village was the presence of Rajputs. On my initial visit and subsequently, I was assured of this fact vis-a-vis Panchwas and introduced to the thakurs, who in life-style, the practice of female seclusion, and various reference points they alluded to appeared as Rajputs. While other villagers insisted that Rajputs and Charans were all the same to them, the Charans, were not trying to pass themselveets off as Rajputs, but indicating that they were as good as Rajputs if not ritually superior »

« Les charans sont une caste propre au Gujarat et au Rajasthan et leur classement est controversé. Au Rajasthan, ils étaient bardes et « littérateurs », mais aussi guerriers et jagirdars, détenteurs de la terre et du pouvoir sur les hommes ; les dépendants des Rajputs, leurs égaux et leurs professeurs. Il n'y avait pas de Rajputs dans ce village, même si l'un de mes premiers critères de sélection d'un village d'étude était la présence de Rajputs. Lors de ma visite initiale et par la suite, j'ai été assuré de ce fait vis-à-vis des Panchwas et présenté aux thakurs, qui dans le style de vie, la pratique de l'isolement féminin et divers points de référence auxquels ils ont fait allusion apparaissaient comme des Rajputs. Alors que d'autres villageois ont insisté sur le fait que les Rajputs et les Charans étaient tous pareils pour eux, les Charans n'essayaient pas de se faire passer pour des Rajputs, mais indiquaient qu'ils étaient aussi bons que les Rajputs sinon rituellement supérieurs. »
↑ (en) P. R. Shah, Raj Marwar During British Paramountcy: A Study in Problems and Policies Up to 1923, Sharda Publishing House, 1982 (ISBN 978-0-7855-1985-0, lire en ligne) :
« "The Charans constituted a body of faithful companions of the Rajputs. They composed poems in praise of the heroic deeds of the Rajputs, and thus inspired them with courage and fortitude. They also guarded the mansions of their patrons, gave protection to their women and children during emergency and also acted as tutors for the young ones. In return land gifts and honours were conferred upon them. The Charans, who could not devote themselves to intellectual pursuits, took to trade. They also protected merchants and travellers passing through desolate regions and forests. Both among the Rajputs and the Charans the bride and the bridegroom publicly took opium on the occasion of their betrothal." »
↑ (en) Commissioner, Census of India, 1901, Volume 25, Parts 1-2, Creative Media Partners, LLC, 22 febbraio 2018 (ISBN 978-1-378-47136-4, lire en ligne)
↑ (en) Sambodh Goswami, Female Infanticide and Child Marriage, Rawat Publications, 2007 (ISBN 978-81-316-0112-9, lire en ligne) :
« "Another sacred book considers Charans as having God like characteristics since they are well versed in the art of poetry and are able to write verses on the spot and at the moment." »
↑ Jhaverchaṅd Meghāṇi, « Elegiac "Chhaṅd" and "Duhā" in Charani Lore », Asian Folklore Studies, vol. 59, n^o 1,‎ 2000, p. 41–58 (ISSN 0385-2342, DOI 10.2307/1179026, lire en ligne) :
« "References to the Charans are found in Rig-Veda, Ramayan, Mahabharat, and Shrimad Bhagvad as well as in Jain Prabandha. Kalidas, a great Sanskrit poet-playwright of ancient times, has immortalized the Charans by casting them in his classical plays. In the Puranas, the Charans have been described as chanters of paeans to the divine and as priests worshipping temple icons. The Charani tradition began in the historic age in the form of rishi-the institution of great sages who were supposedly running hermitage-boarding schools for princes while living in the forests, the Himalayas or other high mountains, on the seashores or riverbanks." »
↑ (en) James M. Hastings, Poets, Sants, and Warriors: The Dadu Panth, Religious Change and Identity Formation in Jaipur State Circa 1562-1860 Ce, University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2002, 23 p. (lire en ligne) :
« "In Rajasthan, the Charans are a highly esteemed caste seen as occupying a social position slightly lower than that of Brahmins but above that of Rajputs, with whom they maintain a symbiotic relationship...Like Rajputs, with whom they often shared company, Charans would eat meat, drink liquor and engage in martial activities...They were, and often still are, viewed as seers, intermediaries who are closer to the sacred than ordinary mortals. It is said, for instance, that it was considered that killing a Charan was a sin comparable to killing a Brahmin, so that at times a Charan warrior could scatter his enemies just by charging straight at them and tempting them to kill him.....Although, in a way, poetic composition and recitation was for them a “pastime” subordinate to the primary income producing occupations of military service, agriculture, and horse and cattle trading..." »
↑ ^{a et b} (en) Aparna Kapadia, Gujarat: The Long Fifteenth Century and the Making of a Region, Cambridge University Press, 16 mai 2018 (ISBN 978-1-107-15331-8, lire en ligne) :
« "Charans accompanied these warriors in battles, sang of their glory in war, and, as late as the nineteenth century, served as guarantors and diplomats for their lieges on account of their sacred association with various forms of the mother goddess." "The Carans and the vocabulary of negotiation and alliance that they represented stood as guarantors of a mutually accepted legal system between clans. This was enforced by the sacrality of the mother goddess embodied by the person of the Caran." »
↑ (en) Bulletin on Narcotics, United Nations, Department of Social Affairs, 1994 (lire en ligne) :
« "The Charans (also known as Deviputras - sons of the goddess) occupy a place analogous to the Brahmins elsewhere in the country. They performed many of the functions of the Brahmins. Like Brahmins, it was considered a great sin to hurt or kill a Charan. Because of the institutionalized and religiously sanctioned protection which the Charans enjoyed, they could fearlessly admonish the rulers, however bitter it might appear to the latter." »
↑ (en) Pratibha Jain et Saṅgītā Śarmā, Honour, Status & Polity, Rawat Publications, 2004 (ISBN 978-81-7033-859-8, lire en ligne) :
« "At times , they used their immunity to criticize and censure their patrons whenever they deviated from the path of rectitude. Their satirical verses known as Chhand Bhujang or 'serpentine stanza' acted as checks on wanton behaviour of the rulers." "Some historians have categorized the Charans with the Brahmins in the social hierarchy and in terms of their proximity and utility to Rajput political culture even placed them at a higher pedestal than that of the Brahmins." »
↑ Helene Basu, « Practices of Praise and Social Constructions of Identity: The Bards of North-West India », Archives de sciences sociales des religions, vol. 50, n^o 130,‎ 2005, p. 81–105 (ISSN 0335-5985, DOI 10.4000/assr.2795, JSTOR 30116669, S2CID 145362328, lire en ligne) :
« No contract between kings after a war, or between patrons and clients agreeing the terms whereby services be rendered, nor any other contract was considered valid without a Chāran guaranteeing on his own and/or the life of his family that the terms agreed upon would be fulfilled. They provided the same service for merchants and traders on their long treks through the desert up north, when they accompanied caravans for their protection against plundering bandits. »
↑ (en) Vijai Shankar Śrivastava, Cultural Contours of India: Dr. Satya Prakash Felicitation Volume, Abhinav Publications, 1981 (ISBN 978-0-391-02358-1, lire en ligne) :
« There was, however, a very novel and extremely intriguing device which the Chārans of Rajasthan and Western India used to employ for the security of merchandise in transit. The guardians of the merchandise were almost invariably Chāraṇs, and the most desperate outlaw seldom dared commit any outrage on caravans under the safeguard of these men. »
↑ (en) Tulsi Patel, Fertility Behaviour: Population and Society in a Rajasthan Village, OUP India, 30 novembre 2006 (ISBN 978-0-19-568706-4, lire en ligne) :
« "Kalan was a khalsa (ryotwari) and Khurd a jagir village. The jagir was held by members ofthe Charan caste. After 1952, it was converted, like many other jagir villages in the region, into a khalsa village.... A street or ward is named after the caste numerically dominant in it. For instance, there is Charan vah.... Upper Brahmin, Bania, Charan, Rajput... Vegetarianism and teetotalism are ranked as superior attributes of a caste. By this criterion most ofthe vegetarian castes enjoy a high rank while the non-vegetarian castes belong to the lower category, except Charan and Rajput who belong to the highest category, despite being non-vegetarian and non-teetotaler. The non-vegetarianism of Charan and Rajput has, however, one connotation while that of the lower castes has another. The Bhambi, Bhangi and Sargara eat carrion, which Charan and Rajput do not. True to their martial tradition, they occasionally hunt animals and birds for food. Ritual defilement through alcohol and non-vegetarian food among the Charan and Rajput is considered temporary as against permanent ritual defilement ofthe untouchables....The abolition of the feudal land tenure system of jagirdari in 1952 has adversely affected the dominance ofthe upper castes, especially Charans and Rajputs....although the Charans and Rajputs have lost their old feudal rights and privileges, they continue to hold large tracts of land...Charans and Rajputs continue to be dominant also due to their access to formal education and consequent naukri... »
↑ (en) Harald Tambs-Lyche, Transaction and Hierarchy: Elements for a Theory of Caste, Routledge, 9 août 2017 (ISBN 978-1-351-39396-6, lire en ligne) :
« "...the murder of a Charan was as much a sacrilege as that of a Brahmin...This status led to a number of other roles, such as envoys to the enemy in wartime, or protectors of trade caravans...Charan bards received lands in jagir for their services, and in parts of Marwar, certain Charan families were effectively Darbars...all the goddesses of the area are deified Charan women...the Charani goddess creates and protects kingdoms and chiefs, looks after individual destiny, and protects the dharmic world order, often metonymized as the chastity of women. The king who runs after women not allowed to him, is destroyed by the Goddess’ terrible vengeance, whether she appears as a lion and gobbles him up on the spot or changes the course of the Indus to convert his kingdom into a desert... the Charans, known as Deviputra, children of the goddess, occupy a pivotal position in traditional society...The cult of the Goddess had no need for Brahmin priesthood: far more important as mediators between the Goddess and the king were the Charan...In the old Rajput world, the Charan bard was the arbiter of morals and honour...For medieval Rajputs, the link went through the Charan to the Goddess, with no need for Brahmin mediation..." »

[:0-1] Rajni Palriwala, « Economics and Patriliny: Consumption and Authority within the Household », Social Scientist, vol. 21, n^os 9/11,‎ 1993, p. 47–73 (ISSN 0970-0293, DOI 10.2307/3520426, JSTOR 3520426, lire en ligne)

« Charans are a caste peculiar to Gujarat and Rajasthan and their ranking is controversial. In Rajasthan, they were bards and 'literateurs', but also warriors and jagirdars, holders of land and power over men; the dependents of Rajputs, their equals and their teachers. There were no Rajputs in this village, though one of my original criteria in selecting a study village was the presence of Rajputs. On my initial visit and subsequently, I was assured of this fact vis-a-vis Panchwas and introduced to the thakurs, who in life-style, the practice of female seclusion, and various reference points they alluded to appeared as Rajputs. While other villagers insisted that Rajputs and Charans were all the same to them, the Charans, were not trying to pass themselveets off as Rajputs, but indicating that they were as good as Rajputs if not ritually superior »

« Les charans sont une caste propre au Gujarat et au Rajasthan et leur classement est controversé. Au Rajasthan, ils étaient bardes et « littérateurs », mais aussi guerriers et jagirdars, détenteurs de la terre et du pouvoir sur les hommes ; les dépendants des Rajputs, leurs égaux et leurs professeurs. Il n'y avait pas de Rajputs dans ce village, même si l'un de mes premiers critères de sélection d'un village d'étude était la présence de Rajputs. Lors de ma visite initiale et par la suite, j'ai été assuré de ce fait vis-à-vis des Panchwas et présenté aux thakurs, qui dans le style de vie, la pratique de l'isolement féminin et divers points de référence auxquels ils ont fait allusion apparaissaient comme des Rajputs. Alors que d'autres villageois ont insisté sur le fait que les Rajputs et les Charans étaient tous pareils pour eux, les Charans n'essayaient pas de se faire passer pour des Rajputs, mais indiquaient qu'ils étaient aussi bons que les Rajputs sinon rituellement supérieurs. »

[2] (en) P. R. Shah, Raj Marwar During British Paramountcy: A Study in Problems and Policies Up to 1923, Sharda Publishing House, 1982 (ISBN 978-0-7855-1985-0, lire en ligne) :
« "The Charans constituted a body of faithful companions of the Rajputs. They composed poems in praise of the heroic deeds of the Rajputs, and thus inspired them with courage and fortitude. They also guarded the mansions of their patrons, gave protection to their women and children during emergency and also acted as tutors for the young ones. In return land gifts and honours were conferred upon them. The Charans, who could not devote themselves to intellectual pursuits, took to trade. They also protected merchants and travellers passing through desolate regions and forests. Both among the Rajputs and the Charans the bride and the bridegroom publicly took opium on the occasion of their betrothal." »

[:1-3] (en) Commissioner, Census of India, 1901, Volume 25, Parts 1-2, Creative Media Partners, LLC, 22 febbraio 2018 (ISBN 978-1-378-47136-4, lire en ligne)

[4] (en) Sambodh Goswami, Female Infanticide and Child Marriage, Rawat Publications, 2007 (ISBN 978-81-316-0112-9, lire en ligne) :
« "Another sacred book considers Charans as having God like characteristics since they are well versed in the art of poetry and are able to write verses on the spot and at the moment." »

[5] Jhaverchaṅd Meghāṇi, « Elegiac "Chhaṅd" and "Duhā" in Charani Lore », Asian Folklore Studies, vol. 59, n^o 1,‎ 2000, p. 41–58 (ISSN 0385-2342, DOI 10.2307/1179026, lire en ligne) :
« "References to the Charans are found in Rig-Veda, Ramayan, Mahabharat, and Shrimad Bhagvad as well as in Jain Prabandha. Kalidas, a great Sanskrit poet-playwright of ancient times, has immortalized the Charans by casting them in his classical plays. In the Puranas, the Charans have been described as chanters of paeans to the divine and as priests worshipping temple icons. The Charani tradition began in the historic age in the form of rishi-the institution of great sages who were supposedly running hermitage-boarding schools for princes while living in the forests, the Himalayas or other high mountains, on the seashores or riverbanks." »

[:62-6] (en) James M. Hastings, Poets, Sants, and Warriors: The Dadu Panth, Religious Change and Identity Formation in Jaipur State Circa 1562-1860 Ce, University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2002, 23 p. (lire en ligne) :
« "In Rajasthan, the Charans are a highly esteemed caste seen as occupying a social position slightly lower than that of Brahmins but above that of Rajputs, with whom they maintain a symbiotic relationship...Like Rajputs, with whom they often shared company, Charans would eat meat, drink liquor and engage in martial activities...They were, and often still are, viewed as seers, intermediaries who are closer to the sacred than ordinary mortals. It is said, for instance, that it was considered that killing a Charan was a sin comparable to killing a Brahmin, so that at times a Charan warrior could scatter his enemies just by charging straight at them and tempting them to kill him.....Although, in a way, poetic composition and recitation was for them a “pastime” subordinate to the primary income producing occupations of military service, agriculture, and horse and cattle trading..." »

[:02-7] {a et b} (en) Aparna Kapadia, Gujarat: The Long Fifteenth Century and the Making of a Region, Cambridge University Press, 16 mai 2018 (ISBN 978-1-107-15331-8, lire en ligne) :
« "Charans accompanied these warriors in battles, sang of their glory in war, and, as late as the nineteenth century, served as guarantors and diplomats for their lieges on account of their sacred association with various forms of the mother goddess." "The Carans and the vocabulary of negotiation and alliance that they represented stood as guarantors of a mutually accepted legal system between clans. This was enforced by the sacrality of the mother goddess embodied by the person of the Caran." »

[8] (en) Bulletin on Narcotics, United Nations, Department of Social Affairs, 1994 (lire en ligne) :
« "The Charans (also known as Deviputras - sons of the goddess) occupy a place analogous to the Brahmins elsewhere in the country. They performed many of the functions of the Brahmins. Like Brahmins, it was considered a great sin to hurt or kill a Charan. Because of the institutionalized and religiously sanctioned protection which the Charans enjoyed, they could fearlessly admonish the rulers, however bitter it might appear to the latter." »

[9] (en) Pratibha Jain et Saṅgītā Śarmā, Honour, Status & Polity, Rawat Publications, 2004 (ISBN 978-81-7033-859-8, lire en ligne) :
« "At times , they used their immunity to criticize and censure their patrons whenever they deviated from the path of rectitude. Their satirical verses known as Chhand Bhujang or 'serpentine stanza' acted as checks on wanton behaviour of the rulers." "Some historians have categorized the Charans with the Brahmins in the social hierarchy and in terms of their proximity and utility to Rajput political culture even placed them at a higher pedestal than that of the Brahmins." »

[10] Helene Basu, « Practices of Praise and Social Constructions of Identity: The Bards of North-West India », Archives de sciences sociales des religions, vol. 50, n^o 130,‎ 2005, p. 81–105 (ISSN 0335-5985, DOI 10.4000/assr.2795, JSTOR 30116669, S2CID 145362328, lire en ligne) :
« No contract between kings after a war, or between patrons and clients agreeing the terms whereby services be rendered, nor any other contract was considered valid without a Chāran guaranteeing on his own and/or the life of his family that the terms agreed upon would be fulfilled. They provided the same service for merchants and traders on their long treks through the desert up north, when they accompanied caravans for their protection against plundering bandits. »

[11] (en) Vijai Shankar Śrivastava, Cultural Contours of India: Dr. Satya Prakash Felicitation Volume, Abhinav Publications, 1981 (ISBN 978-0-391-02358-1, lire en ligne) :
« There was, however, a very novel and extremely intriguing device which the Chārans of Rajasthan and Western India used to employ for the security of merchandise in transit. The guardians of the merchandise were almost invariably Chāraṇs, and the most desperate outlaw seldom dared commit any outrage on caravans under the safeguard of these men. »

[:2-12] (en) Tulsi Patel, Fertility Behaviour: Population and Society in a Rajasthan Village, OUP India, 30 novembre 2006 (ISBN 978-0-19-568706-4, lire en ligne) :
« "Kalan was a khalsa (ryotwari) and Khurd a jagir village. The jagir was held by members ofthe Charan caste. After 1952, it was converted, like many other jagir villages in the region, into a khalsa village.... A street or ward is named after the caste numerically dominant in it. For instance, there is Charan vah.... Upper Brahmin, Bania, Charan, Rajput... Vegetarianism and teetotalism are ranked as superior attributes of a caste. By this criterion most ofthe vegetarian castes enjoy a high rank while the non-vegetarian castes belong to the lower category, except Charan and Rajput who belong to the highest category, despite being non-vegetarian and non-teetotaler. The non-vegetarianism of Charan and Rajput has, however, one connotation while that of the lower castes has another. The Bhambi, Bhangi and Sargara eat carrion, which Charan and Rajput do not. True to their martial tradition, they occasionally hunt animals and birds for food. Ritual defilement through alcohol and non-vegetarian food among the Charan and Rajput is considered temporary as against permanent ritual defilement ofthe untouchables....The abolition of the feudal land tenure system of jagirdari in 1952 has adversely affected the dominance ofthe upper castes, especially Charans and Rajputs....although the Charans and Rajputs have lost their old feudal rights and privileges, they continue to hold large tracts of land...Charans and Rajputs continue to be dominant also due to their access to formal education and consequent naukri... »

[13] (en) Harald Tambs-Lyche, Transaction and Hierarchy: Elements for a Theory of Caste, Routledge, 9 août 2017 (ISBN 978-1-351-39396-6, lire en ligne) :
« "...the murder of a Charan was as much a sacrilege as that of a Brahmin...This status led to a number of other roles, such as envoys to the enemy in wartime, or protectors of trade caravans...Charan bards received lands in jagir for their services, and in parts of Marwar, certain Charan families were effectively Darbars...all the goddesses of the area are deified Charan women...the Charani goddess creates and protects kingdoms and chiefs, looks after individual destiny, and protects the dharmic world order, often metonymized as the chastity of women. The king who runs after women not allowed to him, is destroyed by the Goddess’ terrible vengeance, whether she appears as a lion and gobbles him up on the spot or changes the course of the Indus to convert his kingdom into a desert... the Charans, known as Deviputra, children of the goddess, occupy a pivotal position in traditional society...The cult of the Goddess had no need for Brahmin priesthood: far more important as mediators between the Goddess and the king were the Charan...In the old Rajput world, the Charan bard was the arbiter of morals and honour...For medieval Rajputs, the link went through the Charan to the Goddess, with no need for Brahmin mediation..." »

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