Bathudi

Abstract

Bathudi is a major Hinduised tribe of Odisha numbering 2,17,395 persons as per 2011 Census. Largely they inhabit the districts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Balesore. They have synonyms like Bathdi, Bahutuli and Bathuhuli. They believe that they are one of the original settlers of Bhanjabhumi that consists of the present Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts in Odisha and partly Singhbhum district in Jharkhand. Some Bathudis say that they have migrated from Bakua in the Similipal hills. There is nothing very spectacular about their dress and ornamentspattern. They live in uniclan and multi-clan settlements. In multi-ethnic villages they live in separate wards maintaining their cultural identity. Their houses are organized in two rows leaving a village street in between. They are settled agriculturists and supplement their income by wage earning and forest collection. The Bathudi is an endogamous community and is divided into several totemistic exogamous clans resembling those of the Hindu castes. They do not dishonor their clan totems and do not kill or do any harm to them. They use surnames similar to those of Hindu castes. The Bathudi family - the smallest and an important social unit is mostly monogamous, nuclear, patrilocal and patrilineal in nature. Pregnancy and child birth are welcome events in the Bathudi family. The birth pollution is observed for nine days. They have no tradition of observing puberty rites for girls.Marriage within the same clan is strictly prohibited. In their society it is obligatory for both boys and girls to receive Karna Mantra from the Vaishnav Guru before their marriage. They consider marriage by negotiation (Sambandha) as ideal and prestigious. The other modes of marriage are by consent (bhalpai), by exchange (badal), by intrusion (dhuka) etc. Remarriage of widows and widowersand divorcees, junior levirate and junior sarorate (sanga) are socially permitted. Cross-cousin and parallel cousin marriages are strictly tabooed in their society. Bathudi profess Hinduism with amalgamation of elements of animism. They observe local Hindu festivals and worship Hindu deities along with their tribal deities in the Sarna or Gramthan - the sacred grove. Due to spread of education, impact of various development programmes and modernisation, visible changes are seen in their way of life at present. Hopefully, this illustrative book will be liked by all who are interested to know about the tribes of Odisha.