Question

Pastoral communities of maharashtra?

Answer 1

$\underline\bold{Pastoral\:Communities\:of\:Maharashtra:-}$ Dhangars.

$\underline\bold{Additional\:Information:-}$

☆ Dhangars were an important pastoral community of Maharashtra. Most of them were shepherds, some were blanket weavers and still others were buffalo herders.

☆ The Dhangar Shepherd stayed in a central plateau of Maharashtra during the monsoon.

☆ Nothing but dry crops like Bajra could be sown by them.

☆ In the monsoon this track become a vast grazing ground for the Dhangar flocks. By October the Dhangars harvested their bajra and started on their move west.

☆ After a March of about a month they reached the Konkan.

☆ The shepherds were welcomed by konkani peasants . After the kharif harvest was cut at this time, the fields had to be fertilised and madmaready for the rabi harvest. Dhangar flocks manured the fields and fed on the $\bold{stubble}$ . The konkani peasants also gave supplies of rice which the shepherds took back to the plateau where grain was scarce.