Short note on dhagars
History class-9 Chapter-pastoralists in the mordern world
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Answer:
Dhangars were an important pastoral community in Maharashtra. In the early twentieth century their population was estimated to be 467, 000. The Dhangras were mainly shepherds. Some of them were blanket weavers, while a few reared buffaloes. The Dhangars stayed in the central plateau of Maharashtra during the monsoons. The central plateau had very low rain fall and was very dry. It was covered with only thorny shrubs. As the soil was poor only dry crops like bajra could be grown there. During monsoon the picture was entirely different. The area became a vast grazing ground for the Dhangar flocks. The Dhangars harvested their bajra by October every year and then moved westward. The Dhangars reached Konkan in the month of March, annually. Konkan was a flourishing agricultural land with high rainfall and rich soil. The pastoralists were welcomed by Konkani peasants. The Konkani peasants also gave supplies of rice to the Dhangars , who took it back to the plateaus, where grain was scarce. As the monsoons set, the Dhangars left the Konkan and the coastal areas with their flocks and returned to their settlements on the dry plateau as their sheep could not tolerate the wet monsoon conditions. Constant movement was the way of life of the pastoralists.
Answer: dhangars are important community of Maharashtra .
Dhangars stay in the central plateau of Maharashtra during the monsoon
This is a semi arod region with low rainfall and poor soil
Only crops like bajra could be grown here
By October dhangars harvested their Bajra and start their march towards west and reach Konkan
Here spherds are welcomed by Konkani peasants. After the harvest was cut at this time fields had to be fertilsed for the rabi harvest.
Dhangar flocks matured the fields and fed on the stubble in turn they would get supplies for grains which sphepheds took back to the plateau where grains were scarce
Dhangars left Konkan with their flocks and move to dry plateau ,