Bhāts

Did You Know?

• Some Bhats venerate the Muslim saint pir Mala Nur as the progenitor of their community.
• The genealogical records produced by Bhats are similar to those created and preserved by Panda priests at Tirthas, known as Panda Bahis.
• The majority of Bhats originated from Rajasthan's Nagaur and Sikar districts.

Etymology

The term "Bhat" is a generic Sanskrit word for a bard or panegyrist, not an epithet for a learned Brahman as is sometimes mistakenly believed. It refers to storytellers and mythographers, including those who worked for village nobles. The similar-sounding Hindi terms "भाट" (Bhāt) and "भट्ट" (Bhatt) are often confused. While Bhāt denotes a traditional bard who preserves oral folklore, Bhatt typically describes a learned individual linked to Brahmin communities. This confusion is worsened by interchangeable spellings like "Bhaat" or "Bhatta."

Occupation and divisions

The beginning of Rajputization gave rise to two groups of bards: elite and lowly. Elite bards, composed of genealogist Bhats and eulogist Charans, worked for dominating social groups including Rajputs. Lowly bards, composed of Bhats who worked as genealogists and entertainers, served numerous lower castes. Bards were in high demand among people from diverse social backgrounds—such as leatherworkers, hill dwellers, and big landowners—who sought upward social mobility to attain Rajput status, as they depended on bards for the production and maintenance of their pedigrees. To have Rajput status, a person also required a pedigree with sacred lineage, divine origins, and a patron deity. Social groups using bardic services included Bhils, Gurjars, Jats, Rabaris, and Rajputs. The high-status genealogists of Rajputs and the poets, praise-singers, and story-tellers are viewed as a very different group of people from the low-status Bhats who work as puppeteers. Bhats who worked for Rajputs were the elite, while those who worked for Bhils and Gurjars were the riffraff. Bards played a key role in securing political legitimacy of the ruling elites.

Social status

The social status of Bhats was dynamic and changed in direct proportion with the social status of their patrons. It was also influenced by the quality of their service attachments; bards with more exclusive and durable relationships with patrons attained higher status. From the 13th century until British rule, Bhats serving royals held some of the highest social positions just beneath their patrons, receiving permanent tax-free land grants and an honorable place in royal courts. Those serving lower-status communities remained on the periphery of social life. During the British colonial era, royal Bhats were removed from positions of authority. Bhats never performed pūjā, chanted prayers, or dealt with Vedic scripture or law, but their role in courts was not less significant than that of pandits and priests. Bards serving royals had equal or even superior social status than the Brahmins serving them, though some sources place them lower than Brahmins and Rajputs but higher than other lower castes. Lowly Bhats attempt Brahminization by calling themselves Bhatts instead of Bhats, and engage in Sanskritization by imitating dominant Hindu ideals such as blood sacrifice.

Present circumstances

Low-status Bhats receive monetary help from the Bhambi caste, who are perceived as impure and untouchable by many Hindus due to their leatherworking profession. Because of these ties, Bhats are also seen with the same perception. To benefit from new economic and political opportunities, they are leaving villages and casting off long-term ties with Bhambis. Tourism in Rajasthan serves as their main source of income; they perform puppetry combined with stories for tourists in five-star hotels and folklore festivals, celebrating struggles of Hindu warriors against Muslim invaders. They pose as fallen bards of royalty to exploit romantic fantasies of tourists and folklore organizers, and have significantly improved their economic condition by capitalizing on the influx of tourists.