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Devotees must walk up a very long flight of stone steps to get to Sri Brahmadeva Temple. From the summit of the hill, one gets a panoramic view of the village below and the surrounding countryside, which has been home for countless years to members of one of Gujarat's oldest tribal clans. The State of Gujarat is not known for its Brahma temples. In fact, the little known Brahmadeva Temple at Dungari is only the second one we have discovered in all of Gujarat, following the Brahma Temple at Khedbrahma, covered in our last segment".
New Brahmadeva Temple, Dungari Now grown to more of a town than a village, there are several businesses in Dungari, and even a few high-tech enterprises. At the top of Brahdev Mountain, a village recreation area has been built. In the town below, there is also the Dhaba Dungri Shiva Temple. The ability of the local population to survive, let alone thrive in Dungari is directly tied to agriculture. And like everywhere on the earth planet, agriculture is dependent on water. Just a few years ago, there was a major exodus of local villagers from this area, driven off their land by drought. More than 90 tribal villages in the area of Sabarkantha district were seriously affected, including Dungari. 76 additional villages in the Banaskantha district were similarly impacted.
View of Dungari from Brahdev Mountain Known as the Dungri Bhil tribe, thousands had to leave Dungari in search of work and food, because crop failure was so severe. In the greater Khedbrahma taluka, more than 40% of the population was displaced. Those who stayed behind were forced to walk 20 to 25 km. with empty vessels to get any water.
Dungri Garasias Tribal Peoples
Living for countless years in the Aravali foothills of the remote Sabarkatha district of Gujarati is a class of ethnic tribals, or Adivasis, known as the Garasias people. Thought to have descended from the Rajput clans, the Garasias are well known for their agricultural expertise.
The Sabarkatha Garasias are comprised of two distinct groups – the Garasia Rajputs and the Garasia Bhils. The Bhil Garasias are also known as the Dungri Garasias, and they have undoubtedly been the primary worshippers of Lord Brahma at his temple in Dungari.
Dungari Bhil's dancing Ram Varta The Mahabharata and Ramayan both make reference to the tribes of Gujarat, and specifically to the Dungri Bhils. It was the Bhil hunter, Vaali, who mistakenly shot Sri Krsna at Prabhas Patan, mistaking the Lord's beautiful Foot for the ear of a deer. And Shabri, the simple devotee depicted in Valmiki's Ramayana, was a Bhil woman.
Lord Brahma with Hamsa Bhagavata Purana, Gujarat region, early 18th c. Part 2 - Pushkar, Rajasthan Part 3 - Chinch & Asotra, Rajasthan Part 4 - Eklingji, Udaipur, Rajasthan) Part 5 - Vasantgarh, Rajasthan) Part 6 (Rajasthan: Bijoila, Mewar; Chandravati, Sirohi; Kiradu & Sevadi, Jodphur) Part 7 (Khokhan, Himachal Pradesh) Part 8 (Tihri-Uttarsal, Himachal Pradesh) Part 9 (Una, Himachal Pradesh) Part 10 (Dudhahi, Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh) Part 11 (Gaya, Bihar) Part 12 (Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh) Part 13 (Alampur, Andhra Pradesh) Part 14 (Kaleshwar, Karimnagar, Andhra Pradesh) Part 15 (Sampradaya Acarya - Lingampally, Andhra Pradesh) Part 16 (Manthani, Andhra Pradesh) Part 17 (Gurramguda Village, Andhra Pradesh) Part 18 (Tirusulam, Tamil Nadu) Part 19 (Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu) Part 20 (Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu) Part 21 (Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu) Part 22 (Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu) Part 23 (Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu) Part 24 (Syncretistic Forms of Lord Brahma) Part 25 (Thirupachur, Tamil Nadu) Part 26 (Pancheshti/Pancheti, Tamil Nadu) Part 27 (Pallavaram, Tamil Nadu) Part 28 (Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu) Part 29 (Mandagappattu, Tamil Nadu) Part 30 (Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu) Part 31 (Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu) Part 32 (Thirumukkoodal, Tamil Nadu) Part 33 (Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu) Part 34 (Thirunaraiyur, Tamil Nadu) Part 35 (Thirunaraiyur, Tamil Nadu) Part 36 (Thiruvengadu, Tamil Nadu) Part 37 (Thiruvelliyankudi, Tamil Nadu) Part 38 (Kuthanoor, Tamil Nadu) Part 39 (Lalgudi, Tamil Nadu) Part 40 (Kulithalai, Tamil Nadu) Part 41 (Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu) Part 42 (Thirupattur, Tamil Nadu) Part 43 (Pullamangai, Tamil Nadu) Part 44 (Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu) Part 45 (Sri Rangam, Tamil Nadu) Part 46 (Tanjore, Tamil Nadu) Part 47 (Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu) Part 48 (Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu) Part 49 (Darasuram, Tamil Nadu) Part 50 (Thirukkannapuram, Tamil Nadu) Part 51 (Malayadipatti, Tamil Nadu) Part 52 (Thiruvadi, Tamil Nadu) Part 53 (Thirukandiyur, Tamil Nadu) Part 54 (Thiruparangundram, Tamil Nadu) Part 55 (Kodumudi, Tamil Nadu) Part 56 (Thottiyam, Tamil Nadu) Part 57 (Nallur, Tamil Nadu) Part 58 (Kanniyakumari, Tamil Nadu) Part 59 (Purusha Sukta - The Hymn of Creation) Part 60 (Kottakkal, Kerala) Part 61 (Thirunavaya, Kerala) Part 62 (Triprayar, Kerala) Part 63 (Kodakkal, Kerala) Part 64 (Chottanikkara, Kerala) Part 65 (Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala) Part 66 (Thiruvallam, Kerala) Part 67 (Tulunadu to Ur - Proliferation of Brahma Cult) Part 68 (Lord Brahma and Abrahamic Cult) Part 69 (Kolar, Karnataka) Part 70 (Mullur, Karnataka) Part 71 (Somnathapur, Halebid & Belur, Karnataka) Part 72 (Sringeri, Karnataka) Part 73 (Palli, Udupi, Karnataka) Part 74 (Brahmalingeswara - Kanajaru, Karnataka) Part 75 (Brahmalingeshwara - Maranakatte, Karnataka) Part 76 (Brahmalingesvara Temples, Karnataka) Part 77 (Brahmalingesvara Temples, Karnataka) Part 78 (Aihole & Badami, Karnataka) Part 79 (Lakkundi, Karnataka) Part 80 (Sravanabelgola, Karnataka) Part 81 (Kambadahalli, Karnataka) Part 82 (Jain Brahma Yaksha Temples, Karnataka) Part 83 (Savadi, Karnataka) Part 84 (Shimoga and Megunda, Karnataka) Part 85 (Lord Brahma in Buddhism, Karnataka) Part 86 (Brahma's Prayers for Creative Energy) Part 87 (Mangalwedha, Maharashtra) Part 88 (Harihareshwar, Maharashtra) Part 89 (Ambarnath, Maharashtra) Part 90 (Sopara, Maharashtra) Part 91 (Mahuli, Maharashtra) Part 92 (Trimbakeswar, Maharashtra) Part 93 (Ellora, Maharashtra) Part 94 (Brahmapuri, Maharashtra) Part 95 (Khedbrahma, Gujarat) Part 96 (Dungari, Gujarat)
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