Mahishya
Mahishya is a Bengali Hindu traditionally agrarian caste, and formed the largest caste in undivided Bengal. Mahisyas were, and still are, an extremely heterogeneous caste, encompassing all possible classes in terms of material conditions and ranks — ranging from a majority of small farmers and working class individuals to a significant section of landed magnates and industrial entrepreneurs.
Origin, epigraphy and texts
Epigraphy
The Kalaikuri-Sultanpur copperplate inscription of 439 CE brings to light the presence of Kaivartaśarman, a Brahmin Kuṭumbin in the local administration in Varendra of Gupta period. There are references to vṛttis in same administrative unit like Osinnakaivartavṛtti, Uddhannakaivartavṛttivahikala, in the copperplate inscriptions of Mahīpāla I. Historian Ryosuke Furui suggests this as the probable location of the leader of Samantas who revolted against the Pala regime. In one inscription of Madanapala, Kaivarta was assigned vritti in royal estate along with Buddhist establishment and Carmakāra. In one plate of Gopala II, kaivartta was listed as one of the lowest categories of the rural society. It makes a striking contrast with the references to kaivartta in the later inscriptions and the Råmacarita, which rather show their higher social position. Furui notes this ‘shift’ may mean the upward social mobility of a part of kaivarttas. Otherwise it shows some diversity within a social group labelled as 'kaivartta'.Smritis, Puranas and medieval texts
According to 13th century text Brihaddharma Purana, children of Shudra fathers and Kshatriya mothers are dāsa, an Uttam Sankar and their occupation is agriculture.According to the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, whose chapter describing mixed castes was likely inserted after 16th century, Kaivarta was one born of a Kshatriya father and a Vaishya mother. Some ancient or mediaeval texts like Yājñavalkya Smṛti and Gautama Dharmasutra give identical parentage, that is, one born to a Kshatriya father and a Vaishya mother for Mahishya, who was supposed to be engaged in the profession of astronomy or agriculture.
The late sixteenth century text Chandimangal mentioned one group of Dāsas, who were cultivators. The term 'Chasi-Kaibarta' first appeared in Bharatchandra Ray's Annada Mangal. According to the '
Historian Sevananda Bharati stated that the Mahisya community originated from the northern bank along the Narmada River, located near the Vindhya range, and linked by Bharati to modern Ratnavati, which he believes to be the ancient Mahishmati, which was probably the former capital city of the Mahishyas. Bharati also mentioned that this community left from Ayodhya and migrated towards the Midnapore area following the easternmost region of the Vindhya Mountains.
In 19th century various groups from different regions of Bengal were known by the names like Uttar-rarhi Chasi-Kaibrtta, Dakshin-rarhi Tunte Kaibartta, Purba-desi Kaibartta, Das or Chasi/Haliya Das, Siuli, Mala or Jele etc.; substantial majority of them later consolidated and identified as Mahishya.
History
According to Niharranjan Ray some Kaibartas held posts of administrators and legal officers from eighth to thirteenth century. Jyotirmoyee Sarma, another historian, observes that some Kaivartas, alternately with some Brahmins, acted as ministers in Pala royal courts, such as Yasodasa, who held a position of prime importance at the court of Rajyapala. In eleventh century, in a rebellious hostility, Divya, originally a feudal chief of Kaibarttas, killed Mahipala II, seized Varendra and established a regime there, which was ruled by him, his brother Rudok and nephew Bhima for around half a century. R. C. Majumdar interpreted it as a rebellion of local Samantas. Romila Thapar suggests that this is perhaps the first peasant rebellion in Indian history. Ram Sharan Sharma states that in his rule Bhima dispossessed the brahmanical and other beneficiaries and levied taxes from them, and prioritised the interests of the peasants. Ray also notes that some of the Kaibartas were well versed in Sanskrit and composed poetry during the eleventh and twelfth centuries.At the start of the 18th century, the Bengali society had solidified into a definite structure with the three upper castes of Bengal having a collective hegemony over the "Bhadralok samaj", though prominent individuals from some other middle ranking castes including Mahishyas, who had acquired sufficient education, fame and prosperity were also undoubtedly considered as Bhadralok. In fact, Mahishyas, in general, tried their best to align themselves with the Bhadralok image in order to achieve upper social mobility.
At the end of 19th century scholars appeared to differ on the rank of the Mahisyas in Bengali society. Sankritist and antiquarian, Rajendralal Mitra appeared to believe that Mahisyas were a caste of small farmers and could not afford forces of modernity such as school education. But the president of the college of Nadia pandits, Jogendranath Bhattacharya, who published a major book "Hindu Castes and Sects" in 1896, wrote that in the Tamluk and Contai subdivisions of Midnapore, where population of high castes was very small and Kaibarttas were very numerous, they may be reckoned among the local aristocracy and in other districts their position was next only to the Kayasthas. In 1864, the first decree was taken from 64 Brahmin scholars in Bikrampur, Dhaka to increase the community's social status. With the encouragement and patronage of Krishna Chandra Roy, the Zamindar of Nannur, Dhaka, Basanta Kumar Roy wrote the first book on Mahishya name claim - "Mahishya Bibriti" in around 1890. The Mahishya movement during the late nineteenth century was the work of successful men who had seized the new avenues of power opened by commerce, education and professions. Whereas the samajpatis, who as substantial landholding families had from generation to generation stood as the social leaders of different local samajs of the Kaibartta community, were generally opposed to the movement.
Till then all these individuals were known as Chasi-kaibartta which was an incredibly diverse caste. The Chasi-kaibartta, who numbered more than half of the population in eastern and southern parts of Midnapore, reclaimed the culturable wastelands and thus secured for themselves during the days of Mughal faujdars a dominant position in the agrarian economy, filling up all the strata - zamindars, jotedars or rich farmers, small peasants down to share-croppers and agricultural labourers. Some royal families of Medinipur such as the Tamluk Raj, the Moyna Raj, the Turka Raj, the Birkul Raj and the Kajlagarh Raj identified themselves as Mahishyas.
In the district of Dhaka all the upper and middle classes of Mahishyas, who were also known as Parasar Das or Halik Das, were zamindars and substantial landholders from the time of Muslim rule. In the districts like Burdwan, Hooghly, Nadia and the 24 Parganas or in the eastern areas like Faridpur, they enjoyed an important position in agriculture, some of them being substantial landholders, grain-dealers and peasant-proprietors. In some subdivisions of south-western Bengal, some families made fortune by silk production, salt production and trade. There were some major landed families in Calcutta such as Marh family in Janbazar and the Mondal family of Bawali in Tollygunge In the city there was a large mahishya contingent working as traders, manufacturers and professionals like lawyers, engineers and doctors.
Although a considerable number of Mahishyas are still involved in traditional work in rural areas, within a generation they gave up agriculture in large numbers in favour of engineering and skilled labour in the urbanised areas of Howrah and Kolkata. In Howrah, the Mahishyas are the most numerous and successful businesspeople. Since the early 1920s upward mobility of Mahishyas from working class to factory owners resulted in gradual loss of ground for old entrants to the industry, propertied Brahmins and Kayasthas; by 1967, the Mahishya community owned 67 percent of the engineering businesses in the district. The rapid ascent of the Mahishyas from a background of agricultural subsistence to upper echelons of business was striking. Their gradual and steady entry into the industrial economy and their consequent strong and enduring presence, led researchers Raymond L. Owens and Ashis Nandy to refer to them as the "new Vaishyas".
Role in Independence Movement
and Bishnu Charan Biswas, small zamindars and moneylenders of Nadia, organized the peasants of Nadia and Jessore, and raised an army of Lathiyals and spearmen. They led the Indigo revolt in the region and paid off the peasants' debts after the rebellion. Disgruntled former employees of Indigo factories, village headmen, and also members of some other peasant communities participated largely in this rebellion against European planters.Mahishyas played a crucial role during the early stages of the armed revolutionary movement. Hemchandra Kanungo, who was one of the founding members of Anushilan Samiti, was sent to Paris to learn the technique of making Bombs, whose expertise travelled to all revolutionary circles across British India. Another one of the early recruits, also from the caste, Basanta Kumar Biswas led the famous 1912 attempt on the life of the then Viceroy of India, Lord Hardinge.
Mahishyas also played a prominent role in the Congress led nationalist movement. Mahishya movement leaders like Gagan Chandra Biswas and Mahendranath Roy had long been associated with the Congress and its movements. Deshapran Birendranath Sasmal led the Mahishyas against Union board taxes in 1919 which later merged with non-cooperation movement in Midnapore. During Civil disobedience movement the mahishyas paved the way for future course of actions leading to virtual breakdown of British Administration in the areas of Tamluk and Contai.
By the 1940s, Mahisyas were the backbone of the Congress-led militant nationalist movement in Midnapore and South Bengal as a whole. As a matter of fact, a majority of leaders and foot soldiers of the Quit India movement in Midnapore, such as Matangini Hazra, Satish Chandra Samanta and Sushil Kumar Dhara were Mahishyas. They had set up a parallel government Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar in Tamluk which ran for nearly two years. It had its own army, judiciary and finance department. Biplabi, the mouthpiece of the parallel national government in Midnapore, was later published in English.