Overview & Identity

• Definition: Indigenous residents of the Pangi Valley in the Chamba district.
• The Term ‘Pangwal’: Refers to all permanent residents of the valley, regardless of caste.
• Castes Included: Brahmin, Rajput, Hali, Lohar, Badi, and Chanal.
• Demographics: Rajputs constitute the maximum population. The majority is formed by Brahmins and Rajputs.

Theories of Origin

The origin of Pangwals is historically “shrouded in mystery.” There are three primary theories:

Geography & Legal Status

• Terrain: Hazardous, mountainous, and isolated.
• Climate: Extreme winters, heavy snowfall, and strong icy winds. Prone to avalanches and landslides.
• Legal Status: The area is a Scheduled Area. A Resident Commissioner is appointed for governance.
• Tribal Status: Pangwals are declared as Scheduled Tribes.
• Census Data: 1911 census – 16,000 people → 2011 census – 20,693 people..
• Primary residence of Pagwals: Pangi tehsil of district Chamba. Other residence : Lahual and Kullu.

Food & Dietary Habits

Category	Items
Staples	Barley, Alu (Potato), Wheat Chapatti, Makki-ki-Roti, Kadhi (Lower regions).
Unique Breads	Chilra (made of Phullan).
Vegetables/Herbs	Chhatrian, Bichubuti, and Gucchies (Mushrooms).In summers, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Carrot, Potato, Onion, Capsicum, Spinach.
Non-Veg	Sheep, Goat, Monal (Pheasant), Tarmol (Jungle Goat), Kasturia (Musk Deer). Winter practice: Carcasses are hung to be consumed throughout the season.
Fruits & Nuts	Chir (Apricot), Chur (Apple), Miri (Hazelnut), Thangi (Carylus colume), Than or Khor (walnut).
Beverages	Arack (Alcohol brewed from wheat/barley – consumed by both sexes). Salted buttered tea using spice called Choga.
Dairy	Choori (Cross between Yak & Cow) is owned by every household. Milk yielded is used to make Lassi and Curd.
Festive Foods	Unes, Maudaj, Luchi, Bakru, Beer and Kuron
Oil	Walnut oil, Ghalit oil (extracted from apricot seeds), Desi ghee.

Social System & Hierarchy

Brahmin Hierarchy:

1. Gaur (Highest): Collect Alms.
2. Sungria: Perform sacerdotal services (officiate at Birth and Marriage ceremonies).
3. Kalia (Lowest): Officiate only at mortuaries (birth/marriage/death). Kalia Brahmins are not SC but considered at par with other SCs.

Rajput Categories:

Divided into Ranas, Thakurs, and Rathis (Rathis are considered inferior). They claim descent from Suryavanshi and Chandravanshi lineages and Kshatriya Varna.

Key Social Rules:

• Rajputs have a lower status than Brahmins.
• Both groups are divided into exogamous units called Gotra.
• They maintain Connubal (marriage) and Commensal (eating together) relations with each other.

Language

• Local Dialect: Pangwali (No native script).
• With Outsiders: Hindi.
• Written Script: Devanagari.

Marriage System

• Marriage Structure:
  • Endogamy: Practiced at the community level (Pangwal weds Pangwal).
  • Exogamy: Practiced at the village and gotra level.
  • Prohibitions: No marriage between kin up to 7 degrees (earlier 3) on father’s side and 5 degrees (earlier 5) on mother’s side.
  • Practices: Junior Levirate and Sororate are recognized.
• Age & Type:
  • Age: Boys (22-24); Girls (18-20).
  • Monogamy: Primary form; a 2nd marriage is only allowed if the 1st wife cannot provide an heir.

Types of Marriage

Type	Description
Bari Shadi	Marriage by negotiation; the most popular form.
Pith-chuk / Chori	Marriage by capture.
Doghri	Marriage by exchange.
Topi Lana	Widow remarriage.

Symbols:

Bulok (Nose ring), Lal Chipper (Red shawl), Fararu (Earring), and Nasal ornaments like Laung, Phullis, and Tikki.

Bari Shadi Process & Rituals

• Negotiation: Initiated by the boy’s side; father/uncle visits with a liquor bottle and sattu. Acceptance of gifts means agreement, then mangani takes place. For fixing the marriage date and time, the cycle repeats and boy brings bange or bangles for the girl.
• Sacrifice: A lamb is sacrificed and meat is given to all.
• Terminology: Engagement is called Pillan; Betrothal is Fekki; Marriage ceremony is Chakki.
• Rituals:
  • Puna: Sacred marking with flour at a place where the couple sits.
  • Totus: Flour cup filled with honey and ghee; the partner who finishes first has the “upper hand” in the marriage.
• Auspicious Months: Vaisakha, Asadha, Kartika, Pausa, Magh, and Phaugan.
• Officiator: Sungria Brahmin.
• Residence: Patrilocal (Gharjawai if the bride’s family has no male heirs).

Pith-chuk or Chori Marriage

• Process:The boy captures the girl with friends’ help and marriage takes place at boy’s house.
• Process: The boy can make intimate relations with the gril, getting her pregnant is not considered a shame; the boy later fathers the child.

Exception:

Intercommunity marital exchanges take place among Brahmins & Rajputs, but not among other communities.

Divorce & Remarriage

• Divorce: Term used for divorce is Chorde. Common reasons of divorce include barrenness, infidelity, and maladjustment.
• Divorce Types:
  1. By Paramour: The paramour pays Izzat (money) to the woman for release from her husband.
  2. By Husband’s Consent: The husband breaks a dry stick in two over the wife’s head in front of village elders.
• Breach of Engagement: If the girl refuses, she pays all expenses/gifts as a penalty; if the boy refuses, no gifts are returned.
• Remarriage: Allowed for widow, widower and divorcee.
• Widow Remarriage: Term used is Topi Lana. After 1 year of the husband’s death. The first right to marry belongs to the husband’s brother, nephew, or cousin who presents her with a Joji.

Birth Ceremonies & Rituals

• Impurity Period (Asudh/Jooth): 9 days for a male child; 12 days for a girl child.
• Purification: Held on the 3rd, 9th, or 12th day of birth using holy Ganga water.
• Naamsamskar (Naming ceremony): Done in the 1st, 3rd, 7th, or 9th month; the father names the child after consulting an almanac.
• Tonsure or Hair cutting ceremony: Shik-Vade
  • Held before the 1st year (postponed up to 3 years if for a Sukhna).
  • First hair is cut by the father.
  • A goat is sacrificed, and its blood is sprinkled on the child’s hair.
  • Kilta- Hair is kept in a basket and buried.
  • On the 3rd day, the father shaves the head again, leaving a Choti (cue) on the occiput.

Janeu (Sacred Thread) Ceremony

• Age: Conducted between 10–14 years.
• Source: The sacred thread is brought from Haridwar.
• Taboos for Janeu Wearers:
  • No eating of chicken or eggs.
  • No eating of food prepared by women during their menses.
  • No eating with people of other communities.
  • The Janeu must not touch the body when answering the “call of nature”.

Death Ceremony

• Disposal Methods:
  • Adults are cremated.
  • Children below 8 years are buried.
• Key Figures:
  • Kalia Brahmin: Officiates the mortuary rites.
  • Eldest Male: Performs the last rites.
  • Dwaru: A Chanal who prepares the bier (coffin) and carries fire in a pot.
• Pollution & Purification:
  • Period of Pollution: 9 days for a male death; 7 days for a female death.
  • Ritual: Male family members shave their heads on the 7th day.
  • Sacrifice: A lamb or goat is sacrificed, and blood is sprinkled on everyone for purification.
  • Ashes: Collected and immersed in the Chandra-Bhaga river.
• Memorials:
  • Kathi or Kriya: Performed in the 3rd, 9th, or 13th month after death.
  • Dhag: A stone slab placed in the courtyard in memory of the dead (usually inscribed by Gaddi shepherds).
  • Pangwals practice ancestor worship.

Status of Women

• Social Position:
  • High social position with freedom of speech and movement.
  • In charge of domestic affairs; joint family system with male heads.
  • No Purdah (veil) system.
  • Teknonymy: Husbands, wives, and in-laws use teknonymic names for each other.
• Economic Asset: Viewed as hardworking and an economic asset to the family.
• Freedom & Rights:
  • Right to leave the house of their choice.
  • Izzat or Mudda: Money paid by women to the husband upon leaving.
  • Biradari Panchayat: Senior women can participate to discuss socially relevant issues.
• Limitations:
  • Cannot worship the clan deity.
  • Cannot officiate as a priest.
  • Restrictions on cooking or religious functions during menses.
  • No representation in local or regional politics.

Religious Life

• Sects: Pangwal Brahmins belong to Vaishnava and Shaivite sects.
• Deities:
  • Worship the deities of the wider pantheon.
  • Nag & Nagin: Regional, village, and clan deities worshipped to ward off evils.
  • Goddess Durga: Regional deity worshipped by sacrificing a goat.
• Priesthood: Pujaris are hereditary Brahmins or Rajputs. They take away eatables and the left leg/liver of sacrificed animals.
• Beliefs: Strong belief in evil spirits, ghosts, magic, and amulets. Recourse is taken to a Chela (spirit healer) after affliction.

Sacred Sites

Site Name	Location / Details
Kandwa Temple	At Mindhal
Sheetla Devi Shrine	At Luj
Trilokinath Temple	At Purthi
Masan Devi	At Purthi
Trilokinath Temple	Temple of Lord Avalokiteshware in Lahaul(earlier a part of Pangi).

Important Jatras (Religious Journeys)

• Lwaan: Observed in Magh or Phaugan.
• Union & Sainch: Observed in Chaitra.
• Darkhan & Baria:Observed in Sharvan.
• Phool Jatra:Observed in Kartika.

Major Festivals

• Tyane: Observed in Asadh (August); associated with Sanitarian.
• Dikhrain: Observed in Savan.
• Parvach: Observed in Bhadon.
• Sheel: Observed on Amavasya of Phalgun or Chaitra.
• Hishoo: Celebrated as New Year’s Day.
• Other: Miniach, Sanitarian, Shivratri.

Major Fair

• Masan Devi Fair: Held at Purthi.

Traditional Dress

Inheritance & Family Authority

The laws of inheritance follow two specific systems:

• Pagvand: Male offspring share property equally.
• Chundavand: Property is first divided according to the number of wives, then divided equally among the male children of each wife.
• No Male Issue: If there are no sons, the wife enjoys the property.
• Authority: After the father’s death, family authority rests with the eldest male.

Occupation & Social Economy

• Primary Activities: Agriculture, herding of sheep/goats, and bee-keeping.
• Land Usage: Gaur Brahmins do not cultivate land themselves; they give it to others on Adhi.
• Forest & Water Rights:
  • Hak-barden: Forest rights (now restricted).
  • Collecting fuel (dry branches) and herbs like Zeera, Pateesh, Chora, and Gucchis.
  • Right to construct water mills.
• Caste-Based Occupations:
  • Chanals: Agricultural laborers, removers of dead cattle, and carriers of marriage gifts. They lead funeral processions carrying an axe.
  • Lohar & Badhi: Repair and manufacture agricultural implements. Paid during harvesting or ceremonies.

Social Purity & Taboos

• Commensal Rules: Brahmins and Rajputs accept both Kacha and Pucca food from each other.
• Inter-community Restrictions:
  • Brahmins accept Ghee, Sattu, and Sidha from Chanals and Lohars only if served in Kanse Ka Bartan (bronze utensils).
  • Brahmins will not sit on the same mat with Chanals or Lohars while eating.
  • Rota (offered food): If cooked by lower castes, Brahmins won’t touch it. However, Ghee and flour offered by them is accepted; if the priest (Pujari) prepares it, it can then be offered to the deity.
  • Water: Separate water sources exist for Lohars, Chanals, Brahmins, and Rajputs.

Modern Times & Transitions

• Economy: The Cash system has replaced the old barter system. The nearest market is at Tarala (60km away).
• Education: Functioning since 1959, though development remains slow. Literacy is helping Pangwals secure white-collar and Govt. jobs.
• Healthcare: Greater faith remains in traditional methods or Chelas, yet government hospitals or dispensaries are utilized.
• Governance: The Village Council (Biradari Panchayat) remains more predominant than district courts for local issues.