Barhath

Barhath (Devnagari: बारहठ; IAST: Bārahaṭha) (spelled variously as Barhat, Bareth) is an honorific title of the Charans.^[1] The title was given to prominent Charans who displayed bravery in war and occupied significant positions in the royal courts in medieval India. It is used as a surname by Charans of Rohadia clan as well as other clans such as Sauda.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

Barhath is derived from "Dvar-pati" or "Dvar-hath". It translates as 'Guardian of the Gate'.^[5]

History

The title 'Barhath' is a synonym of the older term 'Prolpat' or 'Paulpat' which also means 'Guardian of the Gate'. They were described as 'the guardians of Rajput codes of conduct whose poetry and history defined valour, loyalty, and honour'.^[6] They oversaw the defense and safety of their Rajput rulers: under siege, they would be the first line of defense at the gate of the fort.^[7][8]

Barhath, a title given to trusted Carans who, during times of siege, stood at the main gates (paul) of forts and were the first to fight and give their lives in its defense.^[9]

Notable people

• Narharidas Barhath (1591–1676), renowned 17th-century poet and author of vaishnavite text Avatara Charitra
• Thakur Kesari Singh Barhath (1872–1941), Indian revolutionary leader, freedom fighter, poet, writer and educator from Rajasthan
• Thakur Zorawar Singh Barhath (1883–1939), Indian revolutionary and independence activist; main accomplice in the Delhi conspiracy case, threw the bomb on Lord Hardinge
• Kunwar Pratap Singh Barhath (1893–1918), Indian revolutionary & anti-British activist, accomplice in the Delhi conspiracy case to assassinate Lord Hardinge
• Barhath Kriparam Khidiya (1743–1833), 18th-century Rajasthani poet and writer, known for his verses on ethics called Rajiya ra Soratha
• Suryadev Singh Bareth, Indian advocate, poet, and social worker from Alwar; recipient of Padma Shri (1971) for his contributions to progressive agriculture in the region during Green Revolution
• Narayan Bareth, veteran Indian journalist and political analyst; former State Information Commissioner of Rajasthan (2020–2022) and Professor of Journalism at University of Rajasthan (2016–2017) and Haridev Joshi University of Journalism and Mass Communication (2013–2016)

References

1. Datta, Amaresh (1987). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 978-81-260-1803-1. Some others are known by the surname Barahatha, essentially an honorific title, their sub-castes being separately counted along with others. Barahatha Kesarisinha (of Sauda sub caste); Barahatha Ummedarama (of Palhawata sub-caste) and Barahatha Narharidasa (of Rohadiya sub-caste) are some such names.
2. Jain, Pratibha; Śarmā, Saṅgītā (2004). Honour, Status & Polity. Rawat Publications. ISBN 978-81-7033-859-8. The Charans who occupied significant positions in the courts of the rulers were known as Barhats. In Mewar, the descendants of Baru Charan, who came to be known as Sauda Barhats, acquired prominence on account of Baru's timely...
3. Snodgrass, Jeffrey Gore (1997). Big Words, Little People: Cash and Ken in Modern Rajasthan. University of California, San Diego. Bharat, which is a common name of the Charans, a high-caste bardic group.
4. Mehta, Balwant Sinha; Mehta, Jodh Sinha (1971). Pratap, the Patriot: With a Concise History of Mewar and Its Missing Links. Pratap Institute of Historical Research. Baru, too, accompanied Hamir and after independence of Mewar, he was made the Barhat (the premier Charan) whose descendants are known as Sauda Barahats of Mewar.
5. Mahārāṇā Pratāpa ke pramukha sahayogī (in Hindi). Rājasthānī Granthāgāra. 1997.
6. Vinay, Srivastava (2004). Methodology and Fieldwork. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-566727-1.
7. Ziegler, Norman P. (1976). "The Seventeenth Century Chronicles of Mārvāṛa: A Study in the Evolution and Use of Oral Traditions in Western India". History in Africa. 3: 127–153. doi:10.2307/3171564. ISSN 0361-5413. JSTOR 3171564. S2CID 156943079.
8. Ziegler, Norman P. (April 1976). "Marvari Historical Chronicles: Sources for the Social and Cultural History of Rajasthan". The Indian Economic & Social History Review. 13 (2): 219–250. doi:10.1177/001946467601300204. ISSN 0019-4646. S2CID 144835701.
9. Saran, Richard; Ziegler, Norman P. (August 2020). The Mertiyo Rathors of Merto, Rajasthan: Select Translations Bearing on the History of a Rajput Family, 1462–1660, Volumes 1–2. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-03821-3.