A NOTE ON POTHARAJU SYSTEM

-G.ASOK KUMAR IAS

Collector & DM,
Nizamabad, Andhra Pradesh

The system of “Potharaju” is one of the striking social features in the Telangana
area of Andhra Pradesh. Basically they are non-brahmanical priests. They will
perform the village festivals and tantrick rituals. The Potharajus have to perform
different duties like giving amulates (Thayathu), dancing around the dead body and
converting young girls to Jogins etc.

ROLE OF POTHARAJU IN OORA PANDUGA :

During this festival the total formalities are divided among the three persons
1.Bindla, 2.Potharaju, 3.Kolupula. The Bindla and Potharaju belong to SC community
and Kolupula who is a Jogin belongs to SC or BC community. The Bindla person will
do the priestly duties at Oora pandaga. He will be assigned villages based on the
number of villages and availability of Bindla persons. The Bindla person will chant
the manthras and oversees the proceedings. The Kolpula (Jogin) will perform the
“Rangam” (telling forecast of the village on behalf of God or Godess). Based on her
predictions sacrifices would be made.

Potharajus play a key role during the Oora Panduga. One Potharaju will be
identified by a group of (18) prominent persons in the village like Patwari, Patel, Land
Lord, representatives from different village level artisan communities like Potter,
Goldsmith, Blacksmith, Carpenter, Fisherman, Neeradi, Medari etc. Oora Panduga is
celebrated during the monsoon season, which is a season of epidemics and diseases
and is also the starting of sowing season. The villagers will pray the village God or
Goddesses (namely Mysamma, Mahalaxmamma, Pochamma, Pothanna, Yellamma
etc.) to make their villages free from the epidemics and to give good crops.

CEREMONY OF OORA PANDUGA OR VILLAGE FESTIVAL:

The villagers will fix the date of Oora Panduga. One day before the festival, 20
Kgs of Jowar will be soaked in the water. Next day, the Potharaju and his wife will be
invited to the festival. One buffalo will be kept ready to be offered to the God. The
soaked Jowar will be spread at a central place of the village. The buffalo is made to
walk over on the sprouted Jowar. After completion of three rounds of walk, the
villagers will measure the entire grain. After measurement the village head-man will
declare that a entire grain has become double. The villagers will take it as a sign that
the God would give good crops in the season. The holy buffalo is to be sacrificed
now.

Before the sacrifice of the buffalo, the Potharaju’s wife is dressed up as a widow.
She would have to pray to God to return her husband after the completion of the
ceremony. The buffalo is killed in one cut. The intestines of the sacked buffalo is
taken out and put on the neck of the Potharaju. Potharaju will be offered with lot of
toddy. The grain basket will be put on his head and the Potharaju will be made to
move around the villages to bless the fields. After two days of this ceremony the
villagers celebrate the festival called Oora Panduga. During this festival the villagers
will offer a Goat or Sheep to God, through Potharaju. Admist beat of drums and noise
the Potharaju will perform the sacrifice by the biting at the neck of the lamb with his
teeth, till it bleeds to death. The blood will be offered to God. This process is called as
“GAVU”.
 ROLE OF POTHARAJU IN JOGIN SYSTEM:

The Jogin System was prevailing in rural areas. The main causes for converting young
girls to jogins are recurring death of children in a family, regular occurrences of diseases
in the house or village, out break of disease in the village or pure lust of land lords.

The Potharajus are the only set of people who can convert a girl to a jogin. This is
because of the divine power he has in his tuft of hair, which is not cut since his birth. If
any family desires to offer their daughter as Jogin, they will approach the Potharaju.
Village elders may sometimes advise a household to offer a Jogin to the village for the
betterment of the village as a whole. The Potharaju will perform marriage of the young
girl to the local diety. He will do the Yellow Thread Ceremony [Mangala Suthram] and
adorning of leather token having the holy foot prints of Yellamma [Yellamma Paadalu] in
her neck. The entire Villagers will celebrate this moment as a festival. The Jogin will
made in three stages, at the first instance the Jogin girl age will be three to six years, at
that time she will be married to the God. At the second instance, the Jogin will be offered
to the Village head-man i.e., Patel, Patwari or Land-Lord, after attaining the age of
puberty. Then onwards, at third stage the Jogin will be treated as the Village asset. The
Potharaju is treated as her Guru.

Some SC Communities and some BC Communities mainly from Fishermen, Tenugu

and Naikpod Castes practise the Jogins System.

As long as Pothurajus exist in the village with their divine powers stored in their hair,
the system of Jogins can never be eradicated. For every jogin rehabilitated, more and
more young girls would be converted as jogins. So to cut the system of Jogin at the roots,
the Pothuraju system has to be eradicated.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF POTHARAJU:

The Potharaju’s socio-economic conditions is very poor. They will not get any
payments for the above festivals, except toddy. In normal days, they will do begging in
their villages or survive on superstitious practices like Thanthrik poojas, banamathi etc.
Some of the Potharaju Community persons were killed by villagers bybranding them as
sorcerers and Thanthrik persons. Their livelihood depends on annual alms in shape of
grains during the harvesting season. They are to beg in their Villages after grains are
exhausted along with their family members. Their performance of dancing during
Pochamma festivals and before the dead bodies is compulsory in the village, though they
get only country liquor in return. If they refuse to perform the villagers will force them to
do so by intimidation or beating etc.

Their performance during the Oora Panduga especially the practice of GAVU is
barbaric and uncivilized. Most of these people are suffering with Chronic Diseases like
T.B., Cancer, Asthama etc., the main cause of which is the drinking of artificial toddy and
local made Alcohol called “Gudumba”. Their front rows of teeth are badly damaged
because of the act performed during “gavu”. Some Potharajus will not be allowed to work
in fields, due to fear about their superstitious practices, as a result if any body wanted to
come out from this profession, they will not get any work in the Village. This is one of
the major causes of their backwardness.

Steps taken by the administration:

With the intensive efforts taken by the district administration in 2001-2002, almost all
Pothuajus have been rehabilitated and the dreaded system can be said to be totally
eliminated in the district.
 EFFORTS TO REFORM POTHARAJUS/JOGIN IN
NIZAMABAD, ANDHRA PRADESH

 1988 Two Jogin marriages were held in presence of Smt.

Kumudben Joshi, the then Governor of AP.
 1991 Two Jogin marriages were held in Chelli Nilayam, Varni.
 1991 6Potharajus of Borlam Village, Banswada came out of their
profession & cut their hair in presence of the then Collector.
 1999 Marriage of Bojamma with Anjaiah held at Raj Bhavan,
Hyderabad in presence of Lady Governor Smt. Haripriya
Ranjgarajan.
 2001 June 9th marriage of Rajubai with Mallesh held in the
presence of ministers Sri. M. Venkateshwer Rao, Sri P.
Srinivas Reddy & Sri Asok Kumar, District Collector.
 2001 June, 21st, two hundred (200) Potharajus voluntarily
removed their tuft of hair in the presence of Sri Asok Kumar,
Collector in a function held at the Collectorate ground.
 Press described it as a “Historical Social revolution”
 2001 October 28th, ten (10) Joginis were got married.
 2001 October 28th, thirtyone (31) Potharajus voluntarily removed
their tuft of hair in the presence of Dr.C.Rangarajan,
Governor of Andhra Pradesh, and Sri G.Asok Kumar,
Collector.
 All these Pothurajus have been rehabilitated under various
schemes of AP SC Development Corporation by the district
administration.
 Justice Dr.K.Ramaswamy, Member of the National Human Rights
Commission in his report dated: 12.11.2001 to Chairman of
the National Human Rights Commission appreciated the
steps taken for the rehabilitation of Jogin & Pothurajus. In
his report he wrote. “The NHRC activity associates itself
with all these humanitarian and humane programme of
action under taken by the District Collector, Asok Kumar
and I congratulated him for taking such bold measures for
their emancipation”.
 2002 August 1st, forty one (41) Pothurajus removed their tuft and
another 235 relinquished their trinkets, lashes and whips in
presence of Sri. Asok Kumar, Collector to join the main
stream.

With these steps almost all Pothurajus have been mainstreamed and it is
possible to say that Pothuraju system is almost wiped out from the district.