Charan..........the caste system

Chāraṇ (plural Charans; hindi:चारण;gujrati:ચારણ) is the term for a caste living in the gujrat and Rajasthan states of India. Members of this caste are highly revered for their unflinching readiness for martyrdom, bravery in war, high literary sense and deep loyalty to patrons.Ain-e-akbari states that Charans were good poets and better soldiers .The caste is also identified with the surnames "Mahiyaria","Gaden"," Adha", "Barhath" and "Akhawat". Members of this caste are considered to be divine by a large section of society. Women of the caste are adored as mother goddesses by other major communities of this region including Rajput Kings. The goddesses Karni, , Hinglaj(whose main temple is now in Baluchistan), Khodiyar and Sonal are well-known examples of it. This is one of the reasons that Charan men are often addressed as Deviputra, which literally means "son of goddess". In the medieval era, it was considered a matter of prestige and pride for a king to have a Charan in his court.

The Charans' caste system is based on written genealogy. A Charan will accept all the other Charans as equals even if they do not know each other and have radically different economic or geographic status. They are divided into four sections. Each section has several sub-sections and subsections have several stocks. Males and females of the same stock are considered brothers and sisters, and thus marriage within a stock is strictly forbidden. Similarly, marriages outside the Charan commnuty are not allowed. Instead of four sections, many authors consider 23 divisions a more fundamental way division comprising four [Pahada]s which literally means mount peaks, sixteen sakhas and three chals. The four sections mentioned before are just based on geographical identity and may overlap with many of the divisions under 23 divisions. As per 23 divisions the four Pahadas are (1) Nara (2) Chorada (3) Chuva and (4) Tumbel, three chals are (1) Ausura (also spelled Avsura), (2) Maru and (3) baati. Charan of one Pahad are considered brothers and sisters and cannot intermarry. As per these divisions Nara charan usually mary with Ausura, Chorada with Maru and Chuva with Baati. Tumbel don't have exclusive chaal to marry from and hence they are referred as half-Pahada. Tumel usually marry from any of the other three Pahadas and Chaals. Rest of the community is divided into sixteen sakhas (known as Sakhiyas), which literally means sections. They usually marry with other sections as well as three Chaals and three and half Pahadas.