The word ' Garhwal' is a compound term framed by combing ‘garh’ and ‘wal’. 'Garh' means a fortress and ‘wal' or ‘wali/wala' is a suffix denoting adjectival relationship with the previous word. The term Garhwal, therefore, means ‘possessor of forts or fortresses'. Scholars have conjectured that a large number (around 52 or more) of fortresses were there in this area of the country owned and ruled by local chieftains, the largest being Chandpurgarh, the capital of this region, during Katyuri and, later, Pal rule. These were conquered, amalgamated and consolidated by Raja Ajaypal (reign 1358-1389) into one administrative unit. He shifted his capital from Chandpurgarh to Srinagar, which was known as "Srinagar kingdom'. According to Yadunath Sarkar, all the Muslim historians and European travellers have referred to the ruler of this kingdom as ‘Raja of Sripur’ or ‘Srinagar’.
Shri Harikrishn Raturi in his 'History of Garhwal' maintains that the appellation 'Garhwal' came into usage sometime after 1500 AD. This word is available in a couplet written by the poet Bhushan to eulogise king Fateh Shah (1634-1716), the most powerful ruler of Garhwal. This very ruler has been referred to as 'Garhwar Turashah’ by another poet, Ratan Kavi (Kshemaraj) as well. But the first authentic mention of this term is found in ‘Garh Raj Varnsa ka Itihas' by celebrated artist and poet Mola Ram around 1815.
In ancient times, Garhwal region was known by various names. In the Skanda Puran, it is referred to as 'Kedarkhan' i.e. which was one of the five ‘khandas' of Aryavarta. The other terms for this area were Himvant, Himvarta, Brahmavart, Chulla Hunvat, Rudra Himalaya. Brahmadesh, Khasdesha, Kartripura, Sapadlaksha and so on. In the same Purana, this area has been delimited as the territory lying between the Himalayas in the North and Gangadwar (Haridwar) in the South. The eastern boundary is said to be the mountain Bouddhachal (present Badhan) and the western boundary the Tamsa (Tons) river, extending 50 Yojana in length and 30 'Yojana' in breadth.
In the present context, this region comprises Tehri Garhwal, Uttarkashi, Pauri Garhwal, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and part of Dehradun district.
Geographically, it is surrounded by Tibet and Nepal in the north, Himachal Pradesh in west, Kumaon in east and Saharanpur- Bijnor in the south. It is in between 29* 26'- 31* 81' north latitude and 77*49' 80*-6' east longitude. Its area is approximately 30,000 Sq Km. By and large, the country is mountainous, rugged, sparsely populated and full of diversity.
Ethnically and linguistically, the people of Garhwal belong to mixed Aryan and Bhotia (Mongol) races. The artisan class (‘Doms’) are said to be the original inhabitants of this region and belong to Proto Australoid class. Brahmins, Rajputs and Shilpkars (scheduled castes) are the major constituents of the social order. Agriculture has been the mainstay and source of livelihood. Some people also earn their living from Animal Husbandry. Terracing is considered necessary to make the land fit for cultivation. The principal crops are paddy and some local coarse grain, besides wheat, barley, lentils, etc. Most of the land remains un-irrigated and dependent on the mercy of the rain god. Soldiery is a regular profession for a large number of hill people. The life of women has been quite tough and hard.
The area is rich in human, forest and water resources. But it is said that the three J's (Jawani-Youth, Jameen-land, Jal-water), the real wealth of Garhwal, have been exploited by the people of the plains. Great expectations were raised after the creation of the state of Uttarakhand, but the perennial problems of natural calamities, harsh life in the hills and non-availability of employment avenues, besides a number of other factors, are forcing the local youth to migrate to the plains in search of greener pastures. A large number of villages in remote areas have only a few helpless old inhabitants who have nowhere to go.
The term ‘Garhwali' has been derived from the stem Garhwal by suffixing the morpheme – ‘i’ 'to indicate the language of the people of the region. Roughly speaking, the linguistic area of Garhwal is from the Rawain pargana of district Tehri in the west to the Badhan pargana of district Chamoli in the east, comprising all the five districts of Garhwal and part of Dehradun district, as mentioned before. Besides, a large number of people of Garhwal origin living outside the geographical boundaries of Garhwal also speak and write in Garhwali language. It is roughly estimated that about 25 lakh people use this language.
It is not an easy task to discern the linguistic origin and source of Garhwali, especially when there is complete absence of inscriptional record. The Puranic history, however, tells us that this region was inhabited by many Negrito-Australoid, Dravidian and Mongoloid ethnic groups before they were conquered by advancing non-Vedic and Vedic Aryans, viz Khasas, Kiratas, Tanganas, Kulindas, Nagas, Kinnaras, Yaksas, Huns, Shakas, Kolas, etc. The Dardo-Pahari language, Paishachi, Vedic Sanskrit, Saurseni Prakrit and Rajasthani also played a considerable role in enriching the Garhwali vocabulary. A large number of words have also been borrowed from Perso-Arabic and European languages. But, essentially, the majority of words of cultural tradition, daily use, social pattern, local activities, profession, agriculture, trade, vegetation, birds, animals, in fact the entire flora and fauna, form a major part of Garhwali vocabulary. It is very pertinent to note that some words peculiar only to Garhwali language have tremendous power of expression, untranslatable in any other language of the world.
The twentieth century witnessed considerable activity, progress and development in Garhwal. A considerably large number of poets, dramatists, essayists and social/political activists started making Garhwali a medium of their expression. A British ICS officer, Dr George Abraham Grierson, carried out the famous Linguistic Survey of India which took 33 years (1894-1927 AD) to complete. Garhwali is covered in Volume IX of this stupendous work. Nine samples of dialectical variation of Garhwali language have been enumerated with examples. These specimens are Srinagari, Rathi, Badhani, Dasaulya, Nagpuri, Salani, Tehriyali, Lobhya and Manjh Kumaiyya. Subsequently, other writers made further sub divisions and added more variations to these. About 15 sub and sub-sub dialectical variations of Garhwali are recorded.
Grierson was a high ranking administrative officer. He was neither a linguist nor a philologist. The groundwork was actually carried out by low level revenue officials under the District Magistrate, treating the 'Pargana' as a unit for collecting samples, categorising and naming the sub-dialect. The survey, notwithstanding its pioneering and historical value, therefore remains sketchy and superficial. Unfortunately, it indirectly gave a fillip to divergent tendencies in Garhwali, which could not be got over till today. Its standardisation is still a far cry.
Presently, the Garhwali language is facing a number of challenges. Like almost all hill dialects throughout the world, the number of its users is dwindling by the day. Despite vigorous efforts, it has not as yet found a place in the VIIIth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Since it was never a medium of education even at the primary stage, its study was not considered useful in trade, business or the service sector or in getting employment. People at large feel shy communicating in Garhwali in higher social echelons or even with their own children. It is terrifying to note that a number of sub-dialects of Garhwali are on the verge of extinction or have already vanished. Unless remedial measures are adopted, in time, Garhwali language itself is likely to be forgotten by the coming generations.
The conflicting views of writers also prove a stumbling block in its development. Insistence on sub-regional variation and absence of consensus on its standard form do not allow this language to develop and flourish. There are very few readers of this language. Books in Garhwali hardly sell. Most of the time, the writer is by himself the printer, publisher, distributor, seller and reader! Of late, there has been quantitative increase in the field of poetry, but writing in prose is negligible. There is scant interest in linguistic study of this language. Serious and sincere efforts are required for its preservation and development.
This article has been written by my father Dr. Achlanand Jakhmola who has just finished compiling the first Garhwali - Hindi - English dictionary Which will go a long way in preserving our language.
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