Bandkari

The Bandkari, or Bundkari is a title conferred to the Koli chief of dacoits or revolutionaries of Maharashtra till 1960.^[1][2] if a person pleasure the Koli heros call them as Bandkari but when want to degrade calls them Daku.^[3]

The meaning of Bandkari is revolutionary or leader of revolt. The Band, or Bund means revolt (rebellion) and Kari means leader or a person of position.^[4][5]

According to a 19th century Marathi-English dictionary, Band meant either insurrection, sedition, or an insurgent, a rebel. A 'Bandkhorvala' or 'Bandkari' was a rebellious person. Until the 19th century, the title appears to have been associated exclusively with revolts against the state or other ruling powers. Revolts by Mahadev Kolis were all described as Bands. Regions which were outside the control of the Maratha state were known as 'Bandi Mulk'. During the course of the nineteenth century, the title evolved, being associated increasingly with the activities of peasants rebelling against social oppression. Today, the people of the mountain regions describe the Koli outlaws as Bandkaris. This is not a word that appears in the nineteenth-century records. The title is applied now not so much to a rebel against the state, but to a person who has put himself outside the law to fight the social oppressors of his caste. He thus enjoys the support of the caste as a whole. In this, the Bandkari is distinguished today from the Daku, or dacoit, who is seen as being involved in illegal activities primarily for his own gain, and who does not enjoy popular support. In English. we may say that the contrast, as it now exists, is between the social bandit, as defined by Eric Hobsbawm, and the mere 'robber' or 'thief who belongs to a professional underworld. When outsiders wish to denigrate the heroes of the Kolis, they call them Dakus. In this section of the essay, I shall examine the tradition of the Band in the pre colonial and early colonial periods, seeing how it had begun to change by 1830, and then go on in the following section to see how this tradition fed into the revolt of Raghu Bhangare.^[4]

The Bandkari is thus different from the dacoits of the professional underworld. Intrinsic to the varying significance is a complex interplay of power, benefit and dissent with agenda and alliances of convenience.

• Dacoits looted the people for their livelihood but a Bandkari looted only rich or bad people.
• Dacoits collected the looted goods for self but a Bandkari distribute the looted goods in needed or poor people.
• Dacoits generally attacked the people but a Bandkari plundered the rich or high profile person in response to punish him.

• Raghoji Bhangare,^[6] famous Bandkari from Maharashtra who challenged the British government in Konkan