Asati

Asati (असाटी in Hindi) is a merchant community in Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh. The traditional population centre has been the Bundelkhand region, with their origin claimed to be from the Tikamgarh district.^[1]^{[better source needed]} Asati community remains old fashioned and still follows traditions like dowry.

Legends

K.S. Singh ^[2] mentions a legend that the Asatis were originally from Ayodhya.

Origin

In some texts the name is given as Asahati ^[3] or Asaiti.^[4] They may have originated froma town named Asahat ( असहट ). There is a village Mahawatpur Asahat in Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh. There is also a village named Asati ^[5]^[6]

Navalshah Chanderia, who wrote Vardhamana Purana in 1768 AD (sam 1825) at Khataura, included the Asati community among the eleven merchant communities that are partly Jain.^[7] Others include Gahoi, Nema, Porwal, Maheshwari etc.

Bramhachari Shitalprasad,^[8] the commentator of Mammal Pahud, a canonical work by Taran Swami, mentions that one of the manuscripts was copied at an Asahati temple in 1624 AD.^{[citation needed]}

Distribution

The census of India, 1891,^[9] reported 3,071 Asatis in the British ruled districts, of which 450 were Jain. They were mainly present in Jabalpur, Damoh and Sagar, where a significant fraction (27% in Jabalpur) were Jain. Smaller number were present in Bhandara, Gondia, Nagpur and Chhindwara, where all of them were Vaishnava. This does not include Tikamgarg, Chhatarpur and Lalitpur. Russel and Hiralal in 1916 also mention a minority being Jain.^{[citation needed]}

In Damoh and Chhatarpur, there are localities named Asati Ward and Asati Muhalla.

Currently, the largest concentration is in Sagar city, according to a marriage data-base.^[10]

Organization

The national organization of the Asati community is Akhil Baharatiya Asati Mahasabha. In 2011, it decided to celebrate Sharad Purnima as Asati Divas^[11]^[12]

Ganeshprasad Varni (1874 - 1961)

Ganeshprasad Varni, one of the foundational figures ^[13] of the modern north Indian Digambar intellectual tradition during early 20th century was an Asati.^[14] He was the founder of several schools and institutions of advanced learning including Syadwad Mahavidyalaya at Varanasi in 1905,^[15] Varanasi and Satark-Sudhataringini Digamber Jain Pathshala,^[16] now Ganesh Digamber Jain Sanskrit Vidyalaya at Sagar.

The Asati community at Baldevgarh celebrates his birthday annually^[17]

References

^ The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India, by R. V. Russell, 1916
^ KS Singh 1998, India's communities, Anthropological Survey of India
^ A FIFTEENTH-CENTURY DIGAMBAR JAIN MYSTIC AND HIS FOLLOWERS, Taraj Taraj Svami and the Taraj Svami Panth, John E. Cort , Studies in Jaina history and culture: disputes and dialogues, Taylor & Francis, May 25, 2006
^ Navalsah Chanderia
^ A village situated in 25° 24'N., and 78° 52' E., two miles north of the Jhansi-Nowgong road. The Central India state gazetteer series, Volume 13 By Central India
^ असाटी में मूर्तियों का खजाना, 07 Sep 2011, http://www.bansalnews.com/Newsdetail.aspx?id=4256
^ गृहपति आठारम तिहि शाख, उनविन्शति में नेमा भाख
वीसम नैत असैटी लहे पल्लिवार इकवीसम कहे ||
पोरवार बाइसौं धार ढढतवाल तेईस निहार
चौवीसम माहेश्वरवार इतने लौं कछु जैन लगार ||
^ જૈન ધર્મ ભૂષણ શીતલપ્રસાદજી મહારાજ http://www.jainlibrary.org/elib_master/article/230000_article_gujarati/Jain_dharma_bhushan_Shitalprasadji_Maharaj_201060.pdf
^ Census of India, 1891, Volumes 11-12, India. Census Commissioner, 1893, Table XVI
^ Family Details
^ असाटी समाज समिति छतरपुर के सचिव लखनलाल असाटी ने बताया, Oct 9, 2011, ShubhBharat
^ http://www.asatisamaj.com/shadi/letest_news.php
^ John E. Cort
^ The universe as audience: metaphor and community among the Jains of North India, Ravindra K. Jain, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, 1999
^ Ganesh Prasad Varni Ji (1874 - 1961) http://www.jinvaani.org/ganesh-prasad-varni-ji.html
^ Meri Jeevan Gatha, Autobiography By Kshullak Ganeshprasad Varni, Shri Ganesh Varni Digamber Jain Sansthan, Varanasi 1960
^ गणेश वर्णी महाराज का जन्मदिन 27 को मनाएंगे, 26/09/2010, भास्कर संवाददाता. बल्देवगढ़, http://bollywood.bhaskar.com/article/MP-OTH-863806-1401013.html

[1] The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India, by R. V. Russell, 1916

[2] KS Singh 1998, India's communities, Anthropological Survey of India

[3] A FIFTEENTH-CENTURY DIGAMBAR JAIN MYSTIC AND HIS FOLLOWERS, Taraj Taraj Svami and the Taraj Svami Panth, John E. Cort , Studies in Jaina history and culture: disputes and dialogues, Taylor & Francis, May 25, 2006

[4] Navalsah Chanderia

[5] A village situated in 25° 24'N., and 78° 52' E., two miles north of the Jhansi-Nowgong road. The Central India state gazetteer series, Volume 13 By Central India

[6] असाटी में मूर्तियों का खजाना, 07 Sep 2011, http://www.bansalnews.com/Newsdetail.aspx?id=4256

[7] गृहपति आठारम तिहि शाख, उनविन्शति में नेमा भाख
वीसम नैत असैटी लहे पल्लिवार इकवीसम कहे ||
पोरवार बाइसौं धार ढढतवाल तेईस निहार
चौवीसम माहेश्वरवार इतने लौं कछु जैन लगार ||

[8] જૈન ધર્મ ભૂષણ શીતલપ્રસાદજી મહારાજ http://www.jainlibrary.org/elib_master/article/230000_article_gujarati/Jain_dharma_bhushan_Shitalprasadji_Maharaj_201060.pdf

[9] Census of India, 1891, Volumes 11-12, India. Census Commissioner, 1893, Table XVI

[10] Family Details

[11] असाटी समाज समिति छतरपुर के सचिव लखनलाल असाटी ने बताया, Oct 9, 2011, ShubhBharat

[12] ttp://www.asatisamaj.com/shadi/letest_news.php

[13] John E. Cort

[14] The universe as audience: metaphor and community among the Jains of North India, Ravindra K. Jain, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, 1999

[15] Ganesh Prasad Varni Ji (1874 - 1961) http://www.jinvaani.org/ganesh-prasad-varni-ji.html

[16] Meri Jeevan Gatha, Autobiography By Kshullak Ganeshprasad Varni, Shri Ganesh Varni Digamber Jain Sansthan, Varanasi 1960

[17] गणेश वर्णी महाराज का जन्मदिन 27 को मनाएंगे, 26/09/2010, भास्कर संवाददाता. बल्देवगढ़, http://bollywood.bhaskar.com/article/MP-OTH-863806-1401013.html

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