BEST: International Journal of Humanities, Arts,

Medicine and Sciences (BEST: IJHAMS)

ISSN 2348-0521
Vol. 3, Issue 6, Jun 2015, 41-48
BEST Journals

LAVANI LITERATURE AS A SOURCE OF SOCIO-CULTURAL HISTORY OF

MEDIEVAL MAHARASHTRA
VARSHA SHIRGAONKAR1 & RAMAKRISHNAN K S2
1

Research Scholar, Professor and HOD, SNDT University, Mumbai, India

Professor and HOD, DY Patil University, Navi Mumbai, Mumbai, India

ABSTRACT
History of Lavani Originated in the medieval times lavani continues to be a folk performance even now.
Their geographical areas of movements were mainly in Maharashtra, albeit some of them went to the places like
Thanjavur., some parts of present Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The peshwas and their sardars (officers) celebrated the
festivals like Holi and Dasahara with grandeur and many of the shahirs were a part and parcel of these festivals. Peshwa
period generally, the pomp and show in the celebrations of the Hindu festivals increased. The festivals like Ganeshotsav
and Sankranti also came to be celebrated with pomp. In the latter Peshwa period. The lavanis contain various textile
varieties and thereby it is possible to reconstruct the textile history of Maharashtra.The lavanis contain description of the
palaces and gardens. Wearing the ornaments made of pearls, diamonds, rubies and emeralds was considered to be
prestigious. lavani had been an integral part of a broader folk- performance called tamasha. though at times poetic fancy
gets reflected in the compositions the descriptions in lavani do contain the picture of the life that the shahirs had seen and
hence such descriptions are a source of history.

KEYWORDS: Specially Patronised, Performance

INTRODUCTION
History of Lavani
Originated in the medieval times lavani continues to be a folk performance even now. Though lavanis are more
popular as dance-forms or folk performances Lavani compositions form an integral part of the shahiri literature in Marathi
language. The term shahiri denotes the literary compositions left behind by the shahirs (poets) who were the moving
minstrels during medieval times. Their geographical areas of movements were mainly in Maharashtra, albeit some of them
went to the places like Thanjavur., Ahmedabad and some parts of present Madhya Pradesh. Lavanis were composed on
various issues like cities, deities and festivals while the main theme was love.
The lavani compositions were poetic and were not written initially. Lavani was merely a song that was sung as
per the local tunes and the various words used therein clearly indicate its characteristic as a form of folk performance.
They were actually the on-the-spot creations of the shahirs. Much later, towards the end of eighteenth century, lavanis
came to be scribbled in Modi script of Marathi language. They were later transliterated into Devanagari script of Marathi
language and thus became known to people more. The lavanis are broadly classified into two- fadachi lavani and
baithakichi lavani. Of these, the latter type was more specially patronised by the last two P eshwas Sawai Madhavrao
(1775-1795) and Bajirao II (1795-1818). Baithakichi lavani did not include a dance but was erotic through semiotic
gestures and was in keeping with the interests of the patrons.

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They were fascinated by certain lavanis so much so that they gave the attire of classical music to the lavanis.
Especially Honaji Bala was said to be in the company of these singers who were brought from outside Maharashtra.
Thus, this period also symbolizes a combination of the classical songs with the folk music. The history of music shows that
such amalgamations have been there in the past of the two types of music named margi and desi. The lavanis throw light
upon the contemporary social and cultural life of the Deccan. This is quite obvious because the shahirs were an eyewitness
to the affluence that the Pesh was wished to form a model of in the Deccan.
Spread of Lavanis
Lavani though originated in Maharashtra also came to be sung and performed in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and
Thanjavur. The shahirs were patronized by the sardars of the Peshwas in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. The researcher is
even now undertaking a survey of the places in Madhya Pradesh to understand the extent of this living culture.
The life-story of the shahir Anant Fandi shows that Ahilyabai Holkar, the daughter-in-law of Malharrao Holkar,

the

veteran Maratha sardar posted at Indore patronized him for some time. In fact he started composing a different shahiri at
her advice. One branch of Bhosle family flourished at Tanjavar. The Bhosles of Tanjore, especially, Sarfoji Bhosle, were
great patrons of art and literature. In the collection of these southern lavanis one gets also the lavanis of the shahirs like
Honaji Bala. The Marathi language of these lavanis is not the same as that of Marathi of Maharashtra. The Gaikwads of
Baroda were also the patrons of art, learning and literature. The documentary evidence shows that they also patronized the
shahirs coming from Maharashtra. The shahirs could not use the same language then. It was but natural for the shahirs to
get adapted into the linguistic mode of the province where they performed.
Thus to a certain extent language of the lavanis becomes an indicator of the changing culture. Some lavanis do
indicate such combination of the languages. Many lavanis are influenced by Hindi poetry. The heroines in some lavanis are
described in Gujarati dress. Some lavanis describe the grandeur of the cities like Maheshwar (under the power of Holkars),
Ahmedabad and Baroda that were under the control of Gaikwads. Classification of the lavanis according to the language
used in the lavanis will provide a clue to the movements of the shahirs and also the extent of lavani performance. It is even
possible to chalk out a rough map of the movements of the shahirs. The shahirs did not reach Bombay before Bapurao
Krishna Kulkarni or Patthe Bapurao. There is a difference in the language of the previously mentioned shahirs and that of
Patthe Bapurao. His famous lavani on the city of Bombay is known as Mumbaichi Lavani.
Lavanis on Festivals
The peshwas and their sardars (officers) celebrated the festivals like Holi and Dasahara with grandeur and many
of the shahirs were a part and parcel of these festivals. The festivals like Ganeshotsav and Sankranti also came to be
celebrated with pomp. In the latter Peshwa period (i.e. from the period of Peshwa Madhavrao, 1761-72 onwards) generally,
the pomp and show in the celebrations of the Hindu festivals increased. Dance became an essential aspect of the
celebrations. Since the shahirs were invited to perform on these occasions descriptions of these festivals in the lavanis was
obvious. Of course of all these festivals the festival that generated the feeling of eroticism most was Holi (the festival of
colours). There are some lavanis associated with Holi festival of Maharashtra. Holi was also known as shimga.
In pre-Peshwa times this festival involved only the worship of Holika goddess and fire.
The festival of colours was an addition during the Peshwa period. In pre- Peshwa times the festival of colours was
a part and parcel of Holi and used to be celebrated in North India on a large scale. The sardars of the Peshwas in the north
like Shinde and Holkar were so fascinated by the exchange of colours between the men and women that they also started
celebrating it in their states of Gwalior and Indore. In fact Mahadaji Shinde described the colour festival in the court of

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Sawai Madhavrao. The Peshwa desirous to enjoy the festival willingly introduced it in Maharashtra. The lavanis
describing the colour festival often mention gulalgota. Playing with gulalgota was a very important action during this
festival. Gulalgota was a small ball made by putting gulal (dry red powder) in the hollow of mica. When it dashed against
any surface it broke splashing the powder in the air. Other colours were mixed in water and the tanks were filled with such
coloured waters. The nature of the festival was deeply rooted in the mythological tradition according to which there was a
congregation of Lord Krishna and the Gopis(female companions of Krishna) on the occasion of the colour festival. In the
lavanis of the shahirs there was a superimposition of the personality of Krishna onto that of the Peshwa. The Peshwas
women appeared to the shahirs as gopis participating in and enjoying the colourful moments. The atmosphere of this
festival was particularly conducive to feelings of love.
Mention of Spacious Houses and Gardens
The lavanis contain description of the palaces and gardens. Certain urban centres mentioned in the lavanis existed
in the pre-Peshwa times as well. But more cities came up since the time of Peshwa Nanasaheb. The plans of beautification
of the city of Poona started in the rule of Nanasaheb Peshwa. This was because after the death of Shahu he transferred the
administrative centre to Poona in 1749. Since then various Peths (localities), Wadas (mansions) came to be constructed to
accommodate the sardars who migrated to Poona. The schemes for additional water supply to the city of Poona were
undertaken. These undoubtedly helped gardening in Poona.
There is an evidence to show that there was a garden in Shaniwarwada, the palace of the Peshwas.
The architectural beauty of the palace increased when Nana Fadnis, the caretaker of Sawai Madhavrao took special efforts.
Gardening also received encouragement from the last Peshwa Bajorao II. One historical document gives a long list of the
plants ordered by him from Aurangabad in 1813. The foreign travellers visiting the palace during this time and that of
Peshwa Bajirao II have described the beauty of the palace. The lavanis of the shahirs also have the names of the plants of
flowers and fruits. They corroborate with the historical records that prove the growth of Poona and Shaniwarwada.
In fact such descriptions add to the erotic feelings depicted in the lavanis. Interestingly, some lavanis use the word
haveli for the palace. Actually, the concept of haveli was not originally in Maharashtra. Haveli was a palace in Rajasthan
and Marwad. Thus the induction of the word haveli in the lavanis means that the shahirs wished to symbolically get
associated with the grandeur of the North India. The havelis in the lavanis are described having rich carpets and the
curtains of expensive cloth materials. Havelis had also gardens attached to them. Particularly some lavanis of the shahir
Prabhakar that may be cited as the examples of ornate poetry contain the descriptions of the havelis and of the floral life of
Poona. Saganbhau also had depicted the luxurious life of the Peshwas. One of his lavanis contains the following names of
flowers: Gulchabu, Gultop, Motiya, Mogra, Shevanti, Narangya, Khiranya, Tuti, Jai, Ratanjan, Batamogra,
Malati, Douna Gulab, Kekati.
The ornaments appearing in the lavanis were worn by the contemporary cultured women of the high castes.
Wearing the ornaments made of pearls, diamonds, rubies and emeralds was considered to be prestigious. A heroine in one
of the lavanis of Shahir Prabhakar is described wearing the following ornaments: Vajrateek, Panadi, Chinchapeti,
Tanmani, Kantha, Chandrahar, Putalyanchi Mal. A lavani of Saganbahu gives some additional names of the ornaments
like Bindi, Seesphul, Jodavya. Some of the jewellers have preserved the traditional jewellery in their personal collections
even now. Many of these ornaments are mentioned also in the historical records like Peshwa Daftar.

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Some precious stones formed also part of the poetic imagery of the lavanis. The shahir Honaji in one of his
lavanis calls the shiny face of the heroine a surati dana. If the pearl was obtained in the port of Surat it came to be known
as surati dana. This port has been of commercial importance right from ancient times. A peep into the commercial history
of the medieval times would show that Surat was connected to Hormuz, a port in the Persian Gulf. Hormuz was famous for
the lustrous pearls. These used to be brought from Horumz to Surat for trade in India. This sea trade route is quite often
mentioned in the travelogues of the travellers who visited India during medieval times. Nicolao Manucci, an Italian
traveller for example states that Hormuz was a connecting link between the Arab world and India. Since the pearls of the
best quality came from Hormuz they were also called hormuji. A reference from one of the lavanis may be quoted as an
example where the pearls are called the lustrous grains of Hormuz. These pearls were also called guladhawa on account
of the similarity of their lustre with that of the syrup of jaggery. The Peshwas were very particular in sending orders to their
northern officers to obtain these pearls.
The gold mohors were never struck by the Marathas at any scale. Hence to have mohors was considered to be a
prestige symbol. Some mohors used to be made as an imitation of Alamshahi mohors. Alamshahi mohor was most
probably Delhi sikka. Some of the names of the other mohors were Panchamel, Aurangabadi, Ajmer, Ahmadabadi,
Muhanmadshahi, Shetshahahi.
Lavani compositions show that at times the words like mohors and putalis are used merely as the coins while
sometimes they are a part of the poetic imagery. The coins used to be also given as charity. The shahirs thus were aware of
the commercial activities of their patrons. The lavanis that were a part of tamasha and those that were performed as
baithakichya lavanya were erotic to create the necessary atmosphere. The words therein were also so chosen as to convey
the erotic sentiment. The erotic sentiment was generated especially by the portrayal of the female body. The double-meant
words in the lavanis are indicators of the concept of virginity or female sexuality.
Fabrics in Lavanis
The lavanis contain various textile varieties and thereby it is possible to reconstruct the textile history of
Maharashtra. Since the lavanis were performed also at the trade centers and on the occasions of village fairs references to
the textiles are but natural. The composition of the village markets show that the fairs and the markets on many occasions
went hand in hand. Since the framework of the lavani is poetic, the references to the textiles are in the form of the poetic
imagery. The lavanis were composed on various topics like the cities, festivals.
Right from the ancient times Paithan to Pratishthan was famous for the exquisite textiles. Located on the north
bank of the river Godavari Paithan is one of the oldest cities in the Deccan. Well known as Pratishthan in ancient times it
was considered to be the gateway of India to which the trade centers were connected. The importance of this place is
narrated in the descriptions and the travelogues of the foreign travelers. Paithan has been a very famous center for tiwat
(turbans), sarres, shalus, (the exquisite silk and jari sarees worn on the occasions like marriage). Numerous qualities of
lugdas are available in medieval Marathi literature. Lugde has been the general Marathi word for a nine-yard saree.
Interestingly, of the twenty five varieties mentioned in the chronicles of Delhi Sultanate that comprised of the silken and
cotton stuffs together, there is a mention in the cotton variety called Deogiri or jama-I-deogiri. This has been referred to as
the highly valued cotton since the 7 th cen. A. D. Jama i- Deogiri was mentioned to be of superfine quality and was even
costlier that silk. One wonders whether this cloth was the same as the one manufactured at Paithan. This is because right
from the Maratha period till this date there is no mention of the type of cloth as deogiri while the brand name Paithani for

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the costly saree is prevalent also in the modern times. It is probable that when there were attacks of Ala-ud-din Khilji and
Muhammad bin Tughlaq on Deogiri the artisans from Paithan came to Deogiri and produced cotton for the new rulers.
This possibility holds ground especially when Muhammad bin Tughalq made a futile attempt of shifting the capital city
from Delhi to Daulatabad, former Deogiri in 1327A.D. There is also another possibility. On account of the vicinity of the
two places, Paithan and Deogiri, the cloth type of Paithan came to be generally known as Deogiri.
Thus the name jama-i- deogiri appears to have been the pre-Maratha term that was used for the best quality
Deccan cotton. That the area comprising of both Paithan and Deogiri was known for the varieties of cotton including
muslin is referred to also by Periplus in his travelogue Priplus of Erethrean Sea. In the accounts the names for these two
places are Plithana and Tagara respectively.
Female Body Portrayal
The heroines offering their body and mind to the heroes also got justified then in the lavanis. Besides, the shahirs
put the Peshwas and their sardars on the divine platform by calling them Krishna or Indra. As such then the shahirs also
sanctioned the right of the rulers to enjoy the women. Both these gods were associated with the gopis or apsaras.
Interestingly, this gets corroborated from the wall- paintings of the medieval wadas. The researcher in the course of this
project visited many wadas at Wai and Satara and has obtained the photographs of the wall paintings. The Motibag Wada
of sardar Raste may be given as an illustration. The wada of Nana Fadnis at Menavali also has collection of paintings.
These paintings depict Krishna with gopis. A somewhat identical description one gets from the lavanis that describe the
Peshwas surrounded by the keeps. Thus the descriptions in the lavanis need to be supplemented by the material evidence.
It was therefore that the researcher had undertaken the tours of the place mentioned in the beginning of this report.
Tamasha and Lavani
As described earlier lavani had been an integral part of a broader folk- performance called tamasha. Even today
one can observe the same. In order to collect information about this dance culture the researcher found it necessary even to
attend the tamasha performances. A historical evolution of tamasha may be given as follows.
Etymologically, Tamasha is an Arabic word implying different means of entertainment. It has been generally
accepted that this form originated towards the end of the seventeenth century. With the arrival of Aurangzeb in the Deccan
and his stationing of the troops there towards the end of seventeenth century for the pursuit of Marathas, Maharashtra got
introduced to a different culture within the military camps. It has been reported that the Mughals did keep the band of
entertainers including women in their camps to extend relief for the soldiers. Since the common soldiers could not afford
keeping the proficient dancing girls they had to look for the locally available artist who could render them this service.
Again the forms of entertainment till then could not match the taste of Mughals.
An effeminate dancer with good voice. Till the time of Bapurao Krishna Kulkarni or Patthe Bapurao(1866-1945)
the male dancer performed the dance of lavani. Patthe Bapurao opened a new phase in the history of Tamasha because in
his troupe Putala was the first female dancer to perform the Lavani dance.
The artists in Tamasha are of two groups representing two sects of religious beliefs viz., Kalgiwale and
Turewale. Kalgiwale are the followers of Maya or Lord Shiva whereas Turewale recognize the authority of Lord Brahma
or Lord Vishnu. When these two groups enter into competition in the exciting session of Sawaal-Jababs (poetic riddles)
they keep the symbols of their respective sect on their Daph(drum). Kalgiwale have Kalgi as their symbol while Tura is

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the symbol of Turewale. Kalgi is like the blossom group in Sawaal- Jabab snatches the symbol of the other group and thus
establishes its supremacy. The sawal-jabab portion of tamasha does show the philosophical understanding on the part of
the shahirs.
Tamasha That is Presented Nowadays Has the following Features
1. Gan or the prayer of Lord Ganesh 2. Gaulan-ballet consisting of a girl and boy enacting as the love-lorn couple
Radha and Krishna, Some others enacting as the friends of Radha and Krishna and a typical character mavshibai;( a man
speaking as a women). 3. Lavani dance performance by the dancing girls. 4. Bhedik kavan the session of sawal jababs. 5.
Mujra the fare- well session. All these were the compositions of the shahirs.
The heart of Tamasha is Vag. It originated around 1860s. The word Vag is a form of the Marathi word Ogh
meaning flow or current. The idea of vag can be found in the necessity to avoid boredom among the spectators and to
maintain the flavour in the performance of Tamasha till the end. Vag envelops within itself the speech of sutradhar or
director with subtle humour. At times the speech may display his mimicking gestures. His monologue is known as
Batawani or Sapatani and it is in keeping with the subject matter of the tamasha. In 1865 a tamasgir(performer of
Tamasha) named Uma Savajkar with the assistance of Baba Mang performed the first vag called Mohana Batav.
The theme of the eternal love of Mohana and Batav had been quite popular with the medieval shahirs. Later the vag of
Mittharani of Patthe Bapurao became popular.
The city of Bombay started receiving the fresh influx of population from the beginning of the 19 th century.
The mercantile growth of Bombay required supply of labourers. Certain business families also shifted to Bombay.
The census reports show that the number of male population was certainly more than that of the females. The labourers
coming from the interior of Maharashtra desired to have their rural form entertainment. Thus the tamasha troupes started
visiting Bombay mainly to provide entertainment to them. Interviews with the theatre owners reveal that initially even in
Bombay tamasha came to be performed in the tents. Lavanis were never the independent programmes then but were an
integral portion of tamasha. Baithakichi lavani also entered Bombay because certain business families patronized the
singers of this type of lavani. The areas like Opera House in Bombay had tenements of these singers. Thus the city of
Bombay offered the artists means of livelihood. Yet, the troupes of tamasha did not reside in Bombay permanently.
The last surviving theatre of the nineteen theatres of tamasha that Mumbai had was Hanuman Theatre.
The politics of viewing operated till very lately in the society and that has even affected to a certain extent the
lavani literature. The literature was also mistaken to be only associated with dance. But as seen above lavanis are an
important source of history of medieval Maharashtra.

CONCLUSIONS
As the aforesaid information would show, lavani literature is to be considered as an important source of history of
medieval Maharashtra. Even though at times poetic fancy gets reflected in the compositions the descriptions in lavani do
contain the picture of the life that the shahirs had seen and hence such descriptions are a source of history.

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Shirgaonkar, Varsha "Reconstruction of History of Medieval Maharashtra Through Lavanis", Banyan Tree,
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Ranade, Ashok D., Hindusthani Music, National Book Trust, New Delhi, 2002, p. 9

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Approaches to Maratha History (January 2009) Some Readings in Maratha History Pune,. Abasaheb Garware
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