(a) Who were Dhangars?
(b) What were their occupations?
© Why were they continuously on the move? Explain how the pattern of cyclical movement of Dhangars defined by the changing weather.
(a) Dhangars were an important pastoral community of Maharashtra.
(b) Most of the Dhangars were shepherds, blanket and wool weavers and still others were buffalo herders.
© They were continuously on the move in search of pasture for their catde. They stayed in the central plateau of Maharashtra during the monsoon. This was a semi-arid region with low rainTall and poor soil, only bajra could be grown here.
In the monsoon, this tract became a vast grazing ground for their cattle. By October, the Dhangars harvested their bajra and started on their move and reached Konkan.
Their cattle manured the fields and fed on the stubble. With the onset of monsoon, they returned back to their own settlement in dry plateau.