Endogamous community
of pilgrimage priests (pandas) living at Gaya, a pilgrimage site (tirtha) known
for ceremonies of the dead.
Each Gayawal family has unique hereditary rights to assist
all pilgrims whose ancestral homes are in a certain area or regions, regardless
of where they are at the moment.
Pilgrims are meant to be served solely by their ancestral
family priest at all pilgrimage locations.
This exclusivity offers the Gayawals more bargaining power
with their pilgrim clientele, who are in a vulnerable position since most of
them are performing ceremonies for deceased relatives.
The Gayawals are known for their avarice, greed, and overall
lack of intelligence.
By brahmin norms, these characteristics, as well as the fact
that they get a large portion of their revenue from the dead, which is deemed
inaudible, make them rather debased.
To be fair to the Gayawals, the monopoly's relative strength is tempered by a feeling of ancestral responsibility to their customers— the recurring question is never whether the customers will be supplied, but how much they will have to pay.
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.
Be sure to check out my writings on religion here.
