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Hinduism - Who Are The Mahapatra Of Northern Inida?


 ("a large vessel") The name of a degraded brahmin tribe whose members make their living solely on accepting gifts, especially those given after a death, in areas of northern India.

Although they are considered as symbolically representing the deceased individual, such brahmins do not really execute the ceremonies for the dead.

Their poor position originates from their association with the deceased; the presents they take convey the family's bad luck to the Mahapatra.

This second premise is reflected in the group's name: they are "vessels" into which inauspiciousness might be deposited and thereby cleansed.

Despite being brahmins by birth, such continual association with death and its inauspicious attributes is considered as a very undesirable way to earn a livelihood, giving this people extremely poor social standing.

Despite their degraded position, they are an important aspect of traditional culture since they serve as a way of removing such inauspiciousness.


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