, Madhubani, Bihar]] Panjis or Panji Prabandh are extensive genealogical records maintained among the Kayastha and Maithil Brahmin of the Mithila region similar to the Hindu genealogy registers at Haridwar.
History
It is said that the Panji system was not in use until the second decade of the 14th century CE. Those days people sporadically had lineage introductions. Therefore, marriage decisions in the tradition of
Maithil Vivah were based on the remembrance or names of ancestors and
Gotra, etc.
According to
Panjikar Vidyanand Jha alias
Mohanji, the Panji system came into existence after a dispute in 1326 AD over the marriage of a minister of the King Harisimha Deva, to the sister of a distant relative. After that the
Harisimhadeva decided to make a genealogy of every person in Mithila so that such a situation does not arise. On the orders of the Maharaja, the
Vishwachakra Sammelan was held at
Jamsam of
Pandaul in Madhubani district.
The Panji System was introduced in 1327 AD by the King
Harisimhadeva of Karnat Dynasty in Mithila. It was the system of registration of
Genealogy records of the family. The
Panjikar (registrar) was responsible for collecting information about the genealogies of the people in the area and registering it in the register (Panji). It was helpful in identifying the clan or
Gotra of a particular family for marriage purpose.
The information recorded in the Panjis are
Vamsha - Vriksha ( genealogical family tree ),
Biji Purush (earliest known ancestor),
mool (village of origin of the earliest ancestor),
Moolgram (village of the diversification of the descendants of the ancestor) and
Gotra, etc.
The first
Panjikar was
Gunakar Jha.
Panjikar
During the
Raj Darbhanga period, there was a 10 years course of study at the court of Darbhanga Raj to become a
Panjikar. A candidate who wished to become a
Panjikar, had to enrolled in the course. Then the candidate had to appear in the
Dhaut Pariksha. After successfully passing the examination of
Dhaut Pariksha, the candidate was given the status of a
Panjikar or registrar.
It is said that after the end of Darbhanga Raj, the Dhaut Pariksha also ended and after that the selection process of the
Panjikar become hereditary.
Utility
The Panjis have enormous value when arranging marriages, as they ensure that incestuous relationships do not occur, delineating the last 07 generations from the paternal side and 06 generations from the maternal side of the prospective bride and groom. When it is proved that there has been no relationship for seven generations, the
Panjikar (registrar) grants the marriage. The horoscopes of the couples are also matched based on the
Janmpatri (birth chart) and horoscope. This process of registration for the marriage of a couples is popularly called as
Siddhanta in Mithila.
Sabha Gachhi
The king
Harisimhadeva approved fourteen major locations for organising conferences of marriage alliances in Maithil Brahmins at fourteen different locations in Mithila region. They are Saurath, Khanagadi, Partapur,
Sheohar district, Govindpur, Fattepur, Sajhaul, Sukhasana, Akhdari, Hemnagar, Balua, Baruali, Samsaul, and Sasaula. The Maithil Kayasthas and Maithil Brahmin delegates assembled in a conference to deliberate upon new marriage alliances duly checked with the respective at these places. Among these Sabha Gachhis, the Sabha Gachhi near the outskirts of Madhubani city called as Saurath is considered as the oldest and the most popular. The conference itself was called Saurath Sabha. Similarly the Sabha Gachhi of Sasaula village near the city of Sitamarhi is also very popular and is still live. The Sabha Gachhi of Sasaula village is known as Sasaula Sabha Gachhi.
.
Current status
Due to progressive loss of Panjis, Panjikars taking up modern professions and increasing cosmopolitan behaviour, the practice of fixation of marriage by consulting Panjis is dying. There have been cases reported of sale of Panjis to foreign agencies
[2]. The recent Saurath sabhas are all but deserted
[3]. Increasingly, people are looking forward to more modern methods of match making like internet, rather than centuries old palm leaves.
Digitisation of Panjis
Since in the modern era
Saurath Sabha is losing the preferences for wedding negotiations place and the next generation of the families of the
Panjikars are also not interested in the profession of Panjikars and they are shifting towards other jobs, there was threat to lose the handwritten
Genealogy records forever. It is said that Mithila region has more than four lakhs manuscripts of the genealogical records of the
and
. Therefore, in 2017, the National Mission for Manuscripts initiated a mission for the digitisation of the handwritten manuscripts of the Panjis at Saurath Sabha in Mithila region. According to the National Mission for Manuscripts, the officers are facing many difficulties while convincing for digitisation of the handwritten genealogical records.
Books on Panji System
-
Maithili Karna Kayasthak Panjik Sarvekshan, by Binod Bihari Verma
-
Maithil Brāhamano ki Pañji Vyavasthā (Hindi), by Pt Ramānāth Jhā, published by Granthālaya, Darbhangā.
-
Genome Mapping- 450 AD to 2009 AD- Mithilak Panji Prabandh, by Gajendra Thakur, published by Shruti Publication, 2009 Delhi ISBN No.978-81-907729-6-9
-
Panji System in Maithil Karna Kayastha: A Sociological Evaluation, By:
External links
