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Chirner village near Panvel - The village of forest satyagraha and the ancient ghadegals

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The year 1930, September 25th in Raigad district near Panvel, an incident took place in village of Chirner that shook not only India but the entire British Government. It was the year when civil disobedience and salt satyagraha was at its peak against the British. To make a mark and raise a voice against the oppression of Government, Indian leaders started salt satyagraha, and the movement of disobedience moved to other forms also like forest satyagraha or violation of forest law, nonpayment of land revenue etc. Though these was being organized across India, the one forest satyagraha at small villages in Raigad district near present day Panvel gained lot of attention. The British administration did not want the villagers to cut the forest trees without paying as it was loss of revenue while the villagers did not want to pay any revenue to government and also needed wood for their basic needs. A mass forest law violation in nonviolent form was organized at villages in Chirner, Kalhe, ...
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Gadhegals or Asscurse stones - The territorial markers of medieval times

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Asscurse stone or Ghadegal literal translation in local language is "gadhe" means donkey and "gal" means stone. These are rock edict that dates back to mostly Shilahara dynasty that ruled between 8th century to 12th century but few stones have been found to be from later period like 14th and 15th century. The stones were declarations of land grants bestowed on families and that a curse or punishment would fall in case someone violated the order. These steles had some peculiar and common features like on the top showing sun, moon and kalasa indicating the grant would remain till perpetuity, Kalasha indicating that it bestows prosperity upon the grantee and sculptural panel showing imagery of donkey and a female in a sexual congress, the meaning of this imagery is that anyone who oppose or dispute the grant would be punished and as punishment the miscreants mother will be copulated with a donkey. Many of these edicts even had some inscriptions though not necessarily f...
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Dhenugal of Aarey - The land grant relics from medieval times

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Aarey forest lies on the fringes of Sanjay Gandhi National park, It became a hub of dairy industry when Dara Nusserwanji Khurody, milk commissioner of Bombay established Aarey milk colony in 1949-50. Aarey today acts as a buffer between the city and the forest of SGNP, one of the few green spaces left in the city. The road dissecting the Aarey forest provides easy connectivity between the western and eastern suburbs. But within the forest of Aarey lies close to over 25 settlements of the indigenious tribal hamlets or locally known as "padas", The tribals who have inhabited the forest for many generations and centuries. Marol - a locality today near Aarey was an area that has been inhabited in pre Portuguese era also. It is said that Marol was the economic capital during the Shilahara dynasty which ruled North Konkan during 8th to 12th century. It is also said that Raja Bimbdev from 13th century who established his kingdom and capital Mahikhavati at present day Mahim is also s...
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