Berads: Renowned fighters of the Deccan

The Berads of the Deccan are a denotified tribe residing in large parts of west Maharashtra and north Karnataka. Berads were once renowned fighters, courted by powers such as Shivaji, the Bahmani kingdoms and Mysore. 

The hard life in the forests and hills endowed the Berads with resilience and physical prowess, essential traits for warriors. Berads were united under chiefs along clan lines; the consequent coherent fighting structure made them lean but deadly brigades. Adoption of muskets and disciplined volley-fire made them a very valuable asset. The coordinated fire of the Berads could cut down masses of enemies. They could also harass supply lines and vulnerable enemy units with sudden strikes. For nearly two centuries the Deccan Berads gained power by offering military services, till the changing Maratha system and British paramountcy suppressed them.

Berads are members of the Beda/Veda forest-dweller communities found all over South India. It is believed that the Berads migrated to their present lands from the deeper south, assimilating other tribes and members of other castes along the way. Before settling down as pastoralists or even farmers, the Berads were known for raiding trade routes and villages bordering the forests. The Berads’ military ascent apparently began in the late 16th century; sources speak of Berad strongholds emerging after Vijayanagar’s collapse in 1565 C.E. 

The Berads earned a reputation for valour and efficacy in the struggle for supremacy in post-Vijayanagar Deccan. Berad chiefs titled themselves “Nayakas” and established strongholds all over the Deccan. One of these strongholds, in Shorapur in north Karnataka, grew in power and became a major ally of Bijapur. At the peak of its power, this Berad dominion reportedly fielded over 100,000 infantry, including thousands of musketeers.

Shivaji recruited many Berads as irregular infantry and fort garrisons, while other Berads such as the Shorapur state aided Bijapur. Less charitable histories, perhaps coloured by caste parochialism and colonial British perceptions, claim that Shivaji recruited and resettled Berads only to prevent them from raiding his own lands. During the Mughal conquests of the Bahmanis, the Berad forces (and the Marathas) aided Bijapur and Golconda. 

Though the Mughals prevailed the Berad forces inflicted great causalities. By 1687 the Mughals conquered Bijapur and Golconda, but the Berads continued to fight. Aurangzeb tried to accommodate them by granting Mansabs (imperial titles) to some chiefs but it did not stop them from rebelling whenever they got a chance. The last battle Aurangzeb personally commanded was against a powerful Berad chief in Waginkheda in 1705. The Berads and their Maratha allies mauled the Mughals but had to retreat.

Berad power waned as they kept losing territories to the Mughals. Despite this, a “Sanskritisation” process developed as a result of their military legacy and presence in the Maratha army. The title “Ramoshi” (from Rama-Vamshi) became popular, especially in Maharashtra. However, their status deteriorated from the mid-18th century. At this juncture, the Chhatrapatis’ power diminished and the administration became dominated by Peshwas who limited Berad participation in the changing state. 

The Berads’ failure to establish lasting socio-political accommodation with established powers when they had the chance made them vulnerable in the caste politics of the Maratha Confederacy. Berads soon found limited space in this new Maratha system, alongside communities such as Mahars. The Maratha Confederacy’s army was quite eclectic: Brahmins, Marathas, Arab mercenaries, Pindaris, Naga Sadhus, Gardi Muslims, etc. Even here Berads were largely kept out since the 1750s. 

Status as tribals and the legacy as raiders perhaps worked against them – especially when mainstream and foreign talent was readily available. The Berads were relegated to watchman duties in rural settlements. Later military history of Marathas finds meagre mention of Berads, and other formerly prominent warrior communities such as the Kolis and Mavles. However, the Berads settled further south found favour with Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. 

Following Tipu’s death and British consolidation in South India, the military role of these Berads also ended.

The Berad decline accelerated when the British became the paramount power in India. The chaos of colonial wars forced many communities on the margins, including Berads, into robbery and banditry. British forest policies created conflicts over forest rights and drove Berads further to desperation. From the 1820s, Berads rallied under leaders such as Umaji Naik and rebelled against British oppression. The rebellions encouraged other downtrodden communities to revolt. 

Rebellions flared up intermittently till the 1860s, despite being brutally crushed at every instance. Their umpteen rebellions and their refusal to disarm earned British ire: Berads were classified a ‘criminal tribe’ under the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871. The debilitating impact of demonisation endures to this day. The criminal tribe classification was repealed in independent India, but the stigma and negative perceptions remain. Within the Berad community efforts to raise awareness of the warrior and rebel past continue. Given the current clash of narratives of Bhima-Koregaon perhaps the Berads’ notable past would also receive more public attention.

The author, an IIM Ahmedabad graduate working in the energy sector, has a keen interest in history, politics, and strategic affairs