The Romani Hindu Faith/Dharma, Culture & History

The origin of the name Roma, Domari & Loma In a part of South Asia historically known as Bharat (nowadays India, Pakistan, Nepal & Bangladesh) exists a group of people called the Domba or Dom (which is either ethnic group or caste umbrella of various jatis within Śudra varna ), in Sanskrit known as  ḍoma  (pronounced as Roma, with retroflexed R , which in some Romani dialects survives till present). The Domba/Dom are mostly nomadic group , but exists settled down communities, most of them are of Śudra varna and very few of them are Dalits. The Dom are among other things musicians, blacksmiths, snake-leaders and acrobats. Which corresponds with traditional Romani jobs. Its presumed root,  ḍom , which is connected with drumming , is linked to  damara  and  d amaru , Sanskrit terms for "drum" and the Sanskrit verbal root डम्  ḍam-  'to sound (as a drum)', perhaps a loan from  D ravidian , e.g. Kannada   ḍamāra  'a pair ...

Among the Roma People you may often hear that some Roma are degeša. What it means? Word "degeš" is original Aryan word, to call someone who got ritually "tainted". Basically, as a degeš is seen someone who does something ritually unclean. Be it work, cooking style, behaviour or eating ritually unclean things. Work As you may know, among the Roma existed various castes which originate in India. For example the musicians, blacksmiths (the blacksmiths worked same as in India, sitting), adobe throwers, sieve-makers, bear-leaders, acrobats, buy-sell traders and before coming to Europe snake-leaders. (Those are few I named) Ritually upper castes were these which worked "with head" than with hands, and if hands depended what work they did. For example the traders and musicians are ritually highest castes, while adobe-throwers one of lowest. Blacksmiths are intermediate. There were ritually totally unclean jobs, which included work as farmers, as digging in the gr...

Sara la Kali = Sharika Devi = incarnation of goddess Durga in Kashmir In France there is Sara la Kali (probably Christianised Kashmiri version of goddess Sharika Devi = Durga), Catholic Church made her a saint. The believers go into the sea and immerse there every year to get rid of their sins and bad deeds in the sea, which becomes holy because they bring there the statue of Sara la Kali. Note: It´s possible that Sara Kali = goddess Kali _ Old Prayer ways of the Roma & Sinti (Based on historical accounts from whole Europe, especially northern) Prayer to Devla (Hindu Param Brahman = Absolute Reality) was taken as private conversation between the believer with Devla and it still somewhat exists till nowadays. Prayer to the Sun (Kham or Khamoro) was very common among the Roma in Russia, Ukraine and Moldova and consisted of calls to the Sun, asking something from the Sun and bowing to the Sun. Prayer to the Tree (very similar to India's Dharkar tribe's way), the person which i...

The word Bohemian used as an exonym for the Roma in France and other French-speaking countries, same as in some cases in Spain is because the Roma came there in 15th Century from Bohemia which is a part of the nowadays Czech Republic. It was because those Roma said that they are Bohèmiens = Czechs .

The origin of the Servika Roma and Ungrika Roma --- or how the Vlax Roma use to call us all "Romungre". Who are the "Romungre" in general? Also known as Hungarian Roma are the ethnic group living in the Hungarian language area and Slovakia. Their original language are various dialects of the Carpathian Romani. Their traditional occupations: musicians, nailers, horseshoes, adobe throwers... Ungrika Roma or Magyarcigányok = Hungarian Roma/"Gypsies" Servika Roma = Serbian Roma, nowadays mostly known as Slovačika Roma = Slovakian Roma Both used to name themselves as Kherutne Roma = Roma with the houses in contrast with the nomadic Vlaxs who came to Hungary later. Even all Romungre used to be nomadic before forceful settlement of the Roma directed by the Austria-Hungary. Now we will go back to the history. Originally the ancestors of the Ungrika Roma and Servika Roma were called the Pajibano which meant "those who wander" or "wanderers" or ...