Bhagiyas are traditional advisers to Maldhari pastoralists in Banni, Kutch, whose knowledge spans livestock care, medicinal plants, weather, animal breeds and grassland ecology. Their expertise is passed on mainly by word of mouth, and a 2023 report described the number of highly regarded elder practitioners as very small.
Who are the Bhagiyas of Banni?
Banni is a grassland region in Kutch district, Gujarat, where Maldharis make their living largely through livestock and access to grazing land. A Bhagiya is a trusted local expert whom pastoralists may consult when an animal is ill, a buffalo is having a difficult delivery, or a family needs to understand the land and its plants. As Maldhari pastoralist Samir Mohammad put it: “If our animal falls ill, we call the Bhagiya – that is how it has always been.”
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The role is broader than that of a traditional animal healer. Bhagiya knowledge draws on generations of observation and includes animal treatment, plant identification, weather signs, breed selection and the changing condition of grazing areas. These strands are connected in daily pastoral life: an understanding of local plants, animals and seasons can help families make decisions about their herds and livelihoods.
What does Bhagiya knowledge cover?
Animal care and medicinal plants
Sahjeevan’s 2011 documentation recorded 337 treatments for 39 animal diseases using 35 native plant and herb species. The report describes, for example, boiling Desi Baval (Acacia nilotica) and rubbing it on an area affected by arthritis, and applying ground Kerad (Capparis decidua) bark to maggot wounds. It notes that veterinary comparisons associate Desi Baval with anti-inflammatory properties and Kerad with astringent properties.
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These examples are reported traditional practices, not instructions for treating an animal. The account does not establish that a remedy is clinically effective or safe in a particular case. An animal that is ill or injured needs assessment by a qualified veterinary professional; trying a remedy instead could delay appropriate care.
Grassland, plants and weather
The expertise also includes close observation of Banni’s ecology. The report says Bhagiya Haji Gul Mohammad could identify about 56 kinds of local grass and explain which might increase buffalo milk production or tolerate saline ground. Such knowledge can help pastoralists understand forage in a landscape where grazing conditions matter to herd management.
Some practitioners also read environmental signs. Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology director Vijay Kumar recalled a Bhagiya who predicted weather by observing the tide and the sea’s colour. Kumar said climate change had made that prediction less reliable. The account offers this as an example of a locally developed skill whose usefulness can be affected as conditions change—not as a dependable forecast for current planning.
Breeds, breeding and livestock markets
Isa bhai Muttwa of the Banni Breeders Association described Bhagiyas as able to judge an animal’s breed purity by sight, advise on selective breeding and help mediate confidential price negotiations. Those abilities connect inherited knowledge to both herd management and livestock markets.
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The Banni buffalo was recognised as a distinct breed in 2010. The report describes it as productive, drought-tolerant and disease-resistant, and as able to withstand harsh conditions. The account presents Bhagiya expertise as one contributor to maintaining breed characteristics; it does not suggest that any one adviser or practice alone accounts for the breed’s qualities.
Why is this knowledge at risk of disappearing?
Bhagiya knowledge is largely oral, passed from elders to younger relatives and community members rather than preserved in a comprehensive written record. That makes the loss of an elder more than the loss of one practitioner: knowledge accumulated across generations may disappear with them if it has not been shared or documented. The report recounts the death of Salim mama as a loss of knowledge he had inherited.
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In conditions described in 2023, Imran Muttwa, a Sahjeevan cluster coordinator and Banni community member, estimated that “probably five or six such old-school Bhagiyas” remained in Banni. This is a time-specific estimate, not a verified current count. The report also says younger people were often less interested in learning the role, while some members of Bhagiya families worked as drivers or pursued other occupations.
There is an economic challenge as well. Bhagiyas generally counsel people without charge because they regard their ability as a gift, while their own livelihoods still depend on livestock. The Gujarat Animal Husbandry department was reported to have no direct role in preserving or documenting Bhagiya knowledge, although it supported non-governmental organisations such as Sahjeevan indirectly.
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Sahjeevan, a non-profit working in the region, has approached preservation through both documentation and teaching. Its 2011 report recorded the treatments, diseases and plant species described above. Recording knowledge can make it less dependent on a single person’s memory, though written material alone cannot replace the experience of learning from practitioners.
The organisation also initiated a University Grants Commission-certified course described as 300 hours long, with 12 modules on subjects including ecology, insects, soil, climate change, pastoralism and elders’ knowledge. Students visit villages and learn from senior practitioners. By the time of the 2023 report, two batches of 50 students had completed the course. Those figures describe the programme as reported then; they do not establish its current enrolment or status.
The two approaches address different parts of the problem: documentation can preserve specific knowledge, while teaching creates opportunities for younger people to encounter it directly. For a tradition grounded in observation and practice, the continued involvement of experienced knowledge holders is central to both.
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