Badalapur (Amcha gaon) 1933 
(A social, economic, religious and historical study of a village)

Badlapur is situated  forty two miles away  from Mumbai. The railway station named Badlapur is on the Mumbai-Pune railroad. However, the village is one and half miles from the station. The Ulhas river flows half way from the village. A hill in the east demarcates the eastern boundary  of the village. 

 Badlapur is a kasaba village. It falls in Choan Mahal. Kalyan was a Prant and Rajmachi taluka. It was a practice of the government administration to describe the village as “ Kasabe  Badlapur  tarf  Choan  Prant  Kalyan  Taluke  Rajmachi”.

The three rural settlements, Temghar, Talimghar and Badlapur together make the existing Badlapur. The population of the village is about 2300. There are about 32 communities living in Badlapur. They include Brahman, Gowardhan, Maratha, Kunbi, Mahar, Chambhar, Muslims etc. Gowardhan and Muslim communities settled here much earlier than Brahman community. Mokashi and Oak are the two prominent families in the Brahman community in this village.

The total land is about 1218 acre. Out of it 522 acre land grows paddy. It yields 601  khandi  rice. (one khandi = 750 Kg)   The rest of the land is a grassland (varkas). This grass is used for the preparation of rice fields for the crop (burning the grass over the field to wake the fertile soil). The chief occupation of the people in Badlapur is agriculture (growing rice). Earlier, there were number of rice varieties grown. But, now it is Kolamba only. The rice yield is not enough for the population. Out of  2300 people, rice eaters are 1525. 

They need 1725  khandi  rice annually. The author has discussed in detail the agriculture of Badlapur.

Hay and cattle are the other  sources of income. There is 1200 cattle in the village. Only 51 acre land is available for grazing. It is not sufficient to feed so many cattle. 

 The author has raised an important point. People are a part of the society and the nation. They should be useful to each other. They should interact with each other. It is a  quality of a civilized society. Badlapur does not contribute anything to the nation save land tax on . The Government spends Rs. 3496.0 annually by direct ways. Badlapur in return pays 11,185.0 to the Government. That amounts to Rs. 7689.0 as annual payment in the form of taxes. There was a battle in 1779 in Badlapur between the British and Peshwa. A detailed account of the conflict is given. The author has presented two letters (3 and 11 February 1781) written by Vasudev and Parshurambhau Patwardhan in this regard (pages 369 and 492).

Several documents show that Peshwa administration was very much streamlined and efficient (page  360). The author has presented several letters of the Peshwa time. Monetary accounts have also been given in detail.

The sociological, economic and historical survey of 30 communities has been presented in this book. Besides, there are chapters on agriculture, forests, market, epidemics and diseases, births and deaths, addictions, education, village deity and snakes.

In the ‘Epilogue’, the author has discussed the reasons/causes of the decline of the financial condition or monetary assets of the village people.

The author has made an important  observation. That many traditional rites and practices are common  among different castes and communities. For example, marriage ceremony takes place in bride’s house, the married partners are called  umbrya-umbri. Deities such as  Khandoba, Bahiri and Bhavani are common. 
To demand money for the bride is also a common practice in many communities. 

 The bridegroom is supposed to shave the hair on the face (moha) before going for marriage ceremony. Though this practice is there in many communities, it is not practised  by  Brahmanas.
Remarriage (pat) by widows is allowed in Bahujan communities. In Kunbi community remarriage is called gandharva. In all these communities, remarriage ceremony is done in the night because it is considered undignified.

In all the religious and cultural practices mama (maternal uncle) has a prominent role to play. His presence in all the ceremonies is important. 

To carry cooked rice along with the funeral is a practice in all non-Brahman communities. Except  agnihotri, the dead body of all other people is kept on the pyre in a prostrate position. This practice is however, not followed now-a-days. In non-Brahman communities, the pyre is ignited from the hind end, In Brahman community, only the female body is ignited from the hind end. 

In Katkari community, the dead body (male or female) is carried by women upto the outskirts of the village. In this community, the pyre is ignited from both the  ends simultaneously. The author has listed many such practices.

It is a belief that the person who contracts small pox (Devi) becomes an oracle and whatever that person asks for is believed to be the wish of the Devi (goddess). Songs related to this are sung. The songs are presented  in the book.

Kasaba,Chaon Mahal, taluka, prant  : Hierarchical Administrative divisions
Kolamba : A variety of rice
Agnihotri : The person who maintains fire to be used for yajna continuously without extinguishing it

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