Semwal

Semwal
Classification	Brahmin
Religions	Hinduism
Languages	Garhwali , Sanskrit
Country	India
Populated states	Uttarakhand
Related groups	Garhwali people

Semwal is one of the thirty-six subcastes of Sarola Brahmin from Uttarakhand.^[1] They are the sole custodians and pandits of the Gangotri temple. They are a major priestly class serving as pandits or pujaris in many major shrines like Tunganath, Rudranath and Kedarnath. They fall under the category of Panch Gauda Brahmins.

Etymology[]

The name "Semwal" originates from a place called Sem-Mukhem (Hindi:सेम-मुखेम) in Uttarakhand, abode to the shrine of Sem-Mukhem Nagraj (Hindi: सेममुखेम नागराज) often considered among the locals as the fifth shrine of the Chota Char Dham pilgrimage of which the Semwals are permanent serving priests.^[2][3] Apart from this the origin of the name can also be traced from Sem gaon in karnaprayag Chamoli district and also from Semwal gaon in Tehri garhwal.

Origin[]

The Semwal brahmins at Gangotri have also maintained an age old system of book keeping known as "Bahi khata" (manuscripts having description of ancestry) that traces back the lineage of any particular member belonging to the Semwal brahmin caste,^[4] which is said to have records up till the progenitors of the Gotras itself. The significance of the system is that in Brahmanical culture one is required to have the knowledge about seven of their forefathers to ensure the gotra of a person, although such practices are fading and now there are only a handful of families following such a notion.

See also[]

• Sarola Brahmin

References[]