Mahapatra

(“great vessel”) In parts of northern
India, the name of a debased brahmin
group whose members gain their livelihood primarily through receiving gifts,
particularly those given following a
death. Such brahmins do not actually
perform the rites for the dead, although
they are seen as symbolically representing the dead person. Their low status
stems from this connection with the
dead; the gifts they accept transfer the
inauspiciousness of death from the
family to the Mahapatra. This latter
assumption is reflected in the group’s
name—they are “vessels” into which
one can deposit such inauspiciousness,
and thus be rid of it. Such constant association with death and its inauspicious
qualities is seen as a highly undesirable
way to make a living, giving this group
extremely low social status, despite
being brahmins by birth. Despite their
debased status, they are a necessary part
of traditional society, in that they serve
as the means through which such inauspiciousness can be removed.
406
Mahapataka
The state of Maharashtra is home to the sculpted caves of Ellora.