Damara Tribes of Kashmir refer to a certain race of people who occupied northern Kashmir a long time back. The Damaras is "Bojars" or feudal landowners and barons. The word "Damara" is of common occurrence in Kalhana"s Rajatarangini and the people to whom it relates play a very significant part in the history of Kashmir, especially during the times of the first and the second Lohara dynasties. The word is generally held to mean a turbulent, rebellious tribe. They are believed to be a rebellious group of landlords and barons who supported uprisings against the rulers and created political havoc.
History of Damara Tribe
The whole of the medieval history of Kashmir is full of the struggle of the monarchy against this section of society, which not only endangered the very existence of the ruling dynasty, but also became a terror to the rest of the population. The Damara tribes appear to have been rather like the "Batakas" or heads of the indigenous class of Buganda, who exercised their authority by right. At first, they do not appear to have been very strong, but later, under weak rulers, they eventually got very powerful and they emerged into a position of great importance by the time of the Lohara dynasties. The whole of the strife during the times of the Lohara dynasties may be interpreted as an attempt on the part of the kings to super-impose a system of political authority on tribal custom and of the Damara tribal community. It was an effort to assert their authority and attain offices of state, especially when they had made themselves economically secure.
Emergence of Damara Tribe
Regarding the conditions under which the Damaras acquired and held their landed property, there seems to have been a kind of service tenure. The grant of land in return for military or other services may have been the original foundation of the system. In one instance, King Chakravarman, after losing his throne, came to the house of the Damara Samgrama and asked for his help to get it back. The Damara made him promise to look upon all of his class at all times in kindness. Thereafter they entered into a solemn pact and mutually took an oath. It was only after this agreement that King Chakravarman was able to collect a numberless host of Damaras to help him.
Society of Damara Tribe
In the second Rajatarangini they are mentioned as "Dombas". It has also been suggested that the Damaras were descendants of Sudras, an inferior class. In a certain passage, Kalhana praises the wife of the Damara Kosthaka who became a Sati when her husband was mortally wounded and he attributes this exceptional conduct to the lady`s noble descent from a family of Rajputs. As Sati was a very common practice at that time and was much esteemed among Brahmins and Kshatriyas especially, it appears that Damara women, not belonging to the higher strata of society in matters of caste, did not immolate themselves. They were seen following a number of customs which are also found among the Khonds in other parts of India.
