History & Heritage: Paliwal Brahmins

Your columnist traces his roots to the Paliwal Brahmins of Rajasthan’s Thar Desert, a once-prosperous community that turned the sands of Pali into farmland and bustling trade. Their abrupt exodus centuries ago, driven by excessive taxes and the cruelty of rulers, left over eighty villages deserted. 

Many migrated to other parts of Rajasthan, UP, Punjab, Haryana and the Himalayan foothills, carrying with them the habits of enterprise that had made them flourish. Some, drawn to the ascetic spirit of western India, embraced Jainism and spread further across the subcontinent. What was lost was not merely a people, but a finely balanced economy. Their story endures as a warning that when political greed overwhelms productive energy, even the most resilient societies can wither into dust.

The attached podcast explains.