# Vanjari Marriage Guide - Finding a Match, Wedding Customs and Biodata > A Vanjari vivah guide - where the community lives, its branches, wedding customs recorded in the district gazetteers, how families check kuli, gotra, surname and devak, and how to find Vanjari matches. - Page: https://vivahswapn.com/articles/vanjari-marriage-guide - In Marathi (मराठीत): https://vivahswapn.com/lekh/vanjari-vivah - Published 2026-11-10, by Raj Patil **A Vanjari vivah is usually arranged within the community, and before a match goes ahead the elders on both sides check kuli, gotra, surname and devak.** Most of the wedding follows the wider Marathi pattern. The Ahmednagar district gazetteer goes as far as recording that the social and religious customs of the Ravjin Vanjaris were the same as those of the Maratha-Kunbis. Some rites, though, appear in the records as the community's own: a devak of twigs from five trees, a married couple fetching that devak from the Maruti temple, and the *mamsala*, in which the groom's maternal uncle seats him on a horse. These details vary by region, by branch and by family, so read what follows as a guide and take the final word from your own elders. When a Vanjari proposal starts moving, the first questions are predictable: "Which kuli are you?", "What is the surname?", "What is your devak?". Young people who grew up in Pune or Mumbai often know only half of these words. This post is for those questions. Every claim below names the record it comes from, and anything we could not confirm has been left out. One thing to say at the start. This post is about lineage identity and marriage custom. It does not rank any community, branch or kuli, and nothing in it should be read that way. --- ## The Vanjari community and where it lives The Vanjaris are a Marathi-speaking community of Maharashtra. Older government records link the community to the trade of carrying grain, salt and goods on pack bullocks. Railways, trucks and roads ended that trade, and many families settled in villages and took to farming. The 1975 revised edition of the Nasik District Gazetteer says that the settled Vanjaris speak Marathi at home and, apart from the men's larger round-brimmed turban and their own surnames, can scarcely be told apart from Kunbis. These are the records on where the community lives that we were able to check: - **Ahmednagar.** The [Ahmednagar District Gazetteer](https://web.archive.org/web/20130104221935/http://cultural.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/Ahmadnagar/people_castes.html) (revised edition 1976, first edition 1884) records Vanjaris all over the district. - **Nashik.** The [Nasik District Gazetteer](https://web.archive.org/web/20120605023355/http://cultural.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/Nasik/006%20ThePeople/002%20Hindus.htm) (1975) says the Lad Vanjaris are scattered over the whole district and are also found in the Balaghat country near Ahmednagar. - **Beed.** The [Beed District Gazetteer](https://web.archive.org/web/20121230000743/http://cultural.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/Beed/people_tribes.html) (1969) names Ambajogai, Kaij and Majalgaon tahsils as where the Vanjaris and three other communities it lists with them were mainly found. - **Palghar.** According to the [Thane-Palghar Jilha Vanjari Samaj Hitvardhak Mandal](https://web.archive.org/web/20251111053610/http://www.vanjarisamajpalghar.com/about-vanjarisamaj.aspx), the community has 24 villages there: 19 in Palghar taluka, 2 in Dahanu taluka and 3 in Umbergaon taluka, which is now in Gujarat. These records are old, and none of them is a census. Vanjari families today live well beyond these districts, in cities such as Mumbai and Pune and abroad. We found no official count of Vanjari households by district, so we do not give one. A [Government of Maharashtra circular dated 9 January 2025](https://mahapolice.gov.in/uploads/df6c445f69813eea3bf1be1116e8f6e5.pdf) from the Other Backward Bahujan Welfare Department (no. संकीर्ण-२०२४/प्र.क्र.३०८/मावक) lists Vanjari under Nomadic Tribes-D (NT-D), with Vanjar, Vanjara and Lad Vanjari as synonymous names. The same list places Banjara in a separate category, Vimukta Jati-A. Old gazetteers sometimes write Vanjari and Laman or Banjara together, so keep that difference in mind when you read an older record. --- ## Branches within the Vanjari community The Vanjari community has branches, but there is no single agreed list of them. Different records give different names. - The Ahmednagar gazetteer gives four divisions: Bhusarjin, Ladjin, Mathurajin and Ravjin. It adds that the Ravjins were the main Ahmednagar group at the time. - The Palghar mandal names four branches in Maharashtra: Lad Vanjari, Mathuri Vanjari, Ravjin Vanjari and Shengada Vanjari. It writes that the Vanjaris of Palghar district are all Mathuri Vanjari, and that marriages with other Vanjari or Banjara groups still do not happen openly. - The Beed gazetteer (1969) names two sub-castes, Lad Vanjari and Lamani Vanjari. Its account runs the Vanjaris and the Lamanis together, which the present-day state list keeps apart, as described above. - The Nasik gazetteer calls the Lads the most important of the Vanjari sub-divisions. The [Sampurna Vanjari Samaj Utkarsh Mandal](https://vanjarimandal.in/about.html), Mumbai, publishes a list of kulis on its website, each with its Veda, its gotra and the surnames (*upnave*) that fall under it. On the same page the mandal says plainly that reliable information about the community's castes and sub-castes is not widely available to anyone, and asks people who know more to write in. That is the right way to treat any such list when you are matching. It is a useful reference, but the final answer for your family is with your elders. --- ## Customs specific to a Vanjari marriage The order of a Vanjari wedding is the familiar Marathi one: the proposal, haldi, devak, the mandap, the wedding rites and the groom's procession. The general Marathi rituals are covered in [Maharashtrian wedding rituals](https://vivahswapn.com/articles/maharashtrian-wedding-rituals). This section covers only the rites that the records describe as the community's own. ### Telvan The Nasik gazetteer (1975) names *telvan*, the anointing, and *devak* as the two most important Lad Vanjari marriage ceremonies. For the telvan, the bride and groom fast on the wedding day until nine in the morning. A washerwoman leads the ceremony. She ties betel leaves to an arrow, dips them in oil and sprinkles the oil on the couple. She then recites the names of their ancestors, sings for a while, bores holes through two betel nuts and ties one to each of their wrists with a woman's hair. A meal for the gathered guests follows. ### Devak: the five twigs from the Maruti temple By the same record, the devak follows the telvan almost at once. A married couple performs it, with the hems of their garments tied together. The woman carries a winnowing basket (*sup*) holding food grains and a cake of wheat flour and jaggery coloured yellow with turmeric. The man carries an axe and a rope. With a cloth held over their heads, they walk with the wedding party to the Maruti temple. There the Gurav or his wife waits with small twigs from five trees: mango, jambhul, umbar, rui and a fifth that the gazetteer spells "Savdanti". These five twigs are the *panchpalvi*, and they are tied to a post in the marriage booth. The gazetteer says that once the twigs are fastened to the post, the wedding can go ahead whatever obstacle arises, but without the devak it cannot take place at all. If the family fears that something may stand in the way, such as a birth or death among relatives or the ceremonial impurity of the bride's or groom's mother, the devak is sometimes installed earlier. The devak itself differs from place to place. The Ahmednagar gazetteer lists the Ravjin devaks as the panchpalvi, the feathers of the *tas* (the Indian roller, which older English books call the blue jay) and leaves of the betel vine. The Beed gazetteer (1969) gives the Lad Vanjari devak as the panchpalvi, leaves of five kinds of trees. The Utkarsh Mandal's lists give different devaks for different groups of surnames, among them sandalwood, coconut, peacock feather, tas feather, banana leaf, kadamb, and mango and jambhul leaves. There is no single "Vanjari devak". Ask your own family which one is yours. ### Mamsala, varghoda and haldi The Palghar mandal describes the older customs of the Mathuri Vanjaris there. The groom's maternal uncle would seat him on a horse and take him out in the *mamsala*. There was a *varghoda* procession and a *ruhana*. Villagers were invited with music to a meal, and the wedding ran for four days. The mandal writes that most of these events have now been cut down, and that the haldi is the one still celebrated in full. It also writes that the war deity (*randevata*) is always worshipped at a wedding, and that at a wedding or a thread ceremony the person putting on the sacred thread faces the deity, says "I am putting on the sacred thread" and bows. ### The groom's sister at the door The Nasik gazetteer records one more Lad Vanjari custom. When the groom comes home with his bride after the wedding, his sister shuts the door of the house and asks him to promise his future daughter in marriage to her son. Once the bride gives that promise, the door is opened. The gazetteer calls the custom peculiar to Vanjaris, and adds that it is not uncommon in other communities too. The gazetteer records are between fifty and about one hundred and forty years old. Weddings today happen in halls, over fewer days and on the priest's schedule, and many of these rites have been shortened or are not performed in some families. The older women in your family will know best how each rite is done in your house. --- ## Family deities, saints and temples The older records tie Vanjari family deities to the major Marathi temples. - The Ahmednagar gazetteer gives the Ravjin family deities as Bahiroba of Sonari, the Devi of Tuljapur and Khandoba of Jejuri. It says they went on pilgrimage to Jejuri, Pandharpur and Tuljapur, and that a local Brahman priest conducted their main ceremonies. - The Nasik gazetteer gives the Lad Vanjari household gods as Khandoba, Bhairoba, Devi and Ganapati, and mentions an image representing the ancestors, the *vadilancha tak*. The devak rite, as described above, centres on the Maruti temple. - The Beed gazetteer (1969) records the Lad Vanjaris' faith in the saint Bhagwanbaba. Sharing a kuldaivat is rarely a reason to turn down a match, because a handful of deities are the family deities of a great many households. How to find your kuldaivat and what role it plays in a wedding is covered in the [kuldaivat guide](https://vivahswapn.com/articles/kuldaivat-guide). --- ## What families check when matching Vanjari brides and grooms Nobody opens a gazetteer during a proposal. The elders usually ask about four things. 1. **Kuli.** The Nasik gazetteer says that among the Lad Vanjaris, members of the same family stock or gotra do not marry. The Utkarsh Mandal's list puts several surnames under each kuli, so two different surnames can belong to the same kuli. Ask for the kuli as well as the surname. 2. **Gotra.** The Utkarsh Mandal's list gives a gotra for each kuli. What a gotra is and why families avoid a same-gotra match is explained in [gotra and devak](https://vivahswapn.com/articles/gotra-devak-explained). 3. **Surname.** The Ahmednagar gazetteer records that among the Ravjin Vanjaris, the same surname was a bar to marriage but the same devak was not. In many Marathi communities a shared devak is what rules a match out, so this record is worth knowing. Ask at home which rule your family follows today. 4. **Devak.** Even when the surname and kuli differ, many families also ask about the devak. As shown above, the devak lists differ by branch and by surname group. The branch can come up as well. The Palghar mandal's account shows that in some areas families look for a match within their own branch. Many other families only check that the other side is Vanjari. Both approaches are common. State your family's expectation at the start of the conversation. If it comes up halfway through, both families lose time. If you do not know your kuli, gotra or devak, ask the oldest members of the family, the priest who performs your family's rites, or the priests at your kuldaivat's temple. Old wedding invitations sometimes print the gotra or the devak too. --- ## A biodata for a Vanjari marriage A Vanjari biodata that already answers the other family's first questions moves the conversation along faster. Alongside the usual details, fill in: - Community: Vanjari, and the branch if your family uses one (for example, Lad Vanjari) - Kuli and surname - Gotra - Devak - Kuldaivat and kuldevi - Native village, taluka and district Do not guess at anything your family does not know. Leaving a field empty or writing "not known" is fine. A wrong devak is harder to correct later than a blank one. For layout, photos and language, read the [Marathi biodata format guide](https://vivahswapn.com/articles/marathi-biodata-format-templates) and [how to make a marriage biodata](https://vivahswapn.com/articles/marriage-biodata-guide). If you are starting from scratch, our [free biodata maker](https://vivahswapn.com/marriage-biodata-maker) has gotra and devak fields with the horoscope details, and kul and kuldaivat fields with religion and community. It is free in full, needs no sign-up, and gives you the biodata as a PDF, Word file or JPEG. --- ## How to find Vanjari samaj matches on Vivah Swapn Vivah Swapn is a matrimony site for Marathi families. As of November 2026 there are two ways to look for Vanjari matches there. 1. **The Vanjari community page.** The [Vanjari matrimony](https://vivahswapn.com/community/vanjari) page has information for the community and a way to register. 2. **The "Community / caste" filter.** After you create a free account and profile, choose Vanjari in the "Community / caste" filter on the Matches page. You can combine it with age, height, religion, marital status, state, city and profiles with a photo. All of these basic filters are free. The detailed filters, which are education, occupation, income, diet, manglik, mother tongue and verified profiles only, come with a paid plan. When you fill in a profile, the gotra field is in the "Birth and horoscope" section. Write your kuli and devak in the "About family" description or in your biodata, so the other family has the answer at the first look. For what to put in your expectations, see [writing partner preferences](https://vivahswapn.com/articles/partner-preferences-guide). --- ## Frequently asked questions **Do Vanjari families check both kuli and gotra?** Community lists give a gotra and a set of surnames for each kuli, and the Nasik gazetteer records that among the Lad Vanjaris, people of the same family stock or gotra do not marry. So many families ask about both. The exact rule varies from family to family. **Is a match fine if the surnames are different?** Do not decide on the surname alone. Several surnames fall under one kuli, so two families with different surnames can still share a kuli. Ask for the kuli and the gotra along with the surname. **Are Vanjari and Banjara the same?** Old gazetteers sometimes write the two names together. Maharashtra's list of 9 January 2025, however, puts Vanjari under Nomadic Tribes-D and Banjara under Vimukta Jati-A, two separate categories. In a match, what counts is how each family describes itself. **What is the Vanjari devak?** There is no single one. The older records list the panchpalvi (twigs or leaves of five trees), the feathers of the tas bird and betel vine leaves, and community lists give still other devaks for different surname groups. Ask your elders which devak is your family's. **Are all these Vanjari wedding customs still followed?** Not all of them. The gazetteer records date from between the 1880s and 1975. The Palghar mandal itself writes that the wedding which once ran for four days has been cut down and that the haldi is now the main event. Present-day rites vary by family, village and priest. **How do I see Vanjari matches on Vivah Swapn?** Start from the [Vanjari matrimony](https://vivahswapn.com/community/vanjari) page, create a free profile, and choose Vanjari in the "Community / caste" filter on the Matches page. That filter is free. --- *The customs in this post come from the district gazetteers and Vanjari community websites linked above, as available in November 2026. Customs vary by region, branch and family.* --- ## Read next - [Gotra and devak explained](https://vivahswapn.com/articles/gotra-devak-explained) - [Kuldaivat - finding your family deity](https://vivahswapn.com/articles/kuldaivat-guide) - [Kunbi and Maratha - shared roots and what matters in a match](https://vivahswapn.com/articles/kunbi-maratha-marriage-guide) - [96 Kuli Maratha - clans, devak and marriage traditions](https://vivahswapn.com/articles/96-kuli-maratha-guide) --- ## Still looking for the right match? 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