History of Bhavani Villa

Danta was an 895 sq. km. Princely state ruled by the Parmars, descendants of the great King Vikramaditya of Ujjain. The Parmars made Chandravati their capital following the Arab conquest of 1200 AD. After the battle against Allauddin Khilji, they migrated to Tarsang. From there they moved to Danta three hundred and eighty years ago. Danta has a glorious past - of great kings, heroic warriors and gods who watched over them and sometimes stepped down onto earth to change the course of history. The care of the people of Danta is said to have been entrusted to the Parmars by Goddess Ambaji herself. Navratri Puja is performed by the Maharana of Danta in the famous temple at Ambaji every year .

Bhavani Villa offers a wide range of personalized services and facilities to help make your stay in Danta a memorable one.

Bhavani Villa has a delectable range of Indian cuisine on offer. Enjoy the food prepared for you by our traditional cooks and supervised by the lady of the house while absorbing the traditional ambience of our cosy and private dining room. You could also choose to sit outside and enjoy tea while enjoying a folk dance. ( on special request) The lush green hills and thick foliage make drives interesting and refreshing as you pass by hills, small tribal villages and mountain rocks. Each turn brings you to a breathtaking view of the majestic panorama of mountains all around and endless green fields. Choose to go for horse riding or cycle around at your leisure you certainly forget time and energise yourself with the scent of the green woods and cool mountain air as nature embraces you here!

Bhavani Villa is a Weekend Getaway Ex-Ahmedabad and is also visited as a part of Heritage Itinerary of Gujarat .

 

The Garasia, Bhil & Rabari Tribes of Danta

The Garasia and the Bhil tribes are the tribes that come along the Aravali Range. The tradition of the Garasia is very distinct and unique as does the language which combines Marwari and Gujarati leading to the "Adivasi" dialect. They are primarily agriculturists but also depend on the surrounding forests, selling its produce for income such as dry wood, honey, gum, bidi patta, lacer jamun, mango, rayan, wood apple ,custard apple and bear. The men work in the field while women take care of the home. The Garasia settlements are very difficultly placed and you will never find a cluster of the huts, normally the distance between the tribal huts is that of shouting range.

The Garasia tribe believes in ancestral worship and erects memorial stones called "suras" over the buried bones of their dead. During the "Chitra Vichitra" fair they mourn and wish peace for departed souls .The Garasia believe in "Bhakar Bhavsingh" ,the supreme deity. "Bakhar" is the name of a hill range in the Garasia territory while "Bhavsingh" is a mountain whose mount is a horse. This ties in with their tradition of offering terracotta figures, usually horses, when they want to communicate with the divine. Once the offering is made and prayers are given, they believe that the spirit inside the horse is absorbed by the deity and all that remains is the terracotta figure, which is left to disintegrate.

Rabaris are tribes that are nomadic settlements around Danta. They usually come from south west Rajasthan .They are cattle rearers and they move with their cattle grazing them and cross large distances in search of fodder. Their marriages are within the family and often there is an exchange, like the brother sisters of one family marrying into the same of another . Incase, the groom doesn't have any sister to offer to the bride's brother in that case the groom has to render his services for 7 long years to the girl's house. In this arduous tenure he may have to plough the fields, graze the cattle and assist in all household work in a way of proving himself to be worthy of the bride of the house. If he can't then he has to pay a hefty sum of money as declared by the Rabari Panchayat. Traditions and customs are followed very strictly and they wear the traditional dress for all the social occasions.