Sant Shri Sevalal Maharaj

SATGARU SEVALAL Maharaj was born on 15 Feb,1739 to parents Shri Dharmani Yaadi (mother) and Shri Bhima Naik on this holy land around 271 years back. At that time this location was popularly known as Ramagundam or Ramji Naik Tanda (Ramji Naik is grand father of Sevabhaya, who come to the location with 360 families of his Tanda and about 3755 loaded cattles). Ramji Naik Tanda when deserted by the end of 18th century, the local people built a village known as  Cherlopalli (చెర్లోపల్లి ) This land now falls in the revenue village of Golaldoddi, Taluk / Mandal – Gooty, Dist. Anandpur, Andhra Pradesh.


Sevabhaya lived with his parents at this place upto the age of 12. He bathed in “Kaliya Kund” (transparent clean water of natural spring water pond), worshipped in Chennakesava (Shiva) temple on the top of the Chandrayanagutta (hill) nearby Ramji Naik Tanda and grazed his cattle in “Zandi Zhol” (Forest of Palms). All the relics and monuments are existings even today. Banjaras and non-Banjaras in the locality hold Bhima Naik Katta (platform) in high esteem and reverence since the “ORE” (residue) of Satgaru Sevalal Maharaj is buried under the ground of this platform which is the tradition of the Banjaras to bury the residue after the delivery of the baby. Shri Bhima Naik delivered his judgements to Banjaras of his and neighbouring Tandas from this Katta.

In narration and in praise of sevabhaya’s life and deeds, there are abundant folk songs and folklores sung and oral history is also told by Banjaras for last 250 years. It is mentioned that “Gooty – Bellary – Ma – Janam lido Sevabhaya” (meaning : Sevabhaya was born at Gooty – Bellary). Gooty taluka was in the then Bellary District of the then Mysore province of British Raj. During that period there was no separate District called Anantapur as the Anantapur town was part of Bellary District. In Golaldoddi revenue village there is a piece of land of 18 acres next to dilapidated Ramji Naik Tanda and the same is shown in revenue records as “Nayakuni Bhoomi” (land of Nayak). It is also mentioned in the book “Sevadas Leelamrut” authored by Sant Shri Ramrao Maharaj of Pohragad (Sevabhaya’s Samadhi place) that Gooty Bellary was birth place of Sevabhaya. Sant Shree Ramrao Maharaj is living Sant of Seventh generation of Shri Sevabhaya family. Even well known author, poet and Banjara folk singer Shri Atmaram Rathod of Yevatmal (Maharashtra) has also established the same location in his popular book “Shri Sant Sevadas Leela Charitra” as Sevabhaya’s birth place.

Gor people are today found living in twenty-nine states and seven union territories in India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.

Eventhough they are living in different states in India, their traditions, culture, their dialect called “Gor Boli”, their social and religious customs and habits, their colorful dress and songs and so on are all alike. By their appearance and particularly by the colorful and gorgeous dress of their women folk, they could be easily recognized as Gor's in any part of India and the whole world. At the very outset, it would be necessary to point out some of the misconceptions and discrepancies in the versions of the Gor bards and geneologists called Dhaadis and Bhaats and also in the writings of several authors on Gor dynasty, its origin, spread and so on.

Since Gor's were a migratory tribe throughout till about 1700 A.D., when they started settling down in permanent encampments called “Tandas”, and were uneducated, one finds a lot of inconsistent traditions, beliefs and anecdotes about their origin, spread etc. The Dhaadis and Bhaats who were also uneducated have fabricated their own traditions, legends and versions of anecdotes. There are a number of inconsistent confusing and conflicting versions given by different Dhaadis and Bhaats in different areas.


TANDA, THE LAST CAPITAL OF GOR : The first mention of this place by a European is Ralph Fitch’s in 1585: “Tanda is in the land of Gauren (GOR). Great trade and traffique is here of cotton and of cloth of cotton. The people goe naked, with a little cloth bound about their waste. It standeth in the countrey of Bengala. Here be many tigers, wild bufs, and great store of wilde foule: they are very great idolaters. Tanda standeth from the river Ganges a league, because in times past the river, flowing over the banks, in time of raine did drowne the countrey and many villages, and so they do remaine. And the old way the river Ganges was woont to run remaineth drie, which is the occasion that the citie doth stand so farre from the water.”

Locality Name : Cherlopalli (చెర్లోపల్లి ) 
Mandal Name : Gooty
District : Anantapur 
State : Andhra Pradesh 
Region : Rayalaseema 
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Language : Telugu and Urdu 
Time zone: IST (UTC+5:30) 
Elevation / Altitude: 370 meters. Above Seal level 
Telephone Code / Std Code: 08552 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Assembly constituency : assembly constituency 
Assembly MLA : R. Jithendra Goud 
Lok Sabha constituency : ANANTAPUR parliamentary constituency 

Parliament MP : J.C. Divakar Reddi