Q- In what ways was cultivation practised in Maharashtra by Dhangars?
Answer- Dhangars practised cultivation in Maharashtra by the following ways:
·Dhangars flock manured the fields and fed on stubble. The Konkani peasants also gave supplies of rice which the shepherds took back to the plateau where grain was scarce.
·After the kharif harvest was out at this time, the fields had to be fertilised and made ready for the rabi harvest.
·With the onset of monsoon, the Dhangars left the Konkan and the coastal areas with other flocks and returned to their settlements on the dry plateau.
·This was a flourishing agricultural tract with high rainfall and rich soil. Here, the shepherds were welcomed by the Konkani peasants.
·By October, the Dhangars harvested their bajra and moved westward. After a march of about a month, they reached the konkan.
·Since the land is semi-arid with low rainfall, nothing but dry crops like bajra could be sown here.
·During monsoons, this tract became a vast grazing ground for the Dhangars flocks.
·They stayed in the central plateau of Maharashtra during the monsoon.