Dhodia Doctors
The Dhodia are located in the extreme southeastern districts of Gujarat, a state in northwestern India. Their villages lie in the hilly regions south of the Tapi River. The Dhodia are the highest ranking tribe and the third largest tribal group in Gujarat. They speak Dhodia, a Bhil language.
Long ago, prosperity within Gujarat State attracted people from all the surrounding states. Gujarat became a target of the Maratha tribes, who made annual raids to the region for several years. Eventually, the Muslims fortified the area east of Surat in order to reap its economic benefits. War continued between the Monghals, the Maratha, and the Portuguese over the Gujarat territory.
1817, the British had risen to power. In the years that followed, they attempted to mend what the Maratha had left by dispersing farmland among the settlers. In 1930, Gandhiji demanded the British to withdraw from India. The Dhodia, a non-aggressive people, retreated deeper into the hills during the conflict