Once upon a time, the whole of India was a possession of indigenous / Adivasi / Tribal peoples of India. They were kings, and civilised peoples with great heritage of their own which is amalgamated as India tradition and not theirs.. In Mahabharata, Ramayana and in other historical times, till today, they fought with all the major powers, incoming peoples in the country, to their Adivasi habitats who pushed them back and back, as equals. But time was never in their favour and these incoming or encroaching peoples to their states and Adivasi habitats, deprived them totally in till today, calling them vanvasi and many other unacceptable names in derogatory, depriving and undignified manner while imposing their own social life, languages and cultures. Whereas their history was a glorious one and it was a complete culture of their own, then, which needs to be re-discovered today by Discovery Channel, BBC, Survival International, Cultural Survival, Indian and International Human rights organisations, Amnesty International, NGOs respecting their cultural and historical heritage working among them, progressive writers groups, students and researchers of history and pre history, cultural anthropologists and others in media. Only these ones can do much needed justice to restore their historically damaged image and distorted past by the incoming peoples who are until these days are discrediting the indigenous, Adivasis and tribals of India. These are the urgent needs in the fields of human and cultural rights of indigenous / Adivasis / tribals of India.
Needless to say that all over In India there were thousands of Adivasi kings, being remembered even today in tribals oral traditions in folk memories which are fading away today. Remnants of these tribal / Adivasi kings are still found today in several parts of India, e.g. among Mahadev Kolis of Thana district(M.S.), Bhils of Dang(Gujarat), Gonds of Mandla (M.P.), Khasis of Shillong (Meghalaya), Baria Bhils of Devgargh Baria of Dahod District(Gujarat), Bhils of many regions in South and Centre Rajasthan, etc.
The physical remains of the glorious past of a tribal king of Mahadev Kolis on Western Ghats in Maharashtra, between Nasik-Mumbai road, in the Jawhar Taluka of Thane district, some 120 km East of Mumbai(Bombay), is the glorious and visible example of the MUKNE dynasty of the Adivasi kings of Mahadev Kolis. The palace of the Adivasi Maharaja, built in 1940, 1 km away from Jawhar on Jawhar-Mumbai raod still stands in beautiful shape and style. It was built in 1940, at the time of British Raj, by Maharaja Yashwantrao Mukne, son of Maharaja Vikramshah Mukne, who was the son of Maharaja Patang Shakne Mukne, says the oral tradition of Mahadev Lolis, reports one of the oldest servant and care taker of the place Bhavlo Lokhande (60). The present Maharaja was a pilate retired from his service and now Bhavlo says resides somewhere in Pune or Mumbai, he is not supposed to reveal.
The Juna Rajwada(Old Palace ) of Mukne Maharajas too is found adjoining to the town of Jawhar in a delapidated state partially, but speaks strongly of ther tribals' glorious past
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