Merat
| Total population |
|---|
| 334,000[1] |
| Regions with significant populations |
•  Pakistan •  India |
| Languages |
| Religion |
|
•[Islam] 100% • |
| Related ethnic groups |
|
• Cheetah • Meo • Qaimkhani • Sindhi-Sipahi • Khanzada |
The Merat are a Rajput community from the state of Rajasthan in India and the provinces of Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan. They are also known as Mer and Merat-Kathat.[2]
Contents |
History and Origin [edit]
 |
This section may require copy-editing. (September 2012) |
The Merat claim descent from Rao Mehraji and are named for their ancestor. Rao Mehraji was in the lineage of Rao Anhal Chauhan, who some believe to be the descendant of the Nadol Chauhans and others, as descended from Prithviraj Chauhan's brother Hariraj Chauhan. This is derived from local folklore, oral traditions and records maintained by the Bhats and the Jaagas, which plainly trace this lineage. The Mehrat held important thikanas or dwellings, and the ruins of these medieval residences still remain as the forts of Athun, Jhak, and Shyamgarh. Many smaller thikanas were also held by the community. The ruins of the Borwa Rawala can be seen in Borwa village. The existence of these settlements, and local records, testify the Rajput descent of the Mehrats. http://webmagra.org webmagra.orf]-----. Rao Mehraji had four sons, Karnaji, Gajiji, Jodhaji and Haapaji. The issues of the first three sons formed the three gotras of the Mehrawats, namely the Gajawats(Gajiji ki Daang, descendants of Thikana Shyamgarh), the Jodhas (Jodhaji ki Daang, of Rawla Borwa); Haapaji bore no child. The region they settled in is now called Merwara, after the Mer, the dominant group in the region. This area is a part of present-day Ajmer District. The Mehrat adopted some Muslim customs in the Mughal era. A thakur, Duda Rao, espoused Islam during the rule of Aurangzeb, but his family observed only three practices: circumcision, nikah and the burial of the dead; all the other traditions followed by the family were Hindu. Later, due to the activities of conservative Islamic and Hindu organisations, they separated into two camps, a kathat camp (which uses the word katha to emphasize its three-Muslim-practices religion), and a Mehrat-Rawat camp that followed Hindu Rajput traditions like the Rawats. The Mer people are renowned for their bravery. The British army was defeated by the Mers on many occasions. In 1835 Colonel Dixon founded Beawar [ ब्यावर ] in fear of the Mer people.
Contemporary Distribution [edit]
The Merat have four sub-divisions, known as dangs. These dangs are exogamous. They claim that the Rawat are also related to them. Harraj or Kathaji, one of the ancestor of the tribe was the brother of Goraji, the ancestor of the Rawat. The Dang are arranged in hierarchy, with those descended from younger siblings having a lower status. So the dang of Chang village, descended from Karnaji, have the highest status, Each dang is headed by a patel, and there is no marriage within the dang. .[3]
The Merat speak Marwari among themselves, and Urdu and Hindi with outsiders. Like other North Indian communities, they have a well organized council of elders. Each village has its own council of elders who settle disputes within the community over land or theft. These councils often impose fines on those who commit acts which are seen to transgress the local norms. The Dang are headed by tikayats, who sit on these councils, and the tikayat of the Chang dang heads the caste councils.[4] The Merat are a community of farmers, but their landholdings are extremely small. Many Merat are daily wage labourers. The Merwara region also suffers from drought. [5]
The Merat, unlike other Muslim Rajput communities of Rajasthan, such as the Qaimkhani, Meo, Sindhi-Sipahi and Rath, have maintained a culture which is a hybrid of Hindu and Muslim traditions. Often their personal names are a mixture of both Hindu and Muslim names. Until recently, marriages took place with the Rawat, a neighbouring Hindu community. The Merat visit the Lake Pushkar on the kartikpurnima, as well as visiting the famous Muslim shrine of Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer.[6]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ http://www.joshuaproject.net/peoples.php?peo3=17532
- ^ People of India Rajasthan Volume XXXVIII Part Two edited by B.K Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N Vyas pages 641 to 646 Popular Prakashan
- ^ People of India Rajasthan Volume XXXVIII Part Two edited by B.K Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N Vyas page 642 Popular Prakashan
- ^ People of India Rajasthan Volume XXXVIII Part Two edited by B.K Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N Vyas pages 641 to 643 Popular Prakashan
- ^ People of India Rajasthan Volume XXXVIII Part Two edited by B.K Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N Vyas page 645 Popular Prakashan
- ^ People of India Rajasthan Volume XXXVIII Part Two edited by B.K Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N Vyas page 645 Popular Prakashan
