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|publisher=Language Forum, Jan-June, 2007
|publisher=Language Forum, Jan-June, 2007
|author=Rajshree Dhali
|author=Rajshree Dhali
|accessdate=2009-08-14}}</ref> They also live in western [[Gujarat]] near the [[Pakistan]] border and in other parts of India such as [[Maharashtra]], [[Punjab]] and and [[Haryana]]. The Meghs are from Punjab, [[J&K]]<ref>http://www.kashmir-information.com/LegalDocs/51.html</ref> and [[Himachal Pradesh]] and known as Megh, Arya Megh and Bhagat. In some places they are known as Ganeshia, Meghbansi, Mihagh, Rakhesar, Rakhia, Rikhia, Rishia and other names.<ref name=joshua/>
|accessdate=2009-08-14}}</ref> They also live in western [[Gujarat]] near the [[Pakistan]] border and in other parts of India such as [[Maharashtra]], [[Punjab]] and and [[Haryana]]. The Meghs are from Punjab, [[J&K]] and [[Himachal Pradesh]] and known as Megh, Arya Megh and Bhagat. In some places they are known as Ganeshia, Meghbansi, Mihagh, Rakhesar, Rakhia, Rikhia, Rishia and other names.<ref name=joshua/>


In Pakistan the word ''Meghwar'' (Urdu میگھواڑ, Sindhi ميگھواڙ) is used in place of Meghwal. As of 1991, the population of Meghs in Punjab was estimated at 105,157.<ref>{{cite web
In Pakistan the word ''Meghwar'' (Urdu میگھواڑ, Sindhi ميگھواڙ) is used in place of Meghwal. As of 1991, the population of Meghs in Punjab was estimated at 105,157.<ref>{{cite web
Line 81: Line 81:
|publisher=Concept Publishing Company
|publisher=Concept Publishing Company
|year=1989
|year=1989
|ISBN=8170222354}}</ref> In Punjab Meghs are engaged as workers in factories producing sports, hosiery, surgical and metal goods. Many of them became petty agriculturists after successful implementation of land reforms in J&K.Increasing numbers of the Meghwal today are educated and are obtaining government jobs.
|ISBN=8170222354}}</ref> Increasing numbers of the Meghwal today are educated and are obtaining government jobs.


The Meghwal staple diet includes rice, wheat and maize, and pulses such as moong, urad and channa. They are not vegetarian but eat egg, fish, chicken and mutton when available, although they abstain from pork, beef and buffalo meat.<ref name=samanta/>
The Meghwal staple diet includes rice, wheat and maize, and pulses such as moong, urad and channa. They are not vegetarian but eat egg, fish, chicken and mutton when available, although they abstain from pork, beef and buffalo meat.<ref name=samanta/>

Revision as of 13:20, 24 August 2009

A Meghwal woman in the Hodka village, north of Bhuj, Kutch District, Gujarat, India.

The Megh (Hindi:मेघ), Meghwal (Hindi:मेघवाल) or Meghwar (Hindi:मेघवार) people live primarily in northwest India with a small population in Pakistan. As of 2008, their total population was estimated at 2,807,000, of whom 2,760,000 lived in India. The Megh speak Marwari (659,000), Hindi (663,000), Dogri (230,000), Punjabi (175,000) and various other regional languages. As a scheduled caste, their traditional occupations were weaving, tanning hides and leatherwork. Most are Hindu by religion, with Ram Devji and Bankar Mataji their chief gods. [1]

Origins

Alexander Cunningham in his 1871 book Archaeological Survey of India propounded that Meghs were Pre-Aryans who came to Punjab from Assyria and settled in Sapta Sindhu (the land of seven rivers). Under Aryan pressure, they may have migrated to the Maharashtra and Vindhyachal region during the Megalithic period (1400-1200 BCE) and later to Bihar and Orissa.[2]

The Meghwals claim to descend from Rishi Megh[3], a saint who had the power to bring rain from the clouds (Megh) through his prayer.[4]The word Meghwar is derived from the Sanskrit word, megh, meaning clouds and rain, and war (Hindi:वार), meaning prayers. Literally, then, the word Meghwar connotes a people who pray for rains.[5]

Geographical distribution

The Meghwal are from Marwar in Rajasthan. In the 1981 Census for Rajasthan, the combined population of people notified as Megh, Meghwal, Menghvar was 889,300.[6] They also live in western Gujarat near the Pakistan border and in other parts of India such as Maharashtra, Punjab and and Haryana. The Meghs are from Punjab, J&K and Himachal Pradesh and known as Megh, Arya Megh and Bhagat. In some places they are known as Ganeshia, Meghbansi, Mihagh, Rakhesar, Rakhia, Rikhia, Rishia and other names.[1]

In Pakistan the word Meghwar (Urdu میگھواڑ, Sindhi ميگھواڙ) is used in place of Meghwal. As of 1991, the population of Meghs in Punjab was estimated at 105,157.[7] In 2000, about 226,600 Meghwar lived in Pakistan, principally in the Punjab northeast of the cities of Dadu and Nawabshah,[8] and in Sindh, mostly in the Badin, Mirpur Khas, Tharparkar, and Umerkot districts.{{fact})

Caste status

In India the Meghwal are classified as a Scheduled Caste. They have also been categorized as other backward castes in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, etc.[9] That is, they are among the castes of India that are specified in a schedule of the Indian constitution for special treatment to overcome disadvantages due to prejudice. Due to their traditional occupation in leather-work, they are sometimes (incorrectly) called Chamar by their neighbors.[4]The Government of India is persuading private sector to provide reservation in jobs to scheduled castes like Meghs but there is a resistance too.[10]

In Pakistan, the Meghwar are also treated as a Scheduled Caste and work mostly as the landless agricultural laborers, sweepers and general laborers, in some cases bonded to landlords and facing severe discrimination by Muslims and upper-caste hindus.[11]

Lifestyle

In the countryside, many of the people of the Meghwal community still reside in small hamlets of round, mud-brick huts painted on the outside with colourful geometric designs and decorated with detailed mirror inlays.[12] In earlier days the main occupation of the Meghval community was agricultural labor, weaving, specially Khadi, leatherworking and woodcarving, and these are still the main occupations. The women are famous for their embroidery work and are master wool and cotton weavers.[13][14]

Some of the Meghwals have migrated to large cities such as Bombay. In a 1936 study by B.H. Mehta, the researcher noted that most had migrated to the city to escape from a wretched rural life, and felt that city conditions were an improvement despite their crowded and insanitary conditions.[15] Increasing numbers of the Meghwal today are educated and are obtaining government jobs.

The Meghwal staple diet includes rice, wheat and maize, and pulses such as moong, urad and channa. They are not vegetarian but eat egg, fish, chicken and mutton when available, although they abstain from pork, beef and buffalo meat.[4]

Women have low status in traditional Meghwal society. Marriages are arranged through negotiation between the families before puberty. After marriage, the wife moves to the husband's house, except for the period of childbirth. However, divorce is allowed, with the father retaining liability for the children and compensation paid to to the wife.[4]

Religion

Little is known of the early history of the Meghwal or their religion. There is evidence that in the 13th century CE many of the Meghwal became followers of the Nizari branch of Shia Islam, and that traces of Nazari belief remain in their ritual and myth.[16] However, most of the Megh are now considered Hindu, although some follow other religions such as Islam or Christianity.

File:Sant Kabir.jpg
A painting of Kabir

During the Medieval Hindu Renaissance, known as the Bhakti Era, Karta Ram Maharaj, a Meghwal from Rajasthan became the spiritual guru of Meghwals.[17] During the 19th Century, it was said that the Meghs were generally Kabirpanthi, followers of Bhagat (saint) Kabir (1488 - 1512 AD).[18] Many Meghwal today follow Sant Mat, a loosely associated group of religious leaders whose teachings are distinguished by an inward, loving devotion to a divine principle, and by an egalitarianism opposed to the qualitative distinctions of the Hindu caste system, and to those between Hindus and Muslims.[19]

Their chief deity is Baba Ramdevji who is worshiped during the vedwa punam (August - September). Meghval religious leader Swami Gokuldas claims that Ramdev was himself a Dalit in his 1982 book Meghwal Itehas, which constructs a history of the Meghwal community in an attempt to gain respect and improve their social status.[20] Daily offerings are made to Chamunda mata in the village temples. Bankar mata is worshiped at weddings.[4] Dalibai is a Meghwal female deity who is worshiped along with Ramdev.[6] Meghs also worship their ancestors. Some Meghwars worship Pir Pithoro, whose shrine is near Mirpur Khas in Pithoro village.[21]

Arts

The Meghwal women are renowned for their exuberantly detailed costumes and jewellery. Married Meghwal women are often spotted wearing gold nose ring, earrings and neckpieces. They were given to the bride as a "bride wealth" dowry by her soon-to-be husband's mother. Nose rings and earrings are often decorated with precious stones of ruby, sapphire and emerald. The Meghwal women's embroidery is avidly sought after. Their work is distinguished by their primary use of red, which comes from a local pigment produced from crushed insects. The Meghwal women artisans of Thar desert in Sindh and Balochistan, and in Gujarat are considered master of the traditional embroidery and Ralli making. Exotic hand-embroidered items form part of dowry of Meghwal woman.[22][23][24]

Prominent people

Despite the handicap of caste, but perhaps assisted by quotas, several Meghwal people have risen to high positions.

  • Ms. Suman Bhagat rose to the level of Minister for health and Medical Education in the government of Jammu and Kashmir.[25]
  • Ms Vimla Bhagat was the first Megh Bhagat lady to become Class-I officer in the Indian Administrative Services (Chairperson of the Himachel Pradesh Public Service Commission).[26]
  • Bhanwar Lal Meghwal became the education minister of Rajasthan.[27]
  • Dr. Khatumal Meghwar became a Member of National Assembly in Pakistan, elected to one of the two seats in the 217-member National Assembly reserved for Dalits.[28]

See also

  • "Meghwar Community Homepage (Pakistan)". Gordhan Das Valasai. Retrieved 2009-08-14.

References

  1. ^ a b "Megh, Hindu of India". Joshua Project. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  2. ^ Alexander Cunningham (1871). Archaeological Survey of India. Government Central Press.
  3. ^ http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090119/region.htm
  4. ^ a b c d e D. K. Samanta, S. K. Mandal, N. N. Vyas, Anthropological survey of India (1998). Rajasthan, Part 2, Volume 38 of "People of India". Popular Prakashan. p. 629-632. ISBN 8171547699.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ http://www.shabdkosh.com/en2hi/search.php?e=cloud&f=0
  6. ^ a b Rajshree Dhali. "History, community and identity: an interpretation of Dalibai". Language Forum, Jan-June, 2007. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  7. ^ "Dalits – On the Margins of Development" (PDF). UNDP: United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  8. ^ "The Meghwar Bhil of Pakistan". Bethany World Prayer Center. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  9. ^ "THE CONSTITUTION (SCHEDULED CASTES) ORDER, 1950". Ministry of Law & Justice, India. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  10. ^ http://www.financialexpress.com/news/job-reservation-in-private-sector/107037/
  11. ^ "DALITS IN PAKISTAN". dalitindia.com. 13-07-2006. Retrieved 2009-08-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "a Meghwal girl". Trek Earth. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  13. ^ "Weaving a common destiny". Centre for Science and Environment. Jun 1992. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  14. ^ "Ancient Lac Dyeing Practices of Kachchh and its revival by the Vankar Shyamji Valiji of Bujodi". Craft Revival Trust. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  15. ^ Dhirendra Narain, University of Bombay. Dept. of Sociology, Indian Council of Social Science Research (1989). Research in sociology: abstracts of M.A. and Ph. D. dissertations completed in the Department of Sociology, University of Bombay. Concept Publishing Company. p. 27ff. ISBN 8170222354.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Alf Hiltebeitel (1999). Rethinking India's oral and classical epics: Draupadī among Rajputs, Muslims, and Dalits. University of Chicago Press. p. 327ff. ISBN 0226340511.
  17. ^ Sanjay Paswan (2002). Encyclopaedia of Dalits in India: Volume 3 Movements. Gyan Publishing House. ISBN 8178350343.
  18. ^ Mamta Rajawat (2004). Encyclopaedia of Dalits in India. Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. p. 15. ISBN 8126120843.
  19. ^ Woodhead, Linda & Fletcher, Paul. (2001). Religion in the Modern World: Traditions and Transformations. Routledge (UK). p. 71-72. ISBN 0-415-21784-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ Dominique-Sila Khan. "Is God an Untouchable? A Case of Caste Conflict in Rajasthan" (PDF). Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  21. ^ Amaresh Datta (2006). The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume One (A To Devo), Volume 1. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 8126018038.
  22. ^ "Meghwal Handicraft". TrekEarth. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  23. ^ "MEGHWALS". India Infoweb. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  24. ^ Jasleen Dhamija, Crafts Council of India (2004). Asian embroidery. Abhinav Publications. p. 125. ISBN 8170174503.
  25. ^ "Suman Bhagat lauds the role of Dr. Ambedkar for upliftment of downtrodden". zestcaste. April 25, 2005. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdate}= ignored (help)
  26. ^ "THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, HIMACHAL PRADESH REGIONAL BRANCH". IIPA. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  27. ^ "Fees hike matter will be discussed: Meghwal". The Times of India. 25 December 2008. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  28. ^ Surendar Heman Valasai. "Dalits of Pakistan". ambedkar.org. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
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