The Malhar also known as Panbhare is a

Subcaste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultural ...

of the

Koli Koli may refer to: Places * Koli, Finland, a hill in Finland * Koli National Park, a national park in Finland * Koli, Iran (disambiguation), several places in Iran * Koli Airfield, a former airfield in the South Pacific Other uses * Koli people ...

caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...

found in the

Indian states India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

and

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. The Malhar Kolis used to work as Yeskar and they were

Subedar Subedar is a rank of junior commissioned officer in the Indian Army; a senior non-commissioned officer in the Pakistan Army, and formerly a Viceroy's commissioned officer in the British Indian Army. History ''Subedar'' or ''subadar'' was the ...

or fortkeeper of

Sinhagad Sinhagad is an ancient hill fortress located at around 49 km southwest of the city of Pune, India. Previously known as ''Kondhana'', the fort had been the site of many battles, most notably the Battle of Sinhagad in 1670. The Sinhagad ...

, Torna and

Rajgad Rajgad (literal meaning ''Ruling Fort'') is a Hill region fort situated in the Pune district of Maharashtra, India. Formerly known as ''Murumdev'', the fort was the first capital of the Maratha Empire under the rule of Chhatrapati Shivaji for ...

forts A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

during time of

Shivaji Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adils ...

. Their local traditional dance is Tarpa Dance in Maharashtra. they worship the Waghowa devi which is a lion goddess. The Malhar Kolis are hereditary priest in the Mahalaxmi temple of

Dahanu Dahanu (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, �əɦaːɳuː is a coastal town and a municipal council in Palghar district of Maharashtra, Maharashtra state in Konkan division. It is located 110 km from Mumbai city and hosts Adani Power’s ...

which was built by king

Jayaba Mukne Jayaba Mukne or Jaideoraoji Mukne also known as ''Paupera'' and ''Jagappa Nayak Mukne'' was first Koli ruler of Jawhar State. He also spelled as ''Jayaba Mukne'', ''Jayaba Mookna'', ''Jayab Mookney'', ''Joya Mookney'', ''Jayab Mukne'', ''Jayaba ...

Jawhar State The Jawhar State was a princely state in India. As a princely state, it became a part of Bombay Presidency during the British Raj. It was the only state belonging to the Thana Agency. The last Koli Ruler of Jawhar at Indian independence wa ...

in 1343.

Origin and distribution

The name of Malhar Kolis is probably derived from either (i) the Dravidian word 'Mala' meaning hill or (ii) from a description of the tribe as 'Kolis worshiping the god

Malhar "Malhar" is a Hindustani classical raga. Malhar is associated with torrential rains. Besides the basic Shuddha Malhar, which was the original Malhar, several Malhar-related ragas use the Malhar signature phrase m (m)R (m)R P, including "Miyan ...

. Malhar Kolis is mainly concentrated in

Palghar Palghar () is a town in the Konkan division of Maharashtra state, India and a municipal council. It is in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and since 2014 it has been the administrative capital of the Palghar district. Palghar lies on the Weste ...

, Wada,

Jawhar Jawhar is a city and a municipal council in Palghar district of Maharashtra state in Konkan division of India. Jawhar was a capital city of the erstwhile Koli princely state of Jawhar. Situated in the ranges of the Western Ghats, Jawhar is k ...

Vasai Vasai (Konkani and Marathi pronunciation: �əsəi formerly and alternatively Mahratti; ''Bajipur'', English: Bassein; Portuguese: Baçaim), is a historical place and City near Mumbai (Bombay)'s western suburbs, located in Palghar district w ...

, and

Bhivandi Bhiwandi () is a city in the Thane district in Maharashtra, India. It is located northeast of Mumbai and northeast of the city of Thane. The city is a part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Bhiwandi is a commercial city and a major trade c ...

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

s of the

Thane district Thane district (Pronunciation: �ʰaːɳe previously named Taana or Thana) is a district in the Konkan Division of Maharashtra, India. At the 2011 Census it was the most populated district in the country, with 11,060,148 inhabitants; however, i ...

of Maharashtra.

Clans

Here are some of the

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

s of Malhar Kolis: * Barad * Babar * Bodle * Balshi * Bhoye * Basvant * Bhoir * Bhomte * Bhavar * Chakar * Dalvi * Dumade * Dongarkar * Dhangade * Dhapasti * Ghatal * Gadag * Golim * Gavade * Gahade * Hadal * Harke *

Jadhav Jadhav is an Indian surname. Notable people with the name include: * Bharat Jadhav (born 1973), Indian theatre and film producer * Bhaskar Jadhav, Indian politician *Dhanaji Jadhav (1650–1708), warrior of the Maratha Empire *Kedar Jadhav (born 1 ...

* Jimbal * Kharpade * Karmode * Kathe * Katar * Kamadi * Khatali * Kirkire * Lade * Lilke *

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

Mor Mor or MOR may refer to: Names and titles * Mór (given name), a list of people named Mór or Mor * Mor (surname), a list of people named Mor or Mór * Mor (honorific), or Mar, in Syriac Radio and television * Middle of the road (music) genre * ...

* Morghe * Matera * Madake * Narale * Patara * Ravate * Shironde * Savare * Shelkar * Sumda * Sagane * Surum * Sambre * Talhe * Tandel * Tambade * Tumbada * Tilivada * Tope * Umbarkar * Wayade * Wardha * Warkhande * Welpade * Wangha * Satav

Classification

The Malhar Kolis are classified as

Scheduled Tribe The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

by the

Government of Maharashtra The Government of Maharashtra is the state governing authority for the state of Maharashtra, India. It is a democratically elected government with 288 MLAs elected to the Vidhan Sabha for a five-year term. Maharashtra has a Maharashtra Legisla ...

. In some area, Malhar Kolis classified as an

Other Backward Class The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with General castes, S ...

(OBC) caste by the

Government of Gujarat The Government of Gujarat, also known as Gujarat Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Gujarat and its 33 districts. It consists of an executive of the legislators appointed by the Governor of Gujarat, a judiciary ...

Notable people

*Kaluram Dhodade, founder of

Bhumi sena Bhumi Sena was a private army which operated in the Patna, Nalanda, Jehanabad, and Gaya regions of Bihar, India in the 1980s, made up of members of the Kurmi caste. History Bhumi Sena was formed by Kurmi landowners in 1982, in response to the ...

and politician from

Praja Socialist Party The Praja Socialist Party, abbreviated as PSP, was an Indian political party. It was founded when the Socialist Party, led by Jayaprakash Narayan, Rambriksh Benipuri, Acharya Narendra Deva and Basawon Singh (Sinha), merged with the Kisan Mazdoo ...

Notes

References

{{Reflist Koli subcastes