The Meghwal (also known as Megh and Meghraj) people live primarily in northwest India, with a small population in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. Their traditional occupation was agricultural farming, cattle-herding and weaving. Meghwals are known for their contribution to embroidery and the textile industry. Most are Hindu by religion, with Rishi Megh,
Kabir
Kabir Das (1398–1518) was a 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Garib Das, ...
, and
Ram Devji, and Bankar
Mataji
{{italic title
''Mataji'' (Hindi माताजी ''mātājī'') is a Hindi term meaning 'respected mother'.
Etymology
"Mātā" (माता) is the Hindi word for "mother", from Sanskrit ''matr.'' (मातृ), and the "-jī" (जी) suff ...
their chief gods.
Synonyms
The Meghwal community is known by various names, depending on location. Examples include ''Balai,'' ''Menghwar, Bhambhi ,meghwar, meghwanshi, Kamad, Rikhia''.
Origins
They claim to have descended from Rishi Megh,
a saint who had the power to bring rain from the clouds through his prayer.
The word ''Meghwar'' is derived from the
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
words ''megh'', meaning clouds and rain, and ''war'' (Hindi: वार), meaning a group, son and child. (Sanskrit: वार:)
Literally, then, the words ''Meghwal'' and ''Meghwar'' connote a people who belong to Megh lineage.
However, it is theorized that at the time of
Muslim invasion of India
The Muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent mainly took place from the 13th to 17th centuries. Earlier Muslim conquests include the invasions into what is now modern-day Pakistan and the Umayyad campaigns in India in eighth century and res ...
, many people of high castes including
Rajputs
Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
,
Charans,
Brahmins
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru o ...
, and
Jats
The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and subse ...
joined or were recruited in the Bhambhi caste. Due to this, there came 5 main divisions in the community:
# Adu or unmixed
Bhambis,
# Maru Bhambis comprising
Rajputs
Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
,
# Charaniya Bhambis including
Charans,
# Bamnia Bhambis comprising
Paliwal Brahmins
# Jata Bhambis including
Jats
The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and subse ...
Some Meghwals are associated with other social groups.
Shyam Lal Rawat refers to the Meghwals of
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
as "one of the dominating backward castes ...", a connection also made by Debashis Debnath. The Balali and Bunkar communities have also begun using the Meghwal name. A mathematician and social worker Sahiram G. Inkhiya refer that some people who use
Chamar
Chamar is a Dalit community classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's system of affirmative action. Historically subject to untouchability, they were traditionally outside the Hindu ritual ranking system of castes known as varna. ...
surname for a long time but now they want to adopt Meghwal
surname
In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community.
Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...
for dignified lifestyl
Culture
There exists cultural differences among these sub-caste groups of Meghwal. For example: the Meghwal like Jata Bhambis, Bamnia Bhambis and Charania Bhambis in Rajasthan do not
Interethnic marriage, inter marry within other sub-castes. These sub-groups being more conscious about their previous identities maintain their old customs and
traditions
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
.
Furthermore, there were also considerable diversity in dressing habits between different sub-groups. In 1891, when Hardyal Singh wrote about the Bhambi, Meghwal caste of Marwar states, he observed:
"The first two divisions (The Adu or unmixed Bhambis and the Maru Bhambis) are very closely connected and inter-marry, while the last two divisions only marry in their own communities respectively. The Bhambis are not allowed to wear gold and silver ornaments, but an exception is made in the case of head village Bhambi and his wife. There is striking popularity in the dress of men, but the Maru Bhambi women generally wear Ghagra The ''lehenga'', ''lehnga'' or ''langa'' (also known as a ''ghagra'' or ''gagra'', ''chaniya'', ''pavadai'', or ''lacha'') is a form of ankle-length skirt from the Indian subcontinent. Different patterns and styles of traditional embroidery are used ...
or petticoat of country chintz, while the Jata Bhambis dress themselves like the Jat
The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and su ...
women and are distinguished from the use of lac churas instead of ivory ones. The women of the Charnia Bhambis wear a dress of yellow colour like the Charan
Charan ( IAST: Cāraṇ; Sanskrit: चारण; Gujarati: ચારણ; Urdu: ارڈ; IPA: cɑːrəɳə) is a caste in South Asia natively residing in the Rajasthan and Gujarat states of India, as well as the Sindh and Balochistan provinces ...
women."
Geographical distribution
The Meghwal are found in
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 ...
,
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
,
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 ...
and Rajasthan. The Meghs,
Kabir Panthi or Bhagat are from
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...
and
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to:
* Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent
* Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory
* Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
and are known as Megh, Arya Megh and Bhagat. In some places they are known as Ganeshia, Meghbansi, Mihagh, Rakhesar, Rakhia, Rikhia, Rishia and other names. Some of the Mahashas also claim to be belonging to Meghs. After
Partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
in 1947, the Meghs who had become converts to the
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
, had to migrate to Indian territory.
As of 1991, the population of Meghs in Punjab (India) was estimated at 105,157.
Meghwals of Kutch-Gujarat
In
Kutch, Meghwals are divided into 4 entities depending on their origin or their time period of arrival:
# Maheshvari,
# Charania,
# Marmara, and
# Gujar
Meghwal of Madhya Pradesh
Meghwal of
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
are largely concentrated in
Khargone
Khargone is a city and administrative headquarters of an Khargone district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The city is located on the bank of the Kunda river and is known for its cotton and chilly (chili pepper) production. It is also k ...
district. They are known by various names such as Ganeshia, Rikhia, and Risha. They are divided into four subdivisions, namely Maheswari or Kachhi, Charania, Gujra, and Marwada.
Lifestyle
In the countryside of Rajasthan, many of the people of this community still reside in small hamlets of round,
mud
A MUD (; originally multi-user dungeon, with later variants multi-user dimension and multi-user domain) is a Multiplayer video game, multiplayer Time-keeping systems in games#Real-time, real-time virtual world, usually Text-based game, text-bas ...
-brick
huts
A hut is a small dwelling, which may be constructed of various local materials. Huts are a type of vernacular architecture because they are built of readily available materials such as wood, snow, ice, stone, grass, palm leaves, branches, hid ...
painted on the outside with colourful geometric designs and decorated with detailed mirror inlays. In earlier days the main occupation of the Meghwal community was
agricultural labour,
weaving
Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...
, specially
Khadi
Khadi (, ), derived from khaddar, is a hand-spun and woven natural fibre cloth promoted by Mahatma Gandhi as ''swadeshi'' (self-sufficiency) for the freedom struggle of the Indian subcontinent, and the term is used throughout India, Pakistan ...
and
woodcarving
Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...
, and these are still the main occupations. The women are famous for their embroidery work and are master wool and cotton weavers.
Increasing numbers of the Meghwal today are educated and are obtaining government jobs. In Punjab, especially in the cities like
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
,
Jalandhar
Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...
and
Ludhiana
Ludhiana ( ) is the most populous and the largest Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. The city has an estimated population of 1,618,879 2011 Indian census, 2011 census and distributed over , making Ludhiana the ...
a good number of them is engaged as workers in factories producing sports, hosiery, surgical and metal goods. Very few of them have their own business or a small scale industry. Tiny business and service units are their main support for livelihood.
Their staple diet includes rice, wheat and maize, and pulses such as moong, urad and channa. They are vegetarian but eat egg.
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.
Arts
The Meghwal women in Rajasthan are renowned for their exuberantly detailed costumes and jewellery. Married women are often spotted wearing gold nose ring, earrings and neckpieces. They were given to the bride as a "bride wealth"
dowry
A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...
by her soon-to-be husband's mother. Nose rings and earrings are often decorated with precious stones of
ruby
A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sa ...
,
sapphire
Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sapphir ...
and
emerald
Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p ...
. 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
The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is an arid region in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent, Subcontinent that covers an area of and forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. It is the world's Li ...
in
Sindh
Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
and
Balochistan
Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
, and in Gujarat are considered master of the traditional embroidery and
Ralli making. Exotic hand-embroidered items form part of dowry of Meghwal woman.
Notable people
*
Arjun Ram Meghwal
Arjun Ram Meghwal (born 20 December 1953) is an Indian politician and the current Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs & Culture in the Second Modi ministry. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Meghwal formerly served as Chief Whip an ...
(MP from Bikaner and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs & Culture )
*
Govind Ram Meghwal (MLA from Khajuwala, Bikaner)
*
Nihalchand Meghwal (MP from Sri Ganganagar)
See also
*
Balai
The Balai, Bhalse, Balahi or Bhalay are found in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in India. Balai means weaver. The bhalse are the upper group from the caste of balai some of the bhalse's are still doing the work ...
*
Kolhi
References
{{Social groups of Rajasthan
Dalit communities
Social groups of Sindh
Social groups of India
Weaving communities of South Asia
Scheduled Castes of Chhattisgarh
Scheduled Castes of Jammu and Kashmir
Scheduled Castes of Delhi
Scheduled Castes of Rajasthan
Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh
Scheduled Castes of Gujarat
Scheduled Castes of Madhya Pradesh
Social groups of Rajasthan
Embroidery in India