The Kankali are a Muslim community found in the state of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. They are also known as Kankal and Mangta. They are not to be confused with the Kankalis, nomad tribe of Central Asia.

Origin

The word ''kankali'' is said to be derived from the

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

word ''kangal'', meaning a pauper. This is said to refer to the fact that the Kankali were once a community of professional beggars. They are found mainly in the districts of

Bahraich Bahraich is a city and a municipal board in Bahraich district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Located on the Saryu River, a tributary of the Ghaghara river, Bahraich is north-east of Lucknow, the state capital. The districts of Bar ...

, Basti,

Gorakhpur Gorakhpur is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, along the banks of the Rapti river in the Purvanchal region. It is situated 272 kilometers east of the state capital Lucknow. It is the administrative headquarters of Gorakhpur dis ...

and Gonda. The Kankali speak

Awadhi Awadhi (; ), also known as Audhi (), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in northern India and Nepal. It is primarily spoken in the Awadh region of present-day Uttar Pradesh, India. The name ''Awadh'' is connected to Ayodhya, the ancient city ...

among themselves and

with outsiders.

Present Circumstances

The Kankali are strictly endogamous and marry close kin. Although they live in multi-caste and multi-religious villages, but occupy their own quarters. However, there is little interaction with neighbouring Muslim communities such as the

Muker Muker is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the western end of Swaledale in North Yorkshire, England, within the district of Richmondshire. The parish includes the hamlets and villages of Angram, Richmondshire, Angram, Kel ...

and

Baghban The Bagban are a Muslim community found in North as well as the Decca areas of West India.People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part One edited by A Hasan & J C Das pages 108 to 111 In the Deccan region they are known as Bagwan. The Bagwan ...

. The Kankali are Sunni, but still follow many folk beliefs.People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Two edited by A Hasan & J C Das pages 709 to 713 Manohar Publications The Kankali are a landless community, and were historically involved in singing and entertaining their patrons. Their patrons belonged mainly to caste

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

communities such as the

Brahmin 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 (gur ...

, Thakur, Kayastha and

Kurmi Kurmi is traditionally a non-elite tiller caste in the lower Gangetic plain of India, especially southern regions of Awadh, eastern Uttar Pradesh and parts of Bihar. The Kurmis came to be known for their exceptional work ethic, superior til ...

, who paid them in the form of uncooked food. Most Kankali are now landless agricultural labourers.

References

{{reflist Social groups of Uttar Pradesh Dalit Muslim Muslim communities of Uttar Pradesh Muslim communities of India

Origin

Present Circumstances

See also

References