Rajput Mali

Rajput Mali is a distinctive ethnic group from Jodhpur, (Marwar), Rajasthan as well as a separate sub-category within the Rajput group.[1][2]

Origin

The ancestors of these Rajput Malis are said to be Rajput soldiers and feudals who lost battles with the Muslim emperors of Delhi like Sahabuddin Ghori, Kutubuddin, Shamsuddin, Gayasuddin, Alluadin, etc. After the fall of Prithviraj Chauhan (the last Hindu king of Delhi) in 1192 CE.

When the Rajput soldiers of Prithviraj Chauhan fell in battles against Shahabuddin Ghori or Muhammad Ghori and the empires of Ajmer and Delhi were destroyed, some Rajputs became captive and could see no way of saving themselves except embracing Islam and they came to be known as Ghori Pathans. Some Rajputs were let off on the recommendation of a royal gardener or Mali who represented captive Rajputs as Malis. In this way many Rajputs became Malis.[1][3]

Community resolution

When the storm had passed the community which had now been cut adrift from the main Rajput group, thought of devising ways and means of ensuring their purity of blood and guard against any vices that may creep in by adoption of new fold. Accordingly, they assembled on at Ajmer 24 January 1200 and passed a resolution was embodied in a "Parwana" and handed over to a Bhat (genealogist) who was a descendant of Mahakvai Chand Bardai.[3] The resolution reads as follows:

"When these people in order to get rid of danger to their life and property settled in cities and towns, and got an experience of this new fold, about its social status and condition after living with them for 3 or 4 years, they felt necessity of framing new social rules after reviewing their past and present condition. They would not tolerate many evils which they had found in that new fold in which they and their descendants were to spend their lives as they had their origin of pure Rajput blood, they assembled in Pushkar (Ajmer) under the presidentship of Mahadeo, son of Kushma Ajmera Chauhan on Magh Sudi 7th V.S. 1257 and framed some social rules and regulations for their fold and handed over that document to their Bhat in order to act accordingly."

The meeting unanimously passed 22 reforms for their caste, such as ban on the eating of meat, drinking of wine and killing of animals and widow remarriage etc.[1]

Adoption of new identity in 1930–1940

1937 Jodhpur State Order in respect of renaming of Mali caste to "Sainik Kshatriya". Source: Jodhpur State Archives.[4][5]

Rajput Mali community adopted the surname "Sainik Kshatriya" in the 1930-1940 decade during the colonial rule [4][6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Action sociology and development , pp 198, Bindeshwar Pathak, Concept Publishing Company, 1992
  2. ↑ The Indian Journal of Social Work, pp 172, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Tata Institute of Social Sciences [etc.], 1956
  3. 1 2 Castes and Tribes of Rajasthan, pp 107,Sukhvir Singh Gahlot, Banshi Dhar, Jain Brothers, 1989
  4. 1 2 "...the Malis (ie gardners who call themselves Saini now).." A Muslim Sub-Caste of North India: Problems of Cultural Integration Partap C. Aggarwal Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Sep. 10, 1966), pp. 159-161,Published by: Economic and Political Weekly
  5. ↑ Singh, Kumar Suresh; Lavania, B. K.; Samanta, Dipak Kumar; Mandal, S. K.; Vyas, N. N., eds. (1998). People of India: Rajasthan. State series. Mumbai: Popular Prakashan, for the Anthropological Survey of India. p. 845. ISBN 9788171547692.
  6. ↑ "At the time of 1941 Census most of them got registered themselves as (Sainik Kshatriya) Malis." pp 7 , Census of India, 1961, Volume 14, Issue 5 , Office of the Registrar General, India.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.