Kankali
Encyclopedia
The Kankali are a Muslim
community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh
in India
. They are also known as Kankal and Mangta.
, Basti, Gorakhpur
and Gonda
. The Kankali speak Awadhi
among themselves and Hindi with outsiders.
communities such as the Muker
and Baghban
.The Kankali are Sunni, but still follow many folk beliefs.
The Kankali are a landless community, and were historically involved in singing and entertaining their patrons. Their patrons belonged mainly to caste
Hindu
communities such as the Brahmin
, Thakur
, Kayastha
and Kurmi
, who paid them in the form of uncooked food. Most Kankali are now landless agricultural labourers.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. They are also known as Kankal and Mangta.
Origin
The word kankali is said to be derived from the Hidi 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 BahraichBahraich District
Bahraich District is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Bahraich town is the district headquarters. Bahraich District is a part of Devipatan Division.-History:...
, Basti, Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur District
Gorakhpur district is a district of Uttar Pradesh state in India. Gorakhpur is the administrative headquarters of the district.-History:The district was ceded by the Nawab of Awadh to the British East India Company in 1801. With this cession, Gorakhpur was raised to the status of a district. The...
and Gonda
Gonda District
Gonda is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. Gonda is the district headquarters, and also the administrative centre for the Devipatan Division....
. The Kankali speak Awadhi
Awadhi language
Awadhi is an Indo-Aryan language, part of the Hindi-Urdu continuum. It is spoken chiefly in the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh, although its speakers are also found in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Nepal. Furthermore, the Fiji Hindi dialect spoken by Indo-Fijians is considered a variant of Awadhi,...
among themselves and Hindi 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 MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
communities such as the Muker
Muker
Muker is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. Situated in Swaledale, one of the Yorkshire Dales, its name...
and Baghban
Baghban
Baghban is a 2003 Bollywood drama film directed by Ravi Chopra, with a star cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Salman Khan, Mahima Chaudhary, Paresh Rawal, Rimi Sen, Lilette Dubey and others...
.The Kankali are Sunni, but still follow many folk beliefs.
The Kankali are a landless community, and were historically involved in singing and entertaining their patrons. Their patrons belonged mainly to caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
communities such as the Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
, Thakur
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
, Kayastha
Kayastha
Kayastha or Kayasth or Kayeth is a caste or community of Hindus originating in India. Kayastha means "scribe" in Sanskrit, and has traditionally denoted members of the writer caste....
and Kurmi
Kurmi
The Kurmi are a Hindu agricultural Jāti in India.The group has been associated with the Kunbi, though scholars differ as to whether the terms are synonymous. In 2006, the Indian government announced that Kurmi was considered synonymous with the Kunbi and Yellam castes in Maharashtra...
, who paid them in the form of uncooked food. Most Kankali are now landless agricultural labourers.