Machiyar
Encyclopedia
The Machiyar are Muslim
community found in the state of Gujarat in India
. They also known as the Machhi.
, the historic capital of Gujarat. The community is said to have come from Sindh
, and belonged to the Mallaah
tribe. They speak Kutchi
among themselves. According to other traditions, they are Muslim
converts from the Kharwa
caste.
, using their traditional crafts known as hori. They go out to the sea in groups of three and four persons. The fish is then sold to the Memon or Bhadala
communities. Like other Muslim
artisan caste
s, they have a caste council, which maintains strong social control over the community. The community is endogamous, but there are cases of some intermarriage with the Makrani
and Malik communities. They do not practice gotra
exogamy, and marriages tend to take place among close kin. The community consists of six clans, the Pateliya, Vesilia, Lochani, Iswani, Raria and Nothiya.
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 Gujarat 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 also known as the Machhi.
History and origin
The Machiyar are fishing community distributed throughout the coastal areas of Gujarat from Kutch to south Gujarat. They are first said to have settled at PatanPatan, Gujarat
Patan was a capital of Gujarat in medieval times. It is the administrative seat of Patan District in the Indian state of Gujarat and administered by municipality. The city contains many Hindu and Jain temples as well as few mosques, dargahs and rojas...
, the historic capital of Gujarat. The community is said to have come from Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
, and belonged to the Mallaah
Mallaah
The Mallah are the traditional boatmen caste and ethnic group of North India, East India and Pakistan. A small number of Mallah are also found in Nepal....
tribe. They speak Kutchi
Kutchi language
Kachhi Kachhi Kachhi (also spelt Cutchi, Kutchhi or Kachchhi, is an Indo-Aryan Language spoken in the Kutch region of the Indian state of Gujarat as well as in Sindh.- Closely related languages :...
among themselves. According to other traditions, they are Muslim
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...
converts from the Kharwa
Kharwa (caste)
The Kharwa are Hindu caste found in the state of Gujarat in India. They also known as the Machhi.-History and origin:The Kharwa are fishing community distributed throughout the coastal areas of Saurashtra. Its is believed that Kharwa originated from Rajasthan, and migrated during the tenth century...
caste.
Present circumstances
Fishing remains the traditional occupation of the community. They catch fish from the Arabian SeaArabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
, using their traditional crafts known as hori. They go out to the sea in groups of three and four persons. The fish is then sold to the Memon or Bhadala
Muslim Bhadala Jamat
The Bhadala are an ethnic group found in Pakistan and India. They are found mainly in the Kutch District of Gujarat. In Pakistan, they are found mainly in Karachi.-Origin:...
communities. Like other Muslim
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...
artisan 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...
s, they have a caste council, which maintains strong social control over the community. The community is endogamous, but there are cases of some intermarriage with the Makrani
Makrani (caste)
- History and origin :The Makrani of Gujarat are descendents of Baluch who were brought to Saurashtra as mercenaries. They are still distributed in the former princely states of Kathiawar. These Baluch soldiers came from the Makran region of Baluchistan. They now speak Gujarati, while some Makrani...
and Malik communities. They do not practice gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
exogamy, and marriages tend to take place among close kin. The community consists of six clans, the Pateliya, Vesilia, Lochani, Iswani, Raria and Nothiya.