Origin

The Mandarkia claim to be a clan of the Sombansi Rajput

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...

s of Awadh

Awadh

Awadh , also known in various British historical texts as Oudh or Oude derived from Ayodhya, is a region in the centre of the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh...

. They trace their descent from one Kishan Chand, a Sombansi Rajput, who is also said to have founded the town of Kishni

Kishni

Kishni is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mainpuri district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Geography:Kishni is located at . It has an average elevation of 153 metres .-Demographics:...

. A descenndent of Kishan Chand was Mandar Sah, from whom they get their name. A section of the Mandarkia converted to Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

 during the rule of Sher Shah Suri

Sher Shah Suri

Sher Shah Suri , birth name Farid Khan, also known as Sher Khan , was the founder of the short-lived Sur Empire in northern India, with its capital at Delhi, before its demise in the hands of the resurgent Mughal Empire...

. They are found mainly in and near the town of Jagdishpur in Sultanpur District

Sultanpur District

Sultanpur District is a district in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. The district is a part of Faizabad Division. Its administrative head is Sultanpur.-History:...

 , and occupy fourteen villages. The Mandarkia are almost evenly divided between the 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...

 and 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...

 sections. The former intermarry with other Rajput

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...

 groups, while the 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...

s are endogamous, occasionally intermarrying with the Bharsaiyan

Bharsaiyan

The Bharsaiyan or Bharaiyan are a Rajput clan found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India.-Origin:The word Bharsaiyan is said to be a corruption of the word bhainsauliyan or a native of the town of Bhaisaul, where the tribe is said to have originated from. They claim to be a clan of Mainpuri...

, another community of similar status.