MavisHelena6948 at 08:40, 16 May 2026

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{{Short description|Scheduled Tribes of India and Bangladesh}}
{{for|the Mars rover camera|Mars Hand Lens Imager}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2025}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Mahali
| population = 155,023 in India (2011 census)
| total_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/ST.html|title=Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|website=www.censusindia.gov.in|access-date=3 November 2017}}</ref>
| popplace = India, Bangladesh
| region1 = [[Jharkhand]]
| pop1 = 152,663
| region2 = [[West Bengal]]
| pop2 = 2,360
| region3 = [[Assam]]
| pop3 = 13,452 (1951 {{estimated}})
| ref3 = <ref name=1951Estimate>{{cite web |title=Estimated Population by Castes, 5. Assam – Census 1951 |year=1954 |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/30196/download/33377/44094_1951_POP.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308003624/https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/30196/download/33377/44094_1951_POP.pdf |archive-date=8 March 2024 |url-status=live |publisher=Office of the Registrar General, India |access-date=7 August 2024 }}</ref>
| region4 = Bangladesh
| pop4 = 30,000 (as of 2009)
| langs = '''[[First language]]''' <br /> [[Mahali language|Mahali]] <br />'''[[Second language]]''' <br /> [[Santali language|Santali]], [[Odia language|Odia]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Hindi]]
| religions = [[Hinduism]]<ref>"Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India". www.censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 2 November 2017.</ref>
| related = [[Santal people|Santal]]{{•}}[[Oraon people|Oraon]]{{•}}Kumarbhag Paharia{{*}}[[Mal Paharia people|Mal Paharia]]
}}

The '''Mahali''' ([[colloquial]]ly '''Mahli''') are a small [[ethnic group]] living in the Indian states of [[Jharkhand]], [[Odisha]] and [[West Bengal]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://lawmin.nic.in/legislative/election/volume%201/rules%20&%20order%20under%20Constitution/THE%20CONSTITUTION%20(SCHEDULED%20TRIBES)%20ORDER,%201950.pdf | title = The Constitution (Scheduled tribes) Order, 1950 | pages = 173, 182 | publisher = Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India | access-date = 11 March 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180127114304/http://lawmin.nic.in/legislative/election/volume%201/rules%20%26%20order%20under%20Constitution/THE%20CONSTITUTION%20%28SCHEDULED%20TRIBES%29%20ORDER%2C%201950.pdf | archive-date = 27 January 2018 | url-status = dead }}</ref> [[Basketry]] is their main occupation.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F3gzryWrMuQC&q=mahli+tribe&pg=PA53|title=Tanks in Eastern India: A Study in Exploration|isbn=9789290907312|last1=Pant|first1=Niranjan|last2=Verma|first2=R. K.|year=2010}}</ref>
and in the northern districts of [[Rajshahi District|Rajshahi]], [[Joypurhat District|Joypurhat]], [[Dinajpur District (Bangladesh)|Dinajpur]], [[Rangpur District|Rangpur]] and [[Sylhet District|Sylhet]] of [[Bangladesh]]. They speak the [[Mahali language]], which belongs to the [[Munda languages|Munda group]], and many of them also know [[Odia language|Odia]], [[Santali language|Santali]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], and [[Hindi language|Hindi]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ota |first=A.B. |url=https://tribal.nic.in/repository/ViewDoc.aspx?RepositoryNo=TRI28-08-2017121935&file=Docs/TRI28-08-2017121935.pdf |title=Mahali |website=tribal.nic.in |year=2014}}</ref> In India they are included in the list of [[Scheduled Tribe]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/mjx|title=Mahali|website=ethnologue}}</ref>

The Mahali of Bangladesh ir forefathers migrated from the [[Buru Disham]] hills of Jharkhand over a century ago.<ref>Zakarias Dumri, BA (Hons), MA in History from [[Rajshahi University]] & Director-MAASAUS, a centre working for development of the Mahles located at Village-Damkura, PS-Poba, District-Rajshahi</ref> They speak either Mahali or Santali, though today's educated generation speak Bengali and English as well. There are 3 tribes among them: Nagpuriya, Sikroya and Rajmahle. A total of 9 [[family name]]s can be found among the Mahles – Dumri, Bare, Karkusho, Kauria, Khanger, Mandri, Hansda, Baske & Besra, of which the first 4 family names are almost extinct today.<ref>'The Mahali Community of Damkura', Sheikh Mehedi Hasan, The Daily [[Prothom Alo]], 24 August 2009.</ref>

==Origin==
They are caste who works as palanquin bearers and bamboo workers. They are divided into five endogamous subdivision: the bansphor Mahli, pahar mahli, Sulunkhi, Tanti and Mahli Munda. Their some septs are Barwar (banayan), Bhuktuar, dumriar (wild fig), gundli (a kind of grain), Induar (eel), Kantiar, Kasriar, Kathargachh (jackfruit tree), Kendriar, Kerketta (a bird), mahukal (a bird), Tirki, Tunduar, Turu, Lang Chenre, Sanga. Their four septs Hansda, Hemron, Murmu, Saren also found in Santal tribe.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/tribescastesofce02russ_0|year=1916|publisher=Macmillan and Co|location=London|title=The tribes and castes of the Central Provinces of India}} {{PD-notice}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AyxuAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA126|title=Bihar District Gazetteers, Volume 12; Volume 16|year=1970|author=Pranab Chandra Roy Choudhury|publisher=Superintendent, Secretariat Press, Bihar|page=128}}</ref>

==Culture==
Their traditional occupation was making households items of bamboo.

They were also making musical instruments such as Mandar, Dhol, Nagara etc.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BrumDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT144|title=Environment, Knowledge and Gender: Local Development in India's Jharkhand|isbn=978-1351729895|access-date=4 April 2022|last1=Jewitt|first1=Sarah|date=31 July 2019|publisher=Routledge }}</ref>

Their deity is Surjahi (Solar deity). Other deity are Bar Pahari (mountain deity) and [[Mansa Devi]]. Their festival are Bangri, Hariyari and [[Nawakhani]] etc.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kFmxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA99|title=Jharkhand Samanya Gyanand|website=books.google|isbn=9789351867982|last1=Ranjan|first1=Manish|date=19 August 2002|publisher=Prabhat Prakashan }}</ref>

==Official classification==
They are listed as a [[Scheduled Tribe]] by the Jharkhand government.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/46519807.pdf|title=An Anthropological Study of Rural Jharkhand, India|first=Alpa|last=Shah|page=53|date=2003|access-date=8 November 2022|quote=Jharkhand categorises the Mahelis along with the Oraon, Munda and Badaiks, as a Scheduled Tribe}}</ref>

==Traditions in Bangladesh==
The Mahali people cannot marry within close relatives or within their own tribe. There are two ways of effecting the marriage – Angir Bapla & Sunum Bapla. The society is patriarchal, and in marriages the family of the bridegroom pays dowry to the family of the bride. Children bear the family name inherited from the father. The primary profession of the community is manufacturing useful household articles using bamboo, e.g., dali (bin), kula (an indigenous multipurpose article used in processing rice/paddy), tungki (a bamboo-made pot to keep salt), hand propelled fan, etc., and selling these in the local markets. They earn very little each day, but live on whatever their traditional trade fetches them. Intra-community harmony is excellent. Their food habits are just like those of other Bangladeshi residents of the region, although they do not eat crab, oyster or pork. Their attire is a mixture of Bangladeshi Muslim and Hindu culture, though many Mahalis wear modern dresses like shirt-trousers and salwar-kameez.

Mahali children are not proficient at Bengali Medium [[Primary education|primary schools]] because there is hardly any scope of learning Bengali in their environment. The native tongue of the Mahle community has no written form. Mr. Zakarias Dumri, Director-MAASAUS and a Mahali by himself, has invented a Romanized Mahle alphabet for their language, which is being used experimentally in 3 primary schools of Damkurahat, Paba, Rajshahi. The schools are Sursunipara, Sinjaghutu and Pipra Multi Linguistic Education (MLE) schools. This new alphabet allows Mahali children to study in Bengali as well as their native language, and, as a result, literacy has increased in that area. Children are also showing better results in the schools. Teachers of the school and NGOs named SIL-Bangladesh and Manusher Jonno (for the mankind) are helping the children in this endeavour.<ref>'Short Introduction to the culture and lifestyle of the Mahali Community', Edited by Zakarias Dumri, Published by MAASAUS, Damkura, Rajshahi, February 2009.</ref>

There are three major festivals of the Mahalis – Jitiya Parbon, Syurjahi Puja and Goal Puja, falling in the months of Bhadra (Mid-August to Mid September) and Falgun (Mid February to Mid March) of the Bengali calendar. Singing and dancing are integral parts of their festivals and celebrations. Jhumer is a prominent form of dance among this community, and almost every Mahle is adept at this dance (However, many Mahalis of the current generation do not know this dance well). They use traditional [[musical instrument]]s in their music and dance. They refrain from all household activities on the festival days in the belief that acting otherwise might bring bad luck to their family. They cremate their dead as the Hindus do. Kula (Hatak in their language) is very important in their day-to-day life, as well as in religious practices. They use the kula to harvest rice and value the Kula as a religious symbol.

==See also==
*[[Ghasi Ram Mahli]], poet
*[[Surya Singh Besra]], politician

==Further reading==
*{{Cite book| first=A. B. |last=Ota | title=Mahali |year=2014 |url=https://tribal.nic.in/repository/ViewDoc.aspx?RepositoryNo=TRI28-08-2017121935&file=Docs/TRI28-08-2017121935.pdf |website=tribal.nic.in}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Tribes of Jharkhand}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Scheduled Tribes of Jharkhand]]
[[Category:Scheduled Tribes of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Scheduled Tribes of India]]
[[Category:Social groups of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Social groups of Odisha]]
[[Category:Scheduled Tribes of Odisha]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Adivasi]]

Mahali people - Revision history

MavisHelena6948 at 08:40, 16 May 2026