Merat

Merat

Total population
334,000[1]
Regions with significant populations
•  Pakistan •  India
Languages
• Urdu • Hindi • Marwari
Religion
• Islam 100% •
Related ethnic groups
• Cheetah • Meo • Qaimkhani • Sindhi-Sipahi • Khanzada

The Merat are a Rajput community, found in the state of Rajasthan in India. They also settled in Punjab and Sindh provinces Pakistan. They are also known as Mer and Merat-Kathat.^[2]

History and origin

They claim descent from Rao Mehraji, and so called mehrat, later came to be known as mehrat. Rao Mehraji was in the lineage of Rao Anhal Chauhan whome some believe to be he descendent of ''Nadol Chauhans and still some believe to be the descendent of Prithviraj chauhans brother Hariraj chauhan. The evidence to it are the local folklores and verbal traditions and the records maintained by the bhats and the jaagas which clearly trace this lineage. The mehrats held important thikanas whose ruins can still be seen; the fort of Athun, Jhak and the fort of Shyamgarh were the major ones.Many small thikanas were also held by mehrats, the ruins of the borwa rawala can be seen in the borwa village. All this proves beyond doubt that the mehrats are of rajput descent.webmagra.orf-----. Mehraji had four sons – Karnaji, Gajiji, Jodhaji and Haapaji. The descendents of the first three sons formed the three gotras of the mehrawats, namely Gajawats( gajiji ki daang, desecendents of the thikana shyamgarh),jodhas(or jodhaji ki daang) descendents of the rawla borwa ,aapaji beared no child. The region they settled in is now called Merwara, after the Mer, who are the dominant group in the region, which forms part of Ajmer District. They adopted some Muslim custom in mugal period but believe hinduism. One of the thakur Duda Rao was defeated by a general of Mohammad ghori , but he accepted only three practices circumcision, nikah and burial of the dead,, rest all traditions were Hindu traditions.Later due to the activities of islamic and Hindu hardliner organisations they have divided into two camps, a kathat camp which use the word katha to emphasise their three Muslim practices religion and a mehrat-rawat camp that follow Hindu rajputi traditions like the Rawats. mer people is a very brave ,The english army had been defited by their ancestors many time.Beawar [ ब्यावर ] was founded by Colonel Dixon in 1835 because they were affraid mer people.

Present circumstances

The Merat have four sub-divisions, known as dangs. These dangs are exogamous. They claim that the Rawat are also related to them. Harraj or kathaji, one of the ancestor of the tribe was the brother of Goraji, the ancestor of the Rawat. The Dang are arranged in hierarchy, with those descended from younger siblings having a lower status. So the dang of Chang village, descended from Karnaji, have the highest status, Each dang is headed by a patel, and there is no marriage with in the dang. .^[3]

The Merat speak Marwari among themselves, while Urdu and Hindi with outsiders. Like other North Indian communities, they have a well organized council of elders. Each village has its own council of elders, who settle disputes with in the community over land or theft. These councils often impose fines on those who commit acts which are seen to transgress the local norms. The Dang are headed by tikayats, who sit on this councils, and the tikayat of the Chang dang heads the caste councils.^[4] They are a community of farmers, but their landholdings are extremely small. The Merwara region also suffers from draught, and many Merat are daily wage labourers.^[5]

The Merat, unlike other Muslim Rajput communities of Rajasthan, such as the Qaimkhani, Meo, Sindhi-Sipahi and Rath, have still maintained a culture which is a hybrid of Hindu and Muslim traditions. Often their personal names are a mixture of both Hindu and Muslim names. Marriages continued to take place with the Rawat, a neighbouring Hindu community, until quite recently. They visit the Lake Pushkar on the kartikpurnima, as well as visiting the famous Muslim shrine of Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer.^[6]

See also

• Muslim Rajput
• Meo
• Qaimkhani

References

1. ^ http://www.joshuaproject.net/peoples.php?peo3=17532
2. ^ People of India Rajasthan Volume XXXVIII Part Two edited by B.K Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N Vyas pages 641 to 646 Popular Prakashan
3. ^ People of India Rajasthan Volume XXXVIII Part Two edited by B.K Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N Vyas page 642 Popular Prakashan
4. ^ People of India Rajasthan Volume XXXVIII Part Two edited by B.K Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N Vyas pages 641 to 643 Popular Prakashan
5. ^ People of India Rajasthan Volume XXXVIII Part Two edited by B.K Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N Vyas page 645 Popular Prakashan
6. ^ People of India Rajasthan Volume XXXVIII Part Two edited by B.K Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N Vyas page 645 Popular Prakashan