Merat
Encyclopedia
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.
. They adopted some Muslim custom in mugal period but believe hinduism. One of the thakur Duda Rao accepted islam during the rule of Aurangzeb , but his family practised 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 are very brave ,The english army had been defeated by their ancestors many time.Beawar [ ब्यावर ] was founded by Colonel Dixon in 1835 because they were affraid mer people.
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. .
The Merat speak Marwari
among themselves, while Urdu
and Hindi
with outsiders. Like other North India
n 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.
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.
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
.
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
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 settled in Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
and 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...
provinces Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. They are also known as Mer and Merat-Kathat.
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 DistrictAjmer district
Ajmer District is a district of the state of Rajasthan in western India. The city of Ajmer is the district headquarters.Ajmer District has an area of 8,481 km², and a population of 2,180,526 ,Three main groups are; Hindu 1,869,044, Muslim 244,341, Jains 47,812...
. They adopted some Muslim custom in mugal period but believe hinduism. One of the thakur Duda Rao accepted islam during the rule of Aurangzeb , but his family practised 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 are very brave ,The english army had been defeated 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 RawatRawat Rajputs
Rawat Rajputs are a group of people who reside in Ajmer, Ballabgarh, Faridabad, Palwal Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh and Pali districts of Rajasthan, the area known as Magra-Merwara and the Kumaon division and Garhwal Divisions of Uttarakhand, India....
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. .
The Merat speak Marwari
Marwari language
The Marwari language , also variously Marvari, Marwadi, Marvadi), is spoken in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Marwari is also found in the neighboring state of Gujarat and Haryana and in Eastern Pakistan...
among themselves, while Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
with outsiders. Like other North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
n 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.
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.
The Merat, unlike other Muslim Rajput communities of Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, such as the Qaimkhani
Qaimkhani
Kaimkhani or Qaimkhani is a Muslim Rajput clan that resides in Sindh and Punjab, Pakistan and Rajasthan, India.- History :Kaimkhanis are the descendants of Nawab Kaim Khan, born Karamchand, the son of Raja Motay Rai Chauhan, the ruler of Dorayra or Dadrewa...
, Meo
Meo
Mayo or Meo or Mewati is a prominent Muslim Rajput tribe from North-Western India. A considerable number of Meos migrated to Pakistan after independence in 1947 and now they are estimated to be over 12 million. In Pakistan, Meos have lost their distinct group identity and cultural traditions and...
, Sindhi-Sipahi
Sindhi-Sipahi
The Sindh-Sipahi are a Muslim community found in the province of Sindh in Pakistan and state of Rajasthan in India.-History and origin:The Sindh-Sipahi originally belonged to the family of Chandravanshi Rajputs...
and Rath
Rath (tribe)
The Rath are a Muslim Rajput community, found in the state of Rajasthan in India. They also settled in Punjab and Sindh provinces Pakistan...
, have still maintained a culture which is a hybrid of 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...
traditions. Often their personal names are a mixture of both Hindu and Muslim names. Marriages continued to take place with the Rawat
Rawat Rajputs
Rawat Rajputs are a group of people who reside in Ajmer, Ballabgarh, Faridabad, Palwal Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh and Pali districts of Rajasthan, the area known as Magra-Merwara and the Kumaon division and Garhwal Divisions of Uttarakhand, India....
, a neighbouring 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...
community, until quite recently. They visit the Lake Pushkar on the kartikpurnima, as well as visiting the famous 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...
shrine of Moinuddin Chishti
Moinuddin Chishti
Sultan-ul-Hind, Moinuddin Chishti was born in 1141 and died in 1230 CE. Also known as Gharīb Nawāz "Benefactor of the Poor" , he is the most famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order of the Indian Subcontinent. He introduced and established the order in South Asia...
at Ajmer
Ajmer
Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
.