Mahar 2438541 225339521 2008-07-13T04:36:25Z SmackBot 433328 Date the maintenance tags or general fixes {{otheruses}} The '''Mahars''' are an important [[social group]] within the [[India]]n state of [[Maharashtra]] state and surrounding states. A grouping of related [[endogamous]] castes, the Mahar are the largest [[scheduled caste]] group in Maharashtra.<ref name="brit">[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9050103/Mahar#285104.hook Britannica Online: Mahar]</ref> In the early 1980s, the Mahar community was estimated to make up about 9% of the population of the state of Maharashtra.<ref name="brit"/> Mahars who have converted to Islam are also found in Pakistan. There is a theory that the name of the state of [[Maharashtra]] comes from their name: 'Mahar rashtra' (= "country of Mahars"), but this theory is not generally accepted.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} The Mahars traditionally lived on the outskirts of villages and performed a number of tasks related to the boundaries of the community.<ref name="brit"/> During the Gupta age they were classified as [[untouchable]]s.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} In the 20th century significant numbers of Mahars began to leave their traditional villages and move into the urban centers of India in search of better employment and educational opportunities.<ref name="brit"/> The Mahars have excelled in military services for the last several centuries and [[Shivaji]] recruited a large number of Mahars into his army in the 17th century.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} During the colonial period, a large number of Mahars were recruited for military duties by the [[British East India Company|East India Company]] and the [[British Raj]]. This martial tradition has continued and has found expression in the organization of a [[Mahar Regiment]] by the [[Indian Army]] in [[1941]].<ref>[http://mod.nic.in/samachar/html/ch2.htm Mahars Turn Sixty]</ref> The Imperial Gazetteer of India, writing about [[Nagpur]] district, India, described the social status of the Mahars in the early [[1900]]s: <blockquote>“Mahars form a sixth of the whole population, the great majority being cultivators and laborers. The rural Mahar is still considered impure, and is not allowed to drink from the village well, nor his children may sit in school with those of the Hindu castes. But there are traces of decay of this tendency, as many Mahars have become wealthy and risen in the world.”<ref>[http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V18_316.gif Imperial Gazeteer of India, vol. 2], p. 310</ref></blockquote> Traditionally considered lower in the [[Hindu]] caste system, during the 20th century a number of Mahars converted to [[Buddhism]], including one of the most prominent Mahars [[B. R. Ambedkar|Dr. B. R. Ambedkar]]. Ambedkar, the first individual from a traditionally untouchable caste to receive a university education, encouraged Mahars to leave Hinduism in protest of their caste status. Mahars who have converted to Buddhism are referred to as 'Navbuddha' ([[Dalit Buddhist movement|Neobuddhists]]). Some Buddhist leaders among the population have expressed a desire for the 'Mahar' label to no longer be applied to Buddhist converts.<ref> [http://www.indianexpress.com/story/245413.html "Maya under fire from Dalit leaders in Maharashtra"] </ref> '''Notable Mahars''': *[[R. S. Gavai]] (Governor of Kerala) ==See also== *[[Mahar Regiment]] ==References== <references /> [[Category:Social groups of India]] [[Category:Social groups of Maharashtra]] [[Category:Dalit]] [[fr:Mahars]]