Mewat

For other uses, see Mewat District.

The modern Mewat district (highlighted)

Mewat (मेवात) is a historical region of Haryana and Rajasthan states in northwestern India. The loose boundaries of Mewat are not precisely determined but generally include Mewat District of Haryana and parts of Alwar, Bharatpur, and Dholpur districts of Rajasthan.^[1] The region roughly corresponds to the ancient kingdom of Matsya, founded in the 5th century BCE.

Mewat district is a district of Haryana state in India. It is located at southern edge of Haryana. Its area is 1,912 square km and the population is one million. It is semi-arid and its economy is mainly rain-fed agriculture. Nuh is the district headquarter of Mewat.

The Muslim inhabitants of Mewat are called Meos (मेव). The areas of the three districts where Meos live are collectively called Mewat. Mewat has 1200 villages: 550 in Haryana, 600 in Rajasthan and 50 in UP.^{[citation needed]}

Khanzada Raja Hasan Khan Mewati Mewat Patti is best known chieftain of Mewat. He fought against Babur in Battle of Khanwa in 1527. The Delhi–Gurgaon–Alwar–Jaipur highway used to pass through Mewat until late 1960s when the new national highway NH 8 was constructed bypassing Mewat.

Meo and Mewati

Main article: Meo

The Muslim inhabitants of Mewat are called Meo (मेव) and meena hindu in Rajasthan. Most of the population of Mewat is of Meo Muslims. They converted from Meena under Sufi influence in 13th century. Meos follow the clan cuture of Pals and Gotra like Hindus Kshatriyas. Meos are divided into 13 pals and 52 gotras.

Even after conversion to Islam they retained their Mahabharata culture by creating Gotras and Pals for marriages and social interaction. They can still trace back their brotherhood and links with Meena, Rajputs, Ahirs and Gujjars in the nearby villages in the region.

Meos speak Mewati dialect, a slight variant of the Haryanvi and Rajasthani dialects, of Hindi and live in a tribal culture.The culture and gotra of meos is same as Meena tribe in Rajasthan.Meena and Meos are live as brother in Rajasthan. The majority is uneducated and is currently classed under Other Backward Class (OBC). Mewati Gharana is well known Gharana of Indian classical music. Mirasi singers keep a wonderful tradition of oral history of their Meo patrons.

Recent developments

Mewat district was a part of Gurgaon district and Faridabad district of Haryana until 2004. It became a district in 2005. It is predominantly rural with a few small towns.

Though the district is in NCR (National Capital Region) and just 50 km from Delhi airport, it has remained undeveloped. The industrial estates created by Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation (HSIDC) remained underutilised. However, due to expansion of building activities in nearby Gurgaon, the land prices in Mewat have gone up considerably and the land is being bought by investors and developers. This has benefited people who have sold or are selling their agricultural land.

Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has proposed to develop residential neighbourhoods in Rangala and Pinangwan.

A new Alwar-Palwal railway line through Hathin, Pinangwan and Ferozepur Jhirka towns has been suggested by some. A Gurgaon-Nuh-Alwar railway line has also been proposed. But both these railway lines have remained wishful thinking. Kundli-Manesar-Palwal expressway is being constructed through northern fringe of Mewat. It bypasses Delhi while coming from just North of Delhi by NH 1 and connects to NH 2 near Palwal. Double-laning work of Nuh-Hodal and Nagina-Pinangwan-Hodal (MDR 131) roads is also in progress.

Haryana Wakf Board has set up its first engineering college in Mewat. The construction of the college in Palla village near Nuh is in full swing on 16 acres (6.5 ha) of land. A medical college in village Nalhar near Nuh is also under construction.

See also

• Nuh
• Pinangwan
• Ahir clans
• Maues
• Mawat
• Mwata Kazembe
• Qazi Ghulam Mustafa
• Khan Zaman Khan Ali Asghar
• Islam Khan V
• Tabligh movement in Mewat
• Sihri
• Punahana

References

1. ^ "Mewat" The Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1909, v. 17, p. 313.

• Powlett, P. W. (1838). Gazetteer of Ulwur (Alwar). London : Trübner & co.. http://www.archive.org/stream/gazetteerofulwur00powliala#page/n5/mode/2up. 

External links

• 203.176.113.182/NR/scripts/static/RecentReleasesDisplay.jsp?id

* "Mewat Development Society (MDS), Chharora- http://www.mdsindia.org.in/"

• Mewat Development Agency
• http://www.rkktrust.org/
• http://203.176.113.182/NR/scripts/static/RecentReleasesDisplay.jsp?id=2573
• http://www.mynews.in/news_details.php?nid=21678
• http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040830/delhi.htm
• Against History, Against State: Counterperspectives from the Margins by Shail Mayaram