- Mochi (Hindu)
-
Mochi Total population 2,684,000[1] Regions with significant populations • 
India •
BangladeshLanguages • Bengali• Braj Bhasha • Hindi• Bhojpuri
Religion • Hindusim 100% •
Related ethnic groups • Chamar
The Mochi are a community, found in North India. They are the traditional shoemakers of South Asia.[2] They are a Hindu community, spread throughout North India.
History and origin
The Mochi are Hindu. They are spread across entire India mosltly in Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Gujarat
The Mochi of Uttar Pradesh claim to have originated in Rajasthan. The community was involved in the manufacture of protective leather dresses for soldiers, and the community are closely associated with the Rajput community. They share gotra names with the Rajput community.[3] The Mochi of Haryana also claims to have come originally from Rajasthan. But they claim a common origin with the larger Chamar caste. They have the following sub-groups, the Sinolia, Sasendia, Sonwal, and Nidaria.[4]
Present circumstances
The Mochi are involved in the manufacture of leather shoes for example Nike, Fila, Adidas etc. They have Other Backward Class status in Uttar Pradesh. They are an endogamous communities, and maintain gotra exogamy They are a re Hindus, and have their own deity by the name of Ramdeo Baba. The Mochi of Haryana are now followers of the Ravidasia sect, and start intermarry with other groups within the Chamar community.[4]
The community have a traditional caste council, as is common among many North Indian artisan communities.[5]
The Mochi of Haryana claim to have migrated from Rajasthan, and are found mainly in the contonment city of Ambala. They still speak the Braj Bhasha dialect. They are strictly endogamous, and practice clan exogamy. There traditional occupation was shoe making, but with the spread of factory manufactured shoes. The majority are landless agricultural labourers, with a small minority now taking up other professions. They enjoy scheduled caste status.[6]
Mochi caste is not comes under Schedule Cast in Gujarat State (Except Dangs district and Umargaon Taluka of Valsad district), it is comes under social and educational backward class in Gujarat state.
At present the major population of Muslim Mochi lives in India ( 2,206,000 ), in Bangladesh ( 334,000 ), in Pakistan ( 200 ) and in Nepal ( 50 ).[1]
References
- ^ a b Mochi, Hindu
- ^ People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Two edited by A Hasan & J C Das pages 978 to 981
- ^ People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Two edited by A Hasan & J C Das pages 979
- ^ a b People of India Haryana Volume XXIII edited by M L Sharma & J A. K Bhatia pages 365 to 368
- ^ People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Two edited by A Hasan & J C Das pages 996
- ^ People of India Haryana Volume XXIII Part edited by M.L Sharma and A.K Bhatia page 364 to 369 Manohar
Categories:- Social groups of Uttar Pradesh
- Indian castes
- Social groups of Haryana
- Dalit
- Shudra castes
- Social groups of Punjab (India)
- Social groups of Gujarat
- Social groups of Rajasthan
- Social groups of Bihar
- Social groups of Madhya Pradesh
- Social groups of West Bengal
- Social groups of India
- Social groups of Bangladesh
- Dalit communities
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