Meo

For other uses, see Meos.

मेव

Total population
45,000,000
Regions with significant populations
Pakistan •  India
Languages
Mewati • Hindi
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Cheetah • Merat • Qaimkhani • Sindhi-Sipahi • Deshwali • Khanzada• Ranghar•Ahir

Mayo or Meo or Mewati (Hindi: मेव) 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 have assimilated with other Muslim population. Meos have also intermarried with Meena tribe.^[1] Representing the largest part of the Muslim population in Rajasthan and Haryana, the Meos number approximately 20,000,000 (according to 1984 data). They are crowded into the Alwar and Bharatpur districts in the northeastern part of the state, as well as in the Mewat District of the adjacent state of Haryana. The areas of the three districts where they live are collectively called Mewat, a reference to their supremacy in the area. Meos speak Mewati, a language of the Indo-Aryan part of the Indo-Iranian part of the Indo-European language family, and live in a tribal culture. The majority is uneducated and is currently classed under Other Backward Class (OBC).^[2]

History and origin

Meos are inhabitants of Mewat (मेवात), a territorial region that falls between the important urban centres of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur and consists of Mewat district of Haryana and some areas of adjoining Alwar and Bharatpur districts of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, where the Meos have lived for a millennium. They were Rajput Two edited by B.K Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N Vyas page 986 to 990 Popular Prakashan</ref>

Hasan Khan Mewati represented Meos in the battle of Kanwah along with Rana Sangram Singh (Rana Sangha)in 1526 against the Mughal Zahir ud-din Muhammad Babur. Hasan Khan and his Meo warriors gave a brave fight. Hasan Khan was killed in the battle of Kanwah while his son Tahir Khan was captured by the Mughals. Later on, Tahir Khan fled from the Mughal camp. The Mughal Emperor Babar has also written about Hasan Khan Mewati in his autobiography, Bāburnāma. To the Mughals, the Mewatis were "rebels". Later the British ethnographers termed them "criminal tribes".

To two modernizing princely rulers of eastern Rajasthan in the first half of the 20th century, embracing Hindu nationalism, they were Muslims. Finally, to the Islamising, pietist missionary movement, Tablighi Jama'at, which has flourished in Mewat since independence, the Mewatis were the Jahiliyyah of pre-Islamic Arabia, in urgent need of reform. In this important and welcome contribution, Shail Mayaram tells the story of the princely and Tabligh regimes as well as the story of Mewati resistance she finds throughout. She makes a valuable contribution to understanding how a particular group comes to be identified by others, and to identify itself, as "Muslim" — an identity contingently produced and profoundly modern, the product, not the opposite, of nationalism.^[3]

Connection with the other communities

According to British historian Russell, Meos call themselves by Hindu names with the exception of Ram ; and Singh is a frequent affix, though not so common as Khan.^[4][5] The Meo represent a blending of Hinduism and Islam. Meo profess the beliefs of Islam but the roots of their ethnic structure are in Hindu caste society. In fact, the neighbouring Hindu Jats,^[6] Minas, Ahirs and Rajputs share the same bans.^[7][8][9] According to some sources, the Meo community may have a common origin with the Meena community.^[10] Other traditions connects with the Khanzada of Alwar, a neighbouring Muslim Rajput community.^[11] The Mewat district of Haryana was carved out of some tehsils of Gurgaon and Faridabad districts in 2005. However, the boundary of Mewat region is not precisely defined. The region is semi-arid with scanty rainfall and this has defined the vocations the Meos follow. Poverty and illiteracy are high due to neglect by the rulers for centuries. Only one in ten Meos is able to properly read and write.

Meos generally do not follow the Muslim law of inheritance and so among them, as in the sister communities such as Jats and Minas and Ahirs, custom makes a younger brother or a cousin marry the widow of the deceased by a simple Nikah ceremony.^[12][13] '

Effect of partition on the Meo community

According to book "The Partition of India and Mountbatten" Ahirs started attacking Muslims of Gurgaon and Alwar.^[14][15] Jekins wrote that on 30 April 1947 Hindu Jats^[16] and Gujjars had joined Ahirs against Meos, in one village alone Ahirs had killed 28 Meos. 36 bodies of Meos were found in a Nallah (Creek) near one of the Gurgaon villages and that these bodies had been brought from Alwar where the state forces had fired on a crowd from an Army vehicle.^[17][18] Jinnah papers wrote that Sikh army personnel have indiscriminately shot the Meos and in Gurgaon the Sikh military had taken it upon themselves to wage a war on behalf of non-Muslims.^[19][20] Thirty thousand Meos are killed in the princely state of Bharatpur alone, which is an official figure. No figures are available for the number s killed and displace in Alwar. But the total Meo population in the two princely states is nearly two hundred thousand. Overnight the Meos are slaughtered or evicted by multicaste mobs referred to as Dhars. Their villages are razed to the ground. Only those are allowed to stay who have been subject to Shuddhi (so called purification, in fact, a euphemism for a conversion rite). The violence is hardly spontaneous. It is completely organized by the princely stated and orchestrated by the organisation of what are today referred to as the Hindu Right.^[21]

At the time of independence a considerable portion of Mewat's Muslim population migrated to Pakistan. Many Meo families that migrated from India after independence and settled in Mewat Kasur, Lahore District, Samundri Tehsil and Faisalabad District. The Meos settled in rural areas of Faisalabad District, Toba Tek Singh, Ahmadpur Sial, Jhang District, Safdarabad Tehsil, Nankana Sahib District, Sargodha District, Gujranwala District, Wazirabad District, Multan District, Bahawalpur District, Layyah District, and Shehr Sultan a remote town in Muzaffargarh District, Karachi and many cities of Sindh province. Meos have settled in Dera Ismail Khan District and Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in Balochistan province. At present in Pakistan the Meo population is estimated more than 12 million approximately.^[3]

Conversion to Islam

Although it happened gradually over the time, now nearly all Meo embraced Islam due to the efforts of Sufis, historical changes and different movements. This remains undebatable fact that these were only Meos who first entered into the circle of Islam, from the central part of India. Initially Islam was introduced to Meos by brother in law of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, commander Ghazi Salar Sahu and his son Ghazi Masud Salar Sahu. In this chain other important names are Khawaja Muin-ud-din Chisti (Ajmari) Hazrat Meeran Hussain Khang Sawar and Shah Naseer-ud-Din Chiragh Dehalvi. Moulana Muhammad Ilyas the founder of famously known "Tableeghi Jamaat" has introduced Meos at International level because the pioneer preachers of this movement are Meos.

It must be noted that Hindu inhabitants of Mewat, though belonging to the same Kshatriya castes to which the Meos belonged before conversion to Islam, are not called Meo. Thus the word "Meo" is both region-specific and religion-specific. Apparently, Meos come from many Hindu castes who converted to Islam and amalgamated as Meo community.

The Meos are Muslim Rajputs, about a ten million-strong community, known for its admixture of Hindu and Islamic customs, practices and beliefs. The Meos have two identities, both of which they are equally proud of. On the one hand, they claim to be Muslims, tracing their conversion to various Sufi saints who began settling in their territory from the 11th century onwards, and whose shrines or 'dargahs' today dot the entire Mewati countryside.

They are peasants and agriculturists. There was a close inter-community relationship between the Muslim Meos and other peasant-pastoral castes such as the Jats and the Ahirs until 1920s when the Tablighi Jama'at introduced spiritual reformation of Muslim Meos.

Moinuddin and his deputies, known as Mian Sahibs, taught Meos Islamic practices. After conversion to Islam their community was known as Meos. There were more conversions during the reign of Sultan Balban in the 13th century and during the reign of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir rule in the 17th century. The Meos insist on Mahabharta descent for the entire community. For years the Meos blended both Hindu and Muslim customs in their culture. For example, the popular names for both males and females were Hindu, but Muslim names were given as well, and the Muslim title Khan was added to a Hindu name. Two major Islamic rituals observed by the Meos were male circumcision and burial of the dead. Some of the Hindu festivals and ceremonies were maintained. The Muslim festivals, such as the two Eids (Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha), Ramadan, Shab-e-Barat, and Ashura in Muharram, were practiced. As these people were descendents of Mahabharta and were fun loving, they used festivals like Moharram as occasion to celebrate. Their girls used to exhibit dances which were called Habdas.

Meo children would play Gilli-danda, Kabaddi, Pehlwani, Horse riding, flying Kites and so on. Quran as well as Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata were read and Hindu shrines outnumbered the mosques in Mewat. Many Meos prayed in the Muslim manner and some worshiped at the shrines of the Hindu gods and goddesses. Since 1947, however, with the independence of India, after revival of Islamic traditions Meos have conformed to Islamic norms. In addition, considerable number of Meos have emigrated to Pakistan.

Almost every Meo village has a mosque. Many Rajasthani Meos still retain mixed Hindu-Muslim names. Names such as Ram Khan or Shankar Khan are not unusual in the Meo tracts in Alwar. The Muslim community of Meos was highly Hinduised before independence. They celebrated Diwali and Holi as they celebrated two Eids (Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha). They do not marry within one's Gotras like Hindus of the north though Islam permits marriage with cousins. Solemnization of marriage among Meos was not complete without both Nikah as in Islam and circling of fire as among Hindus. Meos believe that they are direct descendants of Krishna and Rama even as they claim to be among the unnamed prophets of God referred to in the Quran.^[3]

The Meo version of the Mahabharat called the Pandun Ka Kara, is performed by Mirasis or Jogis to an audience composed of Meos as also non-Meo Muslims. The authors, performers and audience are, thus, all Muslim. The Meos regard the Mahabharata clans as the ancestors of their own lineage. The folk epic then is far more than mere "myth" and is central to the cultural identity of the Meos.

Muslim musicians, called Mirasis, dressed in flowing white Kurtas and dhotis and bright crimson turbans. Although the Meos today follow Muslim customs, they still follow some traditional Hindu marriage rituals and kinship patterns. Cousin marriage is still taboo among this group. Attempts to break this tradition have met strong opposition. In addition, Meos do not observe the Muslim tradition of secluding their women. Meo society is divided into at least 800 exogamous clans. Some of the clan organizations resemble those of the Rajputs, but others seem to have connections with Hindu castes such as Brahmans, Meena, Jats, and Bhatiaras. Apparently the Meos come from many Hindu castes who converted to Islam and amalgamated as Meo community.

Meo Tribe DNA And Genealogy

Project administrator Karamat Ullah Khan Meo is a member of the Meo tribe and lives in Pakistan. He took part in Genealogy project of Deep ancestry and is declared member of Haplogroup R1a1.This haplogroup is specifi to Arians.It is common in Brahmans, Tribals, Minas, Chenchu and Meo Tribe. Population of Meos is roughly estimated around 10 million; living in India and Pakistan. They have been living there from last more than 10,000 years. Before 1947 their majority lived in Mewat (The Land of Meo's). Which is South-west of Delhi. A Large number of Meos lived in other states of undivided India ( UP, CP, Rajisthan, Rajputan, Sindh, Baluchistan, Bharatpur, Alwar, Punjab and So on. Meos of the Sub-continent are close-knit into a Pal system or pal organization; governed by patri-lineages. Organizational structure of the Meo community describes them into two groups:

• Paliya Meos
• Nepaliya Meos.

Paliya Meos distinguish themselves consisting of 5 Bans. i.e.

• Jadu from Krishna (Duhlot, Chiraklot, Daimroth, Punglot, Nai)
• Tanvar from Arjuna (Dairwaal, Rattavat, Balot, Ladhavat )
• Kachvaha from Ram ( Dhaingal, Seengal / Bar'gujar )

Others include Rathor (Kalisa), Chauhan (Pahat).

Meo Saints, Chuhar Sidh and Lal Das are both from Jadu Bans and same is true for Kairu-Pandu.

Language

The mother tongue of Meos is Mewati. This Language is spoken all over the Mewat but every person belonging to Mewat is not necessarily Meo. Generally the residents of Mewat are called Mewati. Mewati is a language resembling with Haryanvi, Braj Bhasha and Rajasthani, Urdu and Mewati have also many common features. Mewati has great treasure of literary work including poetic ballads, sonnets, proverbs etc. These are compiled in the form of couplets

Meo Gotras

The Meo are divided into thirteen pals and fifty-three goths. This division was done by Great Meo Ruler “Maharana Kaku Rana Balot Meo, in the thirteenth century. Later on Meo pals were reorganized again during the period of Mughal King Akbar. Traditionally they are known as Twelve-Fifty-Two-Pals or Bara-Bawan-Pal. Here is a list of the clans found in the Mewat:

Name of Original Hindu Tribe	Name of the gotra or pal	Name of the village of origin
Meena	Derwal	Malab in Nuh
Meena	Ladawat	Niana Baghora in Alwar
Meena	Balaut	Sathori in Alwar
Meena	Sarohia	Soswala in Gurgaon
Meena	Bodian	Alawalpur in Nuh
Meena	Gomal	Takra in Alwar
Meena	Bhamla	Sabghar in Firozpur Jhirka
Meena	Mangaria	Mangar in Balabhgarh
Meena	Kataria	Majesar in Balabhgarh
Meena	Jangali	Rajauli in Balabhgarh
Meena	Chapolia	Bhagora in Alwar
Meena	Bilawat	Bhagahta
Meena	Bhagwat	Bhagahta
Meena	Kabgar	Janewat
Meena	Sakhaura	Dongarwali in Balabhgarh
Meena	Baliana	Mangar in Bharatpur
Meena	Lamkhora	Mangar in Bharatpur
Meena	Naharwari	Dadi in Alwar
Sisodia	Kalsakhi	Mewar
Sisodia	Ghelot	Mewar
Kachwaha	Dhaingal	Amber
Jadoo	Chirklot	Mathura / Gurgaon
Jadoo	Demrot	Bahangarh /Alwar
Jadoo	Dhulot	Wadha
Jadoo	Panglot	Dholat Deswala
Jadoo	Nai	Nekuj
Jadoo	Besar	Malwasa Kahera
Meena	Nanglot	Pipal Khera
Jadoo	Gurdal	Chahar Dudh
Jadoo	Boria	Khajota
Jadoo	Chhokar	Palkeora
Badgujar	Badgujar	Fatehpur Sikri
Badgujar	Seengal	Sahina
Badgujar	Jaudal	Kewar
Meena	Chandlot	Tahangarh
Badgujar	Markatra	Lassi
Meena	Khaildar	Maujour and laxmangarh in Alwar
Badgujar	Jatlawat	Andhwari
Meena	Sogan	Mandawar
Chauhan	Chauhan	Ajmer
Meena	Kanwalia	Kanwali in Alwar
Chauhan	Jamlia	Mandwar
Patwar	Patwar	Ujjain in Gwalior
Patwar	Mewal	Jaroki in Alwar
Nirban	Pahat	Mundawar and Mazarpur
Nirban	Bhoslia	Mundawar
Bhati	Bhati	Nagaon in Alwar
Bhati	Bhandarin	Nagaon in Alwar
Bhatti	Bankawat	Nagaon in Alwar
Meena	Khokhar	Nagaon in Alwar
Bhati	Salania	Peepal Khera KHEDA Alwar
Marg	Marg	Talhera Alwar
Mander	Mander	Dabli Alwar
Tanwar	Kahoot	Alwar
Tanwar	Jamania	Dholpuri Alwar
Tanwar	Sehrawat	Dehli
Tanwar	Goonchia	Rajastan
Tanwar	Kangar	Peengri
Tanwar	Majhlawat	Akaira Alwar
-	Kur Niai	-
-	Bad Niai	-
-	Singali	-
Parmar	Bhabla	Ajmer
Demrot	Jonwar	Panna
Jadoo	Batlawat
Jadoo	Mehak	Unknown
Unknown	Macchalia	Muradabad
Jadoo	Bhamnawat	Khandawli
Chauhan	More Jhangal	Doongria Bas
Unknown	Naharwad	Akbar Pur
Unknown	Bhaan	Unknown
Bad Gaujar	Loka	Unknown
Chalok	Chalokia
Gor	Gori	Hod Rani Dehli
Unknown	Wahja Meo	Rajanpur District Punjab Pakistan
Unknown	Weehar Meo	Larkana District Sindh Pakistan
Unknown	Sultani Meo	Hafizabad District Punjab Pakistan
Unknown	Khankhana Baloch Meo	Mathura India
Mehr	Meo Mehr	Ghotki District Sindh Pakistan
Unknown	Dawar	Unknown
Unknown	Nehali	Bijapur District Gurgaon
Unknown	Sehrawat	Dehli

^[22][23]

Cultural aspects

Hybrid culture

The Meos are have two strong identities, both of which they are equally proud of:

• Their Muslim identity, going back to their conversion to Islam by various Sufi saints who began settling in their territory from the 11th century onwards, and whose shrines/mausoleums or dargahs/mazars today dot the entire countryside in Mewat.
• Their Rajput heritage and lineage, which they are very proud of. Despite their conversion to Islam, they still follow some Hindu practices to this day as inherited customs.
• A penetrating sense of superiority of their Rajastani culture with the bravery of their warlords Hasan Khan Meo, a representative of Meo Rajputs in the War Against Gias-u-Din Balban and Deo Khan Meo, are the sources of proud for Meo.
• Without reservation, Gias-u-Din Balban and Mughal kings faced perennial defeats by the Meo warrior tribe around Delhi and in the interiors of Rajasthan.^[3]

Meo men are tall, with ponderous turbans woven around their heads, dressed in long flowing robes. The Meos are Muslim Rajputs, about a ten million-strong community, known for its admixture of Hindu and Islamic customs, practices and beliefs. The Meos have two identities, both of which they are equally proud of. On the one hand, they claim to be Muslims, tracing their conversion to various Sufi saints who began settling in their territory from the 11th century onwards, and whose shrines or 'dargahs' today dot the entire Mewati countryside. On the other hand, they also claim to be Rajputs and direct descendants of Krishna and Rama. These Hindu deities are respectfully referred to by the Meos as 'dada' or 'grandfather'.

Since 1947, after revival of Islamic traditions Meos now conform to Islamic norms.

Marriage customs

The Meo have been subject to a number of recent ethnographic studies. These books have dealt with issues such as marriage and self perception of the community.^[24] "In the study of family and kinship, social anthropologists have often focused on unilateral descent groups or on marriage, but rarely on the specific nature of the brother-sister relationship. Until now this relation has been reduced either to one of siblingship, more often, consanguinity, or to a form of incest prohibition that leads to matrimonial exchange. This book presents the kinship system of the Meo, a Muslim community of ‘Rajput’ caste of north India, where the brother-sister relationship transcends the distinctions between consanguines and affines to pervade relations both before and after marriage.^[24]

"The author develops the notion of ‘metasiblingship’ to convey the specific nature of this relationship. In the vocabulary of kinship studies, meta siblingship is defined as the chain of two brother-sister pairs linked by a marriage. It is enacted in life-cycle rites in the complimentarily between the father’s (married) sister, who leads these ceremonies, and the mother’s brother, who is responsible for the principal prestations.^[24]

"In terms of family and kinship, and associated ceremonies, myths and legends, the Meo have long been regarded as unusual among Indian Muslims. They forbid what is regarded as a diacritical Muslim kinship practice—patrilineal parallel-cousin marriage—as well as cross-cousin marriage, and follow north Indian, Hindu kinship rules. Following the example of Louis Dumont, Raymond Jamous engages with the Meo kinship terminology, the relation of kinship and territory, marriage alliance, and marriage rituals and prestations—all of which are ‘classical’ kinship themes. What emerges is a completely new perspective on the structure of north Indian kinship, transcending and encompassing the opposition of the ‘alliance’ and ‘descent’ approaches. Although the Meos today follow most Muslim customs, they still follow traditional Hindu marriage rituals and kinship patterns. Cousin marriage is still taboo among this group. Attempts to break this tradition have met strong opposition. In addition, Meos do not observe the Muslim tradition of secluding their women. Meo society is divided into at least 800 exogamous clans. Some of the clan organizations resemble those of the Rajputs, but others seem to have connections with Hindu castes such as Brahmans, Meena, Jats, and Bhatiaras. Apparently the Meos come from many Hindu castes and not just the Rajputs. In Pakistan Meo are mostly in boader area in Lahore and Kasur, Meo also present in Khushab and Multan.

Mewat, the homeland of the Meo

The place of origin of the Meos is Mewat. It is a region that comprises southern Haryana and north-eastern Rajasthan and is known for its mixture of Hindu and Islamic customs, practices and beliefs.

Mewat region's boundaries are not precisely determined, but generally include Mewat district of Haryana and parts of Alwar, Bharatpur, and Dholpur districts of Rajasthan. The region corresponds to the ancient kingdom of Matsya, founded in the 5th century BCE. Mewati is the chief dialect of the region and is a variant of Haryanvi and Rajasthani dialects of Hindi. Mewat district was carved out from erstwhile Gurgaon and Faridabad districts and came into existence on 4 April 2005 as the 20th district of Haryana. The newly constituted district comprised three sub-divisions namely Nuh, Firozpur Jhirka and Hathin, though Hathin Sub-division was shifted to Palwal District after formation of 21st district named Palwal. The Mewat district's headquarter is located at Nuh. The district comprises six blocks namely Nuh, Tauru, Nagina, Ferozepur Zhirka, Punhana and Hathin. There are 532 villages in the district. Major towns are Pinangwan in Punanhana Block Nagina and Sakras in Ferozepur Jhirka Block.

Geographically, Mewat district is situated between 26 deg. and 30 deg. North latitude and 76 deg. and 78 deg. East longitude. Gurgaon district bounds it on its North, while Rewari district lies to its West and Faridabad district to its East. On South, the district shares its boundary with Alwar district of Rajasthan. Mewat district is largely composed of plains but has hills of Aravali range. Inconsistency in Mewat topography is evident from its patches of land with hills and hillock of the Aravali Mountain (Kala Paharh) on the one hand and plains on the other.

Mewat, land of the Meos, has its genesis in its tribal inhabitants, the Meo tribals, who are agriculturalists. The area is a distinct ethnic and socio-cultural tract. The Meos, who trace their roots to the early Aryans of North India, call themselves Kshatriyas and have preserved their social and cultural traits to a surprisingly large extent, unlike the other tribes of nearby areas. With Moinuddin Chisti's influence, these people embraced Islam stating from 1192 but till today, they have maintained their age-old distinctive ethno-cultural identity. It must be noted that Hindu inhabitants of Mewat, though belonging to the same Kshatriya castes to which the Meos belonged before conversion to Islam, are not called Meo. Thus the word "Meo" is both region-specific and religion-specific. The Mewat district of Haryana was carved out of some tehsils of Gurgaon and Faridabad districts in 2005. However, the boundary of Mewat region is not precisely defined. The region is semi-arid with scanty rainfall and this has defined the vocations the Meos follow. Poverty and illiteracy are high due to neglect by the rulers for centuries. Only one in ten Meos is able to properly read and write.

In India

In India, the Meo are found mainly in the states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. They are still concentrated in the historic Mewat region.

In Rajasthan

The Meo of Rajasthan are still concentrated in the region of Alwar and Bharatpur. The Rajasthan Meo are essentially cultivators and cattle breeders, and the Mewat breed are famous all over India.^[25]

In Haryana

The Meo in Haryana are found mainly in newly created Mewat district apart from neighboring Faridabad and Gurgaon. The Meo of Haryana are settled agriculturists, and after a century of Tablighi influence, are far more orthodox, than their Rajasthani neighbors.^[26]

Meos in Madhya Paradesh

The Meo, a backward community in the State having a total population of about 32 lakh. The Meo community dominates in Mandsaur, Kannod, Dewas, Khategaon, Jaora, Ratlam, Narsinghgarh, Susner, Agar and Bagli.[31]

In Uttar Pradesh

In Uttar Pradesh, the Meo are found mainly in the western regions of Rohilkhand and Doab. Unlike those of Mewat, the Uttar Pradesh Meo are dispersed. Their main gotras in the state are the Chhirklot, Dalut, Demrot, Pandelot, Balot, Dawar, Kalesa, Landawat, Rattawat, Dingal and Singhal. The Uttar Pradesh Meo maintain a system of community endogamy, and gotra exogamy. The Meo of UP are a community of small farmers, and urban wage labourers.^[27]

In the Doab, the region of western Uttar Pradesh situated between the Ganges and Yamuna river, the Meo are concentrated in the south-western portion of this region. The district of Mathura formed part of the historic Mewat region, especially the Chhata tehsil, and is home to a large community of Meo. The south west portion of Bulandshahr District is also home to a large community of Meo.^[28] The Meo also extend to Meerut District. The Doab Meo now speak Urdu, and have abandoned Mewati.^[27]

Separate from the Doab Meo are the Meo of Rohilkhand. Culturally they are now indistinguishable from the neighbouring Muslim communities. They are found mainly in Moradabad, Bareilly, Rampur and Pilibhit districts. These Meo are said to have Mewat in the 18th Century, fleeing the great famine of 1783, and these Meo are generally referred to by the term Mewati. They now speak Khari Boli and Urdu, and no longer maintain a system of gotra exogamy, with now many practicising parallel-cousin marriages.^[27]

In Delhi

The Meo in Delhi are found mainly in the neighbourhood of old delhi-kucha pandit Lal kuan.gali shahtara Ajmri gate Bara Hindu Rao, Azadpur. Hauz Khas, Hauz Rani, Mehrauli, Begampur, Moti Masjid, Kalu ki Sarai, Chardan, Bheola, Satbari, Chattarpur, Toot Sarai, and Shaikh Sarai. They are a semi-urban community, as many of their villages have been swallowed up by Delhi. Many Meo are now employed in government service, while others have taken to market gardening, an activity associated with the Arain community. Some members of the community have also set up small factories. The growth of Delhi has led to the abandonment of the Mewati dialect in favour of Urdu, which is now their main language. Similarly, there has been a decline in the power of the caste council. The Meo have maintained gotra exogamy, very rarely marrying into their own got. Their main gotras in the state are the Chhirklot, Demrout, Dalut, Pandelot, Balot, Dawar, Kalesa, Landawat, Rattawat, Dingal, Terwal, Saizwa; and Sahrawat.^[29]

In Pakistan

In Pakistan, the Meos are found in the Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh provinces. The Meo population in Pakistan is estimated at more than 12 million.^[3] At the time of independence, a considerable portion of Mewat's Muslim population migrated to Pakistan in 1947. The tragic events during the independence forced the Meos to migrate from India.^[21] Migration claimed thousands of people and those who reached Pakistan were completely devastated. The Meo refugees were settled across Pakistan and mainly in Punjab and Sindh provinces. The Meos from Rajasthan, Indian Punjab and Haryana settled in Pakistani Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in Balochistan provinces. While Meos from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh settled in Sindh. The Meos in Pakistani Punjab have assimilated with Punjabis while Meos in Sindh have assimilated with Muhajirs.

Zaildar Rao Imrat Khan who migrated in 1947 from Bharatpur, India to Khushab, Pakistan wrote detailed books on the History of Meo's. His last and most famous book titled as " Meo Qaum aur Aqwaam-e-Alam" was published in 2001.

Many Meo families settled in Mewat Kasur, Lahore District, Samundri Tehsil and Faisalabad District. The Meos settled in rural areas of Faisalabad District, Toba Tek Singh, Ahmadpur Sial, Jhang District, Safdarabad Tehsil, Nankana Sahib District, Sargodha District, Gujranwala District, Wazirabad District, Multan District, Bahawalpur District, Layyah District, and Shehr Sultan a remote town in Muzaffargarh District, Karachi and many cities of Sindh province. Meos have settled in Dera Ismail Khan District and Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in Balochistan province.

In Pakistan, Meos are becoming urban and now reside in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Peshawar and Quetta. Meos constitutes considerable portion of Muhajir population in Karachi and Hyderabad. The older generation of Meos continue to use Mewati among themselves. The newer generation are now more conversant in Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi and English.^[30] Meos have lost their group identity and distinct cultural traditions and have assimilated with local Muslim population. As in India, Meos are still major contributor to Muslim missionary Tablighi Jamaat in Pakistan.

Many Meos have worked in Persian Gulf region and have became prosperous. Many Meos have emigrated and settled in United Kingdom, United States and Canada.

References

1. ^ Various census of India – Page 22, Allahabad, 1867
2. ^ A socio-history of ex-criminal communities OBCs, Shyam Singh Shashi, P. S. Varma – 1991
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} Resisting Regimes: Myth, Memory and the Shaping of a Muslim Identity by Shail Mayaram.
4. ^ R.V. Russell; R.B.H. Lai (1995). The tribes and castes of the central provinces of India. Asian Educational Services. pp. 234–. ISBN 9788120608337. http://books.google.com/books?id=76c1VSYnPE0C&pg=PA234. Retrieved 13 May 2011. 
5. ^ The tribes and castes of the central provinces of India, Volume 1 By R.V. Russell, R.B.H. Lai
6. ^ Guru Nanak Dev University. Sociology Dept (1 January 2003). Guru Nanak journal of sociology. Sociology Dept., Guru Nanak Dev University. http://books.google.com/books?id=03_ZAAAAMAAJ. Retrieved 13 May 2011. 
7. ^ K. S. Singh (1 January 1998). People of India: Rajasthan. Popular Prakashan. pp. 638–. ISBN 9788171547692. http://books.google.com/books?id=vm_KCE4XXPMC&pg=PA638. Retrieved 13 May 2011. 
8. ^ People of India: Rajasthan edited by K. S. Singh
9. ^ Kumar Suresh Singh; Anthropological Survey of India (1998). People of India. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN 9788171547692. http://books.google.com/books?id=dhAwAQAAIAAJ. Retrieved 13 May 2011. 
10. ^ Against History, against state: counterperspectives from the margins by Shail Mayaram.
11. ^ A Glossary of the tribes and castes of Punjab by H. A Rose
12. ^ Hashim Amir Ali; Mohammad Rafiq Khan; Om Prakash Kumar; India. Planning Commission. Research Programmes Committee (1970). The Meos of Mewat: old neighbours of New Delhi. Oxford & IBH Pub. Co.. http://books.google.com/books?id=6xguAAAAMAAJ. Retrieved 13 May 2011. 
13. ^ The Meos of Mewat: old neighbours of New Delhi
14. ^ Pakistan (1948). The Sikhs in action. Printed by the Superintendent, Govt. Print., West Punjab. http://books.google.com/books?id=YtgxAAAAIAAJ. Retrieved 13 May 2011. 
15. ^ The Sikhs in action
16. ^ Punjab (1883). Punjab gazetteers, 1883, bound in 10 vols., without title-leaves. http://books.google.com/books?id=YacIAAAAQAAJ. Retrieved 13 May 2011. 
17. ^ The Partition of India and Mountbatten. Atlantic Publishers & Distri. pp. 181–. GGKEY:0KUG6RJYNX6. http://books.google.com/books?id=Ac4oqDNFzVcC&pg=PA181. Retrieved 13 May 2011. 
18. ^ The Partition of India and Mountbatten-page-181
19. ^ Z. H. Zaidi; Quaid-i-Azam Papers Project (1994). Jinnah papers. Quaid-i-Azam Papers Project, National Archives of Pakistan. ISBN 9789698156060. http://books.google.com/books?id=vgFuAAAAMAAJ. Retrieved 13 May 2011. 
20. ^ Jinnah papers
21. ^ ^{a b} Distorting the truth
22. ^ A Glossary of the tribes and castes of Punjab by H A Rose pages 80 and 81 Low Price Publications
23. ^ TARIKH-I-MEO CHATTRI BY MAULANA ABDUS SHAKOOR PUBLISHED FROM DEHLI 1920
24. ^ ^{a b c} Kinship and Rituals Among the Meo of Northern India : Locating Sibling Relationship/Raymond Jamous. Translated from the French by Nora Scott. New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2003, xiv, 200 p., ills., tables, $31. ISBN 0-19-566459-0.
25. ^ People of India Rajasthan Volume XXXVIII Part Two edited by B.K Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N Vyas page 638 to 640 Popular Prakashan
26. ^ People of India Haryana Volume XXIII edited by M.L Sharma & A.K Bhatia pages 360 to 364 to 967
27. ^ ^{a b c} People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Two edited by A Hasan & J C Das pages 811 to 963 to 967
28. ^ A Gazetteer of Bulandshar District Volume XLVI: Gazetteers of the United Provinces edited by H. R Neville
29. ^ People of India Delhi Volume XX edited by T Ghosh & S Nath pages 469 to 474 Manohar Publications
30. ^ Muslim Communities of South Asia: Culture Society and Power edited by T N Madan Manohar Publications

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