The Hela are a 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...

 scheduled caste found in the state of Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

 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 are also known as Mehtar and Mestar. The Hela are a sub-group within the larger Bhangi

Bhangi

Bhangi is an Indian caste or jāti traditionally treated as untouchable, and was historically restricted to three occupations: cleaning latrines, sweeping, and scavenging . They prefer to be known as Balmiki...

 community of 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...

.

Origin

The Hela are found mainly in the districts of Varanasi

Varanasi District

Varanasi district is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India, with Varanasi city as the district headquarters. Varanasi district is a part of Varanasi division. The district occupies an area of 1,535 km². The district has a population of 3,138,671 .-Divisions:The...

, Ghazipur

Ghazipur District

Ghazipur District is a district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The city of Ghazipur is the district headquarters. The district is part of Varanasi Division...

 and Mirzapur

Mirzapur District

Mirzapur district is one of the 70 districts of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The district is bounded on the north by Sant Ravidas Nagar and Varanasi districts, on the east by Chandauli district, on the south by Sonbhadra district and on the norhwest by Allahabad district. The district...

. They are divided into five sub-groups, the Supa Bhagat, Balmiki, Nourchinwa, Lalbegi and Shaikh-Hela. Traditionally the Hela were a community which incorporated elements of both Hinduism

Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

 and Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

. They are now 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 abandoned most 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...

practices. Traditionally, the community was hierarchical, with the Supa Bhagat considering themselves superior to the other sub-groups.

Present circumstances

The Hela are a community of agricultural labourers. Their traditional occupation was that of a village sweeper.