The Maiya 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...

 caste

Caste

Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...

 found in the state of Gujarat 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 Mahia Rajput and Maiya Darbar.

History and origin

The community claim to have been settled along the banks of the Mahi river in Kheda District

Kheda district

Kheda district is one of the 26 districts of Gujarat state in western India. Kheda city is the administrative headquarters of the district.-History:...

, so they came to be known as Maiya. They are believed to be descended from the Jadhav

Jadhav

Jadhav is the name of a Maratha clan located largely in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, and other regions of north-western India.- Origin :...

 Rajput

Rajput

A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...

s. The community settled in Gujarat during the rule of Sultan

Sultan

Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...

 Mahmud Begada

Mahmud Begada

Sultan Abu'l Fath Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah I, popularly known as Mahmud Begada was the most prominent sultan of Gujarat. He was the great-grandson of Ahmad Shah I, the founder of the Muzaffarid dynasty, and of the city of Ahmedabad in the present-day state of Gujarat, India. He was known to be...

, and moved into Saurashtra in the 16th Century. Their they established states in Wankaner

Wankaner

Wankaner is a city and a municipality in Rajkot district in the Indian state of Gujarat.Wankaner has thorny plantation in the area !-Geography:Wankaner is located at . It has an average elevation of 81 metres ....

 and the small states of Kuwadva and Than near Rajkot. A section of the some cast Maiya converted to Islam

Islam

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

, and are now known as the Miyana

Miyana

The Miyana are a Muslim Rajput community found in the state of Gujarat in India.- History and origin :The Miyana are Rajputs who were converted to Islam during the rule of Allauddin Khilji in the thirteenth century...

.and other rajput cast covert known as MAHIYA now they are staying in junagadh District. They rebelled against the Nawab

Nawab

A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....

 of Junagarh

Junagarh

Junagarh may refer to:* Junagarh, Kalahandi, a town in Kalahandi district, Orissa, India* Junagarh Fort, a fort in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India...

 in 1882, and were suppressed. As a result of the rebellion, they lost much of their land.

Present circumstances

The community is concentrated in Saurashtra. They are divided into a number of clans known as ataks, the main ones being the Babariya, Dayatar, Makka, Dangar, Paderi, Dave, Dhana and Chalavada.They are located mostly in Shergadh,Ajab,Kaneri,Mesavan,Avaniya,Gangecha,Rangpur,Pikhor,Gelana,Kalwani and other villages in Junagadh disctict.Many of them have relocated for their job and business in Rajkot or other urban areas.The community is mainly made up of small and medium sized farmers, and have customs similar other landowning castes such as the Khati

Kathi (caste)

The Kathi are a Hindu caste found in the state of Gujarat in India. Kathi is also a big gotra of Yaduvanshi Ahirs of Haryana. Also inter-marriage between the Ahir and the Kathi is an old phenomenon.Kathi tribe is named as Catti or Cat'hi and has been named as 36 royal races by James Tod.-History...

 and Khant

Khant (caste)

The Khant are a Hindu caste found in the state of Gujarat in India.-History:Khants numbered 13,423 , including 6,733 males and 6,690 females. They are found chiefly in Gir villages in Junagadh district in Kathiawar. The chief of the tribe claims descent from Bhati Rajputs. The leading families are...

. There claim to be Kshatriya

Kshatriya

*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...

s is generally accepted by other 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...

castes.

Kuldevi for the community as whole is Mata Nagbai at Shergadh-Ajab.