Mochi (caste)
Encyclopedia
The Mochi are a community, found in North India
. They are the traditional shoemakers of South Asia
. They are a Hindu
community, spread throughout North India.
, 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.
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.
status in Uttar Pradesh
. They are an endogamous communities, and maintain gotra
exogamy They are a re Hindu
s, 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.
The community have a traditional caste council, as is common among many North Indian artisan communities.
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.
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 ).
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...
. They are the traditional shoemakers of South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
. They 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...
community, spread throughout North India.
History and origin
The Mochi are Hindu. They are spread across entire India mosltly in BengalBengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, 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...
, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
, Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
, Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000....
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
and Gujarat
The Mochi 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...
claim to have originated in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
. The community was involved in the manufacture of protective leather dresses for soldiers, and the community are closely associated with the 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...
community. They share gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
names with the 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...
community.
The Mochi of Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
also claims to have come originally from Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
. But they claim a common origin with the larger Chamar
Chamar
Chamar |tanner]]"; from the Sanskrit Charmakara) is a prominent occupational caste in India, Pakistan and Nepal. Chamar is a Dalit sub-caste mainly found in the northern states, such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and in Nepal at least north to the Himalayas...
caste. They have the following sub-groups, the Sinolia, Sasendia, Sonwal, and Nidaria.
Present circumstances
The Mochi are involved in the manufacture of leather shoes for example Nike, Fila, Adidas etc. They have Other Backward ClassOther Backward Class
The Central Government of India classifies some of its citizens based on their social and economic condition as Scheduled Caste , Scheduled Tribe , and Other Backward Class . The OBC list presented by the commission is dynamic and will change from time to time depending on social, educational and...
status in 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...
. They are an endogamous communities, and maintain gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
exogamy They are a re 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...
s, and have their own deity by the name of Ramdeo Baba. The Mochi of Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
are now followers of the Ravidasia sect, and start intermarry with other groups within the Chamar
Chamar
Chamar |tanner]]"; from the Sanskrit Charmakara) is a prominent occupational caste in India, Pakistan and Nepal. Chamar is a Dalit sub-caste mainly found in the northern states, such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and in Nepal at least north to the Himalayas...
community.
The community have a traditional caste council, as is common among many North Indian artisan communities.
The Mochi of Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
claim to have migrated from Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, and are found mainly in the contonment city of Ambala
Ambala
Ambala is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border of the states of Haryana and Punjab in India. Politically; Ambala has two sub-areas: Ambala Cantt and Ambala City, approximately 3 kilometers apart from each other...
. 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.
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 ).