Meo

Meo or Mayo (Hindi: मेव, Urdu: میو) is a prominent Muslim Rajput tribe from North-Western India, some of whom migrated to Pakistan after independence in 1947. Representing the largest part of the Muslim population in Rajasthan, the Meos number approximately 2000000 (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 Gurgaon 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-Iranian part of the Indo-European Family and live in a tribal culture therefore majority is uneducated and backward.

History and origin

Meos are inhabitants of Mewat (pronounced Mewat), 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 Hindus and converted to Islam during 14th century. They have shared this region with a number of other Muslim Rajput communities, such as theKhanzada, Qaimkhani and Malkana . ^[1]

The claim descent from the of old rulers of India known as khatriya or Chatri. The Kursi namas of Khashtri shows that the ancestors of all the Meo Pal (Clan) and Goth are from the seven royal families (Rajkul) known as Yado or Jado, Tomar, Parmar, Badgojar, Kashwaha, Chohan and Rathor. Now a days the world Rajpot is being used as a Synonym of Khashtari all over the South Asia and people are becoming unaware of the basic word Khashtari.Rajpotana (present Rajisthan) has always been considered a strong hold of Khashtaris since ancient times. Its three major parts are Marwar, Mewar, and Mewat. Meos are the inhabitants of Mewat. Although Meos are also residing in Dakan, Utter Pardesh and other parts of Rajisthan yet Mewat has the dominating majority of Meos. Meos owns the major part of the agricultural land of Mewat for centuries. Present Mewat starts from Mehrauli in the southern part of Delhi , in Haryiana province, Balab Garh and Gurgeaon tehsiles, District Nuh(Mewat) some part of Farid Abad. It also includes Alwar, Tijara, Kishan garh, Tapokra, Ram Garh,Gobind Garh, Lachman Garh, Kathomar, Kanma, Pahari and Deg tehsiles of Alwar & Bharpur districts Some parts of district Dhoolpur in Rajisthan province., western part of district Mathra of Utter Pardesh province is also a part of Mewat. Arawali Hill chain is spread throughout Mewat. Its famous branch popularly known as Kala Pahar has a special significance in Mewat.

Hasan Khan Mewati represented Meos in the battle of Kanwah along with Rana Sangram Singh (Rana Sangha)in 1526 against the Mughal invader Zahiru Din Babur. Hasan Khan and his Meo warriors gave a brave fight. Hasan Khan was killed in the 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 auto biography. To the Mughals, the Mewatis were "rebels". To British ethnographers, they were "criminal tribes". To two modernizing princely rulers of eastern Rajasthan in the first half of the twentieth century, embracing Hindu nationalism, they were "Muslim". Finally, to the Islamicizing, pietist movement, Tablighi Jama'at, which has flourished in Mewat since independence, the Mewatis were the jahiliyya 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. ^[2]

Conversion to Islam

Almost all Meo embraced Islam due to the efforts of some great Saints, Sufis, historical changes and different movements. Although it happened gradually over the time, but now Meos are the largest, single sect, Muslim population all over Indo-Pak. This remains undebatable fact that these were only Meos who first entered into the circle of Islam, from the central part of India. There is no second opinion about it that from Ruling Khashtaris, Meos are the Fist Nation to say Labbaik on the call of Islam. Initially Islam was introduced to Meos by brother in law of Sultan Mahmood Ghaznvi, Commander Syed Salar Sahu and his son Syed Masud Salar Sahu. In this chain other important names are Khawja Moeen-ud-Din Chishti (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. 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, Birij Bhasha and Rajisthani. Urdu and Mewati have also many common features. Mewati has great treasure of litrary work including poetic ballads, sonnets, proverbs etc. These are compiled in the form of couplets

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.

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.

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 eleventh 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'.

Connection with the other communities

According to some sources, the Meo community may have a common origin with the Meena community.^[3] Other traditions connects with the Khanzada of Alwar, a neighbouring Muslim Rajput community. ^[4]

Effect of partition on the Meo Community

At the time of independence of India a considerable portion of Mewat population migrated to Pakistan. Here in Pakistan they are mostly settled in Punjab province. Lahore, Mewat Kasur, Sheikhupura, Narowal, Sialkot, Multan, Shuja Abad, Johar Abad, district Sargadha, Lothran, distt, Karor Pakka, Depalpur district Okara,Bahawalpur and Ahmadpur Sial district Jhang. Scattered settlements are also present in many other districts of Punjab, Karachi and entire Sindh. There are some houses of Meos present even in Tehsil paharpur Dera Ismail khan district of NWFPand Blauchistan province. At present in Pakistan the Meo population is estimated more than 10 million approximately. ^[5]

Present circumstances

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, the Ahirs and the Gujjars until 1920s when the Tablighi Jama'at introduced spiritual reformation of Muslim Meos. Like most Indian Muslims, the Meos were originally Hindu; when and how their conversion to Islam came about is unclear. It seems probable they were converted in stages: first by Salar Masud in the eleventh century, by Balban in the thirteenth century, and then during Aurangzeb's rule in the seventeenth century. The Meos insist on Rajput 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. Most of the Hindu festivals and ceremonies were maintained. The Muslim festivals, such as the two Ids, Shab-e-barat, and Muharram, were practiced. Reading the Quran was less well liked than the Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, and Hindu shrines outnumbered the mosques in Mewat. Few Meos prayed in the Muslim manner but most worshiped at the shrines of the Hindu gods and goddesses. Since 1947, however, with the independence of India, a revival of Islamic tradition has forced many Meos to conform to Islamic norms. In addition, many 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 is highly Hinduised. They celebrate Diwali and Holi as they celebrate Ids. They do not marry within one's Gotras like Hindus of the North though Islam permits marriage with cousins. Solemnization of marriage among Meos is 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. ^[6]

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. It is important to understand what the great epic means to them, how they remake, modify and recreate it and also how in the process they both draw upon, modify and critique the so-called "great tradition" of Vedic and Puranic Hinduism. ^[7]

Muslim musicians, called Mirasis, dressed in flowing white Kurtas and dhotis and bright crimson turbans. They play a musical rendering of the 'Pandun Ke Kara', the Meo Muslim version of the 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.

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:

^[8]

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 eleventh 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 of ??? 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 Rajastan. ^[9]

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 eleventh 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, however a revival of Islamic tradition has forced many Meos to conform to Islamic norms. Some Meos were reconverted to Hinduism by Arya Samaj after independence and these reconverted Hindus are no longer called Meo.

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. ^[10] "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. ^[11]

"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. ^[12]

"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.

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 comprises three sub-divisions namely Nuh, Firozpur Jhirka and Hathin. The district headquarter is located at Nuh. The district comprises six blocks namely Nuh, Tauru, Nagina, Firozpur Zhirka, Punhana and Hathin. There are 532 villages in the district.

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. During the regime of the Tughlak dynasty in the 14th century, these people embraced Islam 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. ^[13]

In Haryana

The Meo in Haryana are found mainly in Faridabad, Gurgaon, Mahendargarh and Ambala districts, as well as the newly created Mewat District. The Meo of Haryana are settled agriculturists, and after a century of Tablighi influence, are far more orthodox, than their Rajasthani neighbours. ^[14]

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.^[15]

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. ^[16] The Meo also extend to Meerut District. The Doab Meo now speak Urdu, and have abandoned Mewati.^[17]

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 refered 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.^[18]

In Delhi

The Meo in Delhi are found mainly in the neighbourhood of Bara Hindu Rao, Azadpur. Hauz Khas, 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. ^[19]

In kasur

In kasur

In kasur

In Pakistan

In Pakistan, the Meos are found in the Punjab and Sindh provinces. Many Meos migrated to Pakistan after its formation in 1947.Partition forced meos to migrate from the land they loved much and which marked their their culture. Migration claimed thousands of people and people who reached pakistan were completely devastated. However time healed the wounds of this great community and they started from ashes. In India, they are more than 10 million in numbers.

The Meo families that migrated from India in Thaska, Karnal and Anbala mostly settled in Mewat Kasur, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Wazirabad, Multan, Layyah, and Shehr Sultan a remote town in District Muzaffargarh. The Meo who have settled in Pakistan maintained many of their traditions, such as maintaining gotra exogamy. They continue use Mewati, but most are now conversant in Urdu, Sindhi and Punjabi. ^[20]

The Meo of Dera Ghazi Khan District

There is a community of Meo settled in Dera Ghazi Khan District of south Punjab. They are said to have settled in the region during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, in the 16th century. This community is now Seraiki speaking, having been settled in the region for 5 centuries, and has no connection with Meo of Mewat. Their main settlements are Wah Mayo and Mayo, as well as five smaller villages, near the town of Jampur. Meos of Rajanpur(Qasba Meo)are the kins of meos of Mewat. Actually they are the footprints of meos migrated from Iraq and settled there but their relative migrated to Sind and afterward to Rajasthan.Meos of Rajanpur are equally proud being Meo as Meos of Mewat.Meos all over the the world are the haplo group of human being.

See also

• Muslim Rajputs
• Ranghar
• Khanzadas
• Rajput
• Maues
• Meenas
• Bhil Meena

References