Mal (caste)

Mal
ReligionsHinduism
LanguagesBengali, Assamese, Maithili, Hindi
Populated statesWest Bengal, Jharkhand, Bangladesh
Population204,775 (West Bengal, 1981 census)[1]
273,641 (West Bengal, 2001 census)[2]
306,234 (West Bengal, 2011 census)[3]

The Mal is a Hindu caste found in the state of West Bengal and Jharkhand.

The term Mal is derived from Malla Kshatriya, meaning wrestlers or soldiers.[1][4][5]

Paharia Mal or Mal Paharia is considered as Scheduled Tribe while the other Mal groups are considered as Scheduled Castes by the Government of West Bengal.[6][7][8]

Demographics

The Mal are primarily concentrated in Birbhum district and are also found throughout West Bengal, except in Purulia district.[1] Mal numbered 273,641 in the 2001 census and were 1.5 per cent of the total Scheduled Caste population of West Bengal. 39.6 per cent of the Mal were literate - 51.9 per cent males and 26.8 per cent females were literate.[9] Bengali language is their mother tongue, and they use the Bengali script for writing. Bengali is also used for inter-group communication.[1]

Divisions

The Mal have four subgroups, the Raja Mal, Chhatradhari Mal, Sapure Mal and Paharia Mal.[1] The Mal subgroups are differentiated primarily by occupation. The Chatradhari traditionally serve by holding umbrellas during marriage ceremonies, while the Supuria are snake charmers. The Pharia earn their livelihood by selling firewood, and the Raja Mal are primarily agricultural labourers.[1][4] The Mal belong to a single gotra, Kashyap, and commonly use the surnames Mal or Das.[1] They avoid marriage within the same pitrikul for up to seven ascending generations and also avoid marriage with their mother's immediate kin.[1] Among Mal women, traditional symbols of Bengali Hindu marriage include conch-shell and iron bangles (shankha-pola) and vermilion (sindoor).[1][10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Singh, K. S. (12 May 1994). The Scheduled Castes (National Series : People of India, Vol 2). Oxford University Press, USA. p. 870. ISBN 0195632540. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "West Bengal, Census of India 2001, Data Highlights - The Scheduled Castes" (PDF). Office of the Registrar General, India. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
  3. ↑ "(SC)2011census". censusindia.gov.in.
  4. 1 2 Singh, Kumar Suresh (29 Aug 2008). The scheduled castes (2, illustrated ed.). Anthropological Survey of India, 1993. ISBN 9780195632545.
  5. ↑ Dasgupta, Biswas & Mallik 2009, p. 19.
  6. ↑ "Scheduled Caste List Of West Bengal State". anagrasarkalyan.gov.in. Archived from the original on 2015-03-08.
  7. ↑ "Scheduled Caste Welfare - List of Scheduled Castes". socialjustice.nic.in(Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment). Archived from the original on 2012-09-13.
  8. ↑ "Scheduled Tribe List Of West Bengal State". anagrasarkalyan.gov.in. Archived from the original on 2009-08-29.
  9. ↑ "West Bengal, Census of India 2001, Data Highlights - The Scheduled Castes" (PDF). Office of the Registrar General, India. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
  10. ↑ Makal, Arun (2024). "A Comparative Study on Marriage Customs of Two Hindu Bengali Communities in Kolkata Metropolis of India". Antrocom Online Journal of Anthropology. 20 (1): 160. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
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