Mahdavi

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Mahdavia or Mahdawis religious movement was started by Syed Mohammad Jaunpuri in (1443 - 1505 CE) was an Indian religious figure, seen as the Promised Mahdi by some Muslims such as the Mahdavia and the Zikris. Mahdavi as it is commonly spelled is an Arabic word transliterated in English. It means something or someone belonging to the noun 'mahdi', which in turn means 'a guided one' in Arabic and commonly taken for the pronoun 'Al Mahdi' or the promised one. Since the Mahdawia (or Mahdavia) believe in the 'Mahdiyah' (Mahdiyat as it may be pronounced by some) of Syed Mohammad of Jaunpur, they begun to be called 'Mahdawi' by the earlier people. Madawis (or Mahdavis) is obviously is the Anglicized plural.

The erstwhile communities of the Mahdawia used to abide in makeshift thatches which were built within a fencing. They used to call it daira, which in Arabic stands for a circle or even a boundary or engulfment. These used to be out of town settlements and sometimes inhabiting more than a thousand souls seeking pietywho had left their worldly objects of interest and properties for the sole reason of reaching their God under the guidance of their spiritual guide.