A mashk (Hindi-Urdu: मश्क, مشک) or mashq (मश्क़, مشق) is a traditional water-carrying bag, usually made of waterproofed goat-skin, from North India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.[1]
Mashqs can vary in size, from a hand-held bag, which was often used to carry liquids such as alcohol, to a large man-sized bag that comes with shoulder strap. They usually have only one narrowed opening. A person who is carrying a large mashq is called a māshqi (माश्क़ी, ماشقی). Traditionally, in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, the larger mashq was associated with the Bhishti (भिश्ती, بهِشتی) subcaste who were employed as water-carriers by all other sections of society and often seen dispensing water (for a fee) in public places, gardens and construction sites.[2]
Since water came as a great relief to people and plants during the hot summer in the northern Indian plains, the term Bhishti derives from the Persian root word bahishti, meaning heavenly.[3]