Maschoiya

The Maschoiya are a sub-group of the Ahir caste found in the state of Gujarat in India.^[1]

Origin

The Maschoiya are a community of Ahirs who are said to have settled along the banks of the Machhu-katia river, and the word Maschoiya literally means those from Macchu-katia. According to the traditions of the Maschoiya were originally Soomra Rajputs, and an ancestor left Sindh for Saurashtra, where he married an Ahir girls. His descendents thus became Ahir. The Maschoiya Ahir are found mainly in Rajkot District, with a few also found in Junagadh District. They are a Gujarati speaking community.^[1]

Present circumstances

The Maschoiya are divided into a number of exogamous clans called Ataks like Dhangar, Birda, Meta, Herrla, Kelodia, Kangarh, Khokatara, Shiyayar, Chabda, Chudasama, all of which are of equal status. They claim to be Kshatriya but fall below the Rajputs in social ranking.^[2] Unlike other Ahir communities in Gujarat, the Maschoiya practice consanguineous marriages. Traditionally, the Maschoiya were pastoralists, but now a majority settled agriculturist. A small number are sharecroppers. Many have begun to move to the towns and cities of Gujarat, where many are employed in textiles mills and factories.^[3]

The Maschoiya are Hindu, and worship Hindu gods and goddesses such as Ram, Shankar, Ganesh and Lakhshmi.^[1]

See also

• Ahir Boricha

References

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