Mandali caste
The Mandali are a Muslim Rajput community found in the state of Gujarat in India.[1]
History and origin
The Mandali claim to have migrated from the city of Multan in what is now Pakistan in the 16th Century and settled at Mandal, a small town of Viramgam taluka of Ahmadabad District. Thus, the community is named after its place of residence. A further migration took place in the 19th Century, when a few members of the community moved to Surat.[1]
Present circumstances
The Mandali community is now mainly distributed in the town of [Mandal], Viramgam,Dist. Ahmedabd [Kadi]Dist.Mehsana, Juhapura localities of Ahmedabad and Dhangdra of Surendra Nagar district. They are further divided into a number of clans, the main ones being the Kattoch, Salar, Patadiya, Waria, Barejiya, Adi, Maccu,Jariya and Phangaat. All these clans are of equal status, and inter marry. Although the same surnames can be found in other castes too (majorly 'Sunni') some of them come under Mandali mainly due to the regional causes rather than ancestral. The Mandali are a community of marginal landowners, although significant numbers are now found in the cities of Ahmedabad and Surat. Like other Gujarati Muslims, they have a caste association known as the Mandali Muslim Jamaat. The community are Sunni and many are members of the reformist Tableeghi Jamat organization.[1]
