ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>MIHTAR SIKHS</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="MIHTAR,SIKHS"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279MIHTAR SIKHS, like Mazhab&#299 Sikhs, their Punjabi counterpart, belong to the so-called scheduled castes. Mihtar, a Persian term, meaning elder, chief, or governor, is the name given to the members of the community of scavengers which stands at the lowest rung of Indian society. Scattered in different villages and towns, Mihtar Sikhs are largely concentrated in Vidarbha region of Mah&#257r&#257sh&#7789r&#257. As their folk songs in M&#257rva&#7771&#299 and R&#257jasth&#257n&#299 dialects indicate, the Mihtars' original home was probably R&#257jasth&#257n. They have many customs and practices pointing to Sikh influence. For example, many of the Mihtar males use, like Sikhs, suffix &#8216Si&#7749gh' after their names. The female names however mostly end with &#8216B&#257&#299' though in the case of the few who have been initiated as Sikhs, &#8216Kaur' replaces &#8216B&#257&#299.' Many of the men keep their hair untrimmed and wear turbans. Children receive at birth <i>p&#257hul</i> or Sikh initiation, usually at the hands of Ud&#257s&#299 s&#257dh&#363s. At the time of marriage, water for the ritual bathing of the bride and bridegroom and earth for plastering <i>ved&#299</i> or venue for the ceremonies are brought from some place of worship, preferably from a <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i>. Mihtar Sikhs, wherever concentrated in sufficient numbers, have their exclusive <i>gurdw&#257r&#257s</i> too. For four or five days prior to the marriage, the prospective couple carry a weapon each which they must not part with at any time until the marriage ceremony is over. Child marriage among the Mihtars is rare; <i>gotra</i> exogamy is observed and widow remarriage is permitted. They have faith in Gur&#363 N&#257nak, Kab&#299r and R&#257m&#257nand, but Hindu deities such as Ga&#7751e&#347a, &#346a&#7749kara and Santosh&#299 M&#257t&#257 are also worshipped in some homes. The marriage is solemnized through the Hindu ritual of going round a fire. Also on the death of their father, the sons undergo <i>mu&#7751&#7693&#257n</i> or tonsure rites.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Traditionally treated as untouchables even by the high-caste Sikhs, efforts are now afoot jointly by the Gurdw&#257r&#257 Board of Ta<u>kh</u>t Sachkha&#7751&#7693 Sr&#299 Haz&#363r S&#257hib, and the Shiroma&#7749&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee for their social and economic uplift as well as for their religious education.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1">Rose, H.A., ed., <i>A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province</i>. Lahore, 1911-19<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Nirvair Si&#7749gh Arsh&#299<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>