The Mang, or Matang is an

Indian caste The caste system in India is the paradigmatic ethnographic instance of social classification based on castes. It has its origins in ancient India, and was transformed by various ruling elites in medieval, early-modern, and modern India, espec ...

mainly residing in the state of

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. Matang are known as

Madiga Madiga is a Telugu caste from southern India. They mainly live in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, with a small minority in Tamil Nadu. Madigas are historically associated with the work of tannery, leatherwork and smal ...

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

and

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

. The community was historically believed to be associated with village security and professions such as rope making, broom making, musicians, cattle castration, leather curing,

midwifery Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (including care of the newborn), in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many cou ...

executioner An executioner, also known as a hangman or headsman, is an official who effects a sentence of capital punishment on a condemned person. Scope and job The executioner was usually presented with a warrant authorizing or ordering him to ...

s, and

funeral director A funeral director, also known as an undertaker or mortician (American English), is a professional who has licenses in funeral arranging and embalming (or preparation of the deceased) involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks o ...

s. In modern day India, they are listed as a Scheduled Caste, Their origins lie in the

Narmada Valley The Narmada River, previously also known as ''Narbada'' or anglicised as ''Nerbudda'', is the 5th longest river in India and overall the longest west-flowing river in the country. It is also the largest flowing river in the state of Madhya Prade ...

of India, and they were formerly classified as a criminal tribe under the

Criminal Tribes Act Since the 1870s, various pieces of colonialism, colonial legislation in India during British Raj, British rule were collectively called the Criminal Tribes Act (CTA). This criminalised entire communities by designating them as habitual criminals ...

s of the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

Religion

The most of Mang practice

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

and in modern times, they are ardent followers of

B. R. Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Bhīmrāo Rāmjī Āmbēḍkar; 14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who chaired the committee that drafted the Constitution of India based on t ...

and

Shivaji Maharaj Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...

. The Mang celebrate all major Hindu festivals, as well as the annual Jatara festival for the deity

Maisamma Maisamma (), also known as Mesai () and additionally spelt Mesko (Marathi: मेस्को), Amma in Telugu or Aai in Marathi ( , "mother") is a Hindu folk goddess. She is mainly worshipped as a South Indian mother goddess, predominantly in the ...

, which entails the sacrifice of sheep and goats and a feast of lamb and

goat meat Goat meat is the meat of the domestic goat (''Capra hircus''). The term 'goat meat' denotes meat of older animals, while meat from young goats is called 'kid meat'. In South Asian cuisine, goat meat is called mutton, along with sheep meat.''O ...

. According to the 2011 census, there were 35,831 Mangs in Maharashtra who were

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

Society and culture

Before the British era, Mang were one of the twelve hereditary village servants called

Bara Balutedar The Bara Balutedar (English: Twelve Balutedar) system was a hereditary system of twelve trades used historically in villages of regions that is now the Indian state of Maharashtra. The used get paid for the services provided with village produce ...

. The Mang were the hereditary rope makers and village entertainers. For their services they received a share of the village produce. The caste was hindu and observed the Hindu rituals of Jawal (first hair cut), shendi, lagna, and funerary rites. In the early 20th century, the Mang began to form caste associations to advocate their cause, such as the ''Mang Samaj'' (1932) and ''Mang Society'' (1923).

Notables

Annabhau Sathe Tukaram Bhaurao Sathe (1 August 1920 – 18 July 1969), popularly known as Anna Bhau Sathe (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, �ɳːaːbʱaːu saːʈʰe, was an Indian folk poet, writer, and social worker from the state of Mahara ...

, Maharashtra social reformer * Lahuji Raghoji Salve, Maharashtra social reformer

Religion

Society and culture

Notables

References

Further reading