Dakhani Momin Community is one of the oldest Community which
is existent in Maharashtra since last 613 years. Majority of
Community People are residing in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Aale, Behle, Manchar,Junnar,
Yeola, Sagamner,Rajguru Nagar(Khed), Narayangaon, etc. Dakhani Momin Community
is Considered as " OTHER BACKWARD CLASS" by Government of India as
well as the Government of Maharashtra.
Origin of Community
The History of community begins with the first question i.e. “What is the origin of community?” The most common answer and the one which is believed by most of the elders of the community is the story published in Gazetteers of Bombay Presidency, Poona District- Volume XVIII, Part-I publishedin1885.
“Momins, that is Believers, are weavers who are found in considerable numbers over the whole district. They are descended from Hindus of the Kosti and Sali castes, and are said to have been converted by the saint Khwaja Syad Hussain Gaisudaraz of Gulbarga about the year 1398 (800 H.). They speak Hindustani among themselves and Marathi with others. The men are tall or of middle height, thin, and dark. They shave the head, wear the beard full, and dress in a large Maratha-Kunbi turban, a shirt, an overcoat, and a pair of tight trousers or a waistcloth. The women are tall or of middle height, thin, well featured, and olive-skinned. They wear the Maratha robe and bodice, appear in public, and help the men in all parts of their work including weaving. They add to the family income as much as a man. Neither men nor women are clean or tidy. They are weavers by craft and are hardworking and thrifty, but the competition of English and Bombay goods presses them hard. The rich employ the poor to weave for them and pay them 2s. to 4s. (Rs. 1-2) for a robe of silk or cotton, which they make ready in four days, for a turban if of cotton 2s. (Re. 1) and if of silk 3s. (Rs. 1½) woven in four days, for a striped cotton cloth 3d. to 6d. (2-4 as.), and for a waistcloth 1s. to 1s. 6d. (8-12 as.). They weave in hand looms using English or Bombay yarn. They weave cotton or silk turbans worth 6s. to £2 (Rs. 3-20), waistcloths with silk borders worth 6s. to £1 (Rs. 3-10), cotton robes worth 5s. to 8s. (Rs. 2½-4), cotton-silk robes worth 10s. to £2 (Rs.5-20), and striped cotton and silk for bodices worth 1s. to 6s. (Rs.½-3) the yard. These goods are sold either to wholesale dealers, who send them to Bombay and Surat, or to retail dealers in the market. They are extremely hardworking, weaving twelve to fifteen hours a day, working at night by lamp-light. They marry only among themselves, and as the women are as hard working as the men, some of them have two or even three wives.
They have a well managed union under a headman or patel chosen from the richest members, who, with the consent of the majority of the male members, fines any one who breaks their caste rules. Their manners and customs differ little from those of other Musalmans. In religion they are Sunnis of the Hanafi school, and most of the old men are said to be religious and careful to say their prayers. Their spiritual head is the representative of Khwaja Syad Hussain, the saint who converted them. He visits them yearly or once every second or third year, when they give him presents of cash and cloth. The spiritual guide, on making a new disciple, teaches him the creed and gives advice about conduct. Besides the religious and moral teaching the guide gives each of the disciples a list of his forefathers back to saint Khwaja. The disciple treats this list with the highest respect. He keeps it and values it as dearly as his life, and sometimes has it buried with him in the belief that the holy names will satisfy the angels and prevent them from torturing him in the grave. [The Musalman belief is, that after the body is buried it is brought to life and two angels, Munkir and Nakir, visit and question the dead. They ask who is his Creator and his Prophet, and what is his religion. If the dead answers that his God is the same as theirs, his Prophet is the Prophet Muhammad, and his religion is the religion of Abraham whom God saved from fire, the angels retire, and, by God's will, the grave is made a paradise in which the believer remains till the judgment day. Sinners who fail to give satisfactory answers are tortured by the angels with hell fire which ceaselessly burns them till the judgment day.] Some have of late begun to teach their children Marathi and English. Besides as weavers some earn their living as constables, messengers, and servants.”
Dakhani Momin Jamat
Momin of Mahahrsahtra as Per Anthropological Survey of India
Russell and Hiralal(1916) stated that the " Julaha(Momin) are a low Mohammededan caste group of weavers resided mainly in Saugor and Burhanpur.They numbered about 4000 persons in 1911. In Nagpur district the Muslim weavers call themselves as Momin. In Northern India and Bengal the Julaha are very, numerous and the bulk of them are probably converted Hindus."
They are also called 'Ansari' and 'Julaha'. Marriages are found between and Momin Community.' Ansari' is synonym for Momin in Khandesh of Maharshtra. There is a small division are near Ahmednagar district and twenty two gaonwala meaning those who are around Pune in Maharshtra.In Maharashtra the Momin are living mainly in Bombay, Pune, Nasik, Ahmednagar,Aurangabad, Jalna, Osmanabad, Latur, Bid, Parbhani,Dhule, Nagpur, Thane, Raigadh districts. They are mainly concentrated in the urban centres.The Momin are settled on the plateau and in the plain areas of Maharashtra, They have developed their traditional occupation of weaving in the cotton belt. The climate of the region is warm and hot and rainfall ranges from 100 to 200 cm. They speak in Urdu at home and with other kin groups. Their children take education in Urdu, Marathi, or in Hindi. They can speak and understand Hindi and Marathi. They use Urdu as their script within the family groups.
The men wear itakamit,topi(cap) and pajama, some men wear lungi with shirt. Young boys also wear pant, shirt and tpoi(cap).Women wear the sari or salwar kameez. If they have to go outside, females also wear burkha.The Julaha are considered as Other Backward Class(O.B.C.) in Maharashtra. The Momin are non-vegetarian community and they eat mutton, chicken,fish egg and beef but never pork.They are regular non-vegetarians and along with it they take rice and wheat.Among pulses they eat tur,gram,urad, and moong.They use Groundnut oil as the cooking medium and they consume milk, milk products and tea.They also consume leafy vegetable, fruit is eaten occasionally. They prefer rice to roti.
The Momin are an endogamous community of Muslims Sayyad,Shaikh Khan and Baig are considered as higher Muslim groups. Only two small sub-groups in the Momin are based on territorial background.That is the eleven gaonwale around Ahmednagar and twenty two gaonwale around Pune.It is found that the Momin are diverging into different occupations. Though the the Momin are an endogamous community, differences in hierarchy are found on the economic and occupational level.Some are weavers and some are in seasonal business.
Marriages are found among brothers children, and with the mother's and father's sister's children. The marriageable age for boys ranges between 20 to 25 years while for girls, it between 16 and 22 years. Marriages are transacted by negotiation.Lachha (Suhagpot) (mangalsutra) is considered as the marriage symbol.Each party in the marriage bears its own expenditure. Mehar is fixed at Rs.55 and it has to be paid after divorce by the husband to the wife. After divorce the husband has to pay maintenance for the three months and 13 days called iddat.Divorce may happen on the ground of adultery,maladjusment and insanity. They take verbal divorce by uttering talak three times before the Jamat(caste Panchayat).Remarriage is allowed to both male and female divorcees, and widows and widowers. the age for marriage increased slightly because of financial difficulties.
Origin of Community
The History of community begins with the first question i.e. “What is the origin of community?” The most common answer and the one which is believed by most of the elders of the community is the story published in Gazetteers of Bombay Presidency, Poona District- Volume XVIII, Part-I publishedin1885.
“Momins, that is Believers, are weavers who are found in considerable numbers over the whole district. They are descended from Hindus of the Kosti and Sali castes, and are said to have been converted by the saint Khwaja Syad Hussain Gaisudaraz of Gulbarga about the year 1398 (800 H.). They speak Hindustani among themselves and Marathi with others. The men are tall or of middle height, thin, and dark. They shave the head, wear the beard full, and dress in a large Maratha-Kunbi turban, a shirt, an overcoat, and a pair of tight trousers or a waistcloth. The women are tall or of middle height, thin, well featured, and olive-skinned. They wear the Maratha robe and bodice, appear in public, and help the men in all parts of their work including weaving. They add to the family income as much as a man. Neither men nor women are clean or tidy. They are weavers by craft and are hardworking and thrifty, but the competition of English and Bombay goods presses them hard. The rich employ the poor to weave for them and pay them 2s. to 4s. (Rs. 1-2) for a robe of silk or cotton, which they make ready in four days, for a turban if of cotton 2s. (Re. 1) and if of silk 3s. (Rs. 1½) woven in four days, for a striped cotton cloth 3d. to 6d. (2-4 as.), and for a waistcloth 1s. to 1s. 6d. (8-12 as.). They weave in hand looms using English or Bombay yarn. They weave cotton or silk turbans worth 6s. to £2 (Rs. 3-20), waistcloths with silk borders worth 6s. to £1 (Rs. 3-10), cotton robes worth 5s. to 8s. (Rs. 2½-4), cotton-silk robes worth 10s. to £2 (Rs.5-20), and striped cotton and silk for bodices worth 1s. to 6s. (Rs.½-3) the yard. These goods are sold either to wholesale dealers, who send them to Bombay and Surat, or to retail dealers in the market. They are extremely hardworking, weaving twelve to fifteen hours a day, working at night by lamp-light. They marry only among themselves, and as the women are as hard working as the men, some of them have two or even three wives.
They have a well managed union under a headman or patel chosen from the richest members, who, with the consent of the majority of the male members, fines any one who breaks their caste rules. Their manners and customs differ little from those of other Musalmans. In religion they are Sunnis of the Hanafi school, and most of the old men are said to be religious and careful to say their prayers. Their spiritual head is the representative of Khwaja Syad Hussain, the saint who converted them. He visits them yearly or once every second or third year, when they give him presents of cash and cloth. The spiritual guide, on making a new disciple, teaches him the creed and gives advice about conduct. Besides the religious and moral teaching the guide gives each of the disciples a list of his forefathers back to saint Khwaja. The disciple treats this list with the highest respect. He keeps it and values it as dearly as his life, and sometimes has it buried with him in the belief that the holy names will satisfy the angels and prevent them from torturing him in the grave. [The Musalman belief is, that after the body is buried it is brought to life and two angels, Munkir and Nakir, visit and question the dead. They ask who is his Creator and his Prophet, and what is his religion. If the dead answers that his God is the same as theirs, his Prophet is the Prophet Muhammad, and his religion is the religion of Abraham whom God saved from fire, the angels retire, and, by God's will, the grave is made a paradise in which the believer remains till the judgment day. Sinners who fail to give satisfactory answers are tortured by the angels with hell fire which ceaselessly burns them till the judgment day.] Some have of late begun to teach their children Marathi and English. Besides as weavers some earn their living as constables, messengers, and servants.”
Dakhani Momin Jamat
Momin of Mahahrsahtra as Per Anthropological Survey of India
Russell and Hiralal(1916) stated that the " Julaha(Momin) are a low Mohammededan caste group of weavers resided mainly in Saugor and Burhanpur.They numbered about 4000 persons in 1911. In Nagpur district the Muslim weavers call themselves as Momin. In Northern India and Bengal the Julaha are very, numerous and the bulk of them are probably converted Hindus."
They are also called 'Ansari' and 'Julaha'. Marriages are found between and Momin Community.' Ansari' is synonym for Momin in Khandesh of Maharshtra. There is a small division are near Ahmednagar district and twenty two gaonwala meaning those who are around Pune in Maharshtra.In Maharashtra the Momin are living mainly in Bombay, Pune, Nasik, Ahmednagar,Aurangabad, Jalna, Osmanabad, Latur, Bid, Parbhani,Dhule, Nagpur, Thane, Raigadh districts. They are mainly concentrated in the urban centres.The Momin are settled on the plateau and in the plain areas of Maharashtra, They have developed their traditional occupation of weaving in the cotton belt. The climate of the region is warm and hot and rainfall ranges from 100 to 200 cm. They speak in Urdu at home and with other kin groups. Their children take education in Urdu, Marathi, or in Hindi. They can speak and understand Hindi and Marathi. They use Urdu as their script within the family groups.
The men wear itakamit,topi(cap) and pajama, some men wear lungi with shirt. Young boys also wear pant, shirt and tpoi(cap).Women wear the sari or salwar kameez. If they have to go outside, females also wear burkha.The Julaha are considered as Other Backward Class(O.B.C.) in Maharashtra. The Momin are non-vegetarian community and they eat mutton, chicken,fish egg and beef but never pork.They are regular non-vegetarians and along with it they take rice and wheat.Among pulses they eat tur,gram,urad, and moong.They use Groundnut oil as the cooking medium and they consume milk, milk products and tea.They also consume leafy vegetable, fruit is eaten occasionally. They prefer rice to roti.
The Momin are an endogamous community of Muslims Sayyad,Shaikh Khan and Baig are considered as higher Muslim groups. Only two small sub-groups in the Momin are based on territorial background.That is the eleven gaonwale around Ahmednagar and twenty two gaonwale around Pune.It is found that the Momin are diverging into different occupations. Though the the Momin are an endogamous community, differences in hierarchy are found on the economic and occupational level.Some are weavers and some are in seasonal business.
Marriages are found among brothers children, and with the mother's and father's sister's children. The marriageable age for boys ranges between 20 to 25 years while for girls, it between 16 and 22 years. Marriages are transacted by negotiation.Lachha (Suhagpot) (mangalsutra) is considered as the marriage symbol.Each party in the marriage bears its own expenditure. Mehar is fixed at Rs.55 and it has to be paid after divorce by the husband to the wife. After divorce the husband has to pay maintenance for the three months and 13 days called iddat.Divorce may happen on the ground of adultery,maladjusment and insanity. They take verbal divorce by uttering talak three times before the Jamat(caste Panchayat).Remarriage is allowed to both male and female divorcees, and widows and widowers. the age for marriage increased slightly because of financial difficulties.
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