Malhar

Abstract

The Malhar are a semi nomadic Kolharian tribe of Odisha. They are also found in Thane district of Maharastra where they enjoy Scheduled Tribe (ST) status as Koli and Malhar. In the ST list of Odisha, Malhar has been enlisted being clubbed together with Koli at Sl.36 as 'Koli, Malhar'. But in Odisha Koli and Malhar are two separate communities and bear apparently no regional or ethnic affinity. The Malhar are a numerically minor community distributed in Sambalpur, Dhenkanal and Keonjhar districts of Odisha. They are bilingualand are well versed with the local tongues, Odia and Sadri. The Malhars live a life of hunters and food gatherers as mainstay of their subsistence which theysupplement with allied pursuits like wage earning, seasonal forest collection, fishing and livestockrearing. They profess their autonomous tribal religion based on 'animism' which is amalgamated withfew elements of Hinduism. Their pantheon also includes a number of deities. Their traditional priestPatiar worships the deities. They have their own traditional community council (jati panchayat) both at village as well as at regional level. The council adjudicates cases pertaining to family disputes, partition of family propertyamong sons, theft, rape, adultery, incest etc. The panchayat makes arrangements for village level rituals and festivals. Theoffice bearers i.e., Pradhan, Malik, Gosain and Patiar hold hereditary posts whereas the messenger Dakua is appointed through nomination and is paid remuneration for his serviceannually. Their panchayat acts as the custodian of their traditional norms andcustoms and the office bearers are respected in their society. The council is empowered to awardpunishment to offenders and can excommunicate the culprits in extreme cases. Now-a-days, due to culture contact, modernization and development intervention their way of life is undergoing transformation.It is hoped that this book would be immensely helpful for the researchers and the general readers as well.