Mallaah - in North India

In North India

The community is found along the banks of the Yamuna and Ganges rivers of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Most Mallah groups trace their descent from the ancient Nishada tribe, mentioned in the Mahabharata. They are related to the Kewat community, who form the bulk of the boatmen class of North India. Other Mallah sub-groups include the Bind, the Goriya, the Chai, Tiar and Dhimar tribes. All of these groups of Hindu Mallaah are endogamous. Among the Muslim Mallaah, the Chaudriya are largest sub-group, followed by the Jarya. The Muslim Mallaah are found mainly in western Uttar Pradesh. Many Mallaah are now cultivators, with a few now have also taken to other occupations. In Uttar Pradesh, they speak Khari boli, Awadhi and Hindi. They have backward caste status in Uttar Pradesh, and Scheduled Caste status in Delhi and West Bengal. The majority of the community are Hindu, although there are a small number of Muslim Mallah.

In Bihar, they are both cultivators and boatmen. They claim descent from the Hindu god Nisadh. The community is also known as Mandalji or Machua. They speak the Angika dialect of Hindi. The community consist of three sub-castes, the Dhoar, Parbattikurin, and Semeri.

In North India, the Mallaah have set up a caste association, the Akhil Bharitiya Nishad Sabha (the All India Nishad Association and Alert and Intellectual Nishad Association), which act as a community welfare associations..Dr.R.S.Nishad.the chief medical officer in government of India is also devoted for the upliftment of mallah comunity by publishing Nishad Sandesh hindi magzine and running Nishad Marriage Beuro/Nishad educational guidance beuro in Allahabad and Delhi.