The Watal are a community found in Jammu and Kashmir, India. The term 'Watal' also means cobbler in Kashmiri language. The community is known by many names such as Batal, Battal, and Batul, and have been granted Scheduled Caste status.
The Watal are a Kashmiri-speaking community, confined entirely to the Kashmir Valley. They are broadly divided into three sub-groups, the Seraj who are cobblers by profession, the Schupriya Watal who are manufacturers of the schup or winnowing fans and the Khumb Watal, who occupy the lowest status as they work as scavengers as well as tanners, occupations that are traditionally seen as polluting by other Kashmiri Muslim tribes.[citation needed]
The Shupir Watals, who claim to have been also known as Harmādānī Sheikh, are of uncertain origin. They are found mainly in the areas of Srinagar, Tangmarg, Baramulla and Sopore. They speak an Indo-Aryan language known as Sheikha gal or Watali.[1]