Mal (caste)

Mal
ReligionsHinduism
LanguagesBengali, Assamese, Maithili, Hindi
Populated statesWest Bengal, Jharkhand, Bangladesh
Population205,000 (West Bengal, 1981 census)
273,641 (West Bengal, 2001 census)[1]
306,234 (West Bengal, 2011 census)[2]

The Mal is a Hindu caste found in the state of West Bengal and Jharkhand.

Mal and Malla are derived from the Sanskrit word malla, meaning wrestler.[3][4]

Paharia Mal or Mal Paharia is considered as Scheduled Tribe while the other Mal groups are considered as Scheduled Castes by the Government of West Bengal.[5][6][7]

  1. ^ "West Bengal, Census of India 2001, Data Highlights - The Scheduled Castes" (PDF). Office of the Registrar General, India. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
  2. ^ "(SC)2011census". censusindia.gov.in.
  3. ^ Singh, Kumar Suresh (29 Aug 2008). The scheduled castes (2, illustrated ed.). Anthropological Survey of India, 1993. ISBN 9780195632545.
  4. ^ Dasgupta, Biswas & Mallik 2009, p. 19.
  5. ^ "Scheduled Caste List Of West Bengal State". anagrasarkalyan.gov.in. Archived from the original on 2015-03-08.
  6. ^ "Scheduled Caste Welfare - List of Scheduled Castes". socialjustice.nic.in(Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment). Archived from the original on 2012-09-13.
  7. ^ "Scheduled Tribe List Of West Bengal State". anagrasarkalyan.gov.in. Archived from the original on 2009-08-29.