page_title: Mer (community)
section_title: Society and culture
hierarchical_section_title: Mer (community) / Society and culture
caption_attribution_description: English: Gujarat traditional tattoos
context_page_description: Mer, Maher or Mehr, is considered a Kshatriya jāti from the Saurashtra region of Gujarat in India. They are based largely in the Porbandar district, comprising the low-lying, wetland Ghēḍ and highland Barḍā areas. They speak a dialect of the Gujarati language. The Mers of the Ghēḍ and Barḍā form two groups of the jāti and together they are the main cultivators in the Porbandar District. Historically, the men served the Porbandar State as a feudal militia, led by Mer leaders. In the 1881 Gazette of the Bombay Presidency, the Mers were recorded numbering at 23,850. The 1951 Indian Census recorded 50,000 Mers. As of 1980 there were estimated to be around 250,000 Mers.
context_section_description: Historically, Mers were wedded through arranged marriages, which were agreed between the parents of two new-borns. However, a girl married as a child would only be sent to live with her husband's family after achieving maturity. Cross-cousin marriage was common, while polygamous marriages were rare, only being permitted if a man was unable to have children with his first wife. The women of this community do not observe female seclusion norms and widow remarriage was not prohibited. Dowry operates largely in the favour of women. Differing from typical Hindu weddings, the Khaṁḍūṁ ceremony involves a sword being wed as a proxy for the groom. Grooms wear a jūmaṇuṁ made of twenty tolas of gold which has either been passed down or borrowed from relatives. Modern transport and equipment such as orchestra troupes are employed. Dates would be distributed in a custome called Lāṇ, to fellow villagers to celebrate a wedding or the birth of a son.
  Mers commission three types of Paliyas to venerate there ancestors. The first type is for surāpurā (lit. perfect brave, referring to warriors); the second for surdhan for ancestors who have died an unnatural death and finally for satis. They are venerated with sindoor by Mer descendants on Diwali.
  Mēr nō Rās (Dance of the Mer) a unique form of dandiya raas is performed. The performance includes liberal dusting of Gulal (vermillion) on the bodies and costumes of the dancers. Mer men used to wear umbrella shaped gold earrings called Śiṁśorīya; while Mer women wore bead shaped Vedla. Mer women also tattooed large parts of their body including the neck, arms and legs. Mer women were usually tattooed when they were about seven or eight years old. The hands and feet are marked first and then the neck and breast. It is customary for a girl to be tattooed before marriage. A Mer proverb states 'We may be deprived of all things of this world but nobody has the power to remove the tattoo marks". Mer tattoo motifs have a close relation to secular and religious subjects of devotion. Designs include holy men, feet of Rama or Lakshmi, women carrying water in pitchers on their head, Shravancarrying his parents on a lath (kāvad) to centers of pilgrimage, and popular gods like Rama, Krishna and Hanuman are also depicted. The lion, tiger, horse, camel, peacock, scorpion, bee and fly are other favorites.
  Mers are mostly vegetarian, with pearl millet (Bājarō), sorghum (Jōwār) and wheat rotis being consumed with vegetables, chillis and curds.  During weddings jaggery, ghee, lāpsi and khichdi is served.  As of 1976, it has been reported that vices are common amongst Mers with around 30% consuming alcohol despite the prohibition in Gujarat.  A 1980 study of the Mers estimated that: an average Mer household contains 6 people, 35% were literate, 95% of households owned their homes and 77% of household members were employed. 77% of those employed worked in the agricultural sector. Small scale plant-based industries are run by Mers, including bio-diesel production from the Mōgali āranḍ (Jatropha curcus L), herbal shampoo from Aloe and ground nut, sesame and castor oil extracting mills.
  Historically Mers were considered Kshatriya and were second to Brahmins. However, in the local caste system, Vaishyas would not consume food from Mers due the their consumption of meat, alcohol and hygiene. Traditionally some of the Vaishya castes would also not eat food from Rajputs, however Rajputs and Mers can consume food prepared by each other. This shows traditional Mers identify with other groups such as Kathis and Ahirs as part of the Kānṭio Varna or haughty groups. The Tēr Tāṁsḷī (13 bell-metal bowls), a group of thirteen communities that dine together but do not intermarry includes the Mers. In 1993 the Mandal Commission classified the Mers as an Other Backward Class.
caption: Mer woman with traditional tattoos and earrings known as 'vedla'.
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