_Mochi, Muchi, Jingar, Jirayat, Jildgar, Chitrakar, Chitevari,
Musabir._--The occupational caste of saddlers and cobblers. In 1911
about 4000 Mochis and 2000 Jingars were returned from the Central
Provinces and Berar, the former residing principally in the Hindustani
and the latter in the Marathi-speaking Districts. The name is derived
from the Sanskrit _mochika_ and the Hindustani _mojna_, to fold, and
the common name _mojah_ for socks and stockings is from the same root
(Platts). By origin the Mochis are no doubt an offshoot of the Chamar
caste, but they now generally disclaim the connection. Mr. Nesfield
observes [277] that, "The industry of tanning is preparatory to and
lower than that of cobblery, and hence the caste of Chamar ranks
decidedly below that of Mochi. The ordinary Hindu does not consider
the touch of a Mochi so impure as that of the Chamar, and there is a
Hindu proverb to the effect that 'Dried or prepared hide is the same
thing as cloth,' whereas the touch of the raw hide before it has been
tanned by the Chamar is considered a pollution. The Mochi does not
eat carrion like the Chamar, nor does he eat swine's flesh; nor does
his wife ever practise the much-loathed art of midwifery." In the
Central Provinces, as in northern India, the caste may be considered
to have two branches, the lower one consisting of the Mochis who
make and cobble shoes and are admittedly descended from Chamars;
while the better-class men either make saddles and harness, when they
are known as Jingar; or bind books, when they are called Jildgar; or
paint and make clay idols, when they are given the designation either
of Chitrakar, Chitevari or Murtikar. In Berar some Jingars have taken
up the finer kinds of iron-work, such as mending guns, and are known
as Jirayat. All these are at great pains to dissociate themselves
from the Chamar caste. They call themselves Thakur or Rajput and have
exogamous sections the names of which are identical with those of the
Rajput septs. The same people have assumed the name of Rishi in Bengal,
and, according to a story related by Sir H. Risley, claim to be debased
Brahmans; while in the United Provinces Mr. Crooke considers them to
be connected with the Srivastab Kayasths, with whom they intermarry
and agree in manners and customs. The fact that in the three Provinces
these workers in leather claim descent from three separate high castes
is an interesting instance of the trouble which the lower-class Hindus
will take to obtain a slight increase in social consideration; but
the very diversity of the accounts given induces the belief that all
Mochis were originally sprung from the Chamars. In Bombay, again,
Mr. Enthoven [278] writes that the caste prefers to style itself
Arya Somavansi Kshatriya or Aryan Kshatriyas of the Moon division;
while they have all the regular Brahmanical _gotras_ as Bharadwaja,
Vasishtha, Gautam and so on.