Hati Chovisi: A Sociological Introduction to a Unique Caste of Gujarat

According to folklore, Malia was a village inhabited by Nandaraja. In course of time it became barren. A Nanda wav called Nandaraja can be seen even now on the road from here to Ambecha village. It is still known as Nandwav by the people of this region and the land surrounding the seed is also known as Nandwavni Patti. These two names show that Malia must have been a village inhabited by Nanda Raja. Years later, the descendants of Maharana Rahup from Mewar province left the land of Mewar province due to the loss of his Oramaya brother Laxman Singh and settled in Sorath region. And they built the tomb of Maliya, which had been lying here since ancient times, and perpetuated its name as Maliya. The jagir of 24 villages was given to Hatthisangji and an independent parj was formed in the name of Hathi in the beginning and later Hati. Malia taluka being the majority population of Hati Darbar, the taluk headquarters is known as Malia Hati which indicates how widespread the demographic dominance of Hati Darbar caste would be in the taluk under study.