Maldhari – Over 125 Years of Tribal Settlement at Sasan Gir | Gir National Park
Sasan Gir, Maldharis, a tribal community residing in Gujarat, is marked by various news and article sites as the long-established dairymen. The latter used to supply milk and cheese for the rajas to the palaces in that region. They were nomads by origin, while ‘Maldhari’ is the occupational term they happened to be known as, after they took up the residence in Junagadh, especially inside the Gir National Park . The name ‘Maldhari’ was derived from the Gujarati words Maal (cattle) and Dhari (keeper). Currently, there are 24 Maldhari nesses in the eastern part of the Gir forest, whereas 30 nesses are situated in the western part of the wildlife sanctuary. Approximately four-thousand people from the tribe are residing in the nesses, with around nineteen-thousand cattle. The lifestyle of this community is very simple. They reside deep inside the jungle, in tiny mud-houses, with no electricity, schools, running water, or any proper healthcare organization. Producing milk from cattle is