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{{Short description|Government title in the Indian subcontinent}}

'''Mukhi''' (''mukhia'') is the title used for a head of community or village elites<ref name="village">India's Villages. Development Department, West Bengal, 1955</ref> and their local government in [[Western India]] and [[Sindh]].<ref name="Vinayak" >Peasant Pasts: History and Memory in Western India. Vinayak, Chaturvedi, University of California Press, 2007</ref> It is derived from the word ''mukhiya'' meaning 'foremost', and prior to [[Partition of India|Indian independence]] they were the most powerful person in each community, imbued with both civil and judicial powers.<ref>The Thakors of north Gujarat: a caste in the village and the region. Studies in sociology and social anthropology, Lobo, Lancy. Hindustan Pub. Corp., 1995. {{ISBN|8170750350}}</ref><ref>Tribe, Volumes 2-6. Tribal Research Institute (Rajasthan, India). Tribal Research Institute and Training Centre, 1966</ref>

==Status==
Mukhi headmen generally came from the wealthiest <ref>Villages, Women, and the Success of Dairy Cooperatives in India: Making Place for Rural Development. Basu, Pratyusha. Cambria Press, 2009</ref> or most prominent families within their community<ref>The Twice-born: A Study of a Community of High-caste Hindus. Carstairs, G. Morris, Indiana University Press, 1967</ref> and acted as the presidents of the local [[panchayats]].<ref name="gujerat" /><ref>Research in Sociology: Abstracts of M.A. and Ph. D. Dissertations Completed in the Department of Sociology, University of Bombay. Concept Publishing Company, 1989</ref> According to local traditions, the Mukhi could be a hereditary position inherited by the eldest son<ref name="gujerat">Gujarat, Part 3. Popular Prakashan, 2003</ref> or an elected position, as were the panchayats. Decisions made by the panchayat were accepted by their communities and did not require enforcement.<ref>Encyclopaedia of Indian Woman: Emancipation Through Legislative Reforms, Volume 5. Akashdeep, 1990</ref> In developed areas, many also held high positions in business.<ref>The Global World of Indian Merchants, 1750-1947: Traders of Sind from Bukhara to Panama, Markovits, Claude. Cambridge University Press, 22 Jun 2000</ref>

==History==
The tradition of mukhis and ''panchayat raj'' (village self-government) is thought to be thousands of years old but currently decreasing in influence due to the growth of government and democratic decentralisation.<ref>Tribal Culture, Continuity, and Change: A Study of Bhils in Rajasthan. Majhi, Anita Srivastava, Mittal Publications, 2010</ref>

Since at least the 16th Century, the roles carried out by mukhis included those relating to local revenue gathering and expenditure, policing and justice. By the 19th, under the [[British Raj|British rule of India]], they became government appointed agents. They led local [[Panchayats]] and acted as local representative of the rulers.<ref>Balochistan Through the Ages: Tribes Vol. 2: Selection from Government Record. Baluchistan (Pakistan) Nisa Traders 1979, University of Virginia, Apr 2009</ref>

In 1876, according to the Village Police Act, the mukhis were also given central roles in the criminal justice system and required to carry out surveillance about suspicious activities and reporting to district level officials.<ref name="Vinayak" /> They had powers to resolve conflicts within their community, particularly those relating to marriages,<ref>All India Reporter, Volume 3, Chitaley D.V., 1950</ref> and give consent over the building of properties<ref name="village" /> and officiate over daily events or rituals.<ref name="Ismailism 2006">Encyclopaedia of Ismailism. Mumtaz Ali Tajddin Sadik Ali, Islamic Book Publisher, 2006.</ref>

In [[Hyderabad, Sindh|Hyderabad]], Sindh the position was always held by a member of the [[Bhaibund]] community who presided over the collection of fines for the violation of duties and obligations.<ref>The Amil Community of Hyderabad, Narsain, S.J. 1932</ref>

==Ismailism==
In the [[Ismaili]] [[Nizari]] tradition, the term is also used for the guardian of each [[Jama'at Khana]] where the Mukhi acts as the tangible symbol of the [[Imam]]'s authority,<ref name="village" /> by officiating over daily rituals.<ref name="Ismailism 2006"/>

==Family name==
Mukhi is also a common name within [[Sindhis]] denoting a hereditary relationship to a mukhi<ref>Essential Sindhi Cookbook. Reejhsinghani, Aroona, Penguin Books India, 2004</ref> and, from a separate root, in other Indian communities as meaning "beautiful".<ref>A Smaller Hindustani and English Dictionary, Taylor & Francis</ref>

==See also==
* [[Faujdar]]
* [[Zamindar]]
* [[Village accountant]]
* [[Sarpanch]]
* [[Panchayati raj]]
* [[Local government in India]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Sources==
* Bherumal Mahirchand Advani, "Amilan-jo-Ahwal" - published in Sindhi, 1919
* Amilan-jo-Ahwal (1919) - translated into English in 2016 ("A History of the Amils") at [http://www.saibaba-fund.org/sindhis.html sindhis]

[[Category:Society of India]]
[[Category:Society of Sindh]]
[[Category:Local government in India]]
[[Category:Surnames of Indian origin]]
[[Category:Sindhi tribes]]

Mukhi - Revision history

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