Like Khangars they regard Muhammadan eunuchs and Fakirs (beggars) with special friendship, on the ground that it was a Fakir who sheltered their ancestress when the rest of the caste were massacred by Rajputs, and Fakirs do not beg at their weddings.

One explanation of the name is that this section of the caste were born from a Muhammadan father and a Dahait woman, and hence were called Mir-Dahaits or Mirdaha, Mir being a Muhammadan title.

Mirdha is, however, as noted by Mr.Hira Lal, the name of the head of the caste committee among the Dahaits; and in Hoshangabad he is a servant of the village proprietor and acts as assistant to the Kotwar or village watchman; he realises the rents from the tenants, and sometimes works as a night guard.

In Gujarat the name is said to be a corruption of _mir-deh_ or 'mason of the village.' [469] Here it is said that the Mirdhas are held to be of part foreign, part Rajput origin, and were originally official spies of the Gujarat sultans.

They are now employed as messengers and constables, and therefore seem to be analogous to the same class of persons in the Central Provinces.
_Mirshikar_ .-- Synonym of Pardhi.
_Misra_ or _Misar_ .-- A surname of Kanaujia, Jijhotia, Sarwaria and Uriya Brahmans.
_Mistri_ .-- (Corruption of the English Mister.) A master carpenter or mate of a gang.