Mahnenschmidt, John Petkr, a pioneer of the German Iteformcd Church in Ohio, was born probably in Somerset or in Westmoreland Co., Pa., in 1783; firs"t taught school for a number of years, and was ihially, in 1812, licenssd to preach, and soon after removed to (3hio, where lie performed missionarv labors in the counties of v.— t"t
Columbiana and Trumbull. He laid the foundations of numerous congregations, which he lived to see grow and prosper. He died in Canfield, Mahoning Co., Ohio, July 11, 1857. Mahnenschmidt was a modest, childlike, and earnest man. See Harbaugh, Fathers of the Ger- man lief Ch. (Lancaster, Pa., 1872, 12mo), iii, 207 sq.
Ma'hol (Heb. Machol', bllTO, a sacred dance, as in Psa. XX, 12, etc. ; Sept, Ma;;^;wX ; Josephus'Hf*aa/v,^4w/. viii, 2, 5), a person apparently named as the father of the famous wise men Ethan, Heman, Chalcol, and Dar- da (or at least of the last two), prior to the time of Sol- omon (1 Kings iv, 31) ; but if these be the same with those enumerated as sons of Zerah (1 Chron. ii, C), the word must be taken as elsewhere to denote simply their pursuit, as musical composers (see Keil's Comment, ad loc. Kings), an art with which dancing has ever been intimately connected. See Ethan.
Mahomet. See Mohammed.
Mahrattas, a people of Central India, south of the Eiver Ganges, inhabiting the mountains from Gwalior to Goa, and by many supposed to be the descendants of a Persian or North Indian people who had been driven southwards by the Mongols. They are a vigorous and active race, and though, like many Eastern nations, di- minutive and ill formed, are distinguished for their courage. Most of the Mahrattas are Hindus in relig- ious belief, but, unlike the devout foUowers of Brahma, they do not adhere to the distinction of caste very close- ly. IMohammedanism and Parseeism also have many followers among this people, and Judaism counts a few adherents, though so distorted hj heathen practices that some ethnologists have identified the Beni Israel of the Mahratta land with the Patterns (q. v.).
History. — The INIahrattas are first mentioned in his- tory about the middle of the 17th century. They then inhabited a narrow strip of territory on the west side of the peninsula, extending from 15° to 21° N. lat., and are spoken of as for three centuries the subjects of IMo- hammedanism. The founder of the Mahratta power was Sevaji (died in 1680), a freebooter or adventurer, whose father was an officer in the service of the last king of Bejapiir. By policy or by force, he eventually suc- ceeded in compelling the several independent chiefs to acknowledge him as their leader, and, with a large army at his command, overran and subdued a vast portion of the emperor of Delhi's territory. He was crowned as king in 1G74. His son and successor, Sam- baji, after vigorously following out his father's policy, was taken prisoner by Aurungzebe in 1689, and put to death. The incapacity of the subsequent rulers who reigned under the title o^ Ramrajah ("great king"), tempted the two chief officers of state, the Peishira, or prime minister, and the paymaster-general, to divide, about 1749, the empire between them, the former fixing his residence at Puna, and retaining a nominal suprem- acy over the whole nation, while the latter made Nag- pur his capital, and founded the empire of the Berar iNIahrattas. Later, however, the Mahratta kingdom was divided into a great number of states, more or less pow- erful and independent, chief among which were, be- sides the two above mentioned, Gwalior, ruled by the Rao Scindiah ; Indore, by the Rao Holkar ; and Baroda, by the Guicowar. Intestine wars followed this subdi- vision, and ultimately the East India Company was compelled to interfere. After many long and bloody contests with the British and their allies, the Mahrattas were reduced to a state of dependence. The only ex- ception was Scindiah, a j)Owerful chief, who had raised a powerful army, officered by Frenchmen, and disciplined after the European method. He continued the contest until 1843. The dignitj- of peishwa was abolished in 1818, and his territories were occupied by the British. Nagpiir and Sattara subsequently also came to the Brit- ish, but the other chiefs still possess extensive domin- ions under British protection.
Missions. — The earliest missions of the Christian
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Church ill India date with tlie settlement of the Portu- "•iicse ill Goa, where the Koman Catholics established the tirst bishopric in 1534. The second important hold the Komish Church secured at the two Salsettes,the pen- insula and island near Bombay. From these the work was graduall)^ pressed through the jVIahratta-land. At Goa there are claimed to be 312,000, and at Bombay 20,300 Roman Catholics. See India. The first Prot- testant mission was commenced in the INIabratta-land by the American Board in 1811. For about twenty years it was confined to the territory this side of the Ghauts. Mahim, Tannah, and Chowul (Choule) were occupied for a time, but abandoned in 1826. In 1836, however, the work began to show signs of vigor and promise. At this time a mission was established on the high lands of Ahmeduuggur, a city of 30,000 inhabitants, and by 1842 it became an independent mission centre. For the success of this work and its present status, see the arti- cle India, vol. iv, p. 555, col. 2. The Anglican Church first began missionary labors in Bombay in 1820, and gradually gained a hold at Tannah, Bandora, and Bas- sein. In 1832, Nasik, the most celebrated centre of Brah- minism in all Deccan, was secured ; in 1846 the work was extended to the station Junir, and in 1848 to Mal- ligaum. The attempt made a few years ago, at Yeolat, to Christianize exclusively by the aid of native helpers failed completely. Neither did the effort among the Illangs, in the neighborhood of Aurangabad (stations BiUdana, etc.), prove successful. In Bombay and vi- cinity the Church Missionary Society sustains many schools, and Christian influences are moiUding the char- acter of the rising generation. A special missionary for the Mohammedans is sustained here. See Bombay. The Scotch Mission commenced at Konkan in 1823; the first stations were Bankot and Suvarndrug, but these were abandoned when the laborers were needed at Bombay. Here both the " Established Church" and the " Free Church" sustain schools. The Scotch Mission at Poonah, which originated in 1839, belongs to the Free Church. Of late years the Free Church has established missions among the Waralies (aborigines) near Daman. The So- cietj' for the Propagation of the Gospel has labored in this field since 1840, but confined mainly to Bombay. Very lately the Medical Missionary Society has established an institute which will prove of valuable service to the mission work. See Sprengel, Geschkhte der Mahratten (Halle, 1786) ; Duth, History of the Mahrattas (London, 1826, 3 vols. 8vo); Grundemann, J/mioMso^^os, No. 12; Chambers, Cyclojycedia, s. v.