Traditional water-carrying bag from North India, Pakistan and Nepal
For the Arabic calligraphic form, see Mashq. For the village in Iran, see Mashk, Iran.
A mashk (Hindi: मश्क, Urdu: مَشْکَ; ISO: Maśka) is a traditional water-carrying bag, usually made of waterproofed goat-skin, from North India, Pakistan and Nepal.[1]Mashqs can vary in size, from a hand-held bag, which was often used to carry liquids such as alcohol, to a large sized bag that comes with shoulder strap. They usually have only one narrowed opening. A person who is carrying a large mashk is called a māshqi (माश्की, ماشْکِی). Traditionally, in the northern part of the South Asia, the larger mashq was associated with the Bhishti (भिश्ती, بهِشْتِی) subcaste who were employed as water-carriers by all other sections of society and often seen dispensing water (for a fee) in public places, gardens and construction sites.[2]
Since water came as a great relief to people and plants during the hot summer in the northern Indian plains, the term Bhishti derives from the Persian root word bahishti, meaning heavenly.[3]
^J. I. Abdul Hakim (May 2005), Modern Colloquial Hindustani, Kessinger Publishing, 2005, ISBN978-1-4179-6144-3, ... Water-Carrier - Bhishti ... ek mashk kitne ko ata hai ... Get the bhishti to pour some water ...
