The Mala are a scheduled caste except in Madhya Pradesh. They are Hindus but some have become Christians.

In Andhra Pradesh the Mala speak Telugu. They work in agriculture. They are becoming more and more educated.

In Karnataka they have adult marriages by negotiating. They are monogamous. Divorce and marrying again are allowed. On the death of the father, sons inherit the property with the oldest son becoming in charge of the home. They are not vegetarians. Traditional and modern medicines are used by them and so is family planning. They speak Telugu and read and write in Kannada.

In Tamil Nadu the Mala speak in Tamil as well as Telugu, and read and write in Tamil.

The Mala live in Madhya Pradesh where they do cotton weaving. They read and write in Telugu and Devanagari.

They live in Maharashtra and Pondicherry too.

* Pray that Mala Evangelical Christians will lead others of the Mala to Jesus Christ.
* Pray that gospel materials and the internet will lead them to salvation.

Singh, K. S., ed. "India's Communities A-Z", Oxford University Press, USA 1999