Mallah community members mostly reside along the banks of the North Indian Rivers, Ganges and Yamuna. They trace their lineage from the Nishada tribe and most of them are boatman. The states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, West Bengal and Orissa have large concentration of the Mallah community. Wedding rituals for the Mallah community varies from state to state. The Mallah Grooms from Uttar Pradesh can speak Awadhi, Hindi and Khari boli. Most of the Mallah Grooms from Bengals are Hindus.