The Marwari is an Indian breed of domestic sheep. It originates in, and is named for, the Marwar region of south-western Rajasthan, in the north-west of India. It is reared in the five principal districts of Marwar – Barmer, Jalore, Jodhpur, Nagaur and Pali – and also in some neighbouring districts of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Characteristics
The Marwari is a small sheep, standing approximately at the withers. It has white body and a black face. It is a polled breed – both sexes are without horns. The ears are unusually small, and are tubular in shape.
Use
The Marwari is raised for its wool, which is of coarse or carpet quality. Fleeces weigh about on average.
References
R.M. Acharya (1982). Sheep and goat breeds of India. FAO Animal Production and Health Paper 30. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Archived 1 February 2003.
Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. . Archived 23 June 2020.
Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. .
Breed data sheet: Marwari / India (Sheep). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed July 2025.
Valerie Porter, Ian Lauder Mason (2002). Mason's World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types, and Varieties (fifth edition). Wallingford: CABI. .