| Mulgi Parish | |
| Native Name: | Mulgi vald |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality of Estonia |
| Flag Size: | 150 px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Estonia |
| Subdivision Type1: | County |
| Subdivision Name1: | Viljandi County |
| Seat Type: | Administrative centre |
| Seat: | Abja-Paluoja |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Imre Jugomäe |
| Area Total Km2: | 881 |
| Population Total: | 7436 |
| Population As Of: | 2019 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Iso Code: | EE-480 |
Mulgi Parish (Estonian: Mulgi vald) is a rural municipality in southern Estonia. It is a part of Viljandi County.[1] As of 2021, the municipality has a population of 7,372,[2] and covers .
The administrative centre of the Mulgi municipality is the town of Abja-Paluoja. The municipality itself consists of 3 towns (Abja-Paluoja, Karksi-Nuia, Mõisaküla); 2 small boroughs (Estonian: alevikud) (Halliste, Õisu); and 58 villages: Abja-Vanamõisa, Abjaku, Ainja, Allaste, Äriküla, Atika, Ereste, Hirmuküla, Hõbemäe, Kaarli, Kalvre, Kamara, Karksi, Kõvaküla, Kulla, Laatre, Lasari, Leeli, Lilli, Mäeküla, Maru, Metsaküla, Mõõnaste, Morna, Mulgi, Muri, Naistevalla, Niguli, Oti, Päidre, Päigiste, Pärsi, Penuja, Põlde, Polli, Pöögle, Pornuse, Räägu, Raamatu, Raja, Rimmu, Saate, Saksaküla, Sammaste, Sarja, Sudiste, Suuga, Tilla, Toosi, Tuhalaane, Ülemõisa, Umbsoo, Univere, Uue-Kariste, Vabamatsi, Vana-Kariste, Veelikse, and Veskimäe.
The municipality was formed on the 24th October, 2017, by merging of the town of Mõisaküla with the neighbouring municipalities of Karksi, Abja, and Halliste.[3]
There were many discrepancies in the past based on the naming of the Mulgi municipality; the naming council found Mulgi to be a misleading name both culturally and geographically,[4] as the municipality only covers a third of the historical Mulgimaa – the municipalities of Halliste and Karks, to be more specific. Suggested names in its place included Lääne-Mulgi, Abja-Mulgi, and Halliste-Karksi.
Concerns have also been raised about the loss of the name Abja. This stems from the history of the area; before the expansion of the Viljandi county (Raion) borders in 1962, the raion of Abja also existed in about the same area.[5]
The area has been a developed flax growing region and was one of the most prosperous in Estonia in the 19th century. Flax cultivation is also the reason why flax flowers are depicted on regional symbols.