Muslim Khatris
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| • India • Pakistan • Europe • United States • Canada • Australia • Dubai • Saudi Arabia • United Kingdom | |
| Languages | |
| • Punjabi • Urdu-Hindi | |
| Religion | |
| Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Khatris • Aroras • Punjabi Sheikh |
The Muslim Khatris are descendants of the Khatri community of the Indian subcontinent which embraced Islam during medieval period. They are now mostly concentrated in the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Sindh as well as in north India. The community is scattered throughout Punjab and Kutch region.
Origin
Khatris, from which Muslim Khatris are descended, are a Punjabi Muslim community.[1] The origins of the community lies in the Punjab region and now divided into Punjab, Pakistan and Punjab, India.[2][3][4]
Indian historian Baij Nath Puri, himself a Khatri, wrote that they had mostly converted during the middle of the 16th century and that in Punjab regions such as Multan and Jhang they usually use the "Khawaja" surname, mainly hailing from the Kapoor clan.[5]
History
Khatris are divided into different clans. Most of the Muslim Khatris were warriors and chieftains during the medieval era, many were employed as generals and soldiers under Mughal Empire. They slowly adopted agriculture and business for their survival. Khatris are one of the land owning group in the subcontinent. They were designated as martial race by the British.
Saudagaran-e-Delhi
In addition, the Qaume-e-Punjaban community of Delhi are also of Khatri ancestry. Historically, this community lived in Delhi, and other North Indian towns, but after the Partition of India many people from the community moved to Pakistan.
References
- ^ McLane, John R. (25 July 2002). Land and Local Kingship in Eighteenth-Century Bengal. Cambridge University Press. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-521-52654-8.
- ^ Fenech, Louis E.; McLeod, W. H. (11 June 2014). Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-3601-1.
- ^ John Stratton Hawley; Gurinder Singh Mann (1993). Studying the Sikhs: Issues for North America. State University of New York Press. p. 179. ISBN 9780791414255.
Khatri (khatri) "merchant-caste." Although the name derives from Sanskrit kshatriya, which designates the warrior or ruling castes, khatri in Punjabi usage refers to a cluster of merchant castes including Bedis, Bhallas and Sodhis
- ^ Hardy; Hardy, Thomas (7 December 1972). The Muslims of British India. CUP Archive. p. 279. ISBN 978-0-521-09783-3.
- ^ Puri, Baij Nath (1988). The Khatris, a Socio-cultural Study. New Delhi: M.N. Publishers and Distributors. pp. 150–151. OL 14709495M.