MUSLIM BANJARAS
The
Muslim Banjaras are a Muslim community found in the states of Gujarat, Madhya
Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in India. Many members of this community migrated to
Pakistan in 1947 and have settled in Karachi and Sindh. They are also known as
the Rahmani, especially in Uttar Pradesh, and they use Rahmani as their
surname.
The
Banjara are a nomadic community. Their name is said to be campound of ban (forest)
and jara (burning); the community lived by burning forests.
According to another tradition, the name is derived from the Sanskrit word vanijiya or bania - kara,
which means merchant. The Muslim Banjara are Muslim converts of the larger Banjara community
of India. In Uttar Pradesh, the community consists of twelve gotras, the
Banel, Omraha, Tikhand, Charuna, Nauni, Kalishingh, and Kakri being the main
ones. While in Madhya Pradesh, they have two sub-divisions, the Landhe and
the Hundhe. They are said to have immigrated from Rajasthan about 300 to 350 years, and still speak a
dialect of Rajasthani. In Gujarat, the Banjaras call themselves Chhakda and
Chhakoda Banjara. The name Chhakda is derived from the word Chhakda Gari, which
is the Gujarati term for a Hackney carriage. The community was traditional employed as
carriage drivers, as well as keepers of horses. Like the Banjara of North
India, the Gujarat Banjaras claim to have originally come
from Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. They still speak Marwari among themselves and Gujarati with outsiders.
In North
India they are mainly
cattle traders and breeders. Before the start of the agriculture season, they
sell their cattle on credit. They are a landless community, depending on the
selling of cattle. They are strictly endogamous, but no longer practice clan
exogamy. While in Gujarat, the community is small scale farmers and
agricultural labourers. A small number is also involved in the selling of milk. The
Banjara Muslims have a caste council (biradari panchayat), which settles
criminal offences like adultery and rape. The caste council is headed by a
naik, and consists of fifteen members. They also have set up the All India
Banjara Muslim Federation, which is an India wide caste association. They
belong to the Sunni sect, but like other North
Indian Muslim communities, their practices incorporate a
number of folk beliefs. They pay homage to the local deity, Gurgaon wali Mata. In Uttar
Pradesh they are concentrated in and around the districts of Sharanpur, Bijnor, Pilibhit, Bareilly, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar, Etawah, Moradabad,Mathura, Etah and Agra districts. A few are also found in
the Nainital District of Uttarakhand.
In Madhya Pradesh, they are found in the districts of Jabalpur, Chhindwara and Mandla. While
in Gujarat, they are found in the districts of Panchmahal,Kheda, Ahmedabad,
and Sabarkantha.
i could shed some light on the banjaras of the baheri tehsil in bareilly district of rohilkhand, uttar pradesh. i am a local there and as far the knowledge and wisdom of the elsers of our elders go, accordingly the banjaras here are a mix of 25% original settelers (which converted from hindu faith to muslim) and 75% populatin of distinct genetic traits which is well documented in the form of a 'shijra' which records the history of 11 generations. as per this shijra, a large tribe of nomadic tradesmen settled here at the fall of mughal empire and instituted TANDA around everyplace. since endogamy was the cultural signature of the local community and in order to mingle with the population, they adopted the customs and folklores of the place; the important milestones were- islamkhand, marrying inside the community, carrying small to medium level trades, giving agricultural land to tenants instead of farming themselves. i am the fourth generation since the shijra was maintained last which is because for that task it is important to present the facts to the administrator of the area i.e. Qiladar or Nawab or Badshah or Qazi (1-to-3rd degree). since after the independence these practices are very very tough to follow up, so the shijra wont be maintained for ever; however a parallel shijra is recorded of only the prominent families of the town but its authenticity is questionable however.
ReplyDeleteThanks Faisal for sharing new insights about Banaras. I lived in Bareily city during 1990-91 even though I am from Bangalore.
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