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.
Tag: Banjara, lamani, bazigar, vimukt, lambadi
