The Ghanchi-Pinjara are a
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
community found in the state of
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. A small number of Ghanchi are also found in the city of
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.
[People of India Gujarat Volume XXI Part One edited by R.B Lal, P.B.S.V Padmanabham, G Krishnan & M Azeez Mohideen, pages 401–405.]
Origin
The Ghanchi-Pinjara evolved as a community, when a section of the
Pinjara
The Pinjara (Rajasthani: पिंज़ारा (Devanagari) (Perso-Arabic), Kannada: ಪಿಂಜಾರ ) are a community found in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Rajasthan in India. The terms Pinjara, Ma ...
caste
Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...
gave up their occupation of cotton carding and took up oil pressing. They have no connection with the
Ghanchi
Teli is a caste traditionally occupied in the pressing of oil in India, Nepal and Pakistan. Members may be either Hindu or Muslim; Muslim Teli are called Roshandaar or Teli Malik. The Jewish community of Maharashtra (called Bene Israel) was al ...
community. The community are found mainly in the districts of
Junagadh,
Amreli,
Rajkot
Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat after Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat, and is in the centre of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Rajkot is the 35th-largest metropolitan area in India, with a population of ...
, Surendranagar, and
Bhavanagar. They speak Kathiawari dialect of
Gujarati
Gujarati may refer to:
* something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India
* Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat
* Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them
* Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...
.
[
]
Clan divisions and occupations
The Ghanchi Pinjara are divided into a number of clans, the main ones being the Kagatla, Varaya, Bavalia, Mavod, Salod, Kakani, Bhadra, Katia, Gujarati, Sorathia and Godhrawala. All these clans intermarry, and are of equal status. Like other Gujarati Muslim
The term Gujarati Muslim is usually used to signify an Indian Muslim from the state of Gujarat in western coast of India. Most Gujarati Muslims have Gujarati language as their mother tongue, but some communities such as the Momin Ansari, Memons ...
s, they have their own caste association, the Pinjara Mansoori Jamat. The Ghanchi Pinjara have abandoned their traditional occupation, and most are now small farmers. A small number of Ghanchi Pinjara are now petty traders.[
]
See also
* Muslim Ghanchi
References
{{Indian Muslim
Social groups of Gujarat
Muslim communities of India
Muslim communities of Gujarat
Social groups of Sindh