Kutchi Memons ( gu, કચ્છી મેમોન, ur, کچھی میمن), also spelled as Cutchi Memons, are an ethnic group or caste from Kutch in

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 ...

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 ...

, who speak the

Kutchi language Kutchi (; કચ્છી, , ڪڇّی) or Kachhi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Kutch region of India and Sindh region of Pakistan. The name of the language is also transliterated as Katchi, Kutchhi, Kachchi, Kachchhi, Kachhi or Cutc ...

. They are related to the

Memons The Memon are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group that originated in the Sindh region of Pakistan. The majority of the Memon people around the world follow the Hanafi fiqh of Sunni Islam. The Memon people have cultural similarities with the Khoja, Khat ...

associated with the historic state of Kathiwar, a Muslim community of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

and

, who speak the

Memon language Memoni (ميموني, મેમોની) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by Kathiawari Memons from the Kathiawar region of Gujarat, India. Memon people are a subgroup or an ethnic group that originated in north-western India. After the Indi ...

. Transliteration of name of this

Memon Memon may refer to: Ethnic group and language * Memon people, an ethnic group originating in the ancient Sindh (modern day Pakistan) * Memoni language, the language of Memon people historically associated with Kathiawar, Gujarat, India People wit ...

community has now been standardized. Hence popular usage is Cutchi and Kutchi.

History

Kutchi Memons originally practiced

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

and converted to Islam under influence of Sunni pirs. Kutchi Memons migrated from Sindh to Kutch in

, a

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

, after their conversion to Islam in 1422 CE; the Memon belong to the

Lohana Lohana, also referred to as Loharana, Thakkar and Lohrana, are an Indian trading or mercantile '' jāti''. Lohanas claim to be descendants of the Lava, son of Rama, and to descend from the Raghuvanshi dynasty.Lachaier, Pierre. "Cérémonies D'ho ...

community. Historically, Kutch was a princely state and this kingdom included

Bhuj Bhuj () is a Municipality and District Headquarters of Kutch District in the state of Gujarat, India. Etymology According to legend, Kutch was ruled by the Nāga chieftains in the past. Sagai, a queen of Sheshapattana, who was married to Kin ...

, Anjar, Lakhpath,

Mandvi Mandvi is a Beach town with municipality in the Kutch district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was once a major port of the region and summer retreat for Maharao (king) of the Cutch State. The old city was enclosed in the fort wall and remai ...

, etc. The Kutchi Memons are now spread all over India, as well as in the globe, where they form part of the

Indian diaspora Overseas Indians (IAST: ), officially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) are Indians who live outside of the Republic of India. According to the Government of India, ''Non-Resident Indians'' are citizens of Indi ...

(cf. '' Kutchi Memons in Bombay''). Though Kutchi Memons historically spoke Kutchi, use of this language has sharply declined, and many Kutchi Memons (particularly those who reside in

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...

s) have adopted

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Humeirah
a novel b
Sabah Carrim
delves into the nitty-gritty details of the life of the fictitious eponymous character, a Kutchi Memon, and the pressures of an endogamous and ethnocentric community on her and other characters. The novel is set on the island of Mauritius where a community of about one thousand Kutchi Memons live. Kutchi Memons are a predominantly business community and are known for their Philanthropy. Being part of the

, the Kutchi Memons are spread all over India, as well as the globe and have erected many mosques all over the world. A large number of Kutchi Memons settled down in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

in 1815.

Population

The total estimated population of Kutchi Memons as at 2020: 9.461 million * Population of Kutchi Memon in India - 5.22 million * Population of Kutchi Memon in Pakistan - 1.80 million * Besides India and Pakistan; a large numbers of Kutchi Memons are also populated in the United Kingdom, Canada, USA, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Middle East, South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, Namibia, Malawi, Kenya, Mauritius, Singapore, Burma and Australia - 2.44 million

Famous Kutchi Memon mosques

Kutchi Memon Masjid, Mangalore

The Kutchi Memon Masjid, Mangalore (also known locally as the Katchi Palli) is located opposite the famous Bombay Lucky Restaurant in Mangalore. It was built in 1839 by Kutchi Memon spice traders from Gujarat. In 1930, this mosque was the first to get electric supply and the fourth to get electrified in Mangalore, during the

British rule The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was hims ...

. It was also the first to use loudspeakers to call for Azan, and the first in Mangalore where the Friday sermon was delivered in

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

Ismail Sait Masjid is located at Mosque Road, Fraser Town, Pulekeshinagar, Bengaluru,

Bangalore Central Business District The central business district of Bangalore is the area within a 6 km radius around Vidhan Soudha. This is the center of the city and core commercial area of Bangalore which was founded by Kempegowda of the Vijayanagara Empire. Most of the land ...

. It was built on land donated by Haji Sir Ismail Sait who was well known a businessman and philanthropist of Karnataka. The mosque was developed over the years to what it is today and has a capacity of approximately 3000 musallis or worshippers. It is on the way to the

Bangalore International Airport Kempegowda International Airport is an international airport serving Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, India. Spread over , it is located about north of the city near the suburb of Devanahalli. It is owned and operated by Bengaluru Inter ...

and is frequently visited by people from all across the world. It also has a

WAKF A waqf ( ar, وَقْف; ), also known as hubous () or ''mortmain'' property is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitable ...

charitable medical assistance in its premises. The

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

vicinity also has a

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

Government Urdu school. The mosque is air conditioned. It has a library in the vicinity with a good collection of Islamic books and a guest house for Muslim guests travelling on Islamic work. Many Islamic scholars have given their speeches at this mosque and it is visited by very educated people. The mosque has a small Islamic store at the gate. Many charitable and Islamic microfinance activities take place at the mosque as well. The Fajar or dawn prayers and the maghrib or dusk prayers sees big flocks small song birds visiting the flora. The mosque also sees many Christians from nearby churches who work with the Muslims on Islam. It serves Ramadan iftar. The mosque is maintained by the trust and through the efforts of the mosque management team that works around the clock to keep the mosque neat and clean at all times. It has security personnel. Facilities include parking for two wheelers, wadu khana, small and well maintained gardens,

nikah In Islam, nikah is a contract between two people. Both the groom and the bride are to consent to the marriage of their own free wills. A formal, binding contract – verbal or on paper – is considered integral to a religiously valid Islam ...

, funerals, Islamic summer classes for children and Islamic education.

Others

*Zakaria Masjid, Bombay (Mumbai) * Ismail Habib Masjid, Bombay (Mumbai) * Minara Masjid, Bombay (Mumbai) * Anderson Memon Masjid, Chennai *Jummah Masjid, Mauritius * Nakhoda Masjid,

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

New Memon Masjid The New Memon Masjid ( ur, نئی میمن مسجد) known as the Memon Masjid of Karachi, Pakistan, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the city located on Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road, M.A Jinnah Road. The first committee of the Memon Masj ...

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 c ...

* Haji Sir Ismail Sait Masjid,

Bangalore Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...

* Memon Mosque, Pettah, Sri Lanka * Jafar Jumma Masjid, Alappuzha, Kerala * Memon Masjid, Mombasa, Kenya * Kutchi Memon Masjid,

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ke ...

*Kutchi Memon Masjid, Saddar, Karachi (Kolachi) *Kutchi Memon Masjid, Gari Ahata, Karachi (Kolachi) *Nakhoda Masjid, Karachi (Kolachi) *Kutchi Memon Masjid, Qabrustan Ghans Mandi, Karachi (Kolachi) *Kutchi Memon Masjid, Ratan Talao, Karachi (Kolachi)

References

{{reflist

External links

www.cutchimemonbangalore.com
* http://cutchimemonchennai.com Memon Social groups of Pakistan Ethnic groups in Pakistan Sindhi tribes Muslim communities of India Sindhi tribes in India Social groups of Gujarat Muslim communities of Gujarat Tribes of Kutch