The Langha are a Muslim community found in the states of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

and

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.People of India Gujarat Volume XXI Part Two edited by R.B. Lal, P.B.S.V Padmanabham, G Krishnan & M Azeez Mohideen pages 755-760 They are unrelated to the Langah clan of southern

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

province in Pakistan.People of India Rajasthan Volume XXXVIII Part Two edited by B.K. Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N. Vyas pages 572 to 575 Popular Prakashan

History and origin

The Langha and related

Manganiar The Manganhar are a Muslim community found in the desert of Rajasthan, India; mostly in the districts of Barmer and Jaisalmer. also found in the districts of Tharparkar and Sanghar in the bordering province of Sindh in Pakistan. They are know ...

are both communities of folk musicians, and have two sub-divisions, the Sonia Langha and Sarengia Langha. These sub-divisions are based on the use of musical instruments used, the Sonia Langha play wind instruments such as the

surnai The zurna (Armenian: զուռնա zuṙna; Old Armenian: սուռնայ suṙnay; Albanian: surle/surla; Persian: karna/Kornay/surnay; Macedonian: зурла/сурла zurla/surla; Bulgarian: ''зурна/зурла''; Serbian: зурла/zu ...

, satara and murali at wedding ceremonies, and the Sarengia play the

sarangi The sārangī is a bowed, short-necked string instrument played in traditional music from South Asia – Punjabi folk music, Rajasthani folk music, and Boro folk music (there known as the ''serja'') – in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. It is ...

. The two groups are endogamous, and are further divided into clans. According to their traditions, they were

Jat The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and su ...

whose ancestors converted to Islam. They are said to have originated in Sindh, and settled in the village of Baranwa in

Barmer District Barmer District is a district in Rajasthan state of India. It is located in the western part of Rajasthan state forming a part of the Thar Desert. Barmer is the third largest district by area in Rajasthan and fifth largest district in India. Oc ...

Present circumstances

The community are

endogamous Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific social group, religious denomination, caste, or ethnic group, rejecting those from others as unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relationships. Endogamy is common in many cultu ...

and practice clan

exogamy Exogamy is the social norm of marrying outside one's social group. The group defines the scope and extent of exogamy, and the rules and enforcement mechanisms that ensure its continuity. One form of exogamy is dual exogamy, in which two groups c ...

. Their main clans are Khaltera, Pannu, Janjarika, Kalrika and Toarika. At times of birth, marriage or any family festivity of their

Sindhi-Sipahi The Sindh-Sipahi ( Sindhi: سنڌي سپاهی ) ( ur, سندھی سپاهی ) are a Muslim community found in the province of Sindh in Pakistan and state of Rajasthan in India.People of India Rajasthan by K S Singh History and origin The Sindh ...

patrons, the Langha musicians are in attendance to evoke the right mood with songs of the desert and many specially composed songs to praise the patron and his family. During the last fifteen years, many Langha have become part of the entertainment industry, and have toured the world as part of the "Festival of India" tours organized by the Indian government.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Langha (Tribe) Social groups of Rajasthan Muslim communities of India Muslim communities of Rajasthan Social groups of Gujarat Muslim communities of Gujarat