The Ghanchi (Ghaanchi) 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 states 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 ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

and

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 si ...

in India. 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.

Origin

The Muslim Gh The towns of

Godhra Godhra is a municipality in Panchmahal district in Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Panchmahal district. Originally the name came from ''gou'' which means "cow" and ''dhara''- which have two meanings dependi ...

, Chhota Udepur, Lunawada, Kalol

Present circumstances

In Gujarat

The Ghanchi are traditionally involved in the manufacture of cooking oil. The advancement of modern technology has led the Ghanchi to take up other occupations. Many are now businessmen and have become transporters.People of India Gujarat Volume XXI Part One edited by R.B Lal, P.B.S.V Padmanabham, G Krishnan & M Azeez Mohideen pages 346–350 From Lunawada, many Ghanchi have moved and settled into Gulf countries. Most of the Ghanchis speak Gujarati; in Kutch they speak Kutchi and in Rajasthan, they speak Mewari. Like other Gujarati Muslims, they follow the principle of jamat bandi and have their own association, the Ghanchi Jamat. Most Ghanchis in Karachi, Pakistan are

Sunni Muslims Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

and belong to the deobandi hanfi sub-sect.

In Rajasthan

In Rajasthan, the Ghanchi are still involved with oil pressing. A large number of the community are now cultivators. The Ghanchi of Rajasthan have a statewide

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 ...

association, the Ghanchi Jamat. They are strictly endogamous, marrying close kin, practising both parallel cousin and cross cousin marriages.People of India Rajasthan Volume XXXVIII Part One edited by B.K Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N Vyas pages 217 to 220 Popular Prakashan

In India

Mumbai and Parbhani Maharashtra and Gujarat in India are home to a large community of Ghanchis. Many are settled in the locality of

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 ...

, as well as other parts of Ghanchi Jamatkhana in Mumbai and Gujarat.

In Pakistan

The city of

in Pakistan is home to a large community of Ghanchis All District. Many are settled in the localities of

Ghanchi Para Ghanchi Para is a neighbourhood in District South of Karachi, Pakistan. It previously used to be part of Saddar Town. The name Ghanchi Para literally means Ghanchi quarter, and is home to the Ghanchi community. In addition to the Ghanchi, the are ...

Ranchore Line Ranchore Line ( ur, رنچھور لائن), officially named as Gazdarabad ( ur, گزدر آباد ), is a neighbourhood in the Karachi South district of Karachi, Pakistan. The neighborhood is one of the oldest in Karachi, and has a predominantly ...

, Chakiwara, Baldia, Garden East and West, PIB Colony, Malir, Gulburg, Peoples Colony and Aagra Taj Colony, as well as other parts of Karachi.

References

External links

Samast Muslim Ghanchi Jamat website
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120102100857/http://www.ghanchisamaj.org/ , date=2 January 2012 Social groups of Gujarat Muslim communities of India Muslim communities of Gujarat Social groups of Sindh Muslim communities of Rajasthan Social groups of Rajasthan