Saraiki people

The Saraikis ( skr, ), are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group inhabiting parts of central and southeastern Pakistan, primarily in the southern part of the Pakistani province of Punjab

They are mainly found in a region of southern Punjab known as Saraikistan, as well as in most parts of Derajat, which is located in the region where southwestern Punjab, southeastern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and northeastern Balochistan meet. Derajat is bound by the Indus River to the east and the Sulaiman Mountains to the west.

The Saraiki people follow many religions, though most are predominantly followers of Islam. A small minority of Saraikis follow Chistianity, Hinduism and Sikhism. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, many Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India where they are known as Multanis, Derawalis and Bhawalpuris. The Saraikis did not see themselves as a distinct ethnic group until the 1960s.

Etymology

The present extent of the meaning of ' is a recent development, and the term most probably gained its currency during the nationalist movement of the 1960s. It has been in use for much longer in Sindh to refer to the speech of the immigrants from the north, principally Siraiki-speaking Baloch tribes who settled there between the 16th and the 19th centuries. In this context, the term can most plausibly be explained as originally having had the meaning "the language of the north", from the Sindhi word ' 'up-river, north'.; ; This name can ambiguously refer to the northern dialects of Sindhi, but these are nowadays more commonly known as "Siroli" or "Sireli".

An alternative hypothesis is that ''Sarākī'' originated in the word ''sauvīrā'', or Sauvira, an ancient kingdom which was also mentioned in the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata.

Currently, the most common rendering of the term is ''Saraiki''. However, ''Seraiki'' and ''Siraiki'' are also commonly used.

Notable people

See also

* History of Multan
* Saraiki cuisine
* Saraiki literature
*Saraiki diaspora
*Saraikistan
* Jhumar

References

External links

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Ethnic groups in Pakistan
Ethnic groups in South Asia
Social groups of Balochistan, Pakistan