The Kolhi () is a subgroup of the
Koli caste native to
Sindh
Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
. Kolhis are mostly
Hindus
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
but some of them are
Koli Christians or
Muslim Kolis. They engage in agriculture; most of them are poor peasants and
sharecroppers.
The Kolhi caste is said to have originated
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, 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 List of states and union territories ...
. They migrated from there first to
Kutch, then to
Thar and
Parkar. Kolhis have subcastes such as
Thakor,
Khant,
Baria and
Chunvalia.
Divisions
There are four communities of Kolhis in Sindh; firstly Parkari Kolhis, who are native to
Nangarparker region and who speak
Parkari Koli language, secondly Kutchi Kolhi, who migrated from
Kutch district of India to Sindh, and who speak the
Kachhi Kolhi language and live in
Mirpurkhas,
Hyderabad
Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
, and
Tando Allahyar districts of Sindh, thirdly Wadiyara Kolhi who came from Wadiyar in
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, 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 List of states and union territories ...
state and speak
Wadiyari Kolhi, and fourthly Tharadari Kolhi, who originated in
Tharad city, in Gujarat. The kolhi women get a unique tattoo on their arms, neck and face.
Notable people
*
Krishna Kumari Kolhi, member of
Senate of Pakistan
The Senate of Pakistan, Constitution of Pakistan, constitutionally the House of the Federation, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan. As of 2023, It has a maximum membership of 96, of which 92 are elected by the Member of th ...
*
Pushpa Kumari Kohli, Pakistani police officer
*
Rooplo Kolhi, Freedom Fighter
*Veerji Kolhi, Advocate of High Court Sindh
See also
*
List of Koli people
*
List of Koli states and clans
References
Koli people
Sindhi tribes
Sindhi tribes in India
{{Pakistan-ethno-stub
Hindu communities of Pakistan