Muslim Khatris

The Muslim Khatris are descendants of the Khatri community of Indian subcontinent which embraced Islam during medieval period. They are now mostly concentrated in Pakistani provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Azad Kashmir as well as northern India. The community is scattered throughout Punjab and Kutch region.

Origin

Khatris, from which Muslim Khatris are descended, are a Punjabi mercantile caste which claims to be Kshatriyas. The origins of the community lies in the Punjab region, and the word "Khatri" itself is a Punjabi form of Kshatriya.

Indian historian Baij Nath Puri, himself a Khatri, wrote that they had mostly converted during the middle of the 16th century and that in Punjab regions such as Multan and Jhang they usually use the "Khawaja" surname, mainly hailing from the Kapoor clan.

History

Khatris are divided into different clans. Most of the Muslim Khatris were warriors and chieftains during the medieval era, many were employed as generals and soldiers under Mughal Empire. They slowly adopted agriculture and business for their survival. Khatris are one of the land owning group in the subcontinent. They were designated as martial race by the British.

Gujarat Sultanate

The medieval Gujarat Sultanate was founded by Zafar Khan, who was son of Saharan. There are various claims about their origin. According to medieval historians, like Ziauddin Barani, he was a member Kalal tribe. Modern historians claim his origin to be either a Punjabi Muslim Khatri, Rajput, Jat or Kalal. His aunt married into Tughlaq royal family which led to their conversion to Islam and they rose to prominence.

Following Timur's invasion of the Delhi Sultanate, the Delhi Sultanate was devastated and weakened considerably, so he declared himself independent from Delhi in 1407, and formally established the Sultanate of Guzerat. The next sultan, his grandson Ahmad Shah I moved the capital to Ahmedabad in 1411. His successor Muhammad Shah II subdued most Rajput chieftains. The prosperity of the sultanate reached its zenith during the rule of Mahmud Begada. He also subdued most Gujarati Rajput chieftains and built a navy off the coast of Diu. The Moghul emperor Humayun attacked Gujarat in 1535 and briefly occupied it, during which Bombay, Bassein & Damaon would become a Portuguese colony, thereafter Bahadur Shah was killed by the Portuguese while making a deal in 1537. The end of the sultanate came in 1573, when Akbar annexed Sultanate of Guzerat into his empire. The last ruler Muzaffar Shah III was taken a prisoner to Agra. In 1583, he escaped from the prison and with the help of the nobles succeeded to regain the throne for a short period before being defeated by Akbar's general Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana.

Saudagaran-e-Delhi

In addition, the Qaume-e-Punjaban community of Delhi are also of Khatri ancestry. Historically, this community lived in Delhi, and other North Indian towns, but after the Partition of India, a lot of these people moved to Pakistan. In Pakistan also, the Muslim Khatris are engaged in various occupations.

References

Further reading

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{{Ethnic groups, tribes and clans of the Punjab

Surnames
Punjabi Muslims
Punjabi tribes
Social groups of Punjab, Pakistan