The Tarkhan is a caste found in the
Punjab
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
region of India and Pakistan. They are traditionally
carpenter
Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenter ...
s by occupation.
The
Hindu
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 ...
members of this clan are generally identified as
Khatis,
Suthar
Suthar is a community within the Vishwakarma community found primarily in India and Pakistan. Its traditional occupation is mostly carpentry. Suthar community predominantly found in Gujarat and Rajasthan is a mixture of various castes.
Curren ...
s or
Lohars following the
Vishwakarma
Vishvakarma or Vishvakarman (, ) is a craftsman deity and the divine architect of the Deva (Hinduism), devas in contemporary Hinduism. In the early texts, the craftsman deity was known as Tvastar and the word "Vishvakarma" was originally used a ...
community of India. Whereas, Tarkhan Sikhs are among those groups who are identified as
Ramgarhias, after the
Misl leader
Jassa Singh Ramgarhia. Despite Sikhism generally rejecting the caste system, it does have its own very similar socio-economic hierarchy and in that the Ramgarhias, of which the Tarkhans are a part, now rank second only to the
Jat Sikh
Jat Sikh or Jatt Sikh (Gurmukhi: ਜੱਟ ਸਿੱਖ) is an ethnoreligious group, a subgroup of the Jat people whose traditional religion is Sikhism, originating from the Indian subcontinent. They are one of the dominant communities in Pu ...
s, thanks to significant economic and social power that elevated this middle class group from its lower caste confines.
According to the
1921 census of India, which may not be reliable, some Tarkhan Sikhs owned large areas of land and, in some cases, whole villages.
In 2001, the Punjab Government included Ramgarhia, Tarkhan and Dhiman in the list of
Other Backward Classes (OBC) to improve their economic conditions. They were also added in the list of backward classes by the governments of
Haryana
Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...
and
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...
.
Notable people
*
Jassa Singh Ramgarhia,
General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
of the
Ramgarhia Misl
*
Bhai Lalo, Sikh religious figure
*
Zail Singh
Giani Zail Singh (, born Jarnail Singh; 5 May 1916 – 25 December 1994) was an Indian politician from Punjab who served as the president of India from 1982 to 1987 and chief minister of Punjab. He was the first Sikh to become president.
B ...
,
president of India
The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...
between 1982 and 1987
References
{{Ethnic groups, tribes and clans of the Punjab
Punjabi tribes
Carpenter castes
Social groups of Punjab, India