Bharbhunja
Encyclopedia
The Bharbhunja are a Muslim
community found in the states of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh
in India
. In Uttar Pradesh
, the community are also known as Bharbhunja Shaikh.
word bhrij, which means to fry. The Bharbhunja is Muslim
, while Hindu
grain parchers are known as Kandu
.
words bhad which means an earthen oven, and bhunja which means to parch. Historically the Bharbhunja made a living by selling parched grain
. The community originates from the Udaipur
and Jodhpur
regions of Rajasthan
. They speak Gujarati
, but most understand Hindi
. The Bharbhunja are found mainly in the cities of Ahmadabad
and Surat
.
are traditionally grain parchers. They have a mixed origin, with some claiming to of Shaikh
origin, while other claiming Rajput
origin. In fact, the community consists of forty clans, each of whom has its own origin myth. Often the divisions is merely territorial, such as the Hamirpuriya, originally from Hamirpur
, the Jaunpuriya, originally those from Jaunpur
. Each subdivision in referred to as a biradari. They are found mainly in the districts of Saharanpur
, Muzaffarnagar
, Meerut
, Aligarh
, Ghaziabad , Bijnor
, Moradabad
and Badaun
. The Bharbhunja speak both Urdu
and Khari boli. A second cluster of Bharbhunjas are found in the districts of Barabanki
and Bahraich
, who speak the Awadhi dialect.
The traditional occupation of the Bharbhunja is the selling of fried and parched grains. Like other artisan groups, they have seen a decline in their traditional occupation, with many petty businessmen or wage labourers. Like other Gujarati Muslim
s groups, they have a caste association, the Jamat Gilkhan Afroz, which deals with issues of community welfare. The Bharbhunjas are Sunni Muslim
s, and have customs similar to other Gujarati Muslim
s communities.
council, known as a panchayat, which acts as an instrument of social control. It deals with intra community disputes, as well as punishing those who breach communal norms. Although they live in close proximity to other Muslim
groups, such as the Shaikh
, Kabaria
, Ansari
, Muslim Dhobi
and Qassab
in Awadh
, and the Muslim Teli
, Muslim Banjara
, Baghban
and Rohilla
in Rohilkhand
, there is very little interaction, and virtually no intermarriage. The community are Sunni Muslim
s, and have customs similar to other Uttar Pradesh Muslim
s.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
community found in the states of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. In Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, the community are also known as Bharbhunja Shaikh.
Origin
The two Bharbhunja groupings are, in fact, distinct, each with its own origin myth and traditions, and speaking their own language. What unites the two communities is their traditional occupation, which was grain parching. They get their name from the SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word bhrij, which means to fry. The Bharbhunja is Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, while Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
grain parchers are known as Kandu
Kandu
The Kandu are a Hindu caste in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. They traditionally provided parched grains and are one of the Bania castes in the Vaishya Varna. In Bihar, Kandu often use Gupta as a surname. Kandu living in Nepal are also called Kanu...
.
In Gujarat
The word Bharbhunja is derived from the GujaratiGujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
words bhad which means an earthen oven, and bhunja which means to parch. Historically the Bharbhunja made a living by selling parched grain
Parched grain
Parched Grain is grain that has been cooked by dry roasting. It is an ancient foodstuff and is thought to be one of the earliest ways in which the hunter gatherers in the Fertile Crescent ate grains...
. The community originates from the Udaipur
Udaipur
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...
and Jodhpur
Jodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
regions of Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
. They speak Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
, but most understand Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
. The Bharbhunja are found mainly in the cities of Ahmadabad
Ahmadabad
Ahmadabad may refer to:Afghanistan* Ahmad Abad, Afghanistan, a place in AfghanistanAzerbaijan*Əhmədabad, Goranboy, Azerbaijan*Əhmədabad, Sabirabad, Azerbaijan*Əhmədabad, Tovuz, AzerbaijanIndia* Ahmedabad , a major city in India...
and Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
.
In Uttar Pradesh
The Bharbhunja in Uttar PradeshUttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
are traditionally grain parchers. They have a mixed origin, with some claiming to of Shaikh
Shaikh of Uttar Pradesh
The Shaikh are a Muslim community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. They are part of the larger Shaikh community of South Asia. Quite a few Shaikh have immigrated to Pakistan, where they form an important element in the Muhajir community...
origin, while other claiming Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
origin. In fact, the community consists of forty clans, each of whom has its own origin myth. Often the divisions is merely territorial, such as the Hamirpuriya, originally from Hamirpur
Hamirpur
Hamirpur is the name of two cities and two districts in India:* Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, the administrative headquarters of Hamirpur District, Himachal Pradesh* Hamirpur district, Himachal Pradesh...
, the Jaunpuriya, originally those from Jaunpur
Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh
Jaunpur is a city and a municipal board in Jaunpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.Jaunpur district is located to the northwest of the district of Varanasi in the eastern part of the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. According to the 2001 census, Jaunpur district had a population...
. Each subdivision in referred to as a biradari. They are found mainly in the districts of Saharanpur
Saharanpur District
Saharanpur district is the northernmost of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state, India. Bordering the states of Haryana and Uttarakhand, and close to the foothills of Shivalik range, it lies in the northern part of the Doab region...
, Muzaffarnagar
Muzaffarnagar District
Muzaffarnagar district is a district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. It is part of Saharanpur division. The town of Muzaffarnagar is the district headquarters.-Communication:...
, Meerut
Meerut District
Meerut district , is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Meerut is the district headquarters. Meerut district is a part of Meerut division.-Demographics:...
, Aligarh
Aligarh District
Aligarh District is a district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Its district seat is located in the city of Aligarh .The Aligarh District belongs to Aligarh Division...
, Ghaziabad , Bijnor
Bijnor District
Bijnor is a district of Uttar Pradesh state of India. Bijnor city is the district headquarters.-Geography :...
, Moradabad
Moradabad District
Moradabad district is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Moradabad town is the district headquarters. Moradabad district is a part of Moradabad division...
and Badaun
Badaun District
Budaun district is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Budaun town is the district headquarters. Budaun district is a part of Bareilly division. The district covers an area of 5168 km²...
. The Bharbhunja speak both Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and Khari boli. A second cluster of Bharbhunjas are found in the districts of Barabanki
Barabanki District
The Barabanki district is one of four districts of Faizabad division, lies at the very heart of Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and forms as it were a centre from which no less than seven other districts radiate...
and Bahraich
Bahraich District
Bahraich District is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Bahraich town is the district headquarters. Bahraich District is a part of Devipatan Division.-History:...
, who speak the Awadhi dialect.
In Gujarat
The Bharbhunja consist of a number of clans, the main ones being the Behlim, Chauhan, Pawar, Bhati and Dhangar. All these clans are of equal status, and intermarry. They are a strictly endogamous community, and prefer marrying close kin.The traditional occupation of the Bharbhunja is the selling of fried and parched grains. Like other artisan groups, they have seen a decline in their traditional occupation, with many petty businessmen or wage labourers. Like other Gujarati Muslim
Gujarati Muslim
The term Gujarati Muslims is usually used to signify an Indian Muslim from the State of Gujarat in west India, who speaks the Gujarati Language as a mother-tongue and follows certain customs different from the rest of Indian Muslims...
s groups, they have a caste association, the Jamat Gilkhan Afroz, which deals with issues of community welfare. The Bharbhunjas are Sunni Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, and have customs similar to other Gujarati Muslim
Gujarati Muslim
The term Gujarati Muslims is usually used to signify an Indian Muslim from the State of Gujarat in west India, who speaks the Gujarati Language as a mother-tongue and follows certain customs different from the rest of Indian Muslims...
s communities.
In Uttar Pradesh
The Bharbhunja are still involved with grain parching, although many are now petty businessmen. They are strictly endogamous, and marriages tend to occur within the biradari. They live in multi caste and multi religious settlements, but occupy their own distinct quarters. Each settlement has a casteCaste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
council, known as a panchayat, which acts as an instrument of social control. It deals with intra community disputes, as well as punishing those who breach communal norms. Although they live in close proximity to other Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
groups, such as the Shaikh
Shaikh of Uttar Pradesh
The Shaikh are a Muslim community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. They are part of the larger Shaikh community of South Asia. Quite a few Shaikh have immigrated to Pakistan, where they form an important element in the Muhajir community...
, Kabaria
Kabaria
The Kabaria, sometimes pronounced as Kabariya are a Muslim community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, mainly in the Awadh region. A small number of Kabaria are also found in the Terai region of Nepal...
, Ansari
Momin Ansari
The Momin Ansari or Ansari, are a Muslim community, found mainly in West and North India, and the province of Sindh in Pakistan. A small number of Ansaris are also found in the Terai region of Nepal. The community were once known as al ansar, although the term is now obsolete. In North India, the...
, Muslim Dhobi
Muslim Dhobi
The Muslim Dhobi are a Muslim community that is traditionally involved in washing clothes in South Asia. They are considered to be Muslim converts from the Hindu Dhobi caste, and are found in North India and Pakistan...
and Qassab
Qassab
The Qassab are members of the Muslim community involved in meat business. They are butchers and work in abattoirs and meat shops where they process and sell meat of poultry, seafood, cattle, goats, sheeps, etc. The most common surname of Qassab community is Quraishi. But all Quraishis are not ...
in Awadh
Awadh
Awadh , also known in various British historical texts as Oudh or Oude derived from Ayodhya, is a region in the centre of the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh...
, and the Muslim Teli
Muslim Teli
The Muslim Teli are an ethnic group found in Pakistan and India. The word Tel means oil and Teli means person dealing with manufacture and sale of cooking oil in Urdu...
, Muslim Banjara
Banjara (Muslim)
The Muslim Banjara are a Muslim community found in the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in India. Many members of this community migrated to Pakistan in 1947 and have settled in Karachi and Sindh. They are also known as the Rahmani, especially in Uttar Pradesh, and they use...
, Baghban
Baghban
Baghban is a 2003 Bollywood drama film directed by Ravi Chopra, with a star cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Salman Khan, Mahima Chaudhary, Paresh Rawal, Rimi Sen, Lilette Dubey and others...
and Rohilla
Rohilla
The Rohilla are a community of Hindi-speaking Pashtun also known as Pathan, historically found in the state of Uttar Pradesh, in North India. Most are now also found in Pakistan where they are now part of the Mohajir community. At one time, they form one of the largest Pashtun diaspora community...
in Rohilkhand
Rohilkhand
Rohilkhand is a region of northwestern Uttar Pradesh state of India.Rohilkhand lies on the upper Ganges alluvial plain and has an area of about 25,000 km²/10,000 square miles...
, there is very little interaction, and virtually no intermarriage. The community are Sunni Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, and have customs similar to other Uttar Pradesh Muslim
Muslims of Uttar Pradesh
Muslims in Uttar Pradesh number about 30,740,158 , and form the largest religious minority in the state. They are also known as Urdu speakers, on account of Urdu being their native language, and have also been referred to as Hindustani Musalman. In the strict sense, the Uttar Pradesh Muslims do not...
s.