Langha (tribe)
Encyclopedia
The Langha or Langah are a Muslim
community found in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan
in India
. They are unrelated to the Langah
tribe of southern Pakistan
.
are both communities of folk musicians, and have two sub-divisions, the Sonia Langha and Sarengia Langha. These sub-divisions are based on the use of musical instruments used, the Sonia Langha play the shanai (a type of piped instrument) at wedding ceremonies, and the Sarengia play the sarangee. The two groups are endogamous, and are further divided into clans.
According to their traditions, they were Rajput
s, whose ancestor converted to Islam
so that could learn music. They are said to have originated in Sindh
, and settled in the village of Baranwa in Barmer District
.
, a community of Muslim Rajputs, who act as their jajmans (patrons). They are found in the districts of Barmer
, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur
, and speak Marwari
.
The community are endogamous and practice clan exogamy. Their main clans are Khaltera, Pannu, Janjarika, Kalrika and Toarika. At times of birth, marriage or any family festivity of their Sindhi-Sipahi
patrons, the Langha musicians are in attendance to evoke the right mood with songs of the desert and many specially composed songs to praise the patron and his family. During the last fifteen years, many Langha have become part of the entertainment industry, and have toured the world as part of the “Festival of India” tours organized by the Indian government.
In Gujarat, the Langha are found mainly in Kutch, with a few also found in Jamnagar
, Bhavnagar
, Porbandar
and Junagarh
areas of Saurashtra. They speak Kutchi
among themselves, and Gujarati
with outsiders. They are still mainly involved with the playing musical instruments and singing folk songs. There patrons belong mainly to the Rajput
and Sandhai Muslims
communities. Like the Rajasthan
Langha, the Kutch Langha are divided into clans, the main ones being the Azad, Makhan, Yaria, Hajee, Khavara, Sorothia, Isani, Zeria, Thariani, Dafrani, Ladka, Aliyani and Lalore.
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 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...
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...
. They are unrelated to the Langah
Langah (tribe)
For the Article on the folk musicians, see LanghaLangah is a clan of the Afghan tribe settled in Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan. They are not a baloch tribe. They have no connection with the Rajasthani Langha community.-History and origin:...
tribe of southern Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
History and origin
The Langha and related ManganiarManganiar
The Manganiar and related Langa are Muslim communities in the desert of Rajasthan, India in the districts of Barmer and Jaisalmer, along the border with Pakistan. A significant numbers are also found in districts of Tharparkar and Sanghar in the province of Sindh in Pakistan. They are famous for...
are both communities of folk musicians, and have two sub-divisions, the Sonia Langha and Sarengia Langha. These sub-divisions are based on the use of musical instruments used, the Sonia Langha play the shanai (a type of piped instrument) at wedding ceremonies, and the Sarengia play the sarangee. The two groups are endogamous, and are further divided into clans.
According to their traditions, they were 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...
s, whose ancestor converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
so that could learn music. They are said to have originated in Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
, and settled in the village of Baranwa in Barmer District
Barmer district
Barmer is a district of Rajasthan state, India. Barmer is the district headquarters. Balotra, Guda Malani, Baytoo, Siwana, Jasol and Chohatan are other major towns.-Geography:...
.
Present circumstances
The community sing, play music and entertain the Sindhi-SipahiSindhi-Sipahi
The Sindh-Sipahi are a Muslim community found in the province of Sindh in Pakistan and state of Rajasthan in India.-History and origin:The Sindh-Sipahi originally belonged to the family of Chandravanshi Rajputs...
, a community of Muslim Rajputs, who act as their jajmans (patrons). They are found in the districts of Barmer
Barmer district
Barmer is a district of Rajasthan state, India. Barmer is the district headquarters. Balotra, Guda Malani, Baytoo, Siwana, Jasol and Chohatan are other major towns.-Geography:...
, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur
Jodhpur district
Jodhpur District is a district of the state of Rajasthan in western India. The city of Jodhpur is the administrative headquarters of the district.As of 2011 it is the second most populous district of Rajasthan , after Jaipur.-History:...
, and speak Marwari
Marwari language
The Marwari language , also variously Marvari, Marwadi, Marvadi), is spoken in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Marwari is also found in the neighboring state of Gujarat and Haryana and in Eastern Pakistan...
.
The community are endogamous and practice clan exogamy. Their main clans are Khaltera, Pannu, Janjarika, Kalrika and Toarika. At times of birth, marriage or any family festivity of their Sindhi-Sipahi
Sindhi-Sipahi
The Sindh-Sipahi are a Muslim community found in the province of Sindh in Pakistan and state of Rajasthan in India.-History and origin:The Sindh-Sipahi originally belonged to the family of Chandravanshi Rajputs...
patrons, the Langha musicians are in attendance to evoke the right mood with songs of the desert and many specially composed songs to praise the patron and his family. During the last fifteen years, many Langha have become part of the entertainment industry, and have toured the world as part of the “Festival of India” tours organized by the Indian government.
In Gujarat, the Langha are found mainly in Kutch, with a few also found in Jamnagar
Jamnagar
Jamnagar is a city and a municipal corporation in Jamnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city was built up substantially by Maharaja Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji in the 1920s, when the district was known as Nawanagar. The district lies just to the south of the Gulf of Kutch and is...
, Bhavnagar
Bhavnagar
-Topography:Bhavnagar is a coastal city in the eastern coast of Saurashtra, also known as Kathiawar, located at . It has an average elevation of 24 metres . It occupies area of 53.30 km². General slope dips in the northeasterly direction at the apex of Gulf of Khambhat...
, Porbandar
Porbandar
Porbandar is a coastal city in the Indian state of Gujarat, perhaps best known for being the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sudama...
and Junagarh
Junagarh
Junagarh may refer to:* Junagarh, Kalahandi, a town in Kalahandi district, Orissa, India* Junagarh Fort, a fort in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India...
areas of Saurashtra. They speak Kutchi
Kutchi language
Kachhi Kachhi Kachhi (also spelt Cutchi, Kutchhi or Kachchhi, is an Indo-Aryan Language spoken in the Kutch region of the Indian state of Gujarat as well as in Sindh.- Closely related languages :...
among themselves, and 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...
with outsiders. They are still mainly involved with the playing musical instruments and singing folk songs. There patrons belong mainly to the 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...
and Sandhai Muslims
Sandhai Muslims
The Sandhai Muslim are a community found in the state of Gujarat in India . They are one of a number of communities of pastoral nomads found in the Banni region of Kutch.-History and origin:...
communities. Like the 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...
Langha, the Kutch Langha are divided into clans, the main ones being the Azad, Makhan, Yaria, Hajee, Khavara, Sorothia, Isani, Zeria, Thariani, Dafrani, Ladka, Aliyani and Lalore.
Famous Langhas
- Aslam Khan Langa, Aslam Khan Langa has performed live with A R Rehman and along with his group, was voted as finalist (through wild-card entry) for the popular reality TV show India's Got Talent and with a 2 million pound prize fund, it is very popular.