Punjabi Saudagaran-e-Delhi
Encyclopedia
The Jamiat-e-Punjabi-Saudagaran-e-Delhi or sometime referred to as the Qaum-e-Punjabian (Urdu: قوم پنجابیان), or simply Shamsi Biradari are a community of Muslims that historically came from Sargodha
in Punjab
and then lived mainly in the old Delhi
, India
. They also settled in a number of towns in western Uttar Pradesh
, such as Aligarh, Meerut, Bareilly
and Roorkee
. After independence of Pakistan
in 1947 many members of the community migrated to Pakistan. They were traders and merchants as Saudagar
( سوداگر ) means trader in Persian
and Urdu.
and Arora
communities and were converted to Islam
by Sufi Saint
Hazrat Shamsuddin Sabzwari. They often use the surname Shamsi ( a disciple of Shams), in his honour. Some families moved from Sargodha
, in what is now Pakistan
in the 17th century, in search of business opportunities to Uttar Pradesh
and especially in Delhi
. Other than Delhi
, important Qaume-e-Punjabian communities exist in Aligarh, Agra
, Roorkee
, Aonla
, Kanpur and Kolkata
..
The Qaum-e-Punjabian are divided into various lineages, known as biradaris, the main ones being the Batla, Chapra, Glassware Wala, Chawla, Chandna, Dalal, Gaba, Kathuria, Baweja, Kalia, Lohia, Mehra, Sarwana and Mehindarata. They also use Shaikh as a title. They are an endogamous community, practising both cross cousin and parallel cousin marriages.
A common surname within the community is Allahwala, or God fearing in English. According to other traditions, Allahwala is said to originate from those who settled in Allahabad
a town in North India
.
in Rohilkhand
in the early 17th Century. The Aonla Punjabi Saudagar are now found scattered all over Rohilkhand
, in particular the city of Bareilly
, where the settlement of Saudagar Tola is particularly ancient. In spite of their common ethnic origin with Qaum -e -Punjabian Delhi, they form a distinct community, with their own communal organizations. A significant number have immigrated to Kolkata
and Mumbai
. Their main biradaris are the Soleja, Mahindarata, Chabra and Khera. A much smaller number have also settled in Karachi
.
A monthly digest containing all the happenings in the community all around the world and efforts made for the nation by the community's prominent persons, is published and issued named "Saudaagar".
There is a book acknowledging the great people in the community from Tipu Sultan to many, is found with the title, "Yaad-e-Raftgaan".
. After independence of Pakistan
in 1947, a large number of these traders migrated to Lahore
and Karachi
. Some still continue to live in Delhi.
The Jamiyat is now split into two organizations, one in India
and one in Pakistan
. In Karachi
, the Qaum-e-Punjabian form an important element with in the business community of that city. The Delhi Mercantile Society
, KAECHS, Delhi Colony and some concentrations at PECHS in Karachi
are the principal settlements of the Qaum-e-Punjabian in Pakistan
.
Sargodha
Sargodha is a city in the Sargodha District of Punjab province, Pakistan.Sargodha is located in the northwest of Pakistan. It is the eleventh largest city of Pakistan and also known as Pakistan's best citrus-producing area. It is an agricultural trade centre with various industries...
in Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
and then lived mainly in the old Delhi
Old Delhi
Old Delhi , walled city of Delhi, India, was founded as Shahjahanabad by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in 1639. It remained the capital of the Mughals until the end of the Mughal dynasty....
, 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 also settled in a number of towns in western 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...
, such as Aligarh, Meerut, Bareilly
Bareilly
Bareilly is a prominent city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand...
and Roorkee
Roorkee
Roorkee is a city and seat of a municipal council in Uttarakhand, in far northern India. It is located on the banks of the Ganges canal on the national highway between Delhi and Dehradun. Roorkee is known for Roorkee Cantonment, one of the country's oldest cantonments, and the headquarters of...
. After independence of 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...
in 1947 many members of the community migrated to Pakistan. They were traders and merchants as Saudagar
Saudagar
Saudagar is a 1991 Bollywood film, directed by Subhash Ghai. It starred two major actors of the Hindi silver screen of yesteryear, Dilip Kumar and Raaj Kumar, in the leading roles. It was the second film in which the two actors came together after the 1959 film Paigham...
( سوداگر ) means trader in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
and Urdu.
History
According to their tradition, they belonged to the KhatriKhatri
Khatri is a caste from the northern Indian subcontinent. Khatris in India are mostly from Punjab, region but later they migrated to regions like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu, Uttarkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber...
and Arora
Arora
Arora is an Indo-Aryan community of the Punjab region. Commentators differ in their opinions regarding the relationship between the Arora and the Khatri community....
communities and were converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
by Sufi Saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
Hazrat Shamsuddin Sabzwari. They often use the surname Shamsi ( a disciple of Shams), in his honour. Some families moved from Sargodha
Sargodha
Sargodha is a city in the Sargodha District of Punjab province, Pakistan.Sargodha is located in the northwest of Pakistan. It is the eleventh largest city of Pakistan and also known as Pakistan's best citrus-producing area. It is an agricultural trade centre with various industries...
, in what is now 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...
in the 17th century, in search of business opportunities to 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...
and especially in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. Other than Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, important Qaume-e-Punjabian communities exist in Aligarh, Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
, Roorkee
Roorkee
Roorkee is a city and seat of a municipal council in Uttarakhand, in far northern India. It is located on the banks of the Ganges canal on the national highway between Delhi and Dehradun. Roorkee is known for Roorkee Cantonment, one of the country's oldest cantonments, and the headquarters of...
, Aonla
Aonla
Aonla may mean:*Indian gooseberry is a deciduous tree of the Phyllanthaceae family*Aonla, Uttar Pradesh - a place in Uttar Pradesh, India*Aonla Aonla was a capital of Rohilkand...
, Kanpur and Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
..
The Qaum-e-Punjabian are divided into various lineages, known as biradaris, the main ones being the Batla, Chapra, Glassware Wala, Chawla, Chandna, Dalal, Gaba, Kathuria, Baweja, Kalia, Lohia, Mehra, Sarwana and Mehindarata. They also use Shaikh as a title. They are an endogamous community, practising both cross cousin and parallel cousin marriages.
A common surname within the community is Allahwala, or God fearing in English. According to other traditions, Allahwala is said to originate from those who settled in Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
a town in North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
.
Quam –e-Punjabian Aonla
The Quam-e-Punjabian Aonla, are separate sub-group of the Punjabi Saudagars. They are said to have settled in the town of AonlaAonla
Aonla may mean:*Indian gooseberry is a deciduous tree of the Phyllanthaceae family*Aonla, Uttar Pradesh - a place in Uttar Pradesh, India*Aonla Aonla was a capital of Rohilkand...
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...
in the early 17th Century. The Aonla Punjabi Saudagar are now found scattered all over 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...
, in particular the city of Bareilly
Bareilly
Bareilly is a prominent city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand...
, where the settlement of Saudagar Tola is particularly ancient. In spite of their common ethnic origin with Qaum -e -Punjabian Delhi, they form a distinct community, with their own communal organizations. A significant number have immigrated to Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
and Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. Their main biradaris are the Soleja, Mahindarata, Chabra and Khera. A much smaller number have also settled in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
.
Associations
The Jamiyat Punjabi Saudagaran-e-Delhi (Association of Punjabi traders of Delhi) was registered in Delhi 1910, and is composed of a president, two vice-presidents, one honourary secretary and one joint secretary.A monthly digest containing all the happenings in the community all around the world and efforts made for the nation by the community's prominent persons, is published and issued named "Saudaagar".
There is a book acknowledging the great people in the community from Tipu Sultan to many, is found with the title, "Yaad-e-Raftgaan".
Current Position
The independence in 1947, was extremely traumatic event, and a significant portion of this community had to leave IndiaIndia
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...
. After independence of 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...
in 1947, a large number of these traders migrated to Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
and Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
. Some still continue to live in Delhi.
The Jamiyat is now split into two organizations, one 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...
and one in 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...
. In Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, the Qaum-e-Punjabian form an important element with in the business community of that city. The Delhi Mercantile Society
Delhi Mercantile Society
Delhi Mercantile Society is one of the neighbourhoods of Gulshan Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.This neighbourhood was established by the Jamiat-e-Punjabi-Saudagaran-e-Delhi , a community of Punjabi-Muslim traders, originally from Delhi, India, who migrated to Pakistan after independence in 1947...
, KAECHS, Delhi Colony and some concentrations at PECHS in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
are the principal settlements of the Qaum-e-Punjabian in 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...
.
See also
- Delhi Mercantile SocietyDelhi Mercantile SocietyDelhi Mercantile Society is one of the neighbourhoods of Gulshan Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.This neighbourhood was established by the Jamiat-e-Punjabi-Saudagaran-e-Delhi , a community of Punjabi-Muslim traders, originally from Delhi, India, who migrated to Pakistan after independence in 1947...
- Punjabi ShaikhPunjabi ShaikhSheikh , is an Arabic word meaning elder of a tribe, lord, Honorable revered old man, or Islamic scholar. In South Asia it is used as an ethnic title generally attributed to Muslim trading families....
s - Hazrat Shamsuddin Sabzwari