Qalandar (caste)
Encyclopedia
The Qalandar are a Muslim
community, found in North India
. They are also known as Qalander Faqir. A few Qalandar are also found in the Terai
region of Nepal
.
. They claim to have come originally from Karnal
and Panipat
. They were once Qalandariyah
Faqirs, who took to the profession of bear fighting. The community consists of three sub-divisions, the Langre in eastern Rohilkhand
, the Rohilla in western Rohilkhand
and the Machhle in Awadh
. They are now found throughout Uttar Pradesh
, and speak their own dialect, known as Qalandari.
. They are now undergoing settlement, with many taking to cultivation. But their holdings are extremely small, and many are sharecroppers.
Although the community are Sunni, they incorporate many folk traditions and beliefs. This includes special reverence to the Sufi saint Bu Ali Qalandar, who is buried in Panipat
. They visit his shrine every year on occasion of his birth. Many of the settled Qalandar are undergoing Islamization, and some of their folk beliefs are being discarded. But they remain an extremely marganilized community, interacting little with neighbouring Muslim
communities.
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 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...
. They are also known as Qalander Faqir. A few Qalandar are also found in the Terai
Terai
The Terai is a belt of marshy grasslands, savannas, and forests located south of the outer foothills of the Himalaya, the Siwalik Hills, and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and their tributaries. The Terai belongs to the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion...
region of Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
.
History and origin
The community trace their origin back to the Sufi saint Bu Ali Shah QalandarBu Ali Shah Qalandar
Shaikh Sharafuddeen Bu Ali Qalandar Panipati was a Sufi saint of the Chishtī Order who lived in India. His dargah in the town of Panipat is a place of pilgrimage....
. They claim to have come originally from Karnal
Karnal
Karnal is an important city and the headquarters of Karnal District in the Indian state of Haryana.Karnal is said to have been founded by the Kauravas in the Mahabharata era for the king Karna, a mythological hero and a key figure in the epic tale...
and Panipat
Panipat
Panipat بَنِبَت is an ancient and historic city in Panipat district, Haryana state, India. It is 90 km north from Delhi and 169 km south of Chandigarh on NH-1. The three battles fought at the city were turning points in Indian history. The city is famous in India by the name of "City of...
. They were once Qalandariyah
Qalandariyah
The Qalandariyyah , Qalandaris or Kalandars are wandering Sufi dervishes. The term covers a variety of sects, not centrally organized. One was founded by Qalandar Yusuf al-Andalusi of Andalusia, Spain....
Faqirs, who took to the profession of bear fighting. The community consists of three sub-divisions, the Langre in eastern 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...
, the Rohilla in western 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...
and the Machhle 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...
. They are now found throughout 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 speak their own dialect, known as Qalandari.
Present circumstances
The Qalandar were once a nomadic community, but many are now settled. Their traditional occupation of bear fighting has come to much criticism from the animal rights activists in the west, and have now been proscribed by 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...
. They are now undergoing settlement, with many taking to cultivation. But their holdings are extremely small, and many are sharecroppers.
Although the community are Sunni, they incorporate many folk traditions and beliefs. This includes special reverence to the Sufi saint Bu Ali Qalandar, who is buried in Panipat
Panipat
Panipat بَنِبَت is an ancient and historic city in Panipat district, Haryana state, India. It is 90 km north from Delhi and 169 km south of Chandigarh on NH-1. The three battles fought at the city were turning points in Indian history. The city is famous in India by the name of "City of...
. They visit his shrine every year on occasion of his birth. Many of the settled Qalandar are undergoing Islamization, and some of their folk beliefs are being discarded. But they remain an extremely marganilized community, interacting little with neighbouring 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...
communities.