Origin

The term Saiqalgar is derived from the 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...

 word صیقلگر saiqalgar, which means a polisher. They were traditionally involved in the polishing and furbishing of metals. Little is known as to the origin of this community, other than the fact that they are one of a number of 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...

 artisan groups found in Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

. The Saiqalgar may be converts from the 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...

 Sikligar

Sikligar

The Sikligar are a community found in the states of Gujarat, Haryana and Pinjab in India. They also known as the Mathuria Lohar, Kamgar, Kuchband and Panchal. They are Hindu in Gujarat and Sikh in Punjab, and partly Hindu and partly Sikh in Haryana.- Origin :...

 community. They speak the Dakhani dialect of 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...

 among themselves, and Marathi

Marathi language

Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...

 with outsiders. The Saiqalgars are found mainly in the districts of Kolhapur

Kolhapur District

Kolhapur district is located in Maharashtra state. The city of Kolhapur is the district headquarters. The district had a population of 3,523,162 of which 29.81% were urban as of 2001...

 and Sangli

Sangli district

Sangli district is a district of Maharashtra state in west-central India. Sangli city is the district headquarters. The district is 24.51% urban. Sangli and Miraj are the largest cities. The industrial town of Kirloskarwadi is also located in the Sangli District...

. They are an extremely small communities, with their settlements containing only a few families.

Present circumstances

The Saiqalgar are now divided into groups, those who are now mainly small to medium sized farmers, and a smaller groups who are still involved with the polishing and furbishing of metals. Among the latter groups, a small number have taken to the manufacture of fireworks.

The Saiqalgar generally marry within the community but there are instances of marriage 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...

 groups such as the Attar

Attar (caste)

The Attar are a Muslim community found in the state of Maharashtra in India. This community has no connection with the Attarwala of Gujarat, except for the fact that both communities were at one time involved in the manufacture of itars.-Origin:...

, Maner, Patwager and Tamboli. Like most Muslim artisan groups, the Saiqalgar have a caste

Caste

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...

 association, the Sqailgar Jamaat. This organizations acts both as a welfare organization, as well as an instrument of social. They are entirely Sunni, but incorporate some folk beliefs.