Vora patel
Encyclopedia
Vohra Patel or Vora Patel (Gujarati વોહ્રા પટેલ) is a community of Sunni Muslim belonging to the Patel
family, originally from Gujarat, India, particularly from the Surat
and Bharuch District
s. Many members of Vora Patel community have migrated to Pakistan
after independence and have settled in Karachi
, Sindh
.
The towns and villages in Bharuch and Surat where Vohras reside are not as heavily populated as they once were, as many have migrated abroad, to various countries including the Middle East, Europe, Australia and America.
The United Kingdom
is home to the largest population of Vohras outside of Bharuch. Vohras from Bharuch ('Bharuchies') initially settled in the mill towns of Lancashire
where many still reside in large numbers. Although primarily situated in the mill towns of Blackburn, Bolton
and Preston, there are also large communities in Dewsbury
, Leicester and parts of East London
. Many Vohras moved to East London during the early eighties as mills began to shut down during the Thatcher period.
Vohras also began to migrate to North America in the early eighties and large communities are now found in Chicago
, USA and in Toronto
in Canada
.
Common dishes of Vohras include kichry curry and dal-gosht (lentils with meat) and boiled rice (chaval). The younger generations living in England are, however, beginning to acquire a taste for English cuisine.
The expatriate community in England is coming under scrutiny as they, like many new arrivals in England appear not have integrated with the indigenous community or with other Muslim communities. They are known to marry only within their own community, have their own cemeteries, community centres and mosques. However this too is changing as many of the initial settlers are returning to Bharuch on retirement or have died, leaving second and third generations who are more religious, but less inward looking.
There are many positive contributions made by the Vohras in England and back home.Vohras have set up their own associations in their host countries which continue to fund physical and mental well being of those that they had left behind.In particular the villages and towns of Bharuch have been transformed by the money sent back. However, they are also criticised as they have not used their new-found wealth to set up businesses, factories or educational institutions in Gujarat.These would have benefited the Vohras, Muslims and wider Gujarati communities by providing long term, self-sustaining employment and advancement opportunities.
The able and enterprising do not stay but move abroad as soon as they can. Vohras have become exporters of people from Bharuch.
The name Vohra can be said to stand not for any single community but for several whose broad similarity is that they are mainly of indigenous origin. Undoubtedly, a number of other communities are also indifenous but their special character, for instance, of being recruited from a particular Hindu caste or community has given them an individuality. such, for instance, are the Girasias, Maleks and Other Rajput and semi-Rajput communities. the word Vohra horever embraces a more general cateagory of primarily agrarian communities which were conerted to Islam most probably during the reign of the Sultans of Gujarat.
Of these Vohras, the one distinct community is the shi'a ismaili community of the Da'udi Bohras and its offshoots which have also formed into distinct communities. Another section is the Sunni Vohra group of communities, whoch is again not one single community but is formed of a number of distincet, regional units which are separate form one another. The tendency of the people to marry in small local units and again to keep marriage connexions localized and intimate has further led to the splintering of this broad mass into different units. Broadly, therefore, it is possible to distinguish several regional sections or independent communities.
Muslim Patel are also living in the villages on south side of Narmada like Ankleshwar, Piramal, Kosamdi etc but it is the trend that Patels of north side & south side of Narmada have not much daughter exchange relations but this should be started & Patel should widen the circle of the community by establishing thses relations.
Famous personalities in Muslim patels of Bharuch-Baroda districts are Ahmed Patel, MOhamed Fansiwala & Iqbal Patel, Iqbal Kakuzi(congress leaders),Rashid Patel (cricketer), Munaf Patel (cricketer), Aziz Tankarvi, Bekar Khanpuri, Jigar Khanpuri, (Poet & shayer).
Wellknown Writers and Journalist Ilyas Patel Khanpuri (He has translated 8 Volume of Ma'ariful Qur'an into Gujarati), Maulana Ismail Bhuta, Sultan Akhtar Patel Khanpuri, Master Vali Bhutto, Mufti Farid Ahmad Kavi, Yusuf Munshi Kavi, Munshi Isabhai Kavi, Taalib Devlawala, Ahmad Suleman Patel (Who has written 7 vollumes of Qur'anic Stories), Fazal Patel (Star Publicationsm), Mo. Yakub Miftahi.
K
villages and towns Kamboli, Bharuch, Tankaria, Kavi, Devla, Achhod, Amod, Vagra, Valan, Ikhar, Khanpur Deh, Islam Pur, Tankari Bandar, Bhadkodra, Sarod, Dayadara, Manubar, Karmad, Kantharia, Vahalu, Sansrod, Haldarva, Hinglot, Hingalla, Zanghar, Zanor, Machhasara, Kolavna, Mangrol, Tandalja, Vatrsa, Muler, Mosam, Kalm, Pipaliya, Vohra Samni, Juned, Umraj, Sherpura, Nandeval, Paguthan, Sitpan, Pariaz,Kavli, Akota (Vadodra), Nabipur, Chachvel, Mahudhla, Jambusar,Kolavna, Vora Samni.
Patel
Patel is a surname of Indian origin, originally meaning "headman" or"village chief". Patels are socially, economically and politically the most dominant caste in Gujarat Patels are basically Kurmis or Kunbis and are found in various geographical locations. The Kunbi are an Indian subcaste...
family, originally from Gujarat, India, particularly from the 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...
and Bharuch District
Bharuch district
Bharuch in India, is a district in the southern part of the Gujarat peninsula on the west coast of state of Gujarat with a size and population comparable to that of Greater Boston...
s. Many members of Vora Patel community have migrated to 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...
after independence and have 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...
, 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...
.
The towns and villages in Bharuch and Surat where Vohras reside are not as heavily populated as they once were, as many have migrated abroad, to various countries including the Middle East, Europe, Australia and America.
The United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
is home to the largest population of Vohras outside of Bharuch. Vohras from Bharuch ('Bharuchies') initially settled in the mill towns of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
where many still reside in large numbers. Although primarily situated in the mill towns of Blackburn, Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
and Preston, there are also large communities in Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
, Leicester and parts of East London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Many Vohras moved to East London during the early eighties as mills began to shut down during the Thatcher period.
Vohras also began to migrate to North America in the early eighties and large communities are now found in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, USA and in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Common dishes of Vohras include kichry curry and dal-gosht (lentils with meat) and boiled rice (chaval). The younger generations living in England are, however, beginning to acquire a taste for English cuisine.
The expatriate community in England is coming under scrutiny as they, like many new arrivals in England appear not have integrated with the indigenous community or with other Muslim communities. They are known to marry only within their own community, have their own cemeteries, community centres and mosques. However this too is changing as many of the initial settlers are returning to Bharuch on retirement or have died, leaving second and third generations who are more religious, but less inward looking.
There are many positive contributions made by the Vohras in England and back home.Vohras have set up their own associations in their host countries which continue to fund physical and mental well being of those that they had left behind.In particular the villages and towns of Bharuch have been transformed by the money sent back. However, they are also criticised as they have not used their new-found wealth to set up businesses, factories or educational institutions in Gujarat.These would have benefited the Vohras, Muslims and wider Gujarati communities by providing long term, self-sustaining employment and advancement opportunities.
The able and enterprising do not stay but move abroad as soon as they can. Vohras have become exporters of people from Bharuch.
History and origin
According to the community’s tradition, they were originally Hindus of the Kurmi caste who were converted to Islam by the Sufi saint Sahawa Sindh. They are found mainly in Bharuch, where they live in close proximity with the Sunni Bohras, with whom they share many traditions. They are an endogamous community, but there are cases of marriages with the Sunni Bohra. Cross and parallel cousin marriages are quite common.The name Vohra can be said to stand not for any single community but for several whose broad similarity is that they are mainly of indigenous origin. Undoubtedly, a number of other communities are also indifenous but their special character, for instance, of being recruited from a particular Hindu caste or community has given them an individuality. such, for instance, are the Girasias, Maleks and Other Rajput and semi-Rajput communities. the word Vohra horever embraces a more general cateagory of primarily agrarian communities which were conerted to Islam most probably during the reign of the Sultans of Gujarat.
Of these Vohras, the one distinct community is the shi'a ismaili community of the Da'udi Bohras and its offshoots which have also formed into distinct communities. Another section is the Sunni Vohra group of communities, whoch is again not one single community but is formed of a number of distincet, regional units which are separate form one another. The tendency of the people to marry in small local units and again to keep marriage connexions localized and intimate has further led to the splintering of this broad mass into different units. Broadly, therefore, it is possible to distinguish several regional sections or independent communities.
See also
Muslim Patel are originally Hindu but The Patels embraced Islam before 800 years are Muslim Patel. In Bharuch district(Gujarat-India) many villages are 90 to 100% Muslim Patel. So it was difficult to recognise each other by naming Patel. So they started giving nicknames according profession or habits or sometime in joking. So in Muslim Patel you will find Matadar, Ughradar, Tailor, Mitha, Chhela, Zangharia, Dudhwala, Dhal, Matliwala, Dalal, Member, Munshi, Sheth, Dhila, Dhilya, Pocha, Fansiwala, Kakuji, Kaduji, Koder and many many nicknames. Actually, it is not good trend to put your such nickname in your documents. By putting PATEL, you can make people understand that you must be Gujarati from Bharuch District of India.Muslim Patel are also living in the villages on south side of Narmada like Ankleshwar, Piramal, Kosamdi etc but it is the trend that Patels of north side & south side of Narmada have not much daughter exchange relations but this should be started & Patel should widen the circle of the community by establishing thses relations.
Famous personalities in Muslim patels of Bharuch-Baroda districts are Ahmed Patel, MOhamed Fansiwala & Iqbal Patel, Iqbal Kakuzi(congress leaders),Rashid Patel (cricketer), Munaf Patel (cricketer), Aziz Tankarvi, Bekar Khanpuri, Jigar Khanpuri, (Poet & shayer).
Wellknown Writers and Journalist Ilyas Patel Khanpuri (He has translated 8 Volume of Ma'ariful Qur'an into Gujarati), Maulana Ismail Bhuta, Sultan Akhtar Patel Khanpuri, Master Vali Bhutto, Mufti Farid Ahmad Kavi, Yusuf Munshi Kavi, Munshi Isabhai Kavi, Taalib Devlawala, Ahmad Suleman Patel (Who has written 7 vollumes of Qur'anic Stories), Fazal Patel (Star Publicationsm), Mo. Yakub Miftahi.
K
villages and towns Kamboli, Bharuch, Tankaria, Kavi, Devla, Achhod, Amod, Vagra, Valan, Ikhar, Khanpur Deh, Islam Pur, Tankari Bandar, Bhadkodra, Sarod, Dayadara, Manubar, Karmad, Kantharia, Vahalu, Sansrod, Haldarva, Hinglot, Hingalla, Zanghar, Zanor, Machhasara, Kolavna, Mangrol, Tandalja, Vatrsa, Muler, Mosam, Kalm, Pipaliya, Vohra Samni, Juned, Umraj, Sherpura, Nandeval, Paguthan, Sitpan, Pariaz,Kavli, Akota (Vadodra), Nabipur, Chachvel, Mahudhla, Jambusar,Kolavna, Vora Samni.