imported>SUM1: Adding local short description: "Pashtun-descended ethnic group of Uttar Pradesh, India", overriding Wikidata description "ethnic group" (Shortdesc helper)

2021-08-19T02:03:39Z

Adding local short description: "Pashtun-descended ethnic group of Uttar Pradesh, India", overriding Wikidata description "ethnic group" (Shortdesc helper)

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{{Short description|Pashtun-descended ethnic group of Uttar Pradesh, India}}
{{For|the steamship|SS Rohilla}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Rohilla
| total =
| popplace = [[India]], [[Pakistan]]
| langs = [[Hindi]]/[[Urdu]], [[Pashto]]
| rels = [[File:Star and Crescent.svg|15px]] [[Islam]]
| related = [[Pashtun people]]
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| flag =
| flag_caption =
}}

'''Rohillas''' are a community of [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]] ancestry, historically found in [[Rohilkhand]], a region in the state of [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]]. It forms the largest [[Pashtun diaspora]] community in India, and has given its name to the Rohilkhand region. The Rohilla military chiefs settled in the Hindu-majority region of northern India in the 1720s.<ref>[http://bostonreview.net/politics-law-justice/malick-ghachem-impeaching-imperialism Impeaching for Imperialism, MALICK GHACHEM, Boston Review, February 20, 2020]</ref>

The Rohillas are found all over [[Uttar Pradesh]], but are more concentrated in the Rohilkhand regions of [[Bareilly division|Bareilly]] and [[Moradabad division|Moradabad]] divisions. Between 1838 and 1916, some Rohillas migrated to [[Guyana]], [[Suriname]] and [[Trinidad and Tobago]] in the [[Caribbean]] region of the [[Americas]].<ref>{{cite news|access-date=3 July 2019|date=3 November 2004|work=Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, Vol 22, No 2, 2002|title=Afghan Muslims of Guyana and Suriname|url=http://www.khyber.org/tribes/info/Afghan_Muslims_of_Guyana_and_S.shtml}}</ref> After the 1947 [[Partition of India]], some of the Rohillas migrated to [[Karachi]], [[Pakistan]].

== Origin ==
The term ''Rohilla'' first became common in the 17th century. ''Rohilla'' was used to refer to the people coming from the land of ''Roh''. ''Roh'' was originally a geographical term which corresponded with, in its limited sense, the territory stretching from [[Swat District|Swat]] and [[Bajaur District|Bajaur]] in the north to [[Sibi]] in the south, and from [[Hasan Abdal]] ([[Attock District|Attock]]) in the east to [[Kabul]] and [[Kandahar]] in the west in modern day's [[Pakistan]].<ref name="gommans">{{cite book|title=The Rise of the Indo-Afghan Empire: C. 1710-1780|quote=The designation ''Rohilla'' developed during the seventeenth century as a fairly broad notion of the people coming from ''Roh'' or ''Rõh'', corresponding roughly with the mountainous terrain of the eastern Hindu Kush and the Sulaiman Range. Only in the seventeenth-century Indian and Indo-Afghan works do we find ''Roh'' frequently used as a more specific geographical term which corresponded with the territory stretching from Swat and Bajaur in the north to Sibi and Bhakkar in Sind, and from Hasan Abdal in the east to Kabul and Kandahar in the west.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-2TH8UYeAaoC |last=Gommans|first=Jos J.L.|publisher=BRILL|year=1995|pages=219|isbn=9004101098}}</ref> Roh was the homeland of the [[Pashtuns]], in the southern foothills of the [[Hindu Kush]]. Historically, the region of Roh has also been called "Pashtunkhwa" and "Afghanistan". Pashtuns especially the Mandarr Yousafzai tribe living in this valley were also known as Rohillas when they settled the area then known as Katehr. It later became known as [[Rohilkhand]] which means ''the land of the Rohillas''. A majority of Rohillas migrated from Pashtunistan to North India between the 17th and 18th century.<ref name=Haleem2007>{{cite book|title=Study of the Pathan Communities in Four States of India|last=Haleem|first=Safia|date=24 July 2007|publisher=Khyber Gateway|quote=Farrukhabad has a mixed population of Pathans dominated by the Bangash and Yousafzais.}}</ref><ref name=Haleem2014>{{cite book|title=Study of the Pathan Communities in Four States of India|last=Haleem|first=Safia|date=24 July 2007|publisher=Khyber Gateway|quote=This is the area in U.P (Uttar Pradesh) Province, in which Pashtoons were either given land by the emperors or they settled for Trade purposes. Roh was the name of the area around Peshawar city, in Pakistan. Yousafzai Pathans especially Mandarr sub clan, living in this valley were also known as Rohillas when they settled down the area was known as Katehr, which literally means soft well-aerated loam which is extremely suitable for cultivation. It later became known as Rohil Khand (the land of the Rohillas). The great majority of Rohillas migrated between 17th and 18th Century.}}</ref>

== History ==
=== Early history ===
[[File:Patthargarh fort outside Najibabad, 1814-15.jpg|250px|right|thumb|Patthargarh fort outside Najibabad, built by [[Najib-ud-Daula]] in 1755. 1814–15 painting.]]
The founders of the Pashtun state of Rohilkhand were [[Daud Khan Rohilla|Daud Khan]] and his adopted son [[Ali Mohammed Khan|Ali Muhammad Khan]]. Daud Khan arrived in South Asia in 1705. He brought along a band of his tribe, the [[Barech]]. Daud Khan was awarded the ''Katehr'' region in the then northern India by [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] emperor [[Aurangzeb]] (ruled 1658–1707) to suppress [[Rajput]] uprisings, which had afflicted this region. Originally, some 20,000 soldiers from various Pashtun tribes such as ([[Yusafzai]], Ghori, [[Ghilzai]], Barech, [[Marwat]], [[Durrani]], [[Tareen]], [[Kakar]], [[Naghar]], [[Afridi (Pashtun)|Afridi]], [[Bangash]] and [[Khattak]]) were hired by Mughals to provide [[mercenary soldier]] for the Mughal armies. This was appreciated by Aurangzeb and since this force of 25,000 men was given respected positions in the Mughal Army.

Daud Khan was succeeded by Ali Muhammad Khan in 1721. He became so powerful that he refused to send tax revenues to the central government. [[Safdar Jang]], the [[Nawab of Oudh]],<ref>''[[Nawab]]'' was the title of notables during the Mughal era in India, who helped the central authority govern different statelets within the South Asia. During the British period, new nawabs were created because of the allocation of arable land to the pro-British elite</ref> warned the Mughal emperor [[Muhammad Shah]]<ref>Mohammad Shah (1702–1748) was a Mughal emperor of Mughal empire between 1719 and 1748</ref> of the growing power of the Rohillas. This caused Mohammed Shah to send an expedition against him as a result of which he surrendered to imperial forces. He was taken to [[Delhi]] as a prisoner, but was later pardoned and appointed governor of [[Sirhind]]. Most of his soldiers has already settled in the [[Katehar]] region during [[Nadir Shah]]'s invasion of northern India in 1739 increasing the Rohilla population in the area to 100,000. Due to the large settlement of Rohilla [[Pashtun people|Pashtuns]], this part [[Katehar]] region came to be known as Rohilkhand. [[Bareilly]] was made the capital of this newly formed Rohilkhand state.<ref>''An Eighteenth Century History of North India: An Account Of The Rise And Fall Of The Rohilla Chiefs In Janbhasha'' by Rustam Ali Bijnori by Iqtidar Husain Siddiqui Manohar Publications</ref>

When Ali Muhammad Khan died, leaving six sons. However, two of his elder sons were in [[Afghanistan]] at the time of his death while the other four were too young to assume the leadership of Rohilkhand. As a result, power transferred to other Rohilla Sardars, the most important being [[Hafiz Rahmat Khan]] Barech, [[Najib-ud-Daula]] and Dundi Khan.
According to the 1901 census of India, the total Pathan (Pashtun) population of Bareilly District was 40,779, while the total population was 1,090,117.<ref>''Imperial Gazetteer of India'' by W M Hunter</ref>

=== Following the Battle of Panipat in 1761 ===

In the [[Third Battle of Panipat|third battle of Panipat]] (1761) one of the Rohilla Sardars, [[Najib-ul-Daula]], allied himself with [[Ahmad Shah Abdali]]<ref>Ahmad Shah Abdali (died 1772) adopted the title of Durr-i Dowran (pearl of pearls), which gave the name to the dynasty he established, the Durrani, which lasted in Afghanistan until 1973</ref> against the [[Marathas]]. He not only provided 40,000 Rohilla troops but also 70 guns to the allied. He also convinced [[Shuja-ul-Daula]], the Nawab of Oudh, to join Ahmad Shah Abdali's forces against the Marathas. In this battle, the Marathas were defeated and as a consequence the Rohilla increased in power.

The Marathas invaded Rohilkhand to retaliate against the Rohillas' participation in the [[Panipat]] war. The Marathas under the leadership of the Maratha ruler [[Mahadji Shinde]] entered the ''[[jagir|land]]'' of [[Sardar]] Najib-ud-Daula which was held by his son [[Zabita Khan]] after the sardar's death. Zabita Khan initially resisted the attack but was eventually defeated by the Marathas and forced to flee to the camp of [[Shuja-ud-Daula]] and his country was ravaged by Marathas. The Maratha ruler [[Mahadji Shinde]] captured the family of Zabita Khan, desecrated the grave of [[Najib ad-Dawlah]] and looted his fort.<ref>The Great Maratha Mahadji Scindia by N. G. Rathod p.8-9</ref> The principal remaining Rohilla Sardar was [[Hafiz Rahmat Khan]] Barech and through him an agreement was formed with the Nawab of [[Oudh]], Shuja-ud-Daula, by which the Rohillas agreed to pay four million rupees in return for military help against the Marathas. However, after [[Oudh]] attacked the Rohillas, they refused to pay.

Later Rohillas were attacked by the neighbouring kingdom of Oudh, who also received assistance from the [[British East India Company]] forces under Colonel [[Alexander Champion (East India Company officer)|Alexander Champion]]. This conflict is known as the [[Rohilla War]]. When [[Hafiz Rahmat Khan]] Barech was killed, in April 1774, Rohilla resistance crumbled, and Rohilkhand was annexed by the kingdom of Oudh. Rohillas fled into the dense forests across the [[Ganges]], and later began a guerrilla war. In response, many Rohillas were hunted down by the troops of British East India company and subsequently scattered in the countryside. They settled in many small towns and cities. Charges of [[ethnic cleansing]] and [[genocide]] were brought against [[Warren Hastings]] of the East India Company, by [[Edmund Burke]] and were later taken up by [[Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay|Thomas Babington Macaulay]].

From 1774 to 1799, the region was administered by Khwaja Almas Khan, a [[Meo (ethnic group)|Meo]] from [[Haryana]], as representative of the [[Awadh]](kingdom of Oudh) rulers. This period was particularly tough for the Rohillas, as Almas Khan made every effort to weaken the Rohillas. In 1799, British East India company annexed the territory, and started to pay a pension to the family of [[Hafiz Rahmat Khan]] Barech.<ref>''The Rise and Decline of the Ruhela'' by Iqbal Hussain Oxford India</ref>

=== Establishment of Rampur State ===

[[File:Flag of the Rampur State.svg|thumb|right|Princely flag of Rampur.]]
[[File:Nawab Muhammad Khan Bangash, ca 1730, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris.jpg|thumb|220px|Nawab [[Muhammad Khan Bangash]], ca 1730, [[Bibliothèque nationale de France]], Paris|alt=This Afghan Bangash Nawab is not to be confused with the Rohilla Ali Mohammed Khan]]
While most of Rohilkhand was annexed, the Rohilla State of Rampur was established by Nawab [[Faizullah Khan]] on 7 October 1774 in the presence of British Commander Colonel Champion, and remained a pliant state under British protection thereafter. The first stone of the new Fort at Rampur was laid in 1775 by Nawab Faizullah Khan. The first Nawab proposed to rename the city ''Faizabad'', but many other places were known by that name so its name was changed to ''Mustafabad''.

Nawab Faizullah Khan ruled for 20 years. He was a patron of education and began the collection of Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Hindustani manuscripts which are now housed in the Rampur Raza Library. After his death his son Muhammad Ali Khan took over. He was assassinated by Rohilla elders after reigning for 24 days, and Muhammad Ali Khan's brother, Ghulam Muhammad Khan, was proclaimed Nawab. The East India Company took exception to this, and after a reign of just 3 months and 22 days Ghulam Muhammad Khan was besieged and defeated by English forces. East India company supported Muhammad Ali Khan's son, Ahmad Ali Khan, to be the new Nawab. He ruled for 44 years. He did not have any sons, so Muhammad Saeed Khan, son of Ghulam Muhammad Khan, took over as the new Nawab after his death. He established Courts and improved the economic conditions of farmers. His son Muhammad Yusuf Ali Khan took over after his death and his son, Kalb Ali Khan, became the new Nawab after his death in 1865.<ref>''Hastings and the Rohilla War'' by John Strachey</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan=2|Nawab of Rampur
! Reign Began
! Reign Ended
|-
! style="background:Blue;color:white;"| 1
| [[Ali Mohammed Khan|Ali Muhammad Khan]]
| 1719
| 15 September 1748
|-
! style="background:Blue;color:white;"| 2
| [[Faizullah Khan]]
| 15 September 1748
| 24 July 1793
|-
! style="background:Darkgreen;color:white;"| 3
| [[Hafiz Rahmat Khan]] Barech - ''Regent''
| 15 September 1748
| 23 April 1774
|-
! style="background:Blue;color:white;"| 4
| [[Muhammad Ali Khan Bahadur]]
| 24 July 1793
| 11 August 1793
|-
! style="background:Blue;color:white;"| 5
| [[Ghulam Muhammad Khan Bahadur]]
| 11 August 1793
| 24 October 1794
|-
! style="background:Blue;color:white;"| 6
| [[Ahmad Ali Khan Bahadur]]
| 24 October 1794
| 5 July 1840
|-
! style="background:Darkgreen;color:white;"| 7
| Nasrullah Khan - ''Regent ''
| 24 October 1794
| 1811
|-
! style="background:Blue;color:white;"| 8
| [[Muhammad Said Khan Bahadur]]
| 5 July 1840
| 1 April 1855
|-
! style="background:Blue;color:white;"| 9
| [[Yusef Ali Khan Bahadur]]
| 1 April 1855
| 21 April 1865
|-
! style="background:Blue;color:white;"| 10
| [[Kalb Ali Khan Bahadur]]
| 21 April 1865
| 23 March 1887
|-
! style="background:Blue;color:white;"| 11
| [[Muhammad Mushtaq Ali Khan Bahadur]]
| 23 March 1887
| 25 February 1889
|-
! style="background:Blue;color:white;"| 12
| [[Hamid Ali Khan Bahadur]]
| 25 February 1889
| 20 June 1930
|-
! style="background:Darkgreen;color:white;"| 14
| [[Gen.Azeemudin Khan]] - ''Regent''
| 25 February 1889
| 4 April 1894
|-
! style="background:Blue;color:white;"| 15
| [[Raza Ali Khan Bahadur]]
| 20 June 1930
| 6 March 1966
|-
! style="background:Blue;color:white;"| 16
| [[Murtaza Ali Khan Bahadur]] - Nawabat abolished in 1971
| 6 March 1966
| 8 February 1982
|-
! style="background:Blue;color:white;"| 17
| [[Murad Ali Khan Bahadur]]
| 8 February 1982
| Incumbent
|-
|}

=== Between 1857 and 1947 ===

The period between the revolt of 1857 and the independence of India in 1947 was a period of stability for the Rohilla community. In 1858, the British government issued a general pardon to all those who had taken part in the War of Independence and restored many lands. Some of the tribes were punished for aiding the rebels. Some tribes had to migrate to [[Delhi]] and [[Gurgaon]], while others migrated to [[Deccan Plateau|the Deccan region]]. Conditions improved after some years and migration from the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|North West Frontier Province]] and [[Afghanistan]] recommenced, adding to the Rohilla population. During this period, the Rohillas were also effected by the reformist movement of [[Sir Syed Ahmed Khan]], with many taking to modern education. The founder of the [[Barelvi]] sect of [[Sunni]] Islam, [[Ahmad Raza Khan]], was also born among the Rohillas and the city of [[Bareilly]] became an important centre of Islamic learning in Northern India.

While a majority of Rohillas remained landowners and cultivators, a significant minority took to western education, and entered professions such as law and medicine. They also began to take an interest in the political debates during the last decade of the 19th Century. Some of them joined the newly formed [[Indian National Congress]], while others were attracted to [[Islamism|pan-Islamism]]. This period also saw a wholesale adoption of North Indian Muslim culture, with [[Urdu language|Urdu]] becoming the native language of the Rohilla. In fact the term of Rohilla was slowly replaced with the term "Pathan", which was a new self-identification. However a sense of distinct identity remained strong, with the Rohillas residing in distinct quarters of cities, such as, Kakar Tola, Pani Tola and [[Gali Nawaban]] in Bareilly, which was home to the descendants of [[Hafiz Rahmat Khan]]. There was intermarriages with neighbouring Muslim communities such as the [[Shaikh of Uttar Pradesh|Shaikh]], [[Ranghar|Muslim Rajput]] and [[Kamboh]]. Thus at the dawn of [[Partition of India|independence]], the Rohilla were losing their distinct community status.<ref>''The Rise and Decline of the Ruhela'' by Iqbal Hussain</ref>

== Present circumstances ==

The independence of Pakistan and India in 1947 had a profound effect on the Rohilla community. The vast majority of them emigrated to Pakistan in 1947. Those that were left in India, were affected by the abolishment of the [[zamindar]]i system in 1949, as well as the ascension of the [[Rampur State|State of Rampur]] to India and many of them migrated to join their kinsmen in Karachi, Pakistan. The Rohilla now form two distinct communities with the majority in Pakistan and a small minority residing in India.

=== In India ===

The Rohilla now form one of the larger Muslim communities of Uttar Pradesh and are found throughout Uttar Pradesh, with settlements in [[Rampur, Uttar Pradesh|Rampur]], [[Bareilly]], [[Shahjahanpur]] in Rohilkhand being the densest. They now speak [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] in towns, and [[Khari boli]] in their rural settlements.

The Pathan (Rohilla) community of UP has sixteen sub-groups, the [[Ghilzai]], [[Afridi (Pashtun)|Afridi]], [[Barakzai]], [[Barech]], [[Daudzai]], [[Marwat]], [[Durrani]], [[Bettani]], [[Naghar]], [[Ghorghushti]], [[Sur Pashtun]], [[Kakar]], [[Khalil (tribe)|Khalil]], [[Mohmand]], [[Mohammadzai]], [[Orakzai]], [[Yousafzai]] and [[Wazir (tribe)|Wazir]], all of which are descended from well known Pashtun tribes. Some Rohilla Pathans reside in Maharashtra's Washim and Nanded district, Tehsil Kinwat Tribal Area. There is also a small population in Bendi and Kopra, two villages in Kinwat Taluka. In older parts of the Muslim areas of the towns in UP, the Pathans have maintained their own residential neighbourhoods. The Pathan are not an endogamous group, and arranged marriages do occur with other [[Sunni]] Muslim communities of similar social status, such as the [[Mughal (tribe)|Mughal tribe]], [[Ranghar|Muslim Rajput]] and [[Shaikh of Uttar Pradesh|Shaikh]] although there is still a preference of marriage within the community.{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}}

The Rohilla have historically been landowners and soldiers, therefore, some parts of the community are associated with agriculture in Rohilkhand, while many Rohilla officers who worked in the British Indian Army in the 1940s migrated to [[Pakistan]] and joined the [[Pakistani Army]]; famous among them are General [[Rahimuddin Khan]] and General [[Akhtar Abdur Rahman]]. They have also been prominent in the Muslim religious sphere in [[United Provinces of Agra and Oudh|UP]], having produced many ''[[Ulama|alims]]'' and ''[[Hafiz (Qur'an)|Huffaz]]'' and have built and financed many [[Mosque]]s and [[Madrassah]]s. In terms of formal education, they are seen as a community that has a favourable attitude towards western education, and many are professional doctors and lawyers.<ref>''People of India: Uttar Pradesh'' Volume XLII Part Three Amir Hasaan, B R Rizvi and J C Das editors pages 1138-1141 Manohar publications</ref>

=== In Pakistan ===

In [[Pakistan]], the Rohillas and other Urdu-speaking Pathans have now completely assimilated into larger [[Muhajir (Pakistan)|Urdu speaking]] community. There is no sense of corporate identity among the descendants of Rohilla Pathans in Pakistan with high degree of intermarriage with other Muslims. They mainly live in [[Karachi]], [[Hyderabad, Sindh|Hyderabad]], [[Sukkur]], and other urban areas of [[Sindh]].<ref>''A People of Migrants: Ethnicity, State and Religion in Karachi'' by Oskar Verkaik</ref> Many have held high positions in the government, notably [[Sahibzada Yaqub Khan]], a Rohilla, who was Pakistan's [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Pakistan)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]] during the 1980s.

==See also==
*[[Pashtun diaspora]]
*[[Pathans of Bihar]]
*[[Pathans of Uttar Pradesh]]
*[[Pathans of Punjab]]
*[[Pathans of Sindh]]
*[[Pathans of Gujarat]]

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
* ''Gulistán-I Rahmat'' of Nawáb Mustajáb Khán.
* ''Hastings and the Rohilla War'' by John Strachey. Author(s) of Review: Sidney James Owen ''The English Historical Review'', Vol. 8, No. 30 (Apr., 1893), pp. 373–380

{{EB1911 poster|Rohilla}}

{{Pashtun diaspora}}
{{Indian Muslim}}
{{Muhajir communities}}

[[Category:Rohilla| ]]
[[Category:Mughal Empire]]
[[Category:Maratha Empire]]
[[Category:History of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Social groups of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Punjabi tribes]]
[[Category:Indian people of Pashtun descent]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of India]]
[[Category:Social groups of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Pashtun diaspora in India|Rohilla]]

Rohilla - Revision history

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imported>SUM1: Adding local short description: "Pashtun-descended ethnic group of Uttar Pradesh, India", overriding Wikidata description "ethnic group" (Shortdesc helper)