Baluch (Uttar Pradesh): Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Muslim community in northern India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2019}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2026}}
{{Infobox ethnic group|
{{Infobox ethnic group|
|group= Baloch
|group= Baloch
|popplace = • India
|popplace = • India
|langs = • [[Urdu language|Urdu]] • [[Hindi language|Hindi]] • [[Khari Boli]]
|langs = • [[Urdu]] • [[Hindi]] • [[Khari Boli]]
|rels= • [[File:Allah-green.svg|18px]] Islam 100% •
|rels= Islam
|related= • [[Baloch people|Baloch]] • [[Baloch diaspora]] • [[Baloch (Gujarat)|Baloch of Gujarat]] •  [[Sindhi Baloch]] •  [[Punjabi Baloch]] •  [[Bhagnari]]
|related= • [[Baloch people|Baloch]] • [[Baloch diaspora]] • [[Baloch (Gujarat)|Baloch of Gujarat]] •  [[Sindhi Baloch]] •  [[Punjabi Baloch]] •  [[Bhagnari]]
}}
}}


The '''Baluch''' is a [[Muslim]] community found in the state of [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]]. They are descended from [[Baloch people|Baloch]] tribesmen who settled in this region of [[North India]] in the late Middle Ages. The community use the surname [[Khan (name)|Khan]], and are often known as [[Baloch people|Khan Baloch]].<ref name="Tribes_William_Crook">Tribes and Castes of North Western Provinces and Oudh by William Crook</ref>
The '''Baluch''' is a Muslim community found in the state of [[Uttar Pradesh]], India. They are descended from [[Baloch people|Baloch]] tribesmen who settled in this region of [[North India]] in the late Middle Ages. The community use the surname [[Khan (name)|Khan]], and are often known as [[Baloch people|Khan Baloch]].


==History and origin==
In the middle of the 17th century the [[Brahui people|Brahuis]], with the help of [[Turkish people|Turks]], took advantage of the Balochs weakness after the [[Rind-Lashari War|Rind-Lashari war]] which lasted for 30 years and had driven them out of the [[Kalat, Pakistan|Kalat]] valley. Yielding to pressure they moved eastward into the [[Sulaiman Mountains]], drove out the [[Pashtun people|Pashtun]]s, and settled along the banks of the [[Indus]]. According to Dr. Akhtar Baloch, [[Professor]] at [[University of Karachi]], the Balochs migrated from [[Balochistan region|Balochistan]] during the [[Little Ice Age]] and settled in [[Sindh]] and [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2026}} Although climatologists and historians working with local records no longer expect to agree on either the start or end dates of this period, which varied according to local conditions. According to Professor Baloch, the climate of Balochistan was very cold and the region was inhabitable during the winter so the Baloch people migrated in waves and settled in [[Sindh]] and [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]].
In the 16th century{{Citation needed|date=September 2012}}, some of the Baloch moved into [[Sindh]] (where they are known as the [[Sindhi Baloch]]) and also into [[Punjab region|Punjab]].<ref name="Tribes_William_Crook"/>
<ref>{{cite news |last1=Maher |first1=Mahim |title=From Zardaris to Makranis: How the Baloch came to Sindh |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/688234/from-zardaris-to-makranis-how-the-baloch-came-to-sindh/ |access-date=9 March 2026 |work=tribune.com.pk |publisher=[[The Express Tribune]] |date=27 March 2014 |language=en}}</ref>


Mir Jalal Khan was one of the Baloch historical rulers, and from his four sons— [[Rind (tribe)|Rind]], [[Lashari]], [[Hooth]] and [[Korai]] spring the four main Baloch tribes. The [[Jatoi (tribe)|Jatoi]] are the children of Jato, Jalal Khan's daughter. These main sections are now divided into innumerable septs. Historically, in Uttar Pradesh and [[Haryana]], the term Baloch denoted any Muslim camel-man. The word has come to be associated with the care of camels, because the Baloch settlers of the Western plains have taken to the grazing and breeding of camels rather than to husbandry.
== Baloch of the Doab ==
 
The hamlet of [[Bilochpura]] (in Uttar Pradesh) alone is home to approximately 8,000 Balochs.<ref name="NI2018">{{cite web |title=India's Balochistan Freedom Movement |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZBGYH1M3Fk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/0ZBGYH1M3Fk |archive-date=15 December 2021 |url-status=live|publisher=[[News18 India]] |access-date=1 February 2019 |date=27 March 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
In the middle of the 17th century the [[Brahui people|Brahuis]], with the help of [[Turkish people|Turks]], took advantage of the Balochis weakness after the Rind-Lashari war which lasted for 30 years and had driven them out of the [[Kalat, Pakistan|Kalat]] valley. Yielding to pressure they moved eastward into the [[Sulaiman Mountains]], drove out the [[Pashtun people|Pashtun]]s, and settled along the banks of the [[Indus]]. According to Dr. Akhtar Baloch, [[Professor]] at [[University of Karachi]], the Balochis migrated from [[Balochistan region|Balochistan]] during the [[Little Ice Age]] and settled in [[Sindh]] and [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]]. The Little Ice Age is conventionally defined as a period extending from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries,<ref name="Mann2003">{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Change, Volume 1, The Earth System: Physical and Chemical Dimensions of Global Environmental Change|year=2003|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|url=http://www.meteo.psu.edu/holocene/public_html/shared/articles/littleiceage.pdf|author=Mann, Michael|editor=Michael C MacCracken and John S Perry|access-date=17 November 2012|chapter=Little Ice Age|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124223238/http://www.meteo.psu.edu/holocene/public_html/shared/articles/littleiceage.pdf|archive-date=24 January 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Lamb1972">{{cite book|chapter = The cold Little Ice Age climate of about 1550 to 1800|author=Lamb, HH|title=Climate: present, past and future|publisher= Methuen|location=London|year=1972|page=107|isbn=0-416-11530-6}} (noted in Grove 2004:4).</ref><ref name="NASA Glossary">{{Cite journal|title=Earth observatory Glossary L-N|publisher=NASA|url=http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Glossary/?mode=alpha&seg=l&segend=n|place=NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Green Belt MD|access-date=17 July 2015}}.</ref> or alternatively, from about 1300<ref name="miller2012">Miller ''et al''. 2012. "Abrupt onset of the Little Ice Age triggered by volcanism and sustained by sea-ice/ocean feedbacks" ''Geophysical Research Letters'' '''39''', 31 January: [https://web.archive.org/web/20120202002252/http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/pip/2011GL050168.shtml abstract (formerly on AGU website)] (accessed via wayback machine 11 July 2015); see [http://news.agu.org/press-release/unusual-volcanic-episode-rapidly-triggered-little-ice-age-researchers-find/ press release on AGU website] (accessed 11 July 2015).</ref> to about 1850.<ref>Grove, J.M., ''Little Ice Ages: Ancient and Modern,'' Routledge, London (2 volumes) 2004.</ref><ref>Matthews, J.A. and Briffa, K.R., [https://www.lakeheadu.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/53/outlines/2014-15/NECU5311/MatthewsBriffa_2005_GA_LIAconcept.pdf "The 'Little Ice Age': re-evaluation of an evolving concept"], ''Geogr. Ann., 87,'' A (1), pp. 17–36 (2005). Retrieved 17 July 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch1s1-4-3.html|title=1.4.3 Solar Variability and the Total Solar Irradiance - AR4 WGI Chapter 1: Historical Overview of Climate Change Science|publisher=Ipcc.ch|access-date=24 June 2013}}</ref> Although climatologists and historians working with local records no longer expect to agree on either the start or end dates of this period, which varied according to local conditions. According to Professor Baloch, the climate of Balochistan was very cold and the region was inhabitable during the winter so the Baloch people migrated in waves and settled in [[Sindh]] and [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]].<ref>[http://tribune.com.pk/story/688234/from-zardaris-to-makranis-how-the-baloch-came-to-sindh/ From Zardaris to Makranis: How the Baloch came to Sindh]</ref> The three Baloch adventurers Ismail Khan, Fatteh Khan, and Ghazi Khan, founded the three Dehras (encampments) that bear their names, and established themselves as independent rulers of the Lower [[Derajat]] and [[Muzaffargarh District|Muzaffargarh]], which they and their descendants held for nearly 300 years. The three brothers founded the settlements of [[Dera Ghazi Khan]], [[Dera Ismail Khan]] and [[Darya Khan]]. Thence the southern Balochis gradually spread into the valleys of the [[Indus River|Indus]], [[Chenab]], and [[Sutlej]], and in 1555 a large body of Balochis, under their great leader [[Mir Chakar]], accompanied the Emperor [[Humayun]] into India. It is probable that many of the Baloch settlements, in [[North India]] (Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh), were founded by [[Humayun]]'s soldiers. [[Mir Chakar]] settled in [[Sahiwal]] and his tomb still exists at Satgarha, where he founded a military colony of [[Rind (tribe)|Rind]]s.
 
=== Baloch of the Doab ===
 
Now the most important Baloch colonies in Uttar Pradesh are those of [[Amirnagar]], [[Faridnagar]], [[Ghaziabad district, Uttar Pradesh|Ghaziabad]], [[Garhi Abdullakhan|Garhi Abdullah Khan]] (Kachhi Garhi), [[Garhi Pukhta]] (Pakki Garhi), [[Jasoi]] and [[Baghra]] in [[Muzaffarnagar District]] they all villages were rewarded by [[Mughal Empire|Mughal Emperor]] [[Aurangzeb]] to four brothers Sher Khan, Amir Khan, Bairam khan, Hashim Khan and their sister's husband Abdullah Khan they all were from Baloch families. They settled in the district during the rule of the [[Aurangzeb]], and rose to prominence as the [[Mughal Empire]] disintegrated. Another two prominent Baloch families were those of Tajpuri and Jhajhar, in [[Bulandshahr District]]. The Tajpuri Baloch are descended from Nahar Khan, who is said to have from [[Seistan]] during the rule of [[Alauddin Khalji]]. Nahar Khan was later appointed governor of [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]], and his son Sardar Khan founded a settlement in Ganaura Shaikh, and the family rose to some prominence during the rule of the Aurangzeb. While the Jhajhar family claim descent from Syed Mohammad Khan, a [[Leghari tribe|Leghari]] Baloch, who was granted a [[jagir]] by the Mughal Emperor [[Humayun]]. They played a key role in the post-Mughal history of the [[Doab]] region, but began to decline with the rise of British power in the 19th century.<ref>A Gazetteer of Bulandshahr District: United Provinces Gazetteers edited H Neville page 104</ref>
 
Tufail Ahmed Khan Baloch migrated from India to Pakistan after the [[partition of India]] in 1947. He helped many others Muslim refugees from India to settle in Pakistan. Presently many Tajpuri Baloch are settled in [[Karachi]], [[Hyderabad, Sindh|Hyderabad]], [[Lahore]], [[Islamabad]], and different parts of Pakistan.
 
The Baloch of Haryana emigrated to Pakistan at the time of independence in 1947. The Baloch now speak [[Urdu language|Urdu]] and the [[Khari Boli]] dialect, and are found in the Doab region of Uttar Pradesh.<ref name="Tribes_William_Crook"/>
 
The hamlet of [[Bilochpura]] alone is home to approximately 8,000 Balochis.<ref name="NI2018">{{cite web |title=India's Balochistan Freedom Movement |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZBGYH1M3Fk |publisher=[[News18 India]] |access-date=1 February 2019 |date=27 March 2018}}</ref>
 
=== Baloch of Rohilkhand ===
 
The Balochs of [[Rohilkhand]] accompanied [[Hafiz Rahmat Khan]], [[Rohilla]] conqueror. They have now been assimilated into the Rohilla community, and lost their distinct Baloch identity. The Rohilkhand Baloch belong mainly to the [[Magsi]], [[Leghari tribe|Leghari]] and [[Mazari tribe|Mazari]] tribes. These Baloch are found mainly in the districts of [[Bareilly district|Bareilly]], [[Badaun District|Badaun]], [[Bijnor District|Bijnor]], [[Shahjahanpur District|Shahjahanpur]] and [[Moradabad District|Moradabad]].<ref name="Tribes_William_Crook"/>
 
There is also a single settlement of Baloch in [[Lucknow District]], at Baluchgarhi. These Baloch are descendants of mercenaries brought by the [[Nawabs of Awadh]].<ref name="ReferenceA">A Gazetteer of Lucknow District Volume XXXVII: Gazetteers of the United Provinces edited by H. R Neville</ref>


==Present circumstances==
==Present circumstances==
The Baloch of North India are now altogether separated from the Baloch tribes of [[Balochistan, Pakistan|Balochistan]] and tribal divisions are no longer important. They are found in the districts of [[Meerut district|Meerut]], [[Muzaffarnagar district|Muzaffarnagar]], [[Bulandshahr district|Bulandshar]] and [[Aligarh]]. Their customs are similar to those of the neighbouring Muslim communities such as the [[Jhojha]] and [[Ranghar]]. The Baloch reside in mixed Muslim villages, occupying their own quarters, and are largely small and medium-sized farmers, with a small number being landless agricultural labourers. Their most important settlements are in several villages in and around the town of Baghra in Muzaffarnagar District. A second cluster of Baloch villages exist in Bulandshahr District, where there are several villages near the towns of [[Jhajhar]] and Chanderu. In addition, the town of [[Faridnagar]] in [[Ghaziabad district, India|Ghaziabad District]] is home to an important colony of Baloch. They marry with other Muslim communities and some members are [[endogamy|endogamous]], marrying within close kin, and like other North Indian Muslim communities. The Baloch practice both cross cousin and parallel cousin marriages. They speak both Urdu and Khari Boli, the local dialect in the Doab region of Uttar Pradesh.<ref>Rivalry and Brotherhood; Politics in the life of Farmers in Northern India by Dipankar Gupta</ref>
The Baloch of North India are now altogether separated from the Baloch tribes of [[Balochistan, Pakistan|Balochistan]] and tribal divisions are no longer important. They are found in the districts of [[Meerut district|Meerut]], [[Muzaffarnagar district|Muzaffarnagar]], [[Bulandshahr district|Bulandshar]] and [[Aligarh]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2026}} Their customs are similar to those of the neighbouring Muslim communities such as the [[Jhojha]] and [[Ranghar]]. The Baloch reside in mixed Muslim villages, occupying their own quarters, and are largely small and medium-sized farmers, with a small number being landless agricultural labourers.{{Citation needed|date=March 2026}} Their most important settlements are in several villages in and around the town of Baghra in Muzaffarnagar District. A second cluster of Baloch villages exist in Bulandshahr District, where there are several villages near the towns of [[Jhajhar]] and Chanderu. In addition, the town of [[Faridnagar]] in [[Ghaziabad district, India|Ghaziabad District]] is home to an important colony of Baloch.{{Citation needed|date=March 2026}} They marry with other Muslim communities and some members are [[endogamy|endogamous]], marrying within close kin, and like other North Indian Muslim communities. The Baloch practice both cross cousin and parallel cousin marriages. They speak both Urdu and Khari Boli, the local dialect in the Doab region of Uttar Pradesh.<ref>Rivalry and Brotherhood; Politics in the life of Farmers in Northern India by Dipankar Gupta</ref>{{full|date=October 2023}}
 
The Baloch are almost entirely [[Sunni]] [[Hanafi]] [[Muslim]]s, and like other Doab Muslim communities have been influenced by the [[Deobandi]] reformist movement. They have no formal community association, although most villages with Baloch do have traditional associations, known as panchayats. These panchayats exercise social control, and are deal with intra community disputes.{{Citation needed|date=February 2012}}
 
The Baloch of Balochgarhi in [[Lucknow District]] considers themselves simply as a sub-group of the [[Pathans of Uttar Pradesh|Pathan]], with whom they intermarry. They speak the [[Awadhi]] dialect, as well as standard Urdu. The community are mainly small and medium-sized farmers, although historically many were employed by the state police. They have no connection with the Baloch of the Doab. There are also small number of Baloch colonies in [[Sitapur District|Sitapur]], [[Lakhimpur Kheri District|Kheri]] and [[Hardoi District|Hardoi]]. Many of the [[Awadh]] Baloch are [[Shia]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/>


==See also==
==See also==
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{{Indian Muslim}}
{{Indian Muslim}}


[[Category:Social groups of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Baloch diaspora in India]]
[[Category:Social groups of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of India]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Baloch diaspora in India|Uttar Pradesh]]

Latest revision as of 13:58, 26 March 2026


Baloch
Regions with significant populations
• India
Languages
• Urdu • Hindi • Khari Boli
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
• Baloch • Baloch diaspora • Baloch of Gujarat • Sindhi Baloch • Punjabi Baloch • Bhagnari

The Baluch is a Muslim community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. They are descended from Baloch tribesmen who settled in this region of North India in the late Middle Ages. The community use the surname Khan, and are often known as Khan Baloch.

In the middle of the 17th century the Brahuis, with the help of Turks, took advantage of the Balochs weakness after the Rind-Lashari war which lasted for 30 years and had driven them out of the Kalat valley. Yielding to pressure they moved eastward into the Sulaiman Mountains, drove out the Pashtuns, and settled along the banks of the Indus. According to Dr. Akhtar Baloch, Professor at University of Karachi, the Balochs migrated from Balochistan during the Little Ice Age and settled in Sindh and Punjab.[citation needed] Although climatologists and historians working with local records no longer expect to agree on either the start or end dates of this period, which varied according to local conditions. According to Professor Baloch, the climate of Balochistan was very cold and the region was inhabitable during the winter so the Baloch people migrated in waves and settled in Sindh and Punjab. [1]

Baloch of the Doab[edit | edit source]

The hamlet of Bilochpura (in Uttar Pradesh) alone is home to approximately 8,000 Balochs.[2]

Present circumstances[edit | edit source]

The Baloch of North India are now altogether separated from the Baloch tribes of Balochistan and tribal divisions are no longer important. They are found in the districts of Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Bulandshar and Aligarh.[citation needed] Their customs are similar to those of the neighbouring Muslim communities such as the Jhojha and Ranghar. The Baloch reside in mixed Muslim villages, occupying their own quarters, and are largely small and medium-sized farmers, with a small number being landless agricultural labourers.[citation needed] Their most important settlements are in several villages in and around the town of Baghra in Muzaffarnagar District. A second cluster of Baloch villages exist in Bulandshahr District, where there are several villages near the towns of Jhajhar and Chanderu. In addition, the town of Faridnagar in Ghaziabad District is home to an important colony of Baloch.[citation needed] They marry with other Muslim communities and some members are endogamous, marrying within close kin, and like other North Indian Muslim communities. The Baloch practice both cross cousin and parallel cousin marriages. They speak both Urdu and Khari Boli, the local dialect in the Doab region of Uttar Pradesh.[3][full citation needed]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Maher, Mahim (27 March 2014). "From Zardaris to Makranis: How the Baloch came to Sindh". tribune.com.pk. The Express Tribune. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  2. ↑ "India's Balochistan Freedom Movement". News18 India. 27 March 2018. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  3. ↑ Rivalry and Brotherhood; Politics in the life of Farmers in Northern India by Dipankar Gupta
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