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{{Short description|Muslim ethnic group in north India and Pakistan}} | |||
{{Other uses|Qalandar (disambiguation)}} | {{Other uses|Qalandar (disambiguation)}} | ||
{{More citations needed|date=May 2024}} | |||
{{EngvarB|date=April 2019}} | {{EngvarB|date=April 2019}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date= | {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}} | ||
{{Infobox ethnic group | {{Infobox ethnic group | ||
|group= Qalandar | |group = Qalandar | ||
|poptime = | |poptime = | ||
|popplace = India | |popplace = {{hlist|India|Pakistan}} | ||
|langs = [[Urdu]] | |langs = {{hlist|[[Urdu]]|[[Hindi]]}} | ||
|rels= | |rels = Islam | ||
|related= [[Jogi (castes)|Jogi]] | |related = {{hlist|[[Jogi (castes)|Jogi]]|[[Jogi Faqir]]|[[Sai (caste)|Sai]]}} | ||
}} | }} | ||
The '''Qalandar''' ({{ | The '''Qalandar''' ({{langx|hi|क़लन्दर}}, {{langx|ur|قلندر}}) are a Muslim [[ethnic group]] found in [[North India]] and Pakistan. They are also known as '''Qalander Faqir'''.<ref name="Joseph C 2004">Why Bulbuls bark: conflict, continuity, and identity among professional strangers / Joseph C. Berland pages 235 to 255 in Customary strangers: new perspectives on peripatetic peoples in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia / edited by Joseph C. Berland and Aparna Rao. Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2004.{{ISBN|0897897714}}</ref> A few Qalandar are also found in the [[Terai]] region of Nepal.<ref name="Aparna Rao' pages 53">''Peripatetic peoples and Lifestyles by Aparna Rao'' in Disappearing peoples?: indigenous groups and ethnic minorities in South and Central Asia / edited by Barbara A. Brower, Barbara Rose Johnston pages 53 to 72 {{ISBN|1598741209}}</ref> | ||
==History and | ==History and origins== | ||
In Pakistan, the Qalandar are found mainly in [[Punjab (Pakistan)|Punjab]]. According to their traditions, they are descended from ancestors that arrived from [[Balkh]] and [[Bukhara]] in Central Asia in the distant past{{When|date=May 2024}}. They were said to be devotees of the [[Sufism|Sufi]] saint [[Bu Ali Shah Qalandar]] of [[Panipat]]. Unlike the [[Uttar Pradesh]] Qalandar, who moved east, the Qalandar of what became Pakistan began a slow migration westward, with small groups arriving in Punjab by the mid-15th century. At the time of the [[partition of India]] in 1947, the Muslim Qalandar of [[east Punjab]], which included Panipat and [[Karnal]], moved to Pakistan, joining groups who were already settled there.<ref name="Joseph C 2004"/> | |||
In | |||
==Present circumstances== | ==Present circumstances== | ||
===In India=== | ===In India=== | ||
In [[North India]], some Qalandar began leading bears, monkeys, and other performing animals with which they wandered, announcing their presence with an hourglass-shaped drum called a ''damru'', which was used in their performances for emphasis, while a larger group settled in Uttar Pradesh, [[Bihar]], and [[Bengal]] and began a sedentary life while continuing to hold their traditional mystic religious beliefs{{Clarify|date=May 2024|reason=It should be clarified what is meant by "traditional mystic beliefs"}}. Some of them became connected to different [[khanqah]] in Bihar, especially in [[Bihar Sharif]] and [[Danapur]].<ref>''Qalandar'' in The last wanderers: nomads and gypsies of India by Tejinder Singh Randhawa page 166 {{ISBN|0-944142-35-4}}</ref> Historically, all Qalandar were once nomadic, but many are now settled.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} In 1972, bear hunting and capture were declared illegal in India,{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} and there has been persistent effort by the Indian government to clamp down on bear performing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=LMurray |date=17 December 2007 |title=The Dancing Bears of India: Moving Toward Freedom |url=https://explore.britannica.com/explore/savingearth/the-dancing-bears-of-india-moving-toward-freedom |access-date=10 September 2025 |website=Saving Earth {{!}} Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref> In addition, the traditional occupation of bear fighting has received much criticism from animal rights activists in the West and has been banned in India.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} Many Qalandar have become farmers, though their holdings are small, and many are sharecroppers. A much larger group of Qalandars are daily wage labourers, and they exist as a marginalized community, both socially and economically.<ref name="Aparna Rao' pages 53"/> | |||
In [[North India]], | |||
===In Pakistan=== | ===In Pakistan=== | ||
The basic unit of the Qalandar society is the tent, or ''puki''. Each puki represents a [[commensal]] group, comprising a female, her spouse, and unmarried children. A collection of ''puki'' forms a ''dera'', or camp. Most members of the ''dera'' are related to each other. Marriages are formed with close kin, and the Qalandar practice both [[Parallel and cross cousins|cross-cousin and parallel-cousin]] marriages.<ref>Why Bulbuls bark: conflict, continuity, and identity among professional strangers / Joseph C. Berland pages 235 to 255 in Customary strangers: new perspectives on peripatetic peoples in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia / edited by Joseph C. Berland and Aparna Rao. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2004.{{ISBN|0897897714}}</ref> | |||
Unlike their Indian counterparts, the Pakistan Qalandar are still nomadic, with most involved in their traditional occupations of entertainment routines involving trained bears, monkeys, dogs, and goats. In addition, they are often jugglers, acrobats, magicians, impersonators, and beggars. The Qalandar travel from community to community, setting up camp in [[fallow]] fields.<ref name="Joseph C 2004"/> In Pakistan, bears are trapped by members of the [[Kohistani people|Kohistani]] ethnic group and then sold to the Qalandar in markets in [[Peshawar]] and [[Rawalpindi District|Rawalpindi]]. The Qalandar are an extremely marginalized group, suffering from discrimination, and often victims of abuse by state officials such as the police or municipal staff.<ref name="Aparna Rao' pages 53"/> | |||
Unlike their Indian counterparts, the Pakistan Qalandar are still nomadic, with most | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
{{Indian Muslim}} | {{Indian Muslim}} | ||
[[Category:Punjabi tribes]] | [[Category:Punjabi tribes]] | ||
[[Category:Muslim communities of Uttar Pradesh]] | [[Category:Muslim communities of Uttar Pradesh]] | ||
Latest revision as of 20:30, 21 December 2025
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2024) |
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The Qalandar (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist., Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.) are a Muslim ethnic group found in North India and Pakistan. They are also known as Qalander Faqir.[1] A few Qalandar are also found in the Terai region of Nepal.[2]
History and origins[edit | edit source]
In Pakistan, the Qalandar are found mainly in Punjab. According to their traditions, they are descended from ancestors that arrived from Balkh and Bukhara in Central Asia in the distant past[when?]. They were said to be devotees of the Sufi saint Bu Ali Shah Qalandar of Panipat. Unlike the Uttar Pradesh Qalandar, who moved east, the Qalandar of what became Pakistan began a slow migration westward, with small groups arriving in Punjab by the mid-15th century. At the time of the partition of India in 1947, the Muslim Qalandar of east Punjab, which included Panipat and Karnal, moved to Pakistan, joining groups who were already settled there.[1]
Present circumstances[edit | edit source]
In India[edit | edit source]
In North India, some Qalandar began leading bears, monkeys, and other performing animals with which they wandered, announcing their presence with an hourglass-shaped drum called a damru, which was used in their performances for emphasis, while a larger group settled in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Bengal and began a sedentary life while continuing to hold their traditional mystic religious beliefs[clarification needed]. Some of them became connected to different khanqah in Bihar, especially in Bihar Sharif and Danapur.[3] Historically, all Qalandar were once nomadic, but many are now settled.[citation needed] In 1972, bear hunting and capture were declared illegal in India,[citation needed] and there has been persistent effort by the Indian government to clamp down on bear performing.[4] In addition, the traditional occupation of bear fighting has received much criticism from animal rights activists in the West and has been banned in India.[citation needed] Many Qalandar have become farmers, though their holdings are small, and many are sharecroppers. A much larger group of Qalandars are daily wage labourers, and they exist as a marginalized community, both socially and economically.[2]
In Pakistan[edit | edit source]
The basic unit of the Qalandar society is the tent, or puki. Each puki represents a commensal group, comprising a female, her spouse, and unmarried children. A collection of puki forms a dera, or camp. Most members of the dera are related to each other. Marriages are formed with close kin, and the Qalandar practice both cross-cousin and parallel-cousin marriages.[5]
Unlike their Indian counterparts, the Pakistan Qalandar are still nomadic, with most involved in their traditional occupations of entertainment routines involving trained bears, monkeys, dogs, and goats. In addition, they are often jugglers, acrobats, magicians, impersonators, and beggars. The Qalandar travel from community to community, setting up camp in fallow fields.[1] In Pakistan, bears are trapped by members of the Kohistani ethnic group and then sold to the Qalandar in markets in Peshawar and Rawalpindi. The Qalandar are an extremely marginalized group, suffering from discrimination, and often victims of abuse by state officials such as the police or municipal staff.[2]
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Why Bulbuls bark: conflict, continuity, and identity among professional strangers / Joseph C. Berland pages 235 to 255 in Customary strangers: new perspectives on peripatetic peoples in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia / edited by Joseph C. Berland and Aparna Rao. Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2004.ISBN 0897897714
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Peripatetic peoples and Lifestyles by Aparna Rao in Disappearing peoples?: indigenous groups and ethnic minorities in South and Central Asia / edited by Barbara A. Brower, Barbara Rose Johnston pages 53 to 72 ISBN 1598741209
- ↑ Qalandar in The last wanderers: nomads and gypsies of India by Tejinder Singh Randhawa page 166 ISBN 0-944142-35-4
- ↑ LMurray (17 December 2007). "The Dancing Bears of India: Moving Toward Freedom". Saving Earth | Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ↑ Why Bulbuls bark: conflict, continuity, and identity among professional strangers / Joseph C. Berland pages 235 to 255 in Customary strangers: new perspectives on peripatetic peoples in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia / edited by Joseph C. Berland and Aparna Rao. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2004.ISBN 0897897714