| Regions with significant populations |
|---|
| • India • Pakistan |
| Languages |
| Religion |
|
• Islam 100% • |
| Related ethnic groups |
|
• Bhatti • Qidwai Shaikh • Khanzada • Rajput |
The Bhatti Khanzada of Awadh are a Muslim Rajput community found mainly in the Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh in India. There is also a distinct community of Bhattis found in the village of Yahiapur in Pratapgarh district. The Awadh region covers most of the eastern areas of Uttar Pradesh, and is home to a distinct culture.[1] A small number of Bhatti Muslims are also found in the districts of Bahraich and Balrampur. They are sub-group within the larger Khanzada community of eastern Uttar Pradesh.
The Bhatti are a well known Rajput tribe found that are found mainly in Rajasthan and Punjab. They are a clan of Chandravanshi Rajputs, and those of Awadh claim to originate from Bhatner in Haryana, and the Bhattis were some of the earliest converts of Islam. The community descend from two brothers, Zubair Khan, and Mustafa Khan, who arrived in Awadh with the armies of Tatar Khan, the Muslim commander who is said to have conquered Awadh for the Khilji rulers. They settled in the village of Basorhi, as the place contained the shrine of the Sufi saint Syed Shah Jalal. The community then spread to Mawai, where they are now found in about twenty villages. They produced the families of the taluqdars of Barauli and Neora in Barabanki district, and are closely related to the Qidwai Shaikhs, a neighbouring Muslim community through intermarriage.[1] Other than the taluqdar families, the majority of the Barabanki Bhatti are small to medium sized farmers. With the abolishment of zamindari system of feudal ownership, has had a strong impact on the large landowning families, as much of their land has been redistributed. They are Sunni Muslims, except the taluqdar families who are Shia. The Bhatti have always been more orthodox then the Khanzada, a neighbouring Muslim Rajput community. Like other communities in Awadh, they are largely endogamous, marrying close kin. They have no connection with the Ranghar Bhatti of western Uttar Pradesh or those of Punjab. [2]
There are also other Bhatti communities in Awadh, such as those of Yahiapur in Pratapgarh district. They have no connection with the Barabanki Bhattis.