Khanzada Rajputs

Khanzada

Regions with significant populations
• India • Pakistan • Nepal
Languages
• Awadhi • Khari Boli • Bhojpuri • Hindi • Urdu • English
Religion
• Islam 100% •
Related ethnic groups
• Rajputs • Muslim Rajputs • Ranghar • Thakurai • Ahbans Khanzada • Bhatti Khanzada • Khokhar Khanzada • Zamindara

The Khanzada or Khan Zadeh are a community of Muslim Rajputs found in the Awadh region of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. A few are also found in the state of Bihar. This community is distinct from the Rajasthan Khanzadas, who are also a community of Muslim Rajputs. They also refer to themselves as Musalmaan Rajputs, or sometimes just Rajputs. In Bihar, they are also known as Diwani Pathans, from the Persian word divan which means a royal court, on account of the Rajput converts being giving the status of Pathan by the royal court. In addition, a small number of Khanzada are also found in the Terai region of Nepal.^[1] After independence of Pakistan in 1947, many members of this community migrated to Pakistan and settled mainly in Karachi.

History and origin

The word Khanzada in Persian means son of a khan, or king. This has literally the same meaning as the word Rajput, which also means son of a king in Sanskrit. The term khanzada originally applied to the Bachgoti Rajput family of the Rajahs of Hasanpur. They were said to have converted to Islam during the rule of Sher Shah Suri. This family claimed descent from Bariar Singh, a Bachgoti Rajput, who said to have emigrated from Sultanpur in the 13th Century. The Bachgoti had started off as a clan of the Chauhan Rajputs of Mainpuri. Bariar Singh's grandson, Tilok Chand was captured in battle by the Mughal Emperor Babar, who was allowed to choose between the adoption of the faith of Islam and a quick release, or a long imprisonment. Tilok Chand decided to convert to Islam, and took the name the Tatar Khan, and his grandson Hasan Khan, is the ancestor of the Bachgoti Khanzada family of Hasanpur.^[2]

Each Khanzada clan has its own tradition as to when they converted to Islam. The community that claims to be the first to convert to Islam are the Dikhit Khanzada of Banda District, who are said to have been converted at the hands of Mohammad Ghori, some eight centuries ago, and calls themselves Ghori Dikhit.^[3] Other clans, such as the Chandel of Hardoi District are said to have converted during the rule of Sher Shah Suri. Over time, a number of other Rajput clans in what is now eastern Uttar Pradesh also converted to Islam. Many of these Rajput converts were granted estates or talukas, and estate holders were referred to as taluqdars.^[4] The history of the Awadh region is in many ways the history of the various taluqdar families, and their struggle with both the Mughals and then the Nawabs of Awadh. While taluqdars formed as special social class, the bulk of the Khanzada remained a community of peasant proprietors. Included among the Khanzada were immigrants Rajput clans from the Punjab, such as Johiya of Chail, the Khokhar of Kot and Bhatti of Yahiapur. In Pratapgarh District, the Khanzadas included representatives of several well known Rajput tribes such as the Bisen, Rajkumar, Bachgoti, Bhale Sultan, Sombansi, Bais, Kanhpuriya, Bharsaiyan, Mandarkia and Bilkharya. Traditionally the Bilkhariya and Bhale Sultan Khanzada are endogamous, while other groups are exogamous. The Mandarkia and Bharsaiyan are both strictly endogamous groupings, and as such differ from other Khanzada groupings who follow the custom of clan exogamy.^[5]

From the middle of the 19th Century, the term Khanzada was extended to refer to all those Rajput clans, who had converted to Islam in Awadh and neighbouring Benaras division. The term is now used in the same manner as the term Ranghar, which refers to any Muslim Rajput in western Uttar Pradesh,and Khanzada is now used to describe any of the Muslim Rajput clans of eastern Uttar Pradesh. In addition, the Muslim Bhumihar of Ghazipur District are also included within the Khanzada category.^[6]

Present circumstances

The Khanzada comprise a large numbered of dispersed intermarrying clans. These exogamous groups are made up of myriad landholding patrilineages of varying genealogical depth, ritual, and social status called biradaries or brotherhoods scattered in the various districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh. The biradari, or lineage is one of the principal point of reference for the Khanzadas, and all biradaris claim descent from a common ancestor. Often biradaris inhabit a cluster of villages called chaurasis (84 villages), chatisis (36 villages) and chabisis (26 villages). Important biradaris include the Bachgoti, Bais, Bhale Sultan, Bisen, Bhatti, Chauhan, Chandel, Gautam, Sombansi and Panwar. The Khanzada did and many still do practice biradari exogamy, and often also marrying out of their district. But unlike their Hindu Rajput kinsmen, there is no system of clan hierarchy, with all the main clans intermarrying. The Khokhar Khanzada of Fatehpur district are unique, in that marry with in the biradari, and practice both parallel cousins and cross cousin marriages. Historically, the Khanzada were endogamous, but there are now cases of intermarriage with the Mughal and Pathan communities, who are roughly of the same status.^[7]

The sense of community belonging remains strong, with the Khanzada still strongly identifying themselves with the wider Rajput community of Awadh, and often refer to themselves as simply Rajput. This is shown by the persistence in their marriages of Rajput customs, like bursting of fire crackers and sending specially made laddoos to biradari members. The wedding ceremony itself of the Khanzada continue to retain many Hindu rituals, the bridegroom sports a safa (headgear) like the Hindus do and a raucous band is a must in a wedding procession as are firecrackers. Many members of the community continue to serve in the armed forces of India, an activity traditionally associated with the Rajputs. This fusion of culture goes beyond just customs. Among some groups like the Gautam Khanzada of Fatehpur and Banda districts in southern Uttar Pradesh, Rajput traditions have eclipsed the religious divide and forged a common identity with the Hindu Gautam Thakurs. Hindu Gautam Thakurs participate in Muslim Gautam functions and vice versa. These intercommunity functions include religious ones as well. The Gautam Muslims help organise Holi milans, Ram Lilas and kirtans.^[8]

In northern Awadh, a region comprising roughly Barabanki District in south east to Lakhimpur Kheri District in the north west, the Khanzada have a followed a slightly different path, with a stronger identification with Islam. In a recent study of a Chauhan Khanzada village in Raisenghat Tehsil of Barabanki District, this particular community was seen to be strongly identifying with neighbouring Pathan communities, and there was increasingly intermarriage between the two groups. There economic condition in this region is also been affected, with a dwindling in the size of their farms, especially in Shravasti and Balrampur districts. Many are now, in fact, landless agricultural labourers.^[9]

The Khanzada, however have been badly affected by abolishion of the zamindari system, with many now destitute. They still remain a land owning community, but those especially in Balrampur, Gonda and Bahraich are now simply agricultural labourers. The community are also divided on sectarian lines, with the majority being Sunni, while a minority, mainly the ex-taluqdar families being Shia. Like other Indian Muslims, there is growing movement towards orthodoxy, with many of their villages containing madrasas. The madrasas have also facilitated the growth of Urdu, with it beginning to replace the Awadhi dialect they traditionally spoke.^[10]

Distribution

The Khanzada are found mainly in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

In Uttar Pradesh

Regions of Uttar Pradesh

The Khanzada are distributed throughout Awadh and Purvanchal regions, with special concentrations in Gonda, Balrampur and Sultanpur districts. Historically, the term Khanzada was initially used for the Bachgoti Hassanpur family, who are said to have originated from Sultanpur District, and the Bachgoti remains one of the larger Khanzada clans.^[11]

In Awadh

In Sultanpur District, they are found mainly in Miranpur, Gaura, Jagdishpur, Aldemau and Asauli. Other clans in the district include the Bisen, Chauhan, Kanhpuria and Raghubansi.^[12]

The Hassanpur family were also substantial land owners in Faizabad District, and together with their kinsmen the Rajahs of Maniarpur and Gageo, provided some of the larger Talukdar families in Awadh. Other clans found in Faizabad District included the Sikarwar of Akbarpur and Tanda, the Bachgoti and Panwar of Tanda, the Bisen in Faizabad, and the Bhale Sultan of Khandansa.^[13]

In Unnao district, the Khanzada belong mainly to the Sengar, Dikhit and Bais Rajputs.^[14]

In Raebareli District, they belong chiefly to the Bais of Inhauna and Behua, the Chauhans and Bhale Sultans of Maharajganj and Gaharwar of Salon.^[15]

In Hardoi District, the Chandel are found in Bilgram, other important clans include the Ahbans, Bais, Raikwar, Sombansi, Janwar and Gaur.^[16]

The district of Gonda is home to the largest concentrations of Khanzada. According 1901 Census of India, they numbered about 40,948. They are found mainly in Utraula tehsil now in Balrampur District, where they belong mainly to the Chauhan and Bais clans. Other clans in the district include the Bisen, Bhale Sultan, Gautam, Kalhans and Panwar clans.^[17]

After Gonda, Lakhimpur Kheri District is home to the second largest community of Khanzadas. They are found mainly in and around the towns of Nighasan and Lakhimpur Kheri. Most of them belong to the Ahbans, concentrated in Lakhimpur. After the Ahbans, the Chauhans are the second largest clan, concentrated in Nighasan. The Gautam, Sombansi and Janwar are found mainly in Lakhimpur, while the Gaur are found mainly in Nighasan. Other clans include the Panwar and Katehriya of Muhamdi.^[18]

In neighbouring Bahraich District, the Khanzada belong mainly to the Chauhan, Bais, Bisen, Bhatti and Bhale Sultan clans. Their villages are found mainly near the border with Nepal, a significant number settled in the Terai region of Nepal, in the 19th Century. Part of the old Bahraich District was separated to form the new Shrasvasti District, where there is a large settlement of Chauhan Khanzadas.^[19]

In Sitapur District, the Khanzada are found mainly in Sitapur and Biswan tehsils. The most numerous clan are the Chauhan, found throughout the district, the Bisen in Biswan, Bais in Sitapur, and the Gautam and Gaur in Sitapur. Other clans include Bachhil, Janwar, Rathore and Sombansi.^[20]

In Pratapgarh District, the main clans are the Bais of Pratapgarh and Kunda, the Bachgoti of Patti and the Chauhan and Raikwar found in the east of the district.^[21]

In Barabanki District, they are concentrated mainly in Ramasanehighat. Historically, the district was home to number of Khanzada talukdar families, such as the Bhatti Rajas of Neorua and Barauli and the Bisen Khanzada of Usmanpur. The chief clans of the district were the Bais, Bhatti, Bisen, Bhale Sultan, Chauhan, Panwar, Raikwar and Surajbansi.^[22]

In Purvanchal

The Khanzada of Gorakhpur District are found mainly in Padrauna (now in Kushinagar District), Gorakhpur and Deoria. The chief clans are the Bais, Bisen, Chandel, Chauhan, Dikhit, Panwar, Raghubansi and Surajbansi. A good number of the Khanzada are simply referred to as Pathans, a term that also used in Ballia and other districts of the Varanasi divisions.^[23]

In Basti District, they are concentrated mainly in Domariagang and Khalilabad tehsils. They belong mainly to the Bais, Bisen, Chauhan, Chandel, Gautam, Janwar, Panwar, Sombansi, Surajbansi and Tomar clans.^[24]

In Azamgarh District, the majority of Khanzada are found in Muhammadabad, Sagri and Mahul. Their main clans are the Bais, Bisen, Chauhan and Panwar. The Chauhan are found mainly in Azamgarh, Deogaon and Mahul, the Bais are found in Sagri, the Bisen in Deogaon and Panwar in Muhammadabad. The Rajahs of Azamgarh were Gautam Khanzadas.^[25]

The main clans in Fatehpur District are the Gautam, Dikhit, Bais and Chauhan. In addition to these clans, the district is also home to the Khokhar Khanzada, a community of immigrant Rajputs found mainly in and around the town of Kot. Of the other clans, the Gautam are found mainly in Kora Jahanabad, Bindki and Kutia Gunir, the Bais are found mainly in Haswa, Fatehpur and Ghazipur, the Dikhit are found mainly in Lalauli, and the Chauhan in Katila.^[26]

In Banda District, the Khanzada belong mainly to the Dikhit, Bais and Gautam clans. They are concentrated in Pailani tehsil.^[27]

In Allahabad District, the Khanzada are found mainly in Phulpur and Handia, and are drawn from several clans. The main ones being the Chauhan and Baghela, the latter are descended from a chieftain from the royal house of Rewah, who was granted a jagir by the Mughal Emperor Akbar, on his conversion to Islam. Other clans include the Bais, Gaharwar and Dikhit. The Chauhan Khanzada are often referred to as the Mainpuri Chauhan, on account from their descent from the Chauhan Rajahs of Mainpuri. In additions to these clans, the district is also home to a community of immigrants Rajputs from Punjab, known as the Johiya Khanzada, who are found in Chail.^[28]

In Jaunpur District, the Khanzada are found mainly in Khutanah, and are decedents of several clans such as the Bachgoti, Bais, Chauhan, Gautam, Sikarwar and Sisodia. The Bais are the largest clan, and their main settlements are along the Gomti River. While the Bachgoti are found mainly in Machhlishahr, and historically provided several taluqdar families.^[29]

In Ghazipur District, the Khanzada are very numerous and are found throughout the district but special concentrations are around Zamaniah, Mohammadabad, Mau and Ghazipur town. They are mostly Bais, Gaharwar, Bhatti, Sikarwar, Chauhan, Donwar and Dikhit. The Sikarwar are said to have converted to Islam during the rule of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, while other clans were converted under Lodhi rule. Many of the Khanzada villages are situayed near the town of Dildarnagar. They take the surname of Khan and are a fairly orthodox community like the Khanzada of Azamgarh.^[3]

In Ballia district, the Khanzada belong to the Chauhan clan, and are found mainly in Rasra. The district is also home to small number of Sukurwar clan, which is only found in the district.^[30]

In Mirzapur District, the Khanzadas belong to a single family, the Gaharwar Rajah of Kera-Mangraur.^[31]

In Bihar

In Bihar, the Khanzada, or as they are known Diwani Pathan, are found in the Bhojpur region, in the districts of Kaimur, Rohtas, Buxar Bhojpur and Saran. In Saran, they belong mainly to the Bais, Bisen and Ujjainiya clans, and their villages are found in and around the town of Chainur. They are entirely Sunni, and their conversions is said to have occurred in the 16th Century, during the period of the rule of the Suri Dynasty.^[32] Sher Shah Suri, the founder of the Suri Dynasty was born in Sasaram, in Rohtas district, and started his military career in the Bhojpur region. His is personally said to be responsible for the conversion of a number of Diwani Pathans to Islam. Like other communities in the region, they speak Bhojpuri.^[33]

See also

• Bhatti Khanzada
• Khokhar Khanzada

References