Sikarwar Khanzada

The Sikarwar Khanzada are a Muslim community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. They are a part of the wider Khanzada community of eastern Uttar Pradesh. The community uses the surname khan.^[1]

Origin

Sikarwar Khanzada are Muslim converts from Sikarwar Rajput clan. They claim descent from Kamat Dev Sikarwar, who left Vijaipur Sikri now Fatehpur Sikri, in AD-1527 after the 'Battle of Kanhua' with Babur . Kamat Dev became Karim Khan after conversion and established the Dildarnagar Kamsar Paragna of Dildarnagar,Zamania in Ghazipur district in his name. Kamat Dev's genealogy descends from Pratap Rao Sikarwar who had constructed the Anup Tal of Sikri in his father's Anup Dev Sikarwar's name. The now shattered Elephant Gate of Sikri was also constructed by Pratap Rao. He had a son Udai Raj Sikarwar and a grandson Parmeshwar Dev Sikarwar. Parmeshwar in turn had three sons namely- Pujian Dev Sikarwar, Niverdhan Dev Sikarwar and Sahaj Dev Sikarwar. Sahaj Dev had a son by the name of Kamat Dev Sikarwar. It was Kamat Dev Sikarwar who was caught and converted by Babur after the 'Battle of Kanhua' along with three of his sons. Their names were- Puran Mal Sikarwar, Vishnu Dev Sikarwar and Naman Dev Sikarwar. After conversion Puran Mal became Akhram Khan, Vishnu became Ajmat Khan and Naman became Inayat Khan. After conversion Babur even gave Karim Khanji a state to rule in Sikri. Babur knew that if a ruler gets converted it becomes easier to convert the rest of the population. Karim Khan was a Prince of Vijaipur Sikri. Since he had converted under duress he gave away his state. The progeny of Vishnu or Ajmat Khan and Naman or Inayat Khan continues to reside at Sikri and Agra. They seem to call themselves 'Rangers'. The famous Salim Chiste, a contemporary of Akbar also seems to belong to this clan. The progeny of Puran Mal or Akhram Khan shifted to Eastern Uttar Pradesh. His father Karim Khan visited Rao Dham Dev Sikarwar (his Kin) (at Gahanban now Gahmar) during Akbar's rule. Rao Dham Dev Sikarwar was the last ruler of Sikri who fought against Babur.Akhram Khanji could be an ancestor of the Chaudhary family of Allahdadpur of Sultanpur District. They were at one time substantial landowners of Sultanpur.The Sikarwar Khanzada of Zamania tehsil of Ghazipur District reside in Kamsar Paragna.As per Madam Beveridge the translator of Baburnama, there is a 'Gap' of 15 MONTHS just before Babur's death in 1530 AD. These details if mentioned at all by Babur seem to have been removed from his records. Some Sikarwars of village Samauta also got converted to Islam during Aurangzeb's period.^[2] Edited by a Sikarwar of Gahmar.^[1]

Present circumstances

'Sikarwar Khanzadas' are Sunni Muslims, who incorporate many folk beliefs. They are mainly small and medium sized farmers, from Aldamau in Sultanpur District, where they occupy nine villages. They also occupy a number of villages in Dildarnagar Kamsar in Ghazipur District. In addition to the Sikarwar Khanzada, the Sikarwar converts who call themselves Ranghar in Agra District also belong to this clan.

Their sense of belonging to the Rajput community remains strong. The Sikarwar Khanzada strongly identify themselves with the wider Rajput community of Awadh. The persistence of their marriages customs, like bursting of crackers and sending specially made laddoos to biradari members are some examples. Many continue to serve the armed forces of India, an activity traditionally associated with Rajputs. The Khanzadas were badly affected after the zamindari system was abolished. Like other Indian Muslims, there is a movement towards orthodoxy, as many of their villages have started having madrasas. These madrasas have facilitated growth of Urdu. It seems to replace Awadhi dialect that they speak traditionally. .^[3]

See also

• Sikarwar
• Bharsaiyan

References