Afghans in India
Encyclopedia
Afghans in India are a large community numbering up to 10,000. Most are recent Hindu
and Sikh
refugees who fled the Taliban regime and political instability back in Afghanistan
; they are concentrated in and around Delhi
. Muslim families account for only 10% of Afghan nationals in India, although recent migration has seen a boost in numbers.
Apart from citizens and expatriates, there are hundreds of Muslim communities in India
which trace their ancestries back to Afghan Pashtun
forefathers.
and Avestan, and the divergence between Nuristani languages and the typical Indo-Aryan languages such as Hindi and Urdu.
There have been a connection between Afghanistan and India. Known kindgoms during the Mahajanapadas
were Kambojas
which constitutes Nuristan and Gandhara
which constitutes Peshawar.
empire, where Afghanistan was connected with India. So really, Afghanistan in the past meant the land directly south of Kabul, denoting Pashtun territories, excluding non-Pashtuns for being Afghan. The rise the Durrani Empire
is what caused the adoption of the term Afghan by non-Pashtuns, which is what lead to the change of such a denonym.
Various Pashtuns have ruled parts of India from the Suri dynasty empire, to the Durrani
empire's conquest on Indus Valley. There's however various Pashtun rulers that have served as various monarchs of the Khilji dynasty. Rohilla
s are one notable group of people to establish a state until Mughal
rule.
up until the Dehli Sultanate, all have which centered in a city that falls in present day Afghanistan, and not necessarily ethnic Pashtun dynasties.
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
and Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
refugees who fled the Taliban regime and political instability back in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
; they are concentrated in and around Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. Muslim families account for only 10% of Afghan nationals in India, although recent migration has seen a boost in numbers.
Apart from citizens and expatriates, there are hundreds of Muslim communities in India
Islam in India
Islam is the second-most practiced religion in the Republic of India after Hinduism, with more than 13.4% of the country's population ....
which trace their ancestries back to Afghan Pashtun
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
forefathers.
Ancient Era
The Aryan invasion says likely that the origin of Aryans likely came from Afghanistan, then moved into India. Another source states that Aryans were heavily concentrated as many tribes in Nurestan. Interestingly is also clues the origin of Sanskrit, and the idea of Indo-Iranians, where Zoroaster is likely thought to be of such an ethnic group based on the convergence between SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and Avestan, and the divergence between Nuristani languages and the typical Indo-Aryan languages such as Hindi and Urdu.
There have been a connection between Afghanistan and India. Known kindgoms during the Mahajanapadas
Mahajanapadas
Mahājanapadas , literally "great realms", were ancient Indian kingdoms or countries...
were Kambojas
Kambojas
The Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...
which constitutes Nuristan and Gandhara
Gandhara
Gandhāra , is the name of an ancient kingdom , located in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Gandhara was located mainly in the vale of Peshawar, the Potohar plateau and on the Kabul River...
which constitutes Peshawar.
Pashtun
The history of Afghans in India is ambiguous since in the medieval era, Afghan and Pashtun were synonymous, meaning that the other ethnic groups in Afghanistan such as Tajiks and Hazaras were not considered Afghan in the past. So in general, this means that in the past, any mentioning of Afghan means Pashtun, and not as a nationality since no such state of "Afghanistan" existed however the region constituting Afghanistan has been connected with India, since the start of the Mauryan dynasty to the End of the MughalMughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
empire, where Afghanistan was connected with India. So really, Afghanistan in the past meant the land directly south of Kabul, denoting Pashtun territories, excluding non-Pashtuns for being Afghan. The rise the Durrani Empire
Durrani Empire
The Durrani Empire was a Pashtun dynasty centered in Afghanistan and included northeastern Iran, the Kashmir region, the modern state of Pakistan, and northwestern India. It was established at Kandahar in 1747 by Ahmad Shah Durrani, an Afghan military commander under Nader Shah of Persia and chief...
is what caused the adoption of the term Afghan by non-Pashtuns, which is what lead to the change of such a denonym.
Various Pashtuns have ruled parts of India from the Suri dynasty empire, to the Durrani
Durrani
Durrani or Abdali is the name of a chief Pashtun tribal confederation in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Originally known by their ancient name Abdali later as Durrani they have been called Durrani since the beginning of the Durrani Empire in 1747. The number of Durranis are estimated to be roughly 16%...
empire's conquest on Indus Valley. There's however various Pashtun rulers that have served as various monarchs of the Khilji dynasty. Rohilla
Rohilla
The Rohilla are a community of Hindi-speaking Pashtun also known as Pathan, historically found in the state of Uttar Pradesh, in North India. Most are now also found in Pakistan where they are now part of the Mohajir community. At one time, they form one of the largest Pashtun diaspora community...
s are one notable group of people to establish a state until Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
rule.
Georgraphic region of present day Afghanistan
Apart from Pashtuns, when considering the Afghan geographic region itself apart from the synonym with Pashtun, dynasties that was controlled part of the Indian subcontinent are as fallows: Saffarids, Samanids, Ghaznavids, GhuridsGhurids
The Ghurids or Ghorids were a medieval Muslim dynasty of Iranian origin that ruled during the 12th and 13th centuries in Khorasan. At its zenith, their empire, centred at Ghōr , stretched over an area that included the whole of modern Afghanistan, the eastern parts of Iran and the northern section...
up until the Dehli Sultanate, all have which centered in a city that falls in present day Afghanistan, and not necessarily ethnic Pashtun dynasties.
Indians of Afghan descent
- Akbar KhanAkbar Khan (director)Akbar Khan is an Indian film actor, screenwriter, producer and director of Pashtun origin. He is the youngest brother of the Indian actor, producer, editor and director, Feroz Khan and Abbas Khan popularly known as Sanjay Khan.- External links :* *...
- Film director - Abul Kalam Azad - Indian Muslim scholar
- Salim DuraniSalim DuraniSalim Aziz Durani is a former Indian cricketer who played in 29 Tests from 1960 to 1973. An allrounder, Durani was a slow left-arm orthodox bowler and a big hitting left-handed batsman and famous for his six hitting prowess...
- Indian cricketer - Feroz KhanFeroz KhanFeroz Khan was an Indian actor, film editor, producer and director in the Hindi film industry...
- Indian actor - Tahir HussainTahir HussainTahir Hussain was an Indian producer, director and writer of Bollywood movies. He was the younger brother of producer, director, and writer Nasir Hussain, the father of Bollywood actors Aamir Khan and Faisal Khan and of Farhat Khan and Nikhat Khan. Hussain directed his son, Aamir, for the first...
- Indian producer - Aamir KhanAamir KhanAamir Hussain Khan is an Indian film actor, director and producer who has established himself as one of the leading actors of Hindi cinema....
- Indian actor and producer - Fardeen KhanFardeen KhanFardeen Khan is an Indian Bollywood actor.-Early life:Fardeen Khan was born to actor turned director Feroz Khan and mother Sundari. Grandson of Sadiq Ali Khan and Fatima Khan. He is the nephew of actors Sanjay Khan and Akbar Khan. He is the cousin of Suzanne Khan and actor Zayed Khan. He lived in...
- Indian actor - Imran KhanImran Khan (actor)Imran Khan is an Indian American film actor. He is the nephew of actor Aamir Khan and producer-director Mansoor Khan.Khan rose to stardom for his debut role in the 2008 blockbuster film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na. The film won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut...
- Indian actor - Sanjay KhanSanjay Khan-Career:Khan made his debut in the 1964 Chetan Anand film "Haqeeqat" followed by the Rajshri film Dosti. In the 1960s and 1970s Khan starred in the movies Dus Lakh, Ek Phool Do Mali and Intaqam. He also acted opposite his brother Feroz in three films Upaasna , Mela and Nagin...
- Indian actor - Shahrukh KhanShahrukh KhanShahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
- Indian actor and producer - Zayed KhanZayed Khan-Early life:Khan's parents are former Bollywood actor Sanjay Khan and interior designer Zarine Khan. Khan is the youngest of four children. His older sisters are Simone Khan , Sussanne Roshan , and Farah Khan Ali...
- Indian actor - Dilip KumarDilip KumarDilip Kumar , is an Indian actor and a former Member of Parliament.He lives in Pali Hill, Bandra in Mumbai, India. He is commonly known as "Tragedy King",and is described as "the ultimate method actor" by Satyajit Ray....
- Indian actor and a former Member of Parliament - Saleem Iqbal ShervaniSaleem Iqbal ShervaniSaleem Iqbal Shervani is an Indian politician who has been with Indian National Congress for most of his career. He represented Badaun constituency in Uttar Pradesh in the 8th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th Lok Sabhas...
- Indian politician - Salman KhanSalman KhanSalman Khan is an Indian film actor. He has starred in more than 80 Hindi films.Khan, who made his acting debut with a minor role in the drama Biwi Ho To Aisi with Rekha in a lead role, had his first commercial success with the blockbuster Maine Pyar Kiya , for which he won a Filmfare Award for...
Indian actor - Salim khanSalim KhanSalim Khan is an Indian Scriptwriter and Actor. He wrote numerous screenplays for Bollywood films. He frequently collaborated with writer Javed Akhtar; the duo is credited as Salim-Javed.-Personal life:...
Indian script writer - Arbaaz KhanArbaaz KhanArbaaz Khan is an Indian actor and film producer. Since making his debut in 1996, he has acted in many leading and supporting roles. He ventured into film production in Bollywood with Dabangg in which he also starred as the younger brother of Salman Khan...
Indian actor and director - Sohail KhanSohail KhanSohail Khan is an Indian director, writer, producer and actor working in the Hindi cinema. He is the younger brother of actors Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan...
Indian actor and producer
See also
- Afghans in PakistanAfghans in PakistanAfghans in Pakistan are mostly refugees who fled Afghanistan during the 1980s Soviet war as well as diplomats, traders, businesspersons, workers, exchange students, tourists and other visitors. As of March 2009, some 1.7 million registered Afghan nationals were reported to be living in Pakistan,...
- Afghanistan-India relations
- Indians in AfghanistanIndians in AfghanistanIndians in Afghanistan currently consist of those working in various construction projects, as part of India's rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan although the Indian intelligence agency RAW is widely quoted to be working in cover to malign Pakistan and train & support insurgents. These workers are...