The Ghanchi-Pinjara are a Muslim

Muslim

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

 community found in the state of Gujarat in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. A small number of Ghanchi are also found in the city of Karachi

Karachi

Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

 in Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

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Origin

The Ghanchi-Pinjara evovled as a community, when a section of the Pinjara

Pinjara

The Pinjara are a Muslim community found in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan in India. They are also known as Shaikh Mansoori, especially in Gujarat, where the name Pinjara is no longer used...

 caste

Caste

Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...

 gave up their occupation of cotton carding and took up oil pressing. They have no connection with the Ghanchi

Ghanchi (Muslim)

The Ghanchi are a Gujarati Muslim community found in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India. A small number of Ghanchi are also found in the city of Karachi in Pakistan. - Origin :...

 community. The community are found mainly in the districts of Junagadh

Junagadh

Junagadh is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city is the 7th largest in Gujarat. The city is located at the foot of the Girnar hills, 355 km south west of state capital Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad. The city is in western India. Literally translated,...

, Amreli

Amreli

Amreli is a city and a municipality in Amreli district of the Saurashtra region in the state of Gujarat, India.-History:It is believed that during the year 534 AD Amreli existed was formerly known as Anumanji, Amlik and then Amravati. The city is named in ancient Sanskrit ass Amarvalli. Initially...

, Rajkot, Surendranagar, and Bhavanagar. They speak Kathiawari

Kathiawari

The Kathiawari is a breed of horse from India, originating in the Kathiawar peninsula. Closely related to the Marwari horse, and resembling both that breed and the Arabian horse from which they descend, the Kathiawari was originally bred as a desert war horse for use over long distances, in rough...

 dialect of Gujarati

Gujarati language

Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...

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Present Circumstances

The Ghanchi Pinjara are divided into a number of clans, the main ones being the Kagatla, Varaya, Bavalia, Mavod, Salod, Kakani, Bhadra, Katia, Gujarati, Sorathia and Godhrawala. All these clans intermarry, and are of equal status. Like other Gujarati Muslim

Gujarati Muslim

The term Gujarati Muslims is usually used to signify an Indian Muslim from the State of Gujarat in west India, who speaks the Gujarati Language as a mother-tongue and follows certain customs different from the rest of Indian Muslims...

s, they have their own caste association, the Pinjara Mansoori Jamat. The Ghanchi Pinjara have abandoned their traditional occupation, and most are now small farmers. A small number of Ghanchi Pinjara are now petty traders.