Sikligar
Encyclopedia
The Sikligar are a community found in the states of Gujarat, Haryana
and Pinjab
in India
. They also known as the Mathuria Lohar
, Kamgar, Kuchband and Panchal
. They are Hindu
in Gujarat and Sikh
in Punjab
, and partly Hindu
and partly Sikh
in Haryana
.
s, who had flee to Muslim
invading armies, and took their ancient occupation to disguise themselves from their Muslim
foes. Their ancestral home to said to be the city of Kannauj
. They now speak Gujarati
. The community is strictly endogamous and divided into twelve clans of equal status. These are the Kanthiwala Bhand, Mole Bhand, Gandhiwala Bhand, Jumarwala, Jilpatia, Pathlerde, Juni, Mat and Bardika.
In Haryana
, according to their traditions, during the period of the Hindu
God Ram
, there were a people called the Chakreli. These Chakreli were the traditional manufactrers of swords and shields. These Chakreli lived in Chitor in Rajasthan
. There ancestors then fled there home to flee Muslim
invaders, and the ancestors of the Haryana
Sikligar moved into the region in the distant past. Other traditions make the community of Rajput
origin. According to this traditions, they were Rajput
soldiers in the army of Prithvi Raj Chauhan, and subsequent to his defeat at the hands of Mohammed Ghori, the community took to blacksmity.
In Punjab
, the Sikligar claim to have immigrated from Rajasthan
, where they were involved in the manufacture of swords. Subsequent to their settlement in Punjab
, the community converted to Sikhism
. They are now found through Punjab, with concentrations in the districts of Bhatinda, and Ludhiana. The Sikligar are divided into a number of clans, the main ones being the Junni, Dangi, Bhond, Bhori, Khichi, Tilvithya, Ghor-chare Tok, Kalyani and Churi te Biori.
Sikligar of Gujarat continue their traditional occupation of sharpening knives, scissors, household articles and agricultural implements. Economically, they are extremely marginalized, with cases of child labour existing.
The Sikligar are in Haryana
are now divided into two groupings, the Hindu
Sikligar and Sikh
Sikligar. These religious divisions mean, that the groupings are effectively distinct communities, with no inter-marriage. The community speak the Haryanvi dialect. They are found mainly in the districts of Hissar
, Jind
, Rohtak
, Sirsa
and Mohendargarh. The community is settled in hamlets on the outskirts of towns and villages, living often in thathched huts. They are further divided into eighty four clans, known as gotra
s. The main ones being the Chauhan
, Nirban
, Tank
, Kalilot, Mohil
, Joone, Dugoli Ke, Moyal, Padyar, Khankhara, Bhati
, Dhare, Khichi, Ghelot, Badke, Dangi
, Jaspal, Patwa, Solanki
, Matlana, Dagar, and Banwari. There main occupation remains metal barnishing. They are involved in the manufacturing of implements such as spades, sickles, sieves and iron baskets. A small number are now farmers, raising poultry and cattle.
In Punjab
, the Sikligar are still engaged in the manufacture of sword
s, knives, dagger
s and buckets. They sell these implements directly to villagers. The Sikh
Sikligar are strictly endogamous, and practice clan exogamy. There customs are similar to other Sikh
communities in Punjab
. They speak Punjabi
, with most understanding Hindi
. The community now have scheduled caste status.
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
and Pinjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
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...
. They also known as the Mathuria Lohar
Lohar
Lohar is an ethnic sub-caste found among Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims in Northern India and Northern Pakistan. Originally this community was a warrior tribe living in provinces of Kermanshah in Iran right up to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. In India the Lohars are also known as Vishwakarma, Sharma,...
, Kamgar, Kuchband and Panchal
Panchal
Panchal is an Indian title, in tune with the Hindu caste system, that represents some of the castes that are predominant in the Indian state of Gujarat that are either agriculturalists or blacksmiths.-Ethnicity:...
. They are Hindu
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...
in Gujarat 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"...
in Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
, and partly Hindu
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 partly 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"...
in Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
.
Origin
The word saiqal in Arabic means a polishers, and the Sikligar are those who had the heredity duty to polish arms. They are a nomadic community, often having encampments at the edges of towns and cities. The community claim to have been RajputRajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s, who had flee to 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...
invading armies, and took their ancient occupation to disguise themselves from their 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...
foes. Their ancestral home to said to be the city of Kannauj
Kannauj
Kannauj , also spelt Kanauj, is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is traditionally derived from the term Kanyakubja . Kannauj is an ancient city, in earlier times the capital...
. They now speak 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...
. The community is strictly endogamous and divided into twelve clans of equal status. These are the Kanthiwala Bhand, Mole Bhand, Gandhiwala Bhand, Jumarwala, Jilpatia, Pathlerde, Juni, Mat and Bardika.
In Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
, according to their traditions, during the period of the Hindu
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...
God Ram
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
, there were a people called the Chakreli. These Chakreli were the traditional manufactrers of swords and shields. These Chakreli lived in Chitor in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
. There ancestors then fled there home to flee 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...
invaders, and the ancestors of the Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
Sikligar moved into the region in the distant past. Other traditions make the community of Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
origin. According to this traditions, they were Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
soldiers in the army of Prithvi Raj Chauhan, and subsequent to his defeat at the hands of Mohammed Ghori, the community took to blacksmity.
In Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
, the Sikligar claim to have immigrated from Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, where they were involved in the manufacture of swords. Subsequent to their settlement in Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
, the community converted to Sikhism
Sikhism
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...
. They are now found through Punjab, with concentrations in the districts of Bhatinda, and Ludhiana. The Sikligar are divided into a number of clans, the main ones being the Junni, Dangi, Bhond, Bhori, Khichi, Tilvithya, Ghor-chare Tok, Kalyani and Churi te Biori.
Present Circumstances
The HinduHindu
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...
Sikligar of Gujarat continue their traditional occupation of sharpening knives, scissors, household articles and agricultural implements. Economically, they are extremely marginalized, with cases of child labour existing.
The Sikligar are in Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
are now divided into two groupings, the Hindu
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...
Sikligar 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"...
Sikligar. These religious divisions mean, that the groupings are effectively distinct communities, with no inter-marriage. The community speak the Haryanvi dialect. They are found mainly in the districts of Hissar
Hissar
Hissar means Fort or Castle in Arabic. Many forts in Ottoman, Safavi and Mughal empires are named Hissar. Hissar could refer to:*Hisar, India, a city in Haryana state in India.*Hisar District in Haryana state in India...
, Jind
Jind
Jind is a town in Jind District, Harayana state, India.It is one of the oldest districts of Harayana. It is one of the first Sikh Kingdoms. It lies in central Haryana and is the fourth district of the Jat belt .The city is beautiful...
, Rohtak
Rohtak
Rohtak City is a Municipal Corporation in Rohtak district that styles itself as the "Heart of Haryana". It is located 70 km Northwest of New Delhi and 210 km South of the state capital Chandigarh at the NH 10...
, Sirsa
Sirsa
Sirsa is a city and a municipal council in Sirsa district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is a town in the westernmost region of the state, bordering Punjab and Rajasthan. Its history dates back to the time of Mahabharata...
and Mohendargarh. The community is settled in hamlets on the outskirts of towns and villages, living often in thathched huts. They are further divided into eighty four clans, known as gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
s. The main ones being the Chauhan
Chauhan
Chauhan, Chouhan or Chohan , , - is a clan who ruled parts of northern India in the Middle Ages. The clan is most famous for Rajput King Maharaja Prithviraj Chauhan...
, Nirban
Nirban
Nirban in Hindi निर्बान or निर्बान हीर also spelt as Narban or Nirwan is a big gotra of Yaduvanshi Ahirs of Haryana, some of the villages of Nirban are in Pataudi and in the Badli and Haidurpur villages of Delhi....
, Tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
, Kalilot, Mohil
Mohil
Mohil, Mial or Mohal is a branch of Chauhan Rajputs. Mohils are also one of the gotras of Yadavas. British Historians H.A. Rose, Ibbetson and Maclagan have stated Mohals as a gotra of Yaduvanshi Ahirs...
, Joone, Dugoli Ke, Moyal, Padyar, Khankhara, Bhati
Bhati
Bhati is one of the largest tribes of the Gujjars& Rajput. They claim descent from Krishna as an avatar of Vishnu, and thus identify themselves as a Chandravanshi Kshatriya clan. The Bhati trace their history to the desert principality of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, in the border villages of Bikaner...
, Dhare, Khichi, Ghelot, Badke, Dangi
Dangi
The Dangi are a Hindu caste found in the states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Hariyana, Gujarat, Uttrakhand, Maharastra, Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, Punjab, and Nepal.-History and origin:...
, Jaspal, Patwa, Solanki
Solanki
The Solanki was a royal Hindu Indian dynasty that ruled parts of western and central India between the 10th to 13th centuries. A number of scholars including V. A. Smith assign them Gurjar origin....
, Matlana, Dagar, and Banwari. There main occupation remains metal barnishing. They are involved in the manufacturing of implements such as spades, sickles, sieves and iron baskets. A small number are now farmers, raising poultry and cattle.
In Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
, the Sikligar are still engaged in the manufacture of sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
s, knives, dagger
Dagger
A dagger is a fighting knife with a sharp point designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon. The design dates to human prehistory, and daggers have been used throughout human experience to the modern day in close combat confrontations...
s and buckets. They sell these implements directly to villagers. The 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"...
Sikligar are strictly endogamous, and practice clan exogamy. There customs are similar to other 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"...
communities in Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
. They speak Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
, with most understanding Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
. The community now have scheduled caste status.