Pathans of Rajasthan

The Pathans of Rajasthan are a Pathan community found in the state of Rajasthan in India.

History and origin

The community are descendants of Pashtun (Pathan) soldiers and adventurers who came to Rajasthan to serve in the armies of various Rajput princes. While the principality of Tonk was founded by Ameer Khan in 1817, a Yousafzai Pathan, and was the only non-Hindu state in Rajputana, and the community is sometimes referred to as the Tonkia Pathan. Tonk was incorporated into the Indian Union in 1948. The failure of the 1857 Indian mutiny also led to an influx of Rohilla Pathans from the Rohilkhand region. Other than Tonk, they are also found in the districts of Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, Banswara, Ajmer, Jaipur, Bharatpur and Udaipur. They have three sub-divisions, the Swati, Buneri and Bagodi. Most of the Rajasthan Pathans belong to the Yousafzai tribe. They have long since abandoned Pashto, and now speak Hindustani, as well as various dialects of Rajasthani.

The traditional occupation of the Rajasthani Pathan was serving in the armed forces of the various states in Rajputana. Now many are employed by the state police, as government clerks, as well as in the transport industry. Some also land, especially in Tonk, and are a community of cultivators. They are entirely endogamous, very rarely marrying out of the community.

Rajasthan

Rajasthan (/ˈrɑːdʒəstæn/ Hindustani pronunciation: [raːdʒəsˈt̪ʰaːn]; literally, "Land of Kings") is India's largest state by area (342,239 square kilometres (132,139 sq mi) or 10.4% of India's total area). It is located on the western side of the country, where it comprises most of the wide and inhospitable Thar Desert (also known as the "Rajasthan Desert" and "Great Indian Desert") and shares a border with the Pakistani provinces of Punjab to the northwest and Sindh to the west, along the Sutlej-Indus river valley. Elsewhere it is bordered by the other Indian states: Punjab to the north; Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to the northeast; Madhya Pradesh to the southeast; and Gujarat to the southwest. Its features include the ruins of the Indus Valley Civilization at Kalibanga; the Dilwara Temples, a Jain pilgrimage site at Rajasthan's only hill station, Mount Abu, in the ancient Aravalli mountain range; and, in eastern Rajasthan, the Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur, a World Heritage Site known for its bird life. Rajasthan is also home to two national tiger reserves, the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur and Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar.

Rajasthan (film)

Rajasthan is a 1999 Telugu language film directed by R. K. Selvamani. The film features Sarathkumar and Vijayashanti in lead roles whilst Brahmanandam, Prakash Raj and Devan play supporting roles. The film was later dubbed into Tamil under the same name, with some scenes re-shot with local actors.

Cast

Soundtrack

Telugu

Tamil

References

External links