Ranghar

Ranghar (Urdu: رانگھڑ‎) are a Muslim ethnic group, which is found in Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan and Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh states of India. Ranghar were native to Indian state of Haryana and also found in the Doab region of Uttar Pradesh, as well as Delhi in India. The term Ranghar is very rarely used by the community itself, who prefer the self-designation Muslim Rajput. The Ranghar use the titles of Rana, Rao, and Kunwar, prefixed to their given names. In Haryana, the Ranghar spoke a dialect of their own, called Ranghari, which is itself a dialect of Haryanvi, and many in Pakistan still use the language. Those of Uttar Pradesh speak Khari Boli among themselves, and Urdu with outsiders. After independence of Pakistan in 1947, many Uttar Pradesh Ranghars also migrated to Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan. They are entirely Sunni Hanafi Muslims and follow Deobandi and Barelvi schools of South Asia.

History and origin

The Ranghar were classified as an "agricultural tribe" by the British Raj administration. This was often taken to be synonymous with the classification of martial race, and some Ranghars were recruited to the Indian army.