Kulhaiya

2022-06-21T03:37:07Z

106.76.250.232:

{{short description|Muslim community in India}}

{{Infobox ethnic group|
|group= Kulhaiya • کلاہیہ
|population = 3 Million to 4 Million
|poptime =
|popplace =[[Bihar]], [[India]] • [[Terai Region]], [[Nepal]]
|langs = Kulhaiya boli ([[lingua franca]])
|rels = [[Islam]] 100%
|related = [[Shaikh of Bihar]]
}}

The '''Kulhaiya Sheikh''' ({{lang-ur|کلاہ حیا}}) is a [[Muslim]] community found in the northeastern part of the Indian state of [[Bihar]] as well as the terai region of south-east [[Nepal]].<ref>People of [[India]] Bihar Volume XVI Part-II edited by Surendra Gopal and Hetukar Jha, pages 587-589</ref>

The founding members of this community belonged to the [[Hadhrami people|Hadhrami]]-origin tribe of [[Yemen]] settled on the coast of [[Horn of Africa]] who came as [[mercenaries]] and [[sellsword]] to North-east Bihar via [[Sindh]] and [[Kutchh]], on the invitation of the [[Bengal Sultanate]] for reinforcement of [[Purnea]] Division army bastion. The mercenaries started marrying local [[Rajput]] & Babhan ([[Bhumihar]]) women in large numbers as well as the womenfolks from [[Rajbongshi people|Rajbongshi]], [[Kayastha]], and [[Yadav]] communities. In the later stages the [[Gurjara]] nomads of [[Kutchh]] and [[Gujarat]], [[Jats]] of [[Sindh]] and [[Kurmis]] of present-day [[Uttar Pradesh]] who were renowned for their agricultural acumen were invited by local powerful [[vassals]], with the permission of the Bengal Sultanate which had the marital relations with the [[Nawab of Junagadh]], as the surplus pasture and arable lands were turning into barren wastelands due to incessant floods and [[subsistence agriculture]] practiced by indigenous locals. Together all of these migrant communities along with the local indigenous populace intermarried extensively amongst themselves, gradually evolving into a unique and intra-genetically diverse but single ethnicity, which over the time became structurally rigid and endogamous. With a distinct culture as well as a [[Maithili language|Maithili]] and [[Kutchi language|Kutchhi]]-based [[lingua franca]] and eventual acceptance of Islam as the common religion, the community came to be known as 'Kulhaiya'.

==Etymology==
The word 'Kulhaiya' came from [[Persian language|Persian]] language combining words 'kul (کل)' meaning complete and 'haya (حیا)' meaning modesty. Some chronicle accounts of the community state that it came from word 'Kulah' which means turban cap which the founding members from Yemen wore while other believe it to come from Sanskrit word 'Kul' meaning tribe or family. Most of the customs and practices followed by Kulhaiyas are adopted from local indigenous Hindu communities which combined with the cultures brought by the migrant ethnicities evolved into a unique and distinct culture.

==History==

===Origin===
Founding members of the Kulahiya community were preferred for soldiers in the Bengal Sultanate due to their mercenary background. The [[Faujdars of Purnea]] at the time of the Mughal Nawab of Bengal, Saif Khan, appointed kulahiyas to protect Indian border on the side of [[Nepal]] against the invading [[Gurung]] and [[Gurkha]] tribes.<ref>Aina-e-Purnea by Akmal Yazdani</ref> The original members of this community were Arab mercenaries and sellswords from [[Hadhrami people|Hadhrami]] tribe of Yemen.<ref name=kulhaiya>Kulhaiya Bridari by Kabiruddin Fauzan</ref> They came to the North-eastern region of Bihar from Sindh and Kutchh region and settled and married local women from different Hindu castes, mostly from [[Rajput]] community, [[Yadav]] and [[Kayastha]] community. During Bengal Sultanate regime, some accomplished members became landlords who then invited on the order of Nawab the Gurjar herders from Gujarat, Jat farmers from Sindh, and Kurmis from UP to migrate to their region with their families because of their agricultural prowess as well as the availability of vast abundant pasture and arable land. Most of the people settled from outside along with the local non-Muslim populace converted to Islam which gradually amalgamated into a unique Muslim community by intermarriages, having a distinct culture and lingua franca, eventually known as the Kulhaiya. In the later period due to advance in status as well as military and agriculture acumen of Kulhaiyas, the members of upper caste Hindus got into this community by converting to Islam, either sincerely or to evade [[Jizya]] tax, though they had to pay [[Zakat]] in the same way Jizya was paid.

During the [[British Raj]], the community was notified as [[Denotified Tribes|criminal tribe]] by the administration.

Kulhaiya is categorised as OBC under the Indian Reservation system.

==Education==
<ref>Report according to Appendix of Purnia district Census of 2001</ref>
According to the 2011 Census, male literacy rate of the community is 66% and 55.6% for female. The community is categorised as OBC under education quota system.<ref>Shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in pdf Purnia statistics</ref>

==Notable people==
*Late [[Mohammed Taslimuddin]], with a [[cult]] following, he was one of the most prominent political figures and feared strongmen in Bihar<ref>[[Taslimuddin]], Seemanchal Gandhi</ref>

==Demographics==
The Kulhaiyas are predominantly found in erstwhile sultenate-era [[Purnia division]] of Bihar which includes present-day districts of Purnia, Araria, Katihar and some parts of Kishanganj of Indian state of Bihar.<ref name=kulhaiya /><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/in-bihar-caste-rejig-the-backward-list-grows-longer/|title=In Bihar caste rejig, the backward list grows longer|date=March 13, 2014}}</ref> A sizeable population is also found in [[Morang]] district of [[Nepal]]. 69.7% of the population is rural-based.<ref>[[Purnia division]]</ref>

Kulhaiyas are predominantly Muslim which can be gauged by the fact that word 'Muslim' in Seemanchal is synonymous to word 'Kulhaiya'. According to 2011 census, Kulhaiyas constitute 27.6% in Kishanganj, 32.5% in Katihar, 41.1% in Araria and 42.7% in Purnia.<ref>SCR, Appendix Table 3.5</ref><ref>Shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in 10 chapter 5.pdf of Purnia district Census Statistics]</ref>

==Language==
The community speaks Kulhaiya; a heavily modified [[Maithili language|Maithili]]-[[Bengali language|Bengali]] hybrid [[dialect]] with a considerable [[vernacular]], [[phonetic]] and [[Lexicon|lexical]] influence of [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Kutchi language|Kutchhi]] dialect of [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]], [[Nepali language|Nepali]] and [[Urdu]]. The dialect have large number of [[Persian language|Persian]] and [[Arabic]] loanwords.

==Religion==
The community follows Islam under [[Hanafi]] jurisprudence. They are attached to [[Deobandi]] and [[Tablighi Jamaat]] school of thoughts.<ref>[[Tablighi Jamaat]]</ref>

==Present circumstances==
Although educationally backward, the community is well-off due to them being medium-to-large agricultural land holders. For this reason and the fact that they are the predominant Muslim community of [[Seemanchal]] gave them the political leverage in the politics of Eastern [[Bihar]]. Their support can change the fate of any political party in not only the East but the whole of Bihar. Prime Minister of India Mr. [[Narendra Modi|Modi]] during his 2014 electoral campaign tried to forge a connection with dominant kulhaiyas by monetizing their '[[Gujarat]] connection' and calling the community as 'his own' in a bid to pit them against the other dominant Bengali-speaking Muslim communities such as [[Surjapuri]] and [[Shershahabadia]]. Late [[Mohammed Taslimuddin]], the charismatic strongman politician of [[Seemanchal]] who had a cult following, belonged to this community.
The community is strictly endogamous and avoid inter-caste marriages with neighbouring Muslim sects. The community has a strong rivalry with [[Shershahabadia]] and [[Surjapuri]] communities who are Bengali speakers.

==See also==
*[[Shaikh of Bihar]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Indian Muslim|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Social groups of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Social groups of Bihar]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of Bihar]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of India]]

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Kulhaiya