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{{Short description|Communities in an Indian city}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Multiple image
| align =
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| total_width = 250
| image1 = Durga idol 2011 Burdwan.jpg
| alt1 =
| caption1 = A depiction of [[Durga]] (the [[Hindu deities|Hindu goddess]] of power and destroyer of evil) at [[Bardhaman|Durga temple, Burdwan]], [[West Bengal]]}}
[[File:Kalighater Kali.JPG|thumb|A Kali Puja pandal with a replica of the [[Kalighat Kali Temple]] icon.]]
{{Multiple image
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| width = 200
| image2 = Mala Badal - Bengali Hindu Wedding - Howrah 2015-12-06 7716.JPG
| caption2 = A [[Bengali Hindu wedding]] in [[Kolkata, West Bengal]]}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb=right
|caption=Languages spoken in Kolkata city (2011 census)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-1900.XLSX |format=XLDX |title=India Census 2011 : C-16 Population By Mother Tongue |website=Censusindia.gov.in |access-date=16 January 2022}}</ref>
|label1=[[Bengali language|Bengali]]
|value1=61.45
|label2=[[Hindi language|Hindi]]
|value2=23.00
|label3=[[Urdu language|Urdu]]
|value3=13.03
|label4=[[Odia language|Odia]]
|value4=0.58
|label5=[[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]
|value5=0.57
|label6=[[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]
|value6=0.35
|label7=[[English language|English]]
|value7=0.2
|label8=[[Nepali language|Nepali]]
|value8=0.18
|label9=[[Tamil language|Tamil]]
|value9=0.14
|label10=[[Telugu language|Telugu]]
|value10=0.12
|label11=[[Malayalam language|Malayalam]]
|value11=0.10
|label12=Others
|value12=0.44
}}

[[Kolkata]], India, is largely inhabited by the ethnic community of the native [[Bengali Hindus|Bengalis]] (both [[Ghoti people|Ghoti]] and [[Bangal]] origin) respectively. According to a report by the [[Indian Statistical Institute]] owned by the [[Government of India]], the Kolkata city had a population of 4.5 million as of 2011 out of which the population of native Bengalis in Kolkata is almost 62% which comprised the majority of the city's population, whereas ethnic groups like [[Marwaris]], [[Biharis]] and [[Islam in Uttar Pradesh|Urdu-speaking Muslims]] together forming 36% of the population which comes under the category of large minorities. Other Various micro-minority communities of Kolkata include as far as concerned follows -: [[Pathan people|Pathans]], [[Marathi people|Marathis]], [[Odia people|Odias]], [[Gujarati people|Gujaratis]], [[Sindhi people|Sindhis]], [[Kashmiri people|Kashmiris]], [[Punjabi people|Punjabis]], [[People of Nepal|Nepal]]is, [[Telugu people|Telugus]], [[Tamil people|Tamils]], [[Anglo-Indian]]s, [[Iraqi biradri|Arabs]], [[Jew]]s, [[Armenians|Armenian]]s, [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]]s, [[Greeks|Greek]]s, [[Parsi people|Parsi]]s, [[Chinese of Calcutta|Chinese]], and [[Iraqi people|Iraqis]] etc.

{| class="wikitable left"
|+ ''Kolkata city linguistic diversity as per (2011 census)''<ref>[https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-1900.XLSX 2011 census]censusindia.gov.in {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115221623/https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-1900.XLSX |date=15 January 2021 }}</ref>
|-
! Languages
! Population
|-
| [[Bengali language|Bengali]]
| 2,763,291
|-
| [[Hindi language|Hindi]]
| 1,034,363
|-
| [[Urdu language|Urdu]]
| 586,234
|-
| [[Odia language|Odia]]
| 26,158
|-
| [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]
| 25,667
|-
| [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]
| 15,913
|-
|[[Iraqis in India|Arabs]]
|10,000
|-
| [[English language|English]]
| 8,932
|-
| [[Nepali language|Nepali]]
| 8,089
|-
| [[Tamil language|Tamil]]
| 6,508
|-
| [[Telugu language|Telugu]]
| 5,330
|-
| [[Malayalam language|Malayalam]]
| 4,434
|-
| [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]]
| 3,724
|-
| Others
| 28,607
|-
| Total
| 4,496,694
|}
==Chinese==
[[File:Chinese New Year 2014 in Kolkata - United Friends Group.jpg|thumb|right|Chinese New Year 2014 Celebration in Kolkata]]
[[File:Chinese New Year in Chinatown, Tangra, Kolkata, India.png|thumb|right|The Chinese New Year celebrated in Chinatown]]
[[Chinatown, Kolkata|Chinatown]] ({{langx|bn|চায়নাটাউন, কলকাতা}}) in the eastern part of the city of Kolkata is the only [[Chinatown]] in [[India]].<ref name=TT1>{{cite news|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/07/31/2003181147 |title=Calcutta's Chinatown facing extinction over new rule | newspaper=Taipei Times |location=Taipei, Taiwan|date=31 July 2004 |access-date=22 October 2018}}</ref> Once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese, its population dropped to below 2,000 as of 2009<ref name="BanerjeePage10">{{cite book|editor1-last =Banerjee|editor1-first=Himadri|editor2-last=Gupta|editor2-first=Nilanjana |editor3-last=Mukherjee |editor3-first= Sipra|title=Calcutta mosaic: essays and interviews on the minority communities of Calcutta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cSTEOx_Lw9MC|access-date=29 January 2012|year=2009|publisher=Anthem Press|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-81-905835-5-8|pages=9–10}}</ref> as a result of multiple factors including repatriation following India's independence, followed by expulsion, internment and denial of Indian citizenship following the 1962 [[Sino-Indian War]], and emigration to foreign countries for better economic opportunities.<ref name=thampi>{{cite book |title= India and China in the colonial world&#124;|editor-last=Thampi |editor-first= Madhavi |year=2005 |publisher=Social Science Press|location=New Delhi |isbn=8187358203 |pages=60–64 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IZ5RdT5mHHIC |access-date=31 January 2012}}</ref> The Chinese community traditionally worked in the local tanning industry and ran Chinese restaurants.<ref name="BanerjeePage10"/><ref name=TT1 />

==Iraqi ==
[[File:ParsiGentlemanCalcutta2010.jpg|thumb|A Parsi gentleman in Kolkata]]
[[Iraqi biradri]] is a community of Sunni Muslims from eastern Uttar Pradesh where the community has a historic Iraqi origin, believed to have come to Ghazipur, India, in the 14th century from Iraq. Some members moved to the city earlier in the colonial times. As time progressed they have settled in Park Circus and Topsia area of the city where leather tanneries were concentrated. Most of the community members speak Urdu, and Bhojpuri and maintain a strong affiliation with their eastern UP roots with many still having ancestral houses in the Bhojpuri belt of UP. About 80% of the tanneries in the [[Kolkata Leather Complex]] are owned by members of the Iraqi Biradri who are possibly responsible provide employment to over 100,000 people. Most of them still live in the areas of [[Park Circus]] and [[Topsia]]. The present Iraqi population in Kolkata is estimated to be 20,000.

==Jewish==
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2010}}
{{Main|Jews of Kolkata}}
Kolkata's [[Jew]]s are mostly [[Baghdadi Jews]] who came to Kolkata to trade. At one point as strong as 6000, the community has dwindled to about 60 after the formation of [[Israel]]. Today there are only about 30 Jews left in Kolkata. The first recorded Jewish immigrant to Kolkata was [[Shalon Cohen]] in 1798 from [[Aleppo]] in present-day [[Syria]]. The most influential Jewish family in Kolkata was perhaps the father-son real estate magnates [[David Joseph Ezra]] and Elia David Ezra. They were behind such buildings as the [[Chowringhee Mansions]], [[Esplanade Mansions (Kolkata)|Esplanade Mansions]] and the synagogue [[Neveh Shalom Synagogue, Kolkota|Neveh Shalom]]. The family also were instrumental in the founding of the Jewish Girls School. Ezra Street in Kolkata is named after them. The community has five independent synagogues in Kolkata, including one in Chinatown, some of which are still active today. The Jewish confectioner Nahoum's in the New Market holds a special place in Kolkata confectionery. Founded in 1902, Nahoum's moved to its present location in the New Market in 1916. It is run today by the original owner's grandson, David Nahoum. A Jewish wedding in Kolkata after a gap of 50 years in the 1990s received a lot of media attention.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://unity4equality.blogspot.in/2012/07/tracking-jews-of-kolkata-declining.html|title=unity for equality|access-date=1 February 2013|archive-date=24 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024083213/http://unity4equality.blogspot.in/2012/07/tracking-jews-of-kolkata-declining.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> After the establishment of Israel, many Kolkatan Jews left to live in Israel and the size of the Jewish community had a severe decrease.<ref>Basu, Moni. "[http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/03/29/india.jews/index.html Twilight comes for India's fading Jewish community]." ''[[CNN]]''. 29 March 2010. Retrieved on 30 March 2010.</ref>

==Armenian==
[[File:Armenian Christmas 1.jpg|thumb|Armenian Christmas]]

The [[Armenians]] followed the land route through [[Bactria]] to trade with India from ancient times. They were known as the "Merchant Princes of India", and some settled in Emperor [[Akbar]]'s court. Some finally settled in [[Serampore]] and Kolkata, supposedly under the invitation of [[Job Charnock]].

Among notable Armenians, Sir [[Apcar Alexander Apcar]], a prominent businessman, was the head of the [[Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry]]. The size of the Armenian community can be testified by the five Armenian cemeteries in Kolkata, including the one adjunct to the Chapel of Holy Trinity in [[Tangra, Calcutta|Tangra]] and an Armenian church. A gift of Rs. 8000 by [[Asvatoor Mooradkhan]] helped found the [[Armenian College (Kolkata)|Armenian College]] in 1821. Armenian College has been instrumental in pioneering the game of [[Rugby football|rugby]] on the [[Maidan (Kolkata)|Maidan]] turf.
[[File:The grave of Astwasatoor Mooradkhan.jpg|thumb|The grave of Astwasatoor Mooradkhan]]
The Armenians settled in a block close to Free School Street, which even to this day is called [[Armani-para]] ("the neighbourhood of the Armenians"). They have mostly assimilated into the Indian population, and the community has now been reduced to a handful of houses.

{{See also|Armenians in India}}

==Tibetan==
The [[Tibetan people|Tibetans]] were initially annual winter visitors to Kolkata who, along with the [[Bhutias]], vended woollens.{{Clarification needed|reason=vended woollens?|date=June 2025}} Post 1951, Kolkata became home to quite a few Tibetans who used the porous [[Sikkim]]-[[Tibet]] border to get to Kolkata. Winter sees large numbers of Tibetans set up winter garment streetside shops in the area around Wellington Square. The Tibetan community has also contributed to a large number of Tibetan restaurants serving ethnic Tibetan cuisine. Tibetan medicine is well accepted in Kolkata as alternative therapy to terminal illnesses.

==Afghans==
Kolkata was a popular destination for [[Afghans|Afghan]] (including [[Pashtuns|Pathan]]) businessmen from Afghanistan in the 19th century, vending spices and fruits. They are locally known as the ''Kabuliwala'', named after the [[Kabuliwala (short story)|1892 story]] which tells the story of a migrant from [[Kabul]] to Kolkata, and are also nicknamed as the ''Khans'' like elsewhere in India.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/in-search-of-tagore-s-kabuliwala/story-JgtSdmfJp0PKKVokebwYwN.html|title=125 years of Tagore's Kabuliwala: Here's what life is like for the community today|date=29 June 2017|publisher=Hindustan Times}}</ref>

==Greek==
The [[Greeks]] emigrated to India after the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] and [[Turkey|Turkish]] invasions in the 16th century. By the 18th century, Kolkata had a sizeable Greek community, mostly a close-knit clan of noble families from the [[Greece|Greek]] regions of [[Chios]] and [[Thessaly]], pursuing trade with the [[United Kingdom|British]]. The firm of Ralli Brothers is perhaps the most common Greek name in Kolkata; the Rallis sold their firm in the 1960s after Indian independence and moved away. The firm is now known as Ralli India, under the [[Tata Group]] of companies. The Greek community is centred on Amratollah Street around the Greek Church of the Transfiguration (built in 1782). There are currently around 2,500 to 5,000 Greeks in Kolkata. The most famous Greek to hail from Kolkata possibly was the gifted violinist [[Marie Nicachi]] who embarked on a European tour in 1910 and played at the courts of Emperor [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Josef]] of [[Austria]] and Tsar [[Nicholas II]] of [[Russia]]. She settled in her familial home of [[Corfu]] after [[World War I]]. The Greek contribution to the city will be remembered by the pioneering social work at the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodox Church]] and the Panioty Fountain in the [[Maidan (Kolkata)|Maidan]]; named after Demetrius Panioty, personal secretary to the "friend of India," [[Lord Ripon]].

==See also==
{{Portal|India}}
*[[Chinese of Calcutta]]
* [[Religion in West Bengal]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.bongblogger.com/greek-cemetery-calcutta-kolkata/ Greek Cemetery Kolkata]
* [http://www.bongblogger.com/chinese-new-year-2015-in-kolkata-calcutta/ Chinese New Year 2015 in Kolkata]
* [http://www.bongblogger.com/chinese-in-kolkata-calcutta/ Chinese in Kolkata]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100121071143/http://calcutta-armenians.blog.co.uk/ ARMENIANS OF CALCUTTA]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090207105027/http://calcutta-armenians.blog.co.uk/2005/10/01/the_vanishing_calcutta_armenians~211029/ THE VANISHING CALCUTTA ARMENIANS]
*[http://www.rangan-datta.info/photo/thumbs.php?gallery=47 Photos of Parsi Fire Temple, Calcutta]
*[http://www.rangan-datta.info/photo/thumbs.php?gallery=45 Photos of Synagogues, Calcutta]
*[http://www.rangan-datta.info/photo/thumbs.php?gallery=49 Photos of Chinese Temple, calcutta]
*[http://www.rangan-datta.info/photo/thumbs.php?gallery=27 Photos of Chinese New Year]
* [http://www.bongblogger.com/lion-dance-display-cultural-show-2016-in-kolkata-calcutta/ Chinese New New Year and Lion Dance Display in Kolkata]

{{West Bengal}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ethnic Communities In Kolkata}}
[[Category:Demographics of India]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Kolkata| ]]

Ethnic communities in Kolkata - Revision history

CleanupBot at 05:11, 22 March 2026