Bharai

Last updated

Bharai are a Muslim community found in Pakistan and India. [1] They are settled in Punjab province and Karachi in Pakistan and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in India. [2] They are also known as Parahin and in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharai are also commonly known as Sheikh Sarwari. [3] [4]

Like other Faqir groups, the Sarwari started off as a Sufi order, the Sarwari Qadiriyya. The word sarvar means ‘leader’, ‘chief’, and ‘master’ in the Persian language, and the Sarwari order was said to be founded by Sultan Bahoo, a Sufi of Punjab. [5]

Present circumstances

The Bharai are now mainly settled agriculturists. Many Bharai are involved in rearing cattle, and the community are considered fairly skilled in this activity. Important subsidiary occupation includes service in the army, police and forestry service. [6]

References

  1. ↑ Samiuddin, Abida; Khanam, R. Global Encyclopaedic Ethnography of Indian Muslim. Global Vision Publishing House. pp. 98–100. ISBN   978-81-8220-299-3.
  2. ↑ PeopleGroups.org. "PeopleGroups.org - Saifi of India". peoplegroups.org. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  3. ↑ People of India Punjab Volume XXXVII edited by I.J.S Bansal and Swaran Singh pages 102 to 105 Manohar
  4. ↑ People of India Himachal Pradesh Volume XXIV by B.R Sharma and A.B Sankhyan Manohar 1996 pages 88 to 91
  5. ↑ Abun-Nasr, Jamil M. "The Special Sufi Paths (Taqiras)." Muslim Communities of Grace: The Sufi Brotherhoods in Islamic Religious Life. New York: Columbia UP, 2007. 86-96.
  6. ↑ People of India Punjab Volume XXXVII edited by I.J.S Bansal and Swaran Singh pages 102 to 105 Manohar
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.