The Shikalgar are a Muslim community found in the state of Maharashtra in India. [1]
The term Saiqalgar is derived from the Persian word صیقلگر saiqalgar, which means a polisher. They were traditionally involved in the polishing and furbishing of metals. Little is known as to the origin of this community, other than that they are one of a number of Muslim artisan groups found in Maharashtra. The Saiqalgar may be converts from the Hindu Sikligar community. They speak the Dakhani dialect of Urdu among themselves, and Marathi with outsiders. The Saiqalgars are found mainly in the districts of Kolhapur and Sangli. They are an extremely small community, with their settlements containing only a few families. [1]
The Saiqalgar are now divided into groups, those who are now mainly small to medium-sized farmers, and a smaller groups who are still involved with the polishing and furbishing of metals. Among the latter groups, a small number have taken to the manufacture of fireworks. [1]
The Saiqalgar generally marry within the community, but there are instances of marriage with neighbouring Muslim groups such as the Attar, Maner, Patwager and Tamboli. Like most Muslim artisan groups, the Saiqalgar have a caste association, the Sqailgar Jamaat. This organizations acts both as a welfare organization, as well as an instrument of social. They are entirely Sunni, but incorporate some folk beliefs.[ citation needed ]
The Patua are an artisan community found in the state of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha in India and parts of Bangladesh. Some Patuas are Hindus, while others are Muslims. Hindu Patuas are active in the Kalighat and Kumartuli regions of Calcutta, along with some other parts of West Bengal, where they are reduced in number. It is believed that most Patuas are actually converts from Hinduism to Islam. Today, they practice customs that are both Hindu and Islamic in nature. They may have also been Buddhist at various points in time. Today, however, the majority of them are impoverished Muslims who rely on patronage from mainly Hindus, but also increasingly from tourists who buy their painted scrolls, as Frank J. Korom has described and analysed in his book Village of Painters: Narrative Scrolls from West Bengal.
Saraswat Brahmins are Hindu Brahmins, who are spread over widely separated regions spanning from Kashmir in North India to Konkan in West India to Kanara and Kerala in South India. The word Saraswat is derived from the Rigvedic Sarasvati River.
Jainism has been present in Maharashtra since ancient times. The famous Ellora Caves demonstrate that Jainism was part of a thriving religious culture in Maharashtra in premodern times.
A continuous presence of Islam in Poland began in the 14th century. From this time it was primarily associated with the Lipka Tatars, many of whom settled in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth while continuing their traditions and religious beliefs. The first significant non-Tatar groups of Muslims arrived in Poland in the 1970s, though they are a very small minority.
Lohar are considered to be a caste among Hindus and a clan among Muslims and Sikhs in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, and in Nepal. They form traditionally artisanal castes. Regional synonyms include.
Indian Sikhs number approximately 21 million people and account for 1.7% of India's population as of 2011, forming the country's fourth-largest religious group. The majority of the nation's Sikhs live in the northern state of Punjab, which is the only Sikh-majority administrative division in the world.
The Sikhs are adherents to Sikhism, the fifth largest organized religion in the world, with around 25 million adherents. Sikh History is around 500 years and in that time the Sikhs have developed unique expressions of art and culture which are influenced by their faith and synthesize traditions from many other cultures depending on the locality of the adherents of the religion. Sikhism is the only religion that originated in the Punjab region with all other religions coming from outside Punjab. All the Sikh gurus, many saints, and many of the martyrs in Sikh history were from Punjab and from the Punjabi people. Punjabi culture and Sikhism are mistakenly considered inseparably intertwined. "Sikh" properly refers to adherents of Sikhism as a religion, strictly not an ethnic group. However, because Sikhism has seldom sought converts, most Sikhs share strong ethno-religious ties, therefore it is a common stereotype that all Sikhs share the same ethnicity. Many countries, such as the U.K., therefore misconcievingly recognize Sikh as a designated ethnicity on their censuses. The American non-profit organization United Sikhs has fought to have Sikhs included on the U.S. census as well, arguing that Sikhs "self-identify as an 'ethnic minority'" and believe "that they are more than just a religion".
Rajasthani people or Rajasthanis are a group of Indo-Aryan peoples native to Rajasthan, a state in Northern India. Their language, Rajasthani, is a part of the western group of Indo-Aryan languages.
The Muslim Gaddi are a Muslim community found mainly in northern India. After the independence in 1947, the Gaddi of the states of Haryana and Delhi migrated to Pakistan and are now found in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh. In Pakistan and North India, Community members are referred to as Ghazi .
The Beldar are a historically nomadic caste, originally from Northern India and now inhabiting many other parts of that country.
The Salvi are found in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India.
The Rajgonds are the ruling class of the Gonds. The region of Gondwana consisted of neighbouring kingdoms. To the south was the Kingdom of Chanda and to the north was the powerful Garha-Mandla kingdom. In the 16th century, the Kingdom of Deogarh rose as a powerful state with the Kherla Kingdom in its western past.
The Tadvi Bhil is a tribal community found in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in India. They are from the larger Bhil ethnic group, and are a clan of it. They use the surname Tadvi or sometimes the name of their Kul or Gan; the Dhankas of Gujarat and Maharashtra use Tadvi or Tetariya.
The Nat are a Hindu caste found in northern India.
The Bharbhunja are a largely Hindu caste found in North India and Maharashtra. They are also known as Kalenra in Maharashtra. A small number are also found in the Terai region of Nepal.
The Chhaparband are a Muslim community found in the states of Karnataka and Maharashtra in India. They are Muslim converts from the Chhaparband community.
The Chhaparband are a Hindu caste found in the states of Karnataka and Maharashtra in India. They are also known as Chhaparbasi, Chhaparwale and Rajput Chhaparband.
The Dabgar are a Hindu caste found in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh in India. They are also known as Dhalgar and have scheduled caste status in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, while they have Other Backward Class status in Gujarat.In Rajasthan, the community prefer the self-designation is Dhalgar.
Religion in Maharashtra is characterised by the diversity of religious beliefs and practices.
In the state of Andhra Pradesh the most widely professed religion is Hinduism, with significant Muslim communities. According to 2011 Census of India figures, Hindus (90.87%), Muslims (7.32%) and Christians (1.38%) form the three largest religious groups in the total population of the state. Jains (0.06%) and Buddhists (0.04%) are the minority religious groups of the state.