Turkic peoples in India
Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire was of Turkic (possibly Uzbek) descent
Religion
Islam
Turks in India
Hindistan'daki Türkler (Turkish)
Turkey India
Total population
~58 (Turkish as mother tongue)
Regions with significant populations
Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala
Languages
Turkish
Malayalam
Religion
Islam

Turkic peoples (including the Turks of Turkey) have historically been associated as one of the non-indigenous peoples to have ruled areas of India and the Indian subcontinent. Although modern day Turks in India are very small in number, and are likely recent immigrants from Turkey. In the 1961 census, 58 people stated that their mother tongue was Turkish.[1] According to the 2001 census, 126 residents of India stated their place of birth as Turkey.[2] In a state visit during early 2010, Prime Minister Abdullah Gül of Turkey met Turkish expatriates living in India and handed out Hindi-Turkish dictionaries to Turkish students in New Delhi.[3]

However, the arrival of Turkic peoples into India goes further back into ancient times, as the Rig Veda mentions Aryans fighting non-Aryan tribes, with some of the latter integration into Aryan society, such as Balbutha Taruksha. The term 'Taruksha' (alt. 'Turuksha', 'Tukhara') was applied throughout ancient times and even into the middle ages to Turkic peoples, and it applied to people like Kanishka, Mahmud of Ghazni[4], and Bakhtiyar Khilji[5].

History and origin

The first known mention of the term 'Turk' applied to a Turkic group was in reference to the Göktürks in the 6th century, who were based in modern Mongolia. Over time, the term has devolved onto the Turks of modern day Turkey, but historically was also used to describe Central Asian Turkic groups. The Turk biradari claim their descent from the latter group, Turks of Rohilkhand and the Terai region. One such tradition claims that the Turks came to India as soldiers who accompanied the 11th century warrior-saint Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud or Ghazi Miyan (circa 1014 – 1034 CE). The Turk settlement took place at a latter date. Indeed some Turks groups, particularly those in Rampur, that are originally emigrants from Central Asia, and came in the army of Alauddin Khalji, Shahabddin Ghori and Timur (Tamerlane). These Turks had come from Turkistan region in what is now Central Asia.

Present circumstances

The Turks live in northern India, mainly in Delhi, Gaziabad, Amroha, Moradabad, Rampur, Sambhal, Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, Udhamsingh Nagar, Nainital and Haldwani in Kumaon, Bhopal and Junagarh in Gujarat and in South India mainly in the city of Hyderabad in Telangana, Bidar, Gulbarga, Bijapur, Mysore, Srirangapatna of Karnataka, Banganapalle, Kurnool of Andhra Pradesh, Arcot, Tamil Nadu, Pathanamthitta, Erattupetta, Palakkad district, Alappuzha district in Kerala.

The community had traditionally served as soldiers in the armies of the various princely states in the Kathiawar Agency. They are also good traders Like other Gujarati Muslims, they have a caste association known as the Jamat, which acts both as a welfare organization and an instrument of social control.[6]

Notable people

  • Iwaz Khalji, the 3rd governor of Bengal (Lakhnauti) under the Delhi Sultanate
  • Saifuddin Aibak, 1st governor of Bengal (Lakhnauti) under the Mamluk Delhi Sultanate
  • Awar Khan Aibak, 2nd governor of Bengal (Lakhnauti) under the Mamluk Delhi Sultanate
  • Izz al-Din Yahya, 6th governor of Bengal (Lakhnauti) under the Tughlaq Delhi Sultanate

See also

References

  1. ↑ Census India 1961. "MOTHER TONGUES OF INDIA ACCORDING TO THE 1961 CENSUS". Retrieved 2009-03-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ↑ Census India 2001. "POPULATION CLASSIFIED BY PLACE OF BIRTH AND SEX" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-10-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ "India Exclusive". Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  4. ↑ P. 66 Dialogue & Daggers: Notion of Authority and Legitimacy in the Early Delhi Sultanate (1192 C.E. – 1316 C.E.) By Ayan Shome
  5. ↑ The Kanai Barashil Bowa Sil inscription in North Guwahati; P. 116 Northeast India By Yasmin Saikia, ‎Amit R. Baishya
  6. ↑ People of India Gujarat Volume XXI Part Three edited by R.B Lal, P.B.S.V Padmanabham, G Krishnan & M Azeez Mohideen pages 1394-1399
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