Punjabi Saudagaran-e-Delhi
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (7,700) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
•  Pakistan •  India
|
|
| Languages | |
| • Punjabi • Urdu • English | |
| Religion | |
•  Islam 100% • |
|
| Related ethnic groups | |
| • Khatri • Arora • Punjabi Shaikh • Shaikh |
The Jamiat-e-Punjabi-Saudagaran-e-Delhi or Punjabi Shamsi (Urdu: جمعیت پنجابی سوداگران دہلی ), sometimes referred to as the Qaum-e-Punjabian (Urdu: قوم پنجابیان), Delhi Walay (Urdu: دہلی والے ), or simply Shamsi Biradari (Urdu: شمسی برادری ) are a community of Punjabi Muslims that historically came from Sargodha in Punjab and then lived mainly in Old Delhi, India. They also settled in a number of other cities such as Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), West Bengal; and towns in western Uttar Pradesh, such as Agra, Aligarh, Meerut, Bareilly, Rampur, Kanpur; including areas within western Uttar Pradesh that now fall in state of Uttarakhand; namely Nainital and Haldwani. After the partition of India, and subsequent independence of Pakistan in 1947, many members of the community migrated to Pakistan.
According to tradition, the clan belonged to the Muslim Khatris community, some of whom were converted to Islam by Hazrat Shamsuddin Sabzwari. Some subgroups use the surname Shamsi (a disciple of Shams), in his honour. Some families moved from Sargodha, in what is now Pakistan in the 17th century, in search of business opportunities to Uttar Pradesh and especially in Delhi on behalf of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzaib Alamgir. Other than in Delhi, important Qaum-e-Punjabian communities exist in Aligarh, Agra, Roorkee, Aonla, Hapur, Moradabad, Rampur, Kanpur and Kolkata.
...
Wikipedia