Bhishti
A bhishti in India, 1870
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (529,000) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 India •  Pakistan •  Nepal
|
|
| Languages | |
| Urdu • Hindi • Awadhi | |
| Religion | |
 Islam 100% |
|
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Abbasi • Saifi • Shaikh |
The Bhishti (Hindustani: भिश्ती, بهِشتی) are a Muslim tribe or biradari found in North India, Pakistan and the Terai region of Nepal. They are also known as (Shaikh Abbasi) Dhund Abbasi and Saqqa, and use Sheikh Abbasi, or Dhund-Abbasi, as a surname. In Maharashtra, the tribe is often referred to as Pakhali. The Sheikh Abbasi belong to Arab Tribe (Banu Abbas). The title character of Rudyard Kipling's poem "Gunga Din" is a Bhisti.
The Sheikh Abbasi are the traditional water carriers of South Asia, and the word Bhishti is derived from the Persian word behesht, meaning paradise, and the name is said to have been given to the community on account of their ministering to Muslim soldiers at a battle. They were historically the suppliers of water from a goat-skin bag known as the mashk or mashq.
In Gujarat, the Bhishti claim to have come from North India during the rule of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Like the Bhishti of North India, they claim to Abbasi Arabs, who provided water for the Mughal armies that conquered Gujarat.
The Bhisti of Maharashtra are unaware of their origin, although many now claim to be belong to the Abbasi community. They are found mainly in the districts of Sangli, Sholapur, Kolhapur and Pune. The community speak the Dakhani dialect of Urdu, as well as Marathi.
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