Dardic peoples

Dards

Kalash in traditional dress
Regions with significant populations
Gilgit–Baltistan (Pakistan) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan) Jammu and Kashmir (India)
Languages
Dardic languages
Religion
majority Islam (Sunni, Shia, & Sofia Noorbakhshia), minority Hinduism, Kalash and Buddhism
Related ethnic groups
Nuristani people

The Dards are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group found predominantly in northern Pakistan, north-west India, and eastern Afghanistan. They speak the Dardic languages, which belong to the Indo-Aryan family. The largest populations are in Gilgit–Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan and in Kashmir, India. There are smaller populations in Ladakh, India and eastern Afghanistan. The Kashmiri people are the largest group, with a population of over 5.5 million.

Parpola identifies "Proto-Dardic" with "Proto-Rigvedic", suggesting that the Dards are the linguistic descendants of the bearers of proto Rigvedic culture ca. 1700 BC, pointing to features in certain Dardic dialects that continue peculiarities of Rigvedic Sanskrit, such as the gerund in -tvī.

During Swati rule, the Dard people predominantly followed a form of ancient Hinduism.

The vast majority of Dardic peoples are Muslim. They follow a number of different sects. The Kashmiri, Pashayi, Kohistani, and Kho peoples are majority Sunni, while the Shina and Burusho peoples are majority Shia Ismaili and Twelver. Some in Gilgit-Baltistan follow Sofia Noorbakhshia, a Sufi order. The Kashmiri Pandits are Hindu, mostly of the Saivaite sect.