Ghosi (tribe)
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (171,000) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
•  Pakistan •  India •  Nepal• |
|
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
| Islam 100% | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Muslim Gujjar, Gujjar, Ahir, Muslim Gaddi |
The Ghosi (Urdu: غوثی, Hindi: ग़ोसी) are a Muslim community found mainly in North India. The meaning of Ghosi (Sanskrit ghosa, root ghush) is "to shout" as he herds his cattle. They are associated with the occupation cattle rearing and the selling of milk. According to ethnographies written by British civil servants such as H.A. Rose and Denzil Ibbetson, the Ghosi are Hindu Ahirs converted to Islam. Also Crook remarks that most of the Ghosi's are Ahirs who were converted to Islam and are said to rank below ordinary Ahirs. Edward Albert Gait stats that Ghosi and Gaddi are branches of Mohammadan Ahirs are chiefly occupied in pasturing cattle. A small number of Ghosi are also found in the Punjab province of Pakistan.
The origin of Ghosi is over 100 years ago. William Crooke mentions the community in his 1896 book.
Different groups within the Ghosi community have different origin myths. The Rajasthan Ghosi claim to have originally been Gujjars, who converted to Islam, however British historian William Crooke has mentioned that Ghosi's of the east (Bihar) and eastern Uttar Pradesh are Gujjars, while Ghosis of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar claim descent from the Ahir community, and indeed are known as Muslim Ahirs.
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