Rohillas
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (2 million) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 India •  Afghanistan •  Pakistan •  United States •  Canada •  Australia •  Burma •  Suriname •  Guyana
|
|
| Languages | |
| (Khari Boli) Hindustani • Pashto • English | |
| Religion | |
| Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Pashtuns • Pathans of Maharashtra • Pathans of Uttar Pradesh • Pathans of Bihar • Pathans of Punjab • Pathans of Rajasthan • Pathans of Gujarat |
The Rohilla Pathans (Pashto: روهیله, Urdu: روہیلہ, Hindi: रोहिला), or Rohilla Afghan, is a community of Urdu-speaking people of Pashtun ethnicity, historically found in Rohilkhand, a region in the state of Uttar Pradesh, North India. It forms the largest Pashtun diaspora community in India, and has given its name to the Rohilkhand region. Historically, the terms Pashtun and Afghan were synonymous, but the present-day Indian constitution does not recognize Pathan (the term used by those east of the Indus for Pashtuns) as being synonymous with Afghan.
The Rohilla Pathans are found all over Uttar Pradesh, but are more concentrated in the Rohilkhand regions of Bareilly, Shahjahanpur and Rampur district. Some members of the Rohilla migrated to Pakistan and settled in Karachi after the independence of Pakistan in 1947. Today they make up 30-35% of the Muhajir community of Sindh. Smaller scattered populations of Rohillas of Afghan descent can be found in Burma and the South American countries of Suriname and Guyana.
The term Rohilla is derived from the word Roh, meaning mountain, and literally means mountain wind. Roh was the name of the area around Peshawar city, in Pakistan. Yousafzai Pathans especially the Mandarr sub clan living in this valley were also known as Rohillas when they settled the area then known as Katehr. It later became known as Rohil Khand which means the land of the Rohillas. The great majority of Rohillas migrated here between 17th and 18th Century." However, in Uttar Pradesh the term was used for Pashtuns who settled in the Rohilkhand region, or for men serving under Rohilla chiefs.
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