Tarkhan (Punjab)

This article is about the Punjabi community. For other uses, see Tarkan.

The Tarkhan is a caste found in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. They are traditionally carpenters by occupation.^[1]

Tarkhan

A Tarkhan at work, by Kehar Singh, circa mid-19th century
Regions with significant populations
India and Pakistan
Languages
Hindi • Punjabi
Religion
Hinduism • Islam • Sikhism

Portrait of three unidentified Tarkhan carpenters from Lahore with tools, ca.1862–72

The Hindu members of this clan are generally identified as Khatis, Suthars or Lohars following the Vishwakarma community of India.^[2] Whereas, Tarkhan Sikhs are among those groups who are identified as Ramgarhias, after the Misl leader Jassa Singh Ramgarhia.^[3] Despite Sikhism generally rejecting the caste system, it does have its own very similar socio-economic hierarchy and in that the Ramgarhias, of which the Tarkhans are a part, now rank second only to the Jat Sikhs, thanks to significant economic and social power that elevated this middle class group from its lower caste confines.^[4]

According to the 1921 census of India, which may not be reliable, some Tarkhan Sikhs owned large areas of land and, in some cases, whole villages.^[5]

In 2001, the Punjab Government included Ramgarhia, Tarkhan and Dhiman in the list of Other Backward Classes (OBC) to improve their economic conditions.^[6] They were also added in the list of backward classes by the governments of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.^[7][8]

Notable people

• Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, General of the Ramgarhia Misl^[9]
• Bhai Lalo, Sikh religious figure^[10]
• Zail Singh, president of India between 1982 and 1987^[11]

References

1. McLeod, W. H. (2000). Exploring Sikhism: Aspects of Sikh Identity, Culture and Thought. Oxford University Press. p. 214. ISBN 978-0-19-564902-4.
2. Atal, Yogesh (2012). Sociology: A Study of the Social Sphere. Pearson Education India. p. 242. ISBN 978-8-13179-759-4.
3. Cole, W. Owen (2005). A Popular Dictionary of Sikhism: Sikh Religion and Philosophy. Routledge. p. 70. ISBN 1135797609. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
4. Childs, Peter (13 May 2013). Encyclopaedia of Contemporary British Culture. Routledge. p. 270. ISBN 978-1134755547.
5. Sharma, Subash Chander (1987). Punjab, the Crucial Decade. Nirmal Publications. p. 114. ISBN 978-8171561735. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
6. "Ramgarhias in OBC list". The Times of India. 31 August 2001. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
7. "List of Backward Classes | Welfare of Scheduled Caste & Backward Classes Department, Government of Haryana". haryanascbc.gov.in. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
8. "HBCFDC". himachalservices.nic.in. Archived from the original on 4 November 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
9. McLeod, W. H. (2005) [1995]. Historical Dictionary of Sikhism (2nd ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 102. ISBN 0-8108-5088-5.
10. Singh, Pashaura; Barrier, Norman Gerald (1999). Sikh Identity: Continuity and Change. Manohar. p. 235. ISBN 978-81-7304-236-2.
11. Kumar, Ashutosh (22 November 2019). Electoral Politics in Punjab: Factors and Phases. Taylor & Francis. p. 175. ISBN 978-1-000-76939-5.