Pathans of Tamil Nadu
| Languages | |
|---|---|
| Urdu (Dakhni) · Tamil | |
| Religion | |
| Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Pashtun diaspora |
The Pathans of Tamil Nadu are Urdu-speaking Muslims of Pashtun ancestry who have migrated to and settled in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Their migration to the Tamil country had occurred in three main waves - first during the Madurai Sultanate between 1335 and 1378, second during the Mughal incusrions into the Tamil country of the reign of Aurangazeb and the subsequent establishment of the Carnatic state and lastly, during British rule when both the Tamil country as part of the Madras Presidency and the North West Frontier Province which formed part of the Pashtun homeland, were both components of the British Empire. Pathans in Tamil Nadu are generally called Pattan or Pattani and form a part of the larger Urdu-speaking community of Tamil Muslims. The hereditary chief of the Pathans of Tamil Nadu is the Nawab of Arcot.[1]
Notes
- ↑ Kumar Suresh Singh, R. Thirumalai, S. Manoharan (1987). Tamil Nadu, part 2. Anthropological Survey of India. p. 1204.