{"id":9607,"date":"2021-09-22T15:36:06","date_gmt":"2021-09-22T15:36:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/?p=9607"},"modified":"2021-09-22T15:36:06","modified_gmt":"2021-09-22T15:36:06","slug":"indias-africans-notable-indian-siddis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/indias-africans-notable-indian-siddis\/","title":{"rendered":"India’s Africans – Notable Indian Siddis"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image by Sujan Sincere<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

The Siddis are a small tribal \u091c\u0928\u091c\u093e\u0924\u0940\u092f community of approximately 50, 000 people residing in the states of Karnataka<\/a>, Gujarat and surrounding \u0906\u0938 – \u092a\u093e\u0938 \u0915\u093e areas. These tribes came to India in the 5th or 6th century as slaves. Portuguese and Arab traders \u0935\u094d\u092f\u093e\u092a\u093e\u0930\u0940 picked them from the Bantu tribes of Ethiopia, Somalia, and East Africa.<\/p>\n

They involuntarily \u0905\u0928\u093e\u092f\u093e\u0938 came because of their physical strength and skills. They worked as security \u0938\u0941\u0930\u0915\u094d\u0937\u093e aboard the slave ships intimidating the fiercest of pirates\u0938\u092e\u0941\u0926\u094d\u0930\u0940 \u0932\u0941\u091f\u0947\u0930\u0947 from taking over. These skilled men also served as bodyguards, administrators, and military in the courts of the princely \u0930\u093e\u091c\u0938\u0940 rulers of India.<\/p>\n

Origins<\/h2>\n

One such Siddi was Malik Ambar<\/a>. Malik was born in Ethiopia in the Khambata region in 1548. He was part of an ethnic group \u091c\u093e\u0924\u0940\u092f \u0938\u092e\u0942\u0939 known as the Oromo. His nickname was ‘Chapu’ before he came to India. Historians believe his parents sold him into slavery or that he was captured \u092a\u0915\u0921\u093c\u0947 during a war. They also believe merchants and traders bought and sold \u092c\u0947\u091a\u093e him several times before he arrived in India.<\/p>\n

Education<\/h2>\n

According to the historian \u0907\u0924\u093f\u0939\u093e\u0938\u0915\u093e\u0930, Richard M Eaton, in his book A Social History of the Deccan, 1300\u20131761 Eight Indian Lives, he was sold in Baghdad to a prominent \u092a\u094d\u0930\u092e\u0941\u0916 merchant who recognized his intellectual \u092c\u094c\u0926\u094d\u0927\u093f\u0915 abilities and his physical prowess. This merchant educated him and converted him to Islam, and gave him the name, ‘Ambar’.<\/p>\n

In the early 1570s a former \u092d\u0942\u0924\u092a\u0942\u0930\u094d\u0935 slave turned ruler, Chengiz Khan, bought Malik Ambar and took him to the Deccan Plateau, to the sultanate of Ahmednagar. Chengiz Khan died five years after he purchased \u0916\u0930\u0940\u0926\u093e Malik. At this time Malik was free, according to the rules of slavery \u0917\u0941\u0932\u093e\u092e\u0940 in the Deccan.<\/p>\n

Rise to Power<\/h2>\n

The historian Manu Pillai wrote that the Mughal emperor Akbar had his sights on the Deccan plateau \u092a\u0920\u093e\u0930 at this precise time. This was when Malik Ambar rose to power. He joined forces with a neighboring \u092a\u0921\u093c\u094b\u0938\u0940 lord and gathered a force of 3000 warriors \u092f\u094b\u0926\u094d\u0927\u093e, which grew by the 1600s to 7000 warriors including Dakhnis and Marathas. This army was multi-racial \u092c\u0939\u0941-\u0928\u0938\u094d\u0932\u0940\u092f and multi-ethnic \u092c\u0939\u0941-\u091c\u093e\u0924\u093f\u092f.<\/p>\n

“Cleverly, using muscle \u092e\u093e\u0902\u0938\u092a\u0947\u0936\u0940 when it was needed and trickery \u092a\u094d\u0930\u0935\u0902\u091a\u0928\u093e when that suited his ends, Ambar emerged as the principal force \u092a\u094d\u0930\u092e\u0941\u0916 \u092c\u0932 in what used to be the Ahmednagar state. At the height of his power, it was said that the Nizam Shahi of the western Deccan was simply referred to as ‘Ambar’s land’, Pillai writes.<\/p>\n

Establishing Legacy<\/h2>\n

After defeating \u092a\u0930\u093e\u0938\u094d\u0924 \u0915\u0930\u0928\u093e\u00a0 and forcing the Mughals to retreat \u0935\u093e\u092a\u0938\u0940 from Ahmednagar, Malik established a capital called Khirki. It is known as Aurangabad today. He built waterworks, underground canals \u092d\u0942\u092e\u093f\u0917\u0924 \u0928\u0939\u0930\u0947\u0902, and houses. He also built the Jama Masjid and the Kala Masjid in Aurangabad and established a model for land revenue.<\/p>\n

Malik died in 1626. His mausoleum \u0938\u092e\u093e\u0927\u093f is in Khuldabad.<\/p>\n

While celebrating his life, Shivaji, the great Maratha leader, referred to Malik as ‘brave as the sun’ in his epic poem, Sivabharata.<\/p>\n

Mutamid Khan the diarist of Emperor Jahangir, a fierce opponent of Malik, wrote this about Malik, “He had no equal in warfare \u092f\u0941\u0926\u094d\u0927, in command, in sound judgment, and administration. History records no other instance of an Abyssinian slave arriving at such eminence.”<\/p>\n

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The Siddis are a small tribal \u091c\u0928\u091c\u093e\u0924\u0940\u092f community of approximately 50, 000 people residing in the states of Karnataka, Gujarat and surrounding \u0906\u0938 – \u092a\u093e\u0938 \u0915\u093e areas. These tribes came to India in the 5th or 6th century as slaves. Portuguese and Arab traders \u0935\u094d\u092f\u093e\u092a\u093e\u0930\u0940 picked them from the Bantu tribes of Ethiopia, Somalia, and…<\/p>\n

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