Hindki

Hindki (Hindi: हिन्दकी, Pashtu: ہِندکی) is the name given to the Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists who inhabit Afghanistan. They are of the Khatri,[1] Arora,[2] and Brahman classes,[3] and are found all over the country.[4] Bellew, in his Races of Afghanistan estimates their number at about 300,000.[4] The name Hindki is also loosely used by Pathans and by people on the upper Indus, in Dir, Bajour, &c., to denote the speakers of Punjabi or any of its dialects.[4][5] It is sometimes applied in a historical sense to the Buddhist inhabitants of the Peshawar Valley north of the Kabul River, who were driven thence about the 5th or 6th century A.D. and settled in the neighbourhood of Kandahar.[4]

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Khatri, Sikh of Afghanistan. Joshua Project. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
2. ↑ Arora, Hindu of Afghanistan. Joshua Project. Retrieved on 2007-09-15.
3. ↑ Brahman of Afghanistan. Joshua Project. Retrieved on 2007-09-15.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Hindki. Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
5. ↑ Castes, Tribes, and Leading Families - Excerpts from the Gazetteer of the Kohat District. Khyber Gateway. Retrieved on 2007-09-15.

## External links[edit]

* Afghan Hindus and Sikhs
* Afghan Hindu Association
* Joshua Project: Distribution Map of Brahmans in South Asia