Bhishti
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|
 A bhishti in India, 1870 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| India • Pakistan | |
| Languages | |
| Urdu • Hindi • Awadhi | |
| Religion | |
| Islam |
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The Bhishti or Bahishti are a Muslim tribe or biradari found in North India, Pakistan and Nepal. They are also known as Abbasi, Bahishti Abbasi, Sheikh Abbasi and Saqqa. They often use the surnames Abbasi or Sheikh Abbasi. Bhistis traditionally served as water-carriers.[1]
Origin
[edit]According to documentary film maker Farha Khatun, some Bhistis claim that the first recorded Bhisti in history was Abbas ibn Ali who they refer to as "Hazrat Abbas". In 680 during the war being fought by Imam Husayn and his army in Damascus, Abbas died crossing the Furat river (Euphrates) to bring water to Husayn and his army.[2]
Abbas ibn Ali was son of the fourth Rashidun Caliph, Imam Ali. Ali was known for his bravery and devotion to Islam, which earned him numerous titles. One of them was 'Saqqa' or water-carrier, a honorific bestowed after the battle of Karbala in Iraq (680 CE), in which he sacrificed his life to fetch water for his half-brother Imam Hussain's children. The city of Lucknow is home to Dargah Hazrat Abbas[3] , built to honour the sacrifice of the original water-bearer. During the Uprising of 1857, the shrine provided assistance to the Indian sepoys and Begum Hazrat Mahal. True to their origin on the battlefields of Karbala, the bhishtis continued to play an important role in the Subcontinent's military history through the Mughal and British eras. The water-bearers were a critical part of every major army retinue. In 1539, at the battle of Chausa in present-day Bihar, a bhishti saved Mughal emperor Humayun’s life in the battle against Sher Shah Suri. This nameless hero inflated a mashak, so the Emperor crossed the Ganga on it and escaped to safety. He was rewarded with a day on the throne as imperial commendation for his bravery. The bhisti is believed to have been laid to rest in one of the many unmarked graves at Ajmer Sharif Dargah.[4]
The bahishti has become a tribe which involves different castes, such as Abbasi, Qureshi, Turk, Farooqi, Samri Chohan, Behlim. Abbasi are well known as Bahishti. The reason is that a lot of Abbasids families came to India after the downfall of Baghdad, in which some families hid their identity and did different work while some families adopted the water-carrier profession into the Mughal Army and some families adopted this profession in the British Army.
Bhishtis in British Indian Army
[edit]The remarkable courage occasionally exhibited by bhistis under fire is well known. It is said that at the time of the distribution of Mutiny honors, a Colonel of English Cavalry was asked to select a man from his regiment who had specially distinguished himself, that he might be honored by the receipt of the V.C. The regimental bhisti was chosen as being the man who had exceeded every soldier in the regiment in his deeds of daring. On hearing that a bhisti could not be the recipient, the Commanding Officer refused to name anyone else. He based it on the grounds that, although many acts of bravery had been performed by his men, none could be compared with the heroism of the regimental water-carrier. So it was not awarded.[5]
Notable Bhishtis
[edit]- Rane Khan, Prominent chief of Maratha Army. He saved the life of Mahadaji Shinde during Third Battle of Panipat[6]
- Nizam Bhishti, Ruled Mughal empire for a day, he saved the life of Mughal Emperor Humayun during Battle of Chausa 1539.[7]
In Popular Culture
[edit]- A Poem named Gunga Din by Rudyard Kipling.
- Oscar Browning from his book Impressions of Indian Travel, wrote
"For my own part I trust that if I am ever born again, in India, I may become a bhisti, or water-carrier. I am told that they are most excellent people. Does not Mr. Kipling's Gunga Din testify to the fact that their name is a title of honour? Certainly their occupation is most beneficent. With their mussack or goatskin on their back, they are always either watering the roads, or giving drink to animals, or refreshing the weary traveller.”[8]
- ‘Ripples Under the Skin’, is an intriguing title for a documentary film, by Farha Khatun, National Award winner.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ bhishti (bheesty)
- ^ "Docu on vanishing bhistis, their struggle for existence to hit Nandan screen on Aug 3". The Times of India. 31 July 2022.
- ^ Dargah of Hazrat Abbas
- ^ "Memories of a Water Bearer - A Short Story Of India's Bhistis". sarmaya.in.
- ^ Coleman, F. M. (15 December 1902). "Typical pictures of Indian natives : being reproductions from specially prepared hand-coloured photographs with descriptive letterpress". Bombay : Times of India Office – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Lessons in etiquette at Gwalior court : The Tribune India".
- ^ "A bhisti ruled an empire once". Vikalp Sangam. 6 August 2018.
- ^ IMPRESSIONS OF INDIAN TRAVEL by OSCAR BROWNING
- ^ [https://northeastfilmjournal.com/ripples-under-the-skin-a-sincere-illustration-of-a-fading-tribe Ripples Under the Skin: A sincere illustration of a fading tribe.
Muslim communities of India Tribes of Pakistan The British Raj keyword Karnataka - Part 1 - Page 319 The Central Provinces Gazette - Parts 7–8; Part 10 - Page 435 Maharashtra - Part 1 - Page 336 The British Raj: Keywords - Page 29 خدمت سقایہ اور حضرت عباسؓ آٸینہ حقیقت و خدمت سقایہ Gunga Din and Other Favorite Poems - Page 69 Census of India, 1901 - Volume 18, Part 1 - Page 494 Census of India, 1901 - Volume 18, Part 1 - Page 494
- A bhishti ruled an empire once.A bhisti ruled an empire once
- Lessons in etiquette at Gwalior court : The Tribune India
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