Origin | |
---|---|
Region of origin | Indian subcontinent |
Other names | |
Variant form(s) | Paracha, Peracha, Pracha, Paracha, Peratcha |
Paracha ( Urdu: پَراچہ, Hindi: पराचा) or Piracha ( Urdu: پِراچہ, Hindi: पिराचा), also known as Peracha, Piracha ,Pracha, and Paracha, is a family name in India and Pakistan, most common in the Punjab region. [1]
The Paracha caste is native to the Gandhara region of the Indian subcontinent, with the caste name being of Hindi origin. [2]
The Rawalpindi Gazetteer recorded the principal settlements of the Paracha as being Makhad and Attock, stating that the Paracha were of Hindu origin, as with the Khoja; many Piracha later converted to Islam. [3]
The Gazetteer of the Shahpur District mentioned that the Piracha caste engaged in trade and preferred to record their transactions in Hindi, as with the Khoja. [4]
Today, the Pirachas are scattered all over the world.
Reminiscent of the millennium before Christ, Paracha, a Hindi word, has been in common use as a tribal designation in Gandhara and surrounding provinces, for centuries.
The principal settlements of Parachas are at Makhad and Attock, both on the Indus. They are a race of traders who transactions extend to Turkistan and the Khanates. They are converted Hindus, and seem to be much the same as Khojas.
The Musalman Khoja and Piracha traders however mostly keep their accounts in Hindi.