Total population | |
---|---|
c. 1 million[1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
India, Pakistan | |
Languages | |
Kutchi Additionally: Gujarati, Hindi-Urdu, or Sindhi | |
Religion | |
Hinduism, Islam, Jainism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Indo-Aryan peoples |
The Kutchi people (Kutchi and Gujarati: કચ્છી (Gujarati script); Sindhi: ڪڇي (Perso-Arabic); कच्छी (Devanagari)) traditionally hail from the Kutch district of the western Indian state of Gujarat and the Sindh region of Pakistan.[2]
Some of the Kutchi people of India converted from Hinduism to Islam in the 15th century A.D., largely through the efforts of Saiyid Abdullah.[3] The Kutchi Memons were encouraged to spread throughout India, though many remained in Kutch.[3]
Kutchis, being a part of the Indian diaspora, have maintained their traditions abroad; in 1928, Kutchi Hindus in Nairobi held a Swaminarayan procession in which 1200 people attended.[4]
The Kutchis have been living in southern part Sindh for decades and call themselves Sindhis.[2]