History
According to their tradition, they belonged to the Muslim Khatri communities and were converted to Islam by Sufi Saint Hazrat Shamsuddin Sabzwari. They often use the surname Shamsi ( a disciple of Shams), in his honour. Some families moved from Sargodha, in what is now Pakistan in the 17th century, in search of business opportunities to Uttar Pradesh and especially in Delhi on behalf of Mughal Empire Aurangzaib Alamgir . Other than Delhi, important Qaume-e-Punjabian communities exist in Aligarh, Agra, Roorkee, Aonla, Hapur, Moradabad, Rampur, Kanpur and Kolkata.
The Qaum-e-Punjabian use Saudagar or shamsi as their surname.They are an endogamous community, practising both cross cousin and parallel cousin marriages.
They are divided into various lineages some also use Sheikh, Allahwala, Dawawala as a title. Allahwala that literally translates as "God fearing" in English.
The Qaum-e-Punjabian played an important role in India's transregional trade. They are "most important Muslim Merchant communities of North India.
Read more about this topic: Punjabi Saudagaran-e-Delhi
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