The
Sindh region was ruled by various Muslim dynasties from 711 until the conquest by the
British in 1843, when it became a part of
Bombay Presidency. During that period, Hindus were a significant minority of the population although accurate figures continued to be unavailable until after 1947. Mark-Anthony Falzon notes that, "Due to the shifting criteria of categorisation and the complex politics of census in general, the decennial colonial censuses of pre-independence Sindh must be read with caution." Of these Hindus, most were broadly designated as members of the Lohana
caste, with the exceptions being those considered to be
Bhatias or
Brahmins. Although some now considered to be
Vaishya in the Hindu ritual ranking system known as
varna, the Lohanas trace their origin as members of the
Lohana varna from
Raghuvanshi clan. Among the Lohana jatis - a social grouping based on birth and kinship - are the Bhaibands, who by the time of the
British Raj were held in a lesser useful than the
Amil subgroup of Lohanas but who were the wealthiest as a result of their mobility and participation in trade. Although most of the Bhaibands around
Nawabshah,
Tando Adam Khan and
Hyderabad in Sindh were ancestral
Zamindaar and
Jagirdars. They were also known for their fierce attitude and very well respected in surrounding Muslim population. Falzon considers their trade-sourced wealth to be their "distinguishing characteristic" among the Hindus of Sindh. While Bhaibands always saw Amils as subservient to rulers or government and doubt their own ability to be rich and successful. ==See also==