Paracha (Punjabi: پَراچہ) or Piracha (Urdu: پِراچہ) is a Muslim trading community and surname in Pakistan and India, most common in the Punjab region.
The name "Piracha" is believed to have been derived from parcha (lit. 'cloth'), one of the main items which they used to trade in.[1] According to Ahmad Hasan Dani, however, the term is derived from prachyas (lit. 'eastern').[2]
According to Christophe Jaffrelot Pirachas were the early Khatri converts to Islam.[3] The historian Robina Yasmin also considers them to have converted to Islam from the Khatri and Arora castes of Punjab.[1] According to B. N. Puri, the Parachas of Salt Range had their headquarters at Makhad. They are reported to have moved there during the times of Shah Jahan, although another account states them to be the Khatris of Lahore who were deported there by Zaman Shah.[4] Another reference suggests that "Paracha" as a tribal designation had been in common use in the ancient Gandhara region, with Dani stating them to have been engaged in trade between central Asia and Indus valley since the Kushan period.[2][5] According to Jaffrelot, the community takes pride in its ancient origins and some of them add the title of rajah to their names.[3]
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.
