The Chhipa are a community specializing in coloring and dyeing of clothes. They are found in Kathmandu (Nepal), Gujarat (India) and Karachi (Pakistan) .
Chhippa Hindus in South Asia
History and origin
In Nepal
The word chhipa is believed to come from two Nepali words, chhi (to dye) and pa (to leave something to bask in sun).
In India
The word chhipa is derived from the Gujarati word chhapa, which means to print. They are Rajput. The community was originally found in Nagaur in Rajasthan. After their settlement in rajsthan and Gujarat, the community took up the occupation of dyeing and printing clothes. The community speak Marwari, and are found mainly in rajshan (jodhpur, bikaner, nagaur, kuchaman, kuchera, churu, hudas and etc..) and in north Gujarat, in the districts of Ahmedabad, Nadiad, Baroda and Bharuch. Most Chhipa also speak Gujarati.[ Chhipa are also known as Chhimpa in Bikaner. In Punjab too, number of chippas live especially Bathinda, Malout, Muktsar, Moga and faridkot. There are 800 homes of Chippa in Bathinda alone. They belong to Sikhism. People from the chippa clan go to Ghuman Sahib to celebrate the birthday of Bhagat Namdev. Bhagat Namdev holy words are also in Guru Granth Sahib. Surnames or Gotras of Chippa family are Battu, Taggar, Rai, Kamboh, Saggu, Sran, bagria, Hallan, Chahil, Aulakh, Bedi, karir, Pharwaha, Neeraj, Sappal, garcha, Rattan, kainth, Jassal, vattu, Virpal, Braha or Birha, Rakhra, Purba, Gill (they are also found in Jatt clan) and Rohilla.
Some Kainth, Jassal, Rakhra, Birha and Vattu families live in Glasgow, Uk. They are migrated from Punjab (Moga, Kotkapura and Malout cities).
Now the Chhipa community is divided into a number of clans, known as ataks, the main ones being the Tak, Bhati, Deora, Chauhan and Molani,panwar ,rao,kukda Each of these clans are of equal status, and intermarry. But the community has a marked preference for cross cousin and parallel cousin marriages. Surnames or Gotras of Chippa family are Battu, Taggar, Rai, Kamboh, Saggu, Sran, Bagria, Hallan, Chahil, Aulakh, Bedi, karir, Pharwaha, Neeraj, Sappal, garcha, Rattan, kainth, Jassal (they are also found in Jatt clan) , Vattu, Virpal, Braha or Birha, Rakhra, Purba, Gill (they are also found in Jatt clan) and Rohilla.
Chhippa Muslims
There are also around 80000 Chiippa Muslims in India.There main language is urdu.
In Pakistan
Chhipa are a Sunni Hanafi Muslim Rajput community settled in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Chippi is derived from the Hindi word chhapna, meaning printing. Though the traditional occupation of the Chippa is dyeing and printing cloth, many are now cloth merchants. The main marriage symbols for women are vermilion and toe-rings (bichua). Dowry is given in cash and kind. Remarriage (natra) is allowed for widows, widowers and divorcees. Their literacy rate is low, and only a few have received education up to the high school level.
There are semantic obstacles to their integration with modern society. This community speaks more than 20 languages, and each language sub-group may well need a separate outreach and church planting project.
Link(s),Source(s) and Inspiration(s):
http://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16590/IN
Rashid's Blog: An Educational Portal 
Reblogged this on Voices and Visions.
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