Portrait of three unidentified Tarkhan carpenters from Lahore with tools, ca.1862–72
TheTarkhan is a caste found in thePunjab region of India and Pakistan. They are traditionallycarpenters by occupation.[1]
TheHindu members of this clan are generally identified asKhatis,Suthars orLohars following theVishwakarma community of India.[2] Whereas, Tarkhan Sikhs are among those groups who are identified asRamgarhias, after theMisl leaderJassa Singh Ramgarhia.[3] Despite Sikhism generally rejecting the caste system, it does have its own very similar socio-economic hierarchy and in that the Ramgarhias, of which the Tarkhans are a part, now rank second only to theJat Sikhs, thanks to significant economic and social power that elevated this middle class group from its lower caste confines.[4]
According to the1921 census of India, which may not be reliable, some Tarkhan Sikhs owned large areas of land and, in some cases, whole villages.[5]
In 2001, the Punjab Government included Ramgarhia, Tarkhan and Dhiman in the list ofOther Backward Classes (OBC) to improve their economic conditions.[6] They were also added in the list of backward classes by the governments ofHaryana andHimachal Pradesh.[7][8]
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