Turushka
Topic: Bhakti and Sufi Traditions · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Bhakti-Sufi Traditions"
Meaning
Turushka was a Sanskrit word for people of Turkish origin. It was used in texts and inscriptions of the 8th–14th centuries. These sources almost never used the word "musalman" (Muslim). Instead, newcomers were named after the region they came from: Tajika for people from Tajikistan and Parashika for people from Persia. This shows that people in that period thought of newcomers by their land and language, not by their religion.
Example
In this period, inscriptions described the Turks who founded the Delhi Sultanate in the 13th century as Turushkas. They did not call them "Muslims".
Don't confuse with
- Mlechchha: a general word for people who did not follow caste rules and spoke languages not derived from Sanskrit. It was sometimes an insult. Turushka meant one particular group, named by its origin.
- Yavana: an older word, first used for Greeks.
Related concepts
- Ulama
- Sharia
- Hadis
- Zimmi
- Five pillars of Islam
- Khojahs
- Ginan
- Mihrab
- Regional mosque architecture
- Yavana