The Kamboj (Devanagari: कंबोज, Nastaliq: کمبوج, Gurumukhi: ਕੰਬੋਜ ALA-LC:), also Kamboh (Nastaliq: کمبوہ ALA-LC:), is a caste and cultivating community of India and Pakistan that originated from the central Punjab region.[1] [2]
Muslim Kamboj are known as Kamboh; they were particularly influential in the administration and the military of the Mughal Empire from the times of Akbar onward. Some famous personalities include Shahbaz Khan Kamboh and Shaikh Gadai Kamboh.[3]
As per the 1931 census of British Punjab, most Kambojs followed Sikhism (42.4%) and Islam (41.5%), with a considerable minority following Hinduism (16.1%).[4]
Muslim members of the community are called as Kamboh. The Hindu Kambojs and the Sikh Kambojs are found in the Punjab, Haryana and Jammu regions in India, while most of the Muslim Kambohs are found in the province of Punjab in Pakistan.[5]
As per the 2017 Pakistani census, Kamboj made around 5% of Lahore's population, which back then amounted to some 550 000 individuals out of a total population of 11 million.[6]