Lodhi (or Lodi; PashtoUrdu: لودھی ) is a Pashtun tribe, most likely a sub-group of the larger Ghilzai tribe of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were part of a wave of Pashtuns who pushed east into what is today Pakistan and India. Often accompanying the Turkic peoples who conquered South Asia, the Lodhi established themselves during the Islamic period as a Muslim ruling class and were valued warriors. Legend has it that the tribe derives from a descendent of Qais Abdur Rashid, who married a Turkish prince.

Members of this tribe established the Lodhi dynasty, which ruled over the Delhi Sultanate and included the prominent ruler Ibrahim Lodhi. The "Lodhi" family name is often linked with the title "Khan" in the form "Khan Lodhi" or "Khan-Lodhi". Sometimes only the "Khan" or "Lodhi" is retained. "Khan" is a title denoting nobility, and does not necessarily mean its bearer is a Lodhi or of Lodhi extraction.

Today, Lodhi are mainly found in Afghanistan, the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan and the Punjab region. They usually practice Islam, the majority being Sunni.

See also

• Lodhi dynasty

References

• A History of Sind, Volume II, Translated from Persian Books by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg, chpt. 68